Hello, and welcome back to Metagame Mentor, your weekly guide to the top decks and latest Constructed developments on the path to the Pro Tour. Magic's newest set, Tarkir: Dragonstorm, has made its mark on Standard, introducing new archetypes and shaking up the metagame.

In this article, I'll dive into the earliest Standard results featuring Tarkir: Dragonstorm, highlighting the most important additions from the set. The first week of this new Standard format has only scratched the surface, but if the early innovations are any indication, the upcoming series of Regional Championships promise to be a thrilling ride.

The Standard Metagame with Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Standard, the rotating 60-card format, currently spans expansion sets from Dominaria United onward. To capture an early snapshot of the metagame, I analyzed 192 published decklists from Magic Online Challenges held from April 9–12, along with Top 8 lists from the Standard RCQ at SCG CON Denver. While the sample size of 200 decklists is modest, it offers a valuable glimpse at what the set promises.

To show which decks are dominating the top tables, I assigned points to each deck based on its rectified number of net wins—calculated as the number of match wins minus losses, with negative values adjusted to zero. By combining these points across all events, each archetype's share of the total rectified net wins blends popularity and performance into a single, comprehensive metric: the winner's metagame share.

In this table, each archetype name hyperlinks to a top-performing decklist that closely reflects its aggregate build. The "Other" category collects decks with less than one percent metagame share, including inventive brews like Five-Color Legends, Dimir Demons, Mardu Pixie, Gruul Leyline, Mono-White Tokens, and Boros Prowess.

The most-played non-land cards across all main decks were Monstrous Rage, Stormchaser's Talent, Burst Lightning, Nowhere to Run, and Heartfire Hero. Their prevalence underscores that Standard is driven by efficient one-mana creatures and interactive spells, particularly in aggressive red decks. In today's metagame, falling behind is not an option.

Compared to my previous metagame snapshot before the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm, there's been a clear shift. Izzet Prowess has rocketed into a top-tier contender, seemingly out of nowhere. With Cori-Steel Cutter at its core, the archetype now rivals Mono-Red Aggro in both popularity and potency. Meanwhile, Domain Overlords—the deck that triumphed at Pro Tour Aetherdrift—has seen a sharp decline. As a result, Up the Beanstalk has largely vanished from the spotlight.

The Most-Played Cards from Tarkir: Dragonstorm

Tarkir: Dragonstorm has injected a wealth of powerful new cards into Standard, breathing new life into both established and emerging archetypes. The table below highlights the 20 most played new-to-Standard cards across the decklists I analyzed.

Sunpearl Kirin claims the title of the most played card in Standard from Tarkir: Dragonstorm. Functionally, it's a two-mana Nurturing Pixie with flash, which has reinforced the consistency of self-bounce strategies. From Esper Pixie to Orzhov Pixie and even Mardu Pixie, the Kirin has proved itself as a strong role-player.

But in terms of raw power and multi-format potential, the standout star is arguably Cori-Steel Cutter. It's a formidable token-generating engine that, as an artifact, is more to remove than a creature. In the right shell, Cori-Steel Cutter is easy to trigger turn after turn, snowballing into a relentless swarm of Monks. While its main home is in Izzet Prowess, a wide range of decks have embraced it, including Boros Pia, Grixis Bounce, and Mardu Pixie. Even a handful of Mono-Red Aggro and Gruul Mice decks have already incorporated Cori-Steel Cutter.

To better understand how these new cards are shaping the metagame, let's take a closer look at the archetypes that have gained the most from Tarkir: Dragonstorm's standout additions.

Cori-Steel Cutter Supercharges Izzet Prowess

693583 1 Bounce Off 4 Burst Lightning 4 Cori-Steel Cutter 5 Island 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Monstrous Rage 4 Mountain 4 Opt 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Shivan Reef 4 Sleight of Hand 4 Slickshot Show-Off 2 Spell Pierce 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Stock Up 4 Stormchaser's Talent 2 Disdainful Stroke 3 Ghost Vacuum 2 Sunspine Lynx 3 Third Path Iconoclast 4 Torch the Tower 1 Witchstalker Frenzy

At first glance, it might seem odd to run an aggressive red deck in Standard without the ubiquitous Mice package. But Cori-Steel Cutter has changed the equation, catapulting Izzet Prowess into the same tier as Mono-Red Aggro, if not beyond it.

The deck is as elegant as it is deadly. On turn three, cast Cori-Steel Cutter and a cheap spell like Opt to generate a Monk token, equip it with Cori-Steel Cutter, and swing for two. From there, the deck uses a suite of one-mana spells, card-draw effects, and a plotted Slickshot Show-Off, it becomes trivial to trigger flurry on successive turns. Each pair of spells you cast fuels a growing army of Monk tokens, while prowess amplifies their threat level turn by turn.

One of the few cards that can cleanly answer this explosive strategy is Temporary Lockdown, but even that's not a guaranteed solution thanks to main-deck copies of Spell Pierce. With this powerful configuration, Darthkid piloted Izzet Prowess to a 4th-place finish in a recent Magic Online Challenge, and many other players have found similar success with this hot new archetype.

Sunpearl Kirin Brings Bounce at Instant Speed

Sunpearl Kirin 2 Adarkar Wastes 3 Caves of Koilos 4 Concealed Courtyard 4 Darkslick Shores 2 Entity Tracker 2 Fear of Isolation 1 Go for the Throat 4 Hopeless Nightmare 1 Momentum Breaker 4 Nowhere to Run 4 Nurturing Pixie 4 Optimistic Scavenger 2 Restless Anchorage 4 Seachrome Coast 3 Spiteful Hexmage 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Sunpearl Kirin 1 Swamp 4 This Town Ain't Big Enough 3 Underground River 1 Defiled Crypt // Cadaver Lab 2 Destroy Evil 2 Grim Bauble 1 Loran of the Third Path 2 No More Lies 3 Rest in Peace 2 Stock Up 2 The Witch's Vanity

Sunpearl Kirin has been adopted by Esper Pixie. While its stats are slightly weaker than Fear of Isolation, flash adds a new layer of flexibility. You can now hold up two mana, assess your opponent's play, and then respond with the best option—whether that's Nowhere to Run, This Town Ain't Big Enough, or another Kirin.

Esper Pixie was already leaning heavily on a suite of self-bounce effects, and Sunpearl Kirin slots seamlessly into that framework. To make space, most lists have trimmed copies of Kaito, Bane of Nightmares and/or Stock Up. The self-bounce configuration of 4 This Town Ain't Big Enough, 4 Sunpearl Kirin, 4 Nurturing Pixie, and 2 Fear of Isolation has become the new norm. With that setup, HouseOfManaMTG took down a recent Standard Challenge on Magic Online.

The inclusion of the Kirin has also rippled through the rest of the deck. Entity Tracker has joined as a complementary flash threat, while Sunpearl Kirin's synergy with Spiteful Hexmage—drawing a card when you bounce the Cursed Role—has prompted a resurgence of the black one-drop. The result is a leaner, more aggressive version of Esper Pixie, which remains a formidable force in the Standard format.

Tersa Lightshatter Ignites Mono-Red Aggro

693607 4 Burst Lightning 4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Hired Claw 4 Lightning Strike 4 Manifold Mouse 4 Monstrous Rage 16 Mountain 4 Rockface Village 4 Screaming Nemesis 3 Soulstone Sanctuary 4 Tersa Lightshatter 1 Witchstalker Frenzy 2 Case of the Crimson Pulse 2 Lithomantic Barrage 4 Sunspine Lynx 4 Torch the Tower 3 Witchstalker Frenzy

Much like Screaming Nemesis, Tersa Lightshatter delivers three explosive points of hasty damage while offering the potential for lasting value. Early on, it helps filter your draws, letting you sculpt your hand to find the right mix of threats, lands, or instants. And later, when you hit the graveyard threshold, Tersa grants access to free cards—perhaps a game-ending Monstrous Rage.

Many of the top-performing Mono-Red Aggro decks—including Latorretta's winning list from a recent Magic Online Challenge—have adopted multiple copies of Tersa, trimming Monastery Swiftspear to make room. Compared to pre-Tarkir: Dragonstorm builds, this version embraces a slightly higher curve and runs 23 lands, underlining a shift toward mid-game staying power.

Personally, I like the direction, but I believe there's still room for tuning. I'd consider shaving a copy each of Lightning Strike and Tersa Lightshatter in favor of Monastery Swiftspear and Sunspine Lynx. With a bit more optimization, we can get closer to perfection.

Desperate Measures Adds Fuel for Leyline of Resonance

Desperate Measures 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 1 Blazemire Verge 4 Cacophony Scamp 4 Callous Sell-Sword 4 Desperate Measures 4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Leyline of Resonance 4 Manifold Mouse 4 Might of the Meek 4 Monstrous Rage 11 Mountain 4 Sulfurous Springs 4 Turn Inside Out 4 Duress 4 Leyline of the Void 2 Pyroclasm 2 Sunspine Lynx 3 Torch the Tower

Although Skullclamp is banned in several Constructed formats, Desperate Measures brings a similar effect to Standard. Of course, it's a one-shot effect rather than a repeatable engine. But what if you could use it twice?

Paired with Leyline of Resonance, Desperate Measures starts to look more like its Equipment counterpart. Casting it in response to a removal spell lets you draw four cards for just one mana—an absurd exchange. And that's not the only trick. Want to push damage? Target your own Emberheart Challenger twice, then swing in with a 5/1 creature. Looking for value? Target your own Cacophony Scamp to draw cards and remove a creature.

These powerful interactions helped Bunnyfat clinch a victory at a recent Magic Online Challenge. Thanks to Tarkir: Dragonstorm, Leyline of Resonance strategies are not only viable again, but they're downright dangerous.

Harmonize Shines in Jeskai Oculus

693547 4 Abhorrent Oculus 2 Adarkar Wastes 2 Battlefield Forge 1 Bitter Reunion 4 Fear of Missing Out 2 Glacial Dragonhunt 4 Helping Hand 4 Inspiring Vantage 4 Proft's Eidetic Memory 2 Recommission 4 Seachrome Coast 4 Shivan Reef 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Spyglass Siren 4 Steamcore Scholar 2 Tersa Lightshatter 2 Thundering Falls 4 Torch the Tower 3 Winternight Stories 2 Chandra, Spark Hunter 3 Destroy Evil 2 Ghost Vacuum 1 Lithomantic Barrage 1 Negate 2 Pyroclasm 2 Spell Pierce 2 The Filigree Sylex

Tarkir: Dragonstorm introduces the harmonize mechanic, which lets you cast cards from your graveyard. It's a natural fit for decks already using draw-and-discard effects, such as Jeskai Oculus. Discarding a harmonize card early isn't a loss—it's an investment into the future. When those spells also help you loot, the synergy potential in Jeskai Oculus grows even larger.

RubyXillia's version of Jeskai Oculus runs both Glacial Dragonhunt and Winternight Stories, which serve multiple roles. Not only can they be pitched to Fear of Missing Out or Steamcore Scholar, but they also power up Proft's Eidetic Memory and fill the graveyard for Helping Hand, Recommission, and Abhorrent Oculus. To make room for this new recursive graveyard potential, Inti, Seneschal of the Sun has gotten cut, but the resulting list is more consistent and explosive.

New Dragons Help Jeskai Decks Take Control

693703 1 Abrade 3 Beza, the Bounding Spring 1 Cori Mountain Monastery 1 Day of Judgment 2 Dispelling Exhale 3 Elegant Parlor 4 Floodfarm Verge 4 Get Lost 2 Island 4 Lightning Helix 3 Marang River Regent 3 Meticulous Archive 1 Mountain 3 Plains 1 Ride's End 3 Riverpyre Verge 4 Shiko, Paragon of the Way 1 Split Up 4 Stock Up 3 Sunbillow Verge 3 Temporary Lockdown 3 Three Steps Ahead 3 Thundering Falls 2 Authority of the Consuls 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 1 Day of Judgment 1 Ghost Vacuum 2 Jace, the Perfected Mind 2 Kutzil's Flanker 2 Negate 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 2 Wilt-Leaf Liege

Control decks aim to dictate the flow of the game by answering early threats and eventually pulling ahead with raw card advantage or late-game power. Two new Dragons from Tarkir: Dragonstorm offer exactly that, bolstering Jeskai Control as an archetype.

Leading the charge is Shiko, Paragon of the Way, who provides value and flexibility. You can cast Stock Up for resources, Split Up to clear the board, or Get Lost to maintain control.

Marang River Regent comes with an Omen spell, letting you keep mana up for either countermagic or card draw on your opponent's turn. And when you play it as a six-mana Dragon, it helps stabilize the board and go for the win.

Gerardo94 showcased the strength of this new core with a 3rd-place finish in a recent Magic Online Challenge. Their list also featured Dispelling Exhale, which functions like a supercharged No More Lies with a less demanding mana cost. Together, these additions provide a compelling new direction for control decks.

Elspeth Reinforces Token-Based Strategies

693491 2 Anoint with Affliction 3 Beza, the Bounding Spring 4 Bleachbone Verge 4 Caretaker's Talent 4 Carrot Cake 4 Concealed Courtyard 4 Cut Down 2 Day of Judgment 2 Demolition Field 2 Elspeth, Storm Slayer 1 Elspeth's Smite 4 Enduring Innocence 4 Fountainport 2 Get Lost 2 Go for the Throat 1 Kaya, Intangible Slayer 2 Overlord of the Mistmoors 5 Plains 4 Shadowy Backstreet 2 Sunfall 2 Swamp 2 Destroy Evil 3 Duress 1 Elspeth's Smite 1 Ghost Vacuum 2 Outrageous Robbery 1 Pest Control 2 The Stone Brain 3 Wilt-Leaf Liege

In a deck already built to flood the board with tokens, Elspeth, Storm Slayer is an Anointed Procession with loyalty abilities that offer even more versatility. In this version of Orzhov Tokens, piloted by Ivan_Draw_Go to a 5th-place finish in a recent Standard Challenge, Elspeth doubles down on what the deck does best.

She enhances a wide variety of token sources: Rabbit tokens from Carrot Cake, Treasure and Fish from Beza, the Bounding Spring and Fountainport, Insects from Overlord of the Mistmoors, and even her own Soldiers. With so many different token sources already bolstered by Caretaker's Talent, Elspeth's doubling effect compounds quickly.

Players are debating whether to splash black for Cut Down or to remain mono-white for Lay Down Arms, but those are minor questions. What's clear is that Elspeth, Storm Slayer elevates this archetype to new heights, providing a dominant win condition that fits seamlessly into the existing game plan.

Jeskai Revelation Simplifies the Omniscience Win

693676 4 Abuelo's Awakening 4 Adarkar Wastes 2 Blast Zone 2 Chart a Course 3 Confounding Riddle 3 Ephara's Dispersal 1 Fabled Passage 4 Fallaji Archaeologist 4 Floodfarm Verge 3 Invasion of Arcavios 4 Island 4 Meticulous Archive 4 Moment of Truth 4 Omniscience 1 Oracle of Tragedy 2 Plains 3 Seachrome Coast 4 Stock Up 4 Temporary Lockdown 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 1 Day of Judgment 2 Disenchant 2 Get Lost 2 Grand Abolisher 1 Jeskai Revelation 2 Negate 3 Riptide Gearhulk 1 Spell Pierce

The last new standout card worth spotlighting, Jeskai Revelation, looks like a sideboard card, but it plays a surprisingly central role in Azorius Omniscience. Its key function is to streamline the deck's win condition. After reanimating Omniscience with Abuelo's Awakening, the deck can cast Invasion of Arcavios, grab Jeskai Revelation from the sideboard, and begin a loop. Bounce Invasion, deal 4 damage to the opponent, recast Invasion, and repeat.

In previous iterations, the combo finish relied on a clunky sequence with Johann's Stopgap, This Town Ain't Big Enough, and Haunt the Network. Now, Jeskai Revelation offers a one-card kill loop, the win is cleaner and the sideboard has opened up. Freed from needing multiple pieces, the sideboard now has room for more utility cards like additional copies of Disenchant.

What's Next for Standard?

The arrival of Cori-Steel Cutter and other game-changing cards from Tarkir: Dragonstorm has shaken up the Standard format. But we're still only scratching the surface. The coming weeks promise a thrilling period of discovery, as new archetypes emerge and top-tier strategies are refined across high-stakes competition.

Here's the schedule for the upcoming Regional Championship cycle:

• April 25–26: Europe, Middle East, and Africa
• May 3–4: United States (Minneapolis, MN), Brazil, Japan, and Southeast Asia
• May 10–11: Australia/New Zealand
• May 17–18: China and Chinese Taipei and United States (Hartford, CT)
• May 24–25: Canada
• May 31–June 1: South America and Mexico/Central America/Caribbean

If you're eager to witness high-level Standard play in action, don't miss the Ultimate Guard European Magic Series Regional Championship in Bologna, Italy, on April 25–26!

Fanfinity will provide live video coverage on both Twitch and YouTube, featuring high production value, awesome features, and insightful commentary from seasoned champions. Coverage begins at 9 a.m. Central European Summer Time (that's 3 a.m. Eastern Time/6 p.m. Japan Standard Time) on both days. Catch the epic matches that will redefine what's possible in Standard!