Hello, and welcome back to Metagame Mentor, your weekly guide to the top decks and latest Constructed developments from Magic's most prestigious events. Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed delivered an exciting weekend of innovative Standard decks that pushed the format in new directions. The Top 8 showcased seven different archetypes, with the surprising Dimir Excruciator deck as the only repeat. After three days of high-level competition and close matches between some of the best players in the world, Christoffer Larsen used Dimir Excruciator to claim the Pro Tour trophy.

While the Pro Tour measured skill across both Limited and Standard, today's article will focus exclusively on the Standard rounds, examining win rates and standout decks from the tournament. By setting aside the draft portion and looking beyond the Top 8, we can capture a broader perspective on the key Standard takeaways from the event as a whole.

The Standard Win Rates at the Pro Tour

The metagame breakdown made one thing immediately clear: Badgermole Cub decks were everywhere. Cub decks like Simic Rhythm, Bant Rhythm, and Bant Airbending collectively made up 44.8% of the field, underscoring the card's dominance. Yet the rest of the field arrived ready to defeat Badgermole Cub, and overall, they succeeded.

Below, you'll find a table with each archetype's non-mirror, non-draw, non-bye match record from the Standard Swiss rounds, along with the corresponding win rate. Each archetype name links to a representative sample decklist.

Despite entering the weekend as the decks to beat, Simic Rhythm and Bant Rhythm fell short of expectations, and nearly all Badgermole Cub strategies had a disastrous performance. Taken together, decks with Badgermole Cub won merely 40% of their matches against non-Cub decks in the Standard Swiss rounds. Pro Tour competitors were well prepared with efficient answers and game plans that capitalized on the Cub decks' typical lack of interaction. As a result, Badgermole Cub decks were poorly positioned in the Standard metagame at the Pro Tour.

Sultai Reanimator, despite gaining new tools like Formidable Speaker, Deceit, and Wistfulness from Lorwyn Eclipsed, also underperformed. The graveyard-centric combo strategy struggled in a field where Soul-Guide Lantern was the most-played sideboard card, and it was notably one of the few non-Cub decks that posted an unfavorable matchup against the Cub decks. Overall, the most-played decks all performed far below average, while innovative decks succeeded.

The Standard Decks and Players with Eight or More Wins

As a reference, here are all decks that secured at least eight non-bye Standard wins at Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed, sorted by their combined Swiss and Top 8 non-bye record in descending order of win rate:

• Paul Green, 9-1, Izzet Spellementals
• Zevin Faust, 9-1, Azorius Tempo
• Petr Sochurek, 9-1, Dimir Midrange
• Marco Cammilluzzi, 9-1, Grixis Elementals
• Eduardo Sajgalik, 9-2, Izzet Elementals (Semifinalist)
• Cyprien Tron, 8-2, Bant Airbending
• Andy Garcia-Romo, 8-2, Izzet Spellementals
• Allen Wu, 8-2, Izzet Spellementals
• Atsuki Kihara, 8-2, Dimir Midrange
• Matt Sperling, 8-2, Dimir Control
• Etai Kurtzman, 8-2, Simic Rhythm
• Coby Chnepf, 8-2, Simic Rhythm
• Brian Kibler, 8-2, Izzet Elementals
• Toni Portolan, 9-3, Temur Harmonizer (Finalist)
• Christoffer Larsen, 9-4, Dimir Excruciator (Champion)
• Marco Belacca, 8-4, Jeskai Control (Semifinalist)

Next, let's take a closer look at seven top-performing decks and the lessons to take away from this tournament.

Dimir Excruciator

3 Doomsday Excruciator 3 Harvester of Misery 2 Intimidation Tactics 4 Restless Reef 1 Archenemy's Charm 2 Deadly Cover-Up 4 Deceit 2 Winternight Stories 11 Swamp 2 Multiversal Passage 3 Bitter Triumph 4 Superior Spider-Man 1 Undercity Sewers 4 Requiting Hex 3 Stock Up 4 Watery Grave 4 Gloomlake Verge 3 Insatiable Avarice 2 Torpor Orb 4 Duress 1 Cruelclaw's Heist 2 Shoot the Sheriff 3 Quantum Riddler 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Negate

The deck that ultimately won the Pro Tour, Dimir Excruciator, came as a major surprise. Seven players from Team Cosmos Heavy Play converged on a deck that no one saw coming. It was not specifically an anti-Cub deck: during the Standard Swiss rounds, Excruciator had a 57% win rate against Badgermole Cub decks and a 59% win rate against the rest of the field. Instead, Dimir Excruciator's strength lay in its central game plan built around Doomsday Excruciator. After exiling both libraries down to six cards, a single attack with Restless Reef or an Insatiable Avarice aimed at the opponent was usually enough to force them to draw from an empty library.

Superior Spider-Man plays a crucial role by preserving enters triggers that include "if you cast it" clauses. This interaction allows lines like discarding Doomsday Excruciator to Bitter Triumph or Winternight Stories on turn three, then following up with a turn-four Superior Spider-Man to exile both players' libraries. The addition of Deceit from Lorwyn Eclipsed neatly tied the strategy together, providing early disruption while also serving as an ideal creature to copy with Superior Spider-Man. In the hands of Christoffer Larsen, Dimir Excruciator confounded expectations and captured the Pro Tour trophy.

When playing with or against the deck, it is vital to keep track of the cards placed on the bottom of your library by Stock Up. Under normal circumstances, those cards are effectively gone forever. But when everything except the bottom six cards is exiled, those seemingly unimportant choices can suddenly become the most important cards left in the game.

Temur Harmonizer

1 Willowrush Verge 2 Earthbender Ascension 1 Thunder Magic 2 Forest 2 Spider-Sense 3 Burst Lightning 3 Starting Town 4 Consult the Star Charts 1 Wistfulness 1 Analyze the Pollen 3 Icetill Explorer 4 Fabled Passage 3 Island 3 Mountain 2 Spell Snare 2 Thornspire Verge 1 Into the Flood Maw 3 Sear 2 Ba Sing Se 4 Mightform Harmonizer 4 Stock Up 3 Escape Tunnel 2 Steam Vents 4 Full Bore 1 Surrak, Elusive Hunter 1 Essence Scatter 1 Sear 2 Spell Pierce 3 Pyroclasm 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Quantum Riddler 2 Heritage Reclamation 1 Sandman, Shifting Scoundrel 1 Songcrafter Mage

Before the Pro Tour, if you had asked a thousand players to predict the finals matchup, nobody would have guessed Dimir Excruciator versus Temur Harmonizer. Neither deck had any real presence in competitive Standard before the weekend began. Yet five players from Team Sanctum of All, including finalist Toni Portolan, arrived with Temur Harmonizer and surprised everyone. The deck posted an impressive 82% win rate against Badgermole Cub strategies, ready with efficient removal and countermagic for Badgermole Cub while preying on Cub decks' distinct lack of instant-speed interaction. Temur Harmonizer still held its own against the rest of the field, posting a 53% win rate against non-Cub decks.

The deck's game-winning sequence can unfold as early as turn four. First, spend three mana to warp Mightform Harmonizer, then play Fabled Passage and put a power-doubling trigger on the stack. Next, sacrifice Fabled Passage to fetch a Mountain, creating a second landfall trigger. With that trigger on the stack, cast Full Bore, pushing the Harmonizer to a 7-power creature with trample and haste. When both power-doubling triggers resolve, Mightform Harmonizer swells into a 28-power attacker that's ready to charge in for the win.

Playfully dubbed "Temur Twin" as a reference to Splinter Twin combo decks of old, the deck relies on Consult the Star Charts and Stock Up to assemble its combo, all while backed by a tight package of cheap interactive spells. From Lorwyn Eclipsed, Sear and Spell Snare provide valuable new tools, with Spell Snare standing out. It disrupts opponents by countering Badgermole Cub and protects Mightform Harmonizer from cards like Get Lost, Shoot the Sheriff, and Combustion Technique. With instant-speed removal relatively low in the Pro Tour metagame, Temur Harmonizer was perfectly positioned, and Spell Snare provided crucial insurance when it was time to go for the win.

Izzet Elementals

1 Cori Mountain Monastery 1 Thundering Falls 4 Sunderflock 4 Vibrance 4 Bounce Off 4 Starting Town 4 Wistfulness 3 Deceit 4 Winternight Stories 4 Secluded Courtyard 3 Breeding Pool 4 Flamebraider 1 Eclipsed Realms 1 Island 4 Ashling, Rekindled 4 Cavern of Souls 1 Pit of Offerings 4 Steam Vents 1 Spirebluff Canal 4 Roaming Throne 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 The Unagi of Kyoshi Island 3 Spell Snare 2 Sear 1 Deceit 1 Spider-Sense 3 Pyroclasm 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Pit of Offerings

Dividing the creature-heavy Elemental decks into archetypes was unusually challenging, as the strategy splintered into a wide range of builds across many different color combinations, with hybrid spells further blurring color distinctions. Some card choices clearly paid dividends, though. For example, a cluster of ten players in Grixis or Sultai leaned on evoke Elementals paired with Not Dead After All and achieved respectable results, collectively posting a 57% win rate in the Standard rounds. Still, a different core built around Izzet colors stood out even more clearly.

The essential pieces are Vibrance; Wistfulness; and Ashling, Rekindled, supported by Cavern of Souls and other five-color lands. Among players adopting this red-blue core, three registered 4 Flamebraider, 4 Sunderflock, and at least 3 Roaming Throne while avoiding white splashes for Emptiness or Beza, the Bounding Spring. Those three players were Marco Cammilluzzi (who finished 9-1), Eduardo Sajgalik (who went 9-2 and reached the semifinals), and Brian Kibler (who posted an 8-2 record). Taken together, these exceptional results mark this Elemental core as one of the strongest performers at the Pro Tour. Early ramp with Flamebraider, alongside Roaming Throne to double triggers and Sunderflock to dominate the board, proved to be quite effective. Sunderflock emerged as a crucial card, with Elemental decks running two or fewer copies posting disappointing sub-50% win rates.

The flex slots differed between lists. Eduardo Sajgalik opted for Bounce Off and Winternight Stories; Brian Kibler chose Ill-Timed Explosion and Springleaf Drum; and Marco Cammilluzzi included Ashling's Command and Superior Spider-Man. The optimal configuration has yet to be settled, but all three decks relied heavily on Sunderflock, and the broader Elemental strategy has clearly established itself as an archetype to watch going forward.

Izzet Spellementals

4 Eddymurk Crab 4 Sunderflock 4 Opt 4 Burst Lightning 2 Abandon Attachments 3 Spell Snare 1 Spell Pierce 1 Bounce Off 1 Into the Flood Maw 2 Spider-Sense 6 Island 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Steam Vents 2 Multiversal Passage 4 Sleight of Hand 4 Winternight Stories 4 Hearth Elemental 2 Glacial Dragonhunt 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Sunspine Lynx 2 Hydro-Man, Fluid Felon 1 Abrade 2 Annul 1 Get Out 1 Broadside Barrage 1 Ral, Crackling Wit 1 Glacial Dragonhunt 2 Pyroclasm 1 Negate

Izzet Spellementals was another breakout deck based around the raw power of Sunderflock. Designed by The Boulder, an influential new team, Spellementals put up eye-catching numbers, with its fifteen pilots' records adding up to an 80% win rate versus Cub decks and a 63% win rate versus non-Cub decks.

The list is built around a high density of cheap instants and sorceries that draw cards, interact early, and stock the graveyard for Eddymurk Crab and Hearth Elemental. Because both creatures are Elementals, they can reduce the cost of Sunderflock to just two or three mana, allowing it to sweep the opponent's board and decisively swing the game.

In a way, the approach was similar to Temur Harmonizer. Early interaction like Spell Snare and Burst Lightning keep Badgermole Cub in check, after which the deck exploits the fact that Cub strategies are heavy on creatures and light on interaction by overwhelming the battlefield. Here, the finishing blow is not a trampling Mightform Harmonizer but a timely Sunderflock that resets the opponent's board. Everything from Llanowar Elves to Badgermole Cub to Quantum Riddler gets bounced, including earthbent lands, and that sort of swing often proved game-ending.

Azorius Tempo

4 High Noon 4 Floodpits Drowner 1 Restless Anchorage 4 Aang, Swift Savior 3 Avatar's Wrath 4 Starting Town 4 Aven Interrupter 4 Seam Rip 4 Floodfarm Verge 4 Hallowed Fountain 3 Island 3 Enduring Innocence 4 Voice of Victory 2 No More Lies 2 Multiversal Passage 2 Spell Snare 1 Enduring Curiosity 2 Abandoned Air Temple 5 Plains 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Requisition Raid 1 Rest in Peace 1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 1 Avatar's Wrath 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 3 Ajani, Outland Chaperone 1 Elspeth, Storm Slayer 2 Clarion Conqueror

Among all archetypes, Azorius Tempo achieved the highest overall win rate, an outcome few would have predicted heading into the event. This deck relies on Aven Interrupter; Aang, Swift Savior; and Avatar's Wrath to stall the opponent's development, then leverages High Noon to ensure that plotted or airbent spells cannot be replayed as quickly as their owner would like.

At the Pro Tour, Zevin Faust piloted the archetype to a stellar 9-1 record in the Standard rounds, while Yimin Zhi finished 6-4. Their builds diverged in interesting ways. Zhi relied on cards like Lightstall Inquisitor and Kellan, Daring Traveler to support a more aggressive posture, while Faust opted for Floodpits Drowner and Enduring Innocence to stun opposing creatures and generate card advantage. Based on the match results, Faust's configuration proved more effective over the course of the tournament.

Although Azorius Tempo remains a fringe presence in the broader metagame, its performance in this Standard field was exceptional, and it's a strategy that would be wise not to overlook.

Dimir Control

3 Swamp 4 Three Steps Ahead 4 Island 3 Essence Scatter 4 Deadly Cover-Up 4 Consult the Star Charts 4 Watery Grave 1 Feed the Cycle 2 Restless Reef 4 Undercity Sewers 1 Bitter Triumph 1 Marang River Regent 3 Stock Up 4 Demolition Field 4 Gloomlake Verge 1 Shoot the Sheriff 4 Requiting Hex 4 Spell Snare 1 Negate 2 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian 1 Spell Pierce 1 Fountainport 1 Flashfreeze 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 Annul 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Zero Point Ballad 1 Spell Pierce 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 1 Strategic Betrayal 1 The Unagi of Kyoshi Island 1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian 2 Glen Elendra Guardian

The three players who registered classic Dimir Control—Gabriel Nassif, Reid Duke, and Matt Sperling—are seasoned Pro Tour veterans who routinely post strong results. Even so, their combined 70% win rate across the Standard rounds stands out. That win rate was almost the same between matchups against Badgermole Cub decks and the rest of the field.

At its heart, the strategy is familiar. The deck seeks to counter, remove, or sweep opposing threats, then gradually pulls ahead through blue card-draw spells. Its nominal win condition is Wan Shi Tong, Librarian, but as any control aficionado knows, the precise finisher is rarely the point, and successful lists devote as few slots to win conditions as possible.

What truly elevated the deck were new interactive tools from Lorwyn Eclipsed. Spell Snare and Requiting Hex supplied cheap, efficient turn-one answers to many of the format's most common threats, including Badgermole Cub. This gave Dimir Control the breathing room it needed to impose its game plan from the very first turn.

Rakdos Monument

2 Swamp 4 Starting Town 1 Greasewrench Goblin 3 Inti, Seneschal of the Sun 3 Iron-Shield Elf 4 Mountain 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Monument to Endurance 4 Moonshadow 2 Bitter Triumph 4 Marauding Mako 3 Tersa Lightshatter 4 Blazemire Verge 4 Flamewake Phoenix 4 Bloodghast 1 Sunspine Lynx 1 Restless Vents 4 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodthorn Flail 3 Requiting Hex 2 Pyroclasm 2 Vengeful Possession 3 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 Case of the Crimson Pulse 3 Sunspine Lynx

As a final notable newcomer, Rakdos Monument also delivered a quietly impressive showing. Adria Martin finished the Standard rounds at 7-3, while Benton Madsen followed closely at 6-4. Both lists revolved around a dense package of discard effects to exploit Monument to Endurance alongside the newly printed Moonshadow.

In this deck, Moonshadow is the clear star. It starts as a 1/1 creature on turn one, but it grows any time a permanent card is put into your graveyard. That trigger comes easily, whether through creatures dying or through discarding a permanent card. With Iron-Shield Elf, Bloodthorn Flail, and Tersa Lightshatter serving as effective discard outlets, Moonshadow can quickly become a major threat. Each discard also fuels Monument to Endurance; Marauding Mako; and Inti, Seneschal of the Sun for incremental value along the way.

When choosing which cards to discard, Flamewake Phoenix and Bloodghast are ideal candidates, reinforcing the deck's aggressive yet grindy game plan. The result is a tightly woven list full of overlapping synergies, and based on its Pro Tour performance, Rakdos Monument is another archetype that deserves serious respect.

What's Next for Standard?

Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed was truly the Pro Tour of spicy decks, and it has shaken up the Standard metagame in unexpected ways. By the semifinals, not a single Badgermole Cub deck remained in contention. Several brand-new decks battled for the title. With Dimir Excruciator, Temur Harmonizer, Izzet Elementals, and more all making their mark, the metagame's trajectory over the coming weeks is wide open. That upheaval makes Standard all the more exciting.

If you want to test your mettle in competitive Standard, then the current round of RCQs uses that format and runs through March 22, 2026. You can find an RCQ near you by checking with your local game store or visiting your regional organizer's website.

Meanwhile, the current cycle of Regional Championships also features Standard. In these marquee events, the top invited players in each region will compete for cash prizes, event promos, and coveted invitations to Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven. The remaining schedule for this cycle is as follows:

• February 14–15: South America and Japan/South Korea
• February 21–22: Canada and United States (Milwaukee)
• February 28–March 1: Magic: The Gathering® | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Prerelease
• March 7–8: Europe/Middle East/Africa, Chinese Taipei, and Mexico/Central America/Caribbean
• March 14–15: China, Southeast Asia, and Australia/New Zealand

Winners of each Regional Championship, along with finalists from events held in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan, will also secure their spots for Magic World Championship 32. Select Regional Championship events will feature live video coverage, while tournament results will be posted on the official event coverage page and the Play MTG social media channels. It promises to be an exciting stretch of Standard tournaments!