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. Following the release of Magic: The Gathering Foundations, the Standard round of Regional Championship Qualifiers (RCQs) is now in full swing across the globe. From now through March 22, 2025, in-store Constructed RCQs will feature the Standard format, offering not only Regional Championship slots but Secret Lair promotional cards as prizes.

In this article, I'll dive into early results from major Standard tournaments held since the release of Foundations. By examining the evolving metagame and the standout decks, I'll highlight the trends and strategies that are setting the stage for what promises to be an amazing Standard season.

Standard with Foundations

Standard is a rotating 60-card format that currently includes Standard-legal releases from Dominaria United onward. To get a clear picture of the format's state following the release of Foundations, I analyzed 192 decklists from the latest Magic Online Challenges and 392 decklists from Standard tournaments held at SCG CON Columbus.

Congratulations to the #SCGCOLUMBUS MTG Standard $10K top 8! pic.twitter.com/eojnDjgZbp

— SCG CON (@SCGCON) November 17, 2024

For each Standard deck, I assigned points based on its rectified net wins, a value calculated as the number of match wins minus losses, with negative values treated as zero. By summing these values across archetypes, we can determine each archetype's share of total rectified net wins, offering a combined measure of both popularity and performance. This provides a clear snapshot of the winner's metagame.

In this table, each archetype name hyperlinks to a well-performing, representative decklist. The "Other" category encompasses a diverse mix of archetypes, including Mono-Black Conqueror, Boros Enchantments, Naya Burn, Esper Reanimator, Selesnya Tokens, Orzhov Midrange, Golgari Midrange, Mono-Black Demons, Dimir Reanimator, Orzhov Lifegain, Five-Color Legends, Mono-Green Aggro, Surprise Ramp, Rakdos Sacrifice, Boros Tokens, Mardu Pact, Jund Demons, Mono-White Angels, Mono-Blue Tempo, and many others.

Magic World Championship 30 saw the rise of Dimir Midrange, a deck that continues to dominate Standard despite gaining little from Foundations. Its signature is a versatile suite of interactive spells, paired with Enduring Curiosity, providing a robust game plan against virtually any opponent.

Another standout from the World Championship was Mono-Red Aggro, which featured Screaming Nemesis and Witchstalker Frenzy. This archetype propelled Quinn Tonole to an impressive semifinals finish. While Foundations merely upgraded Shock to Burst Lightning, the deck has also cemented itself as a top-tier strategy in the current Standard metagame.

Conversely, several archetypes that gained little from Foundations—including Azorius Oculus, Domain Ramp, Temur Otters, Gruul Prowess, and Dimir Demons—have waned in popularity since Magic World Championship 30. This trend is reflected by the downward arrows in the table. In contrast, excitement over new tools has propelled decks like Golgari Demons and Boros Burn to new heights. These archetypes, along with a host of innovative brews that we'll examine later, have successfully integrated standout cards from Foundations.

Amid this shifting metagame, Mono-White Tokens has emerged as a top-performing deck. It can go over the top of Dimir Midrange and Golgari Demons, its life gain staves off red burn strategies, and the archetypes that traditionally pose problems toward token decks—ramp and combo decks—are currently on the decline. The resurgence of Mono-White Tokens was on full display at the $10,000 RCQ at SCG CON Columbus, which attracted 270 competitors and culminated in a showdown between two nearly identical Mono-White Tokens decks. Notably, these builds included just one new card from Foundations: Authority of the Consuls, which was tucked away in the sideboard. Even so, Mono-White Tokens has firmly re-established itself as a top contender in the new Standard metagame.

18 Plains 4 Caretaker's Talent 4 Carrot Cake 4 Enduring Innocence 4 Fountainport 4 Get Lost 4 Lay Down Arms 1 Overlord of the Mistmoors 2 Soul Partition 4 Beza, the Bounding Spring 3 Sunken Citadel 2 Archangel Elspeth 4 Sunfall 2 Virtue of Loyalty 2 Boon-Bringer Valkyrie 3 Elspeth's Smite 2 Exorcise 3 Rest in Peace 2 Split Up 1 Temporary Lockdown 2 Authority of the Consuls

To put Foundations's impact into perspective, let's analyze six powerful decks that take full advantage of the powerful tools introduced in Foundations.

Golgari Demons with Llanowar Elves

1 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal 2 Anoint with Affliction 4 Archfiend of the Dross 4 Blooming Marsh 3 Cut Down 6 Forest 3 Glissa Sunslayer 4 Go for the Throat 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Llanowar Wastes 4 Mosswood Dreadknight 1 Preacher of the Schism 4 Restless Cottage 1 Scavenging Ooze 2 Sentinel of the Nameless City 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 5 Swamp 1 Tranquil Frillback 4 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber 2 Choking Miasma 2 Dreams of Steel and Oil 3 Duress 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Gix's Command 1 Nissa, Ascended Animist 2 Tear Asunder 1 Vivien Reid

Fletcher Johnson secured a Top 8 finish at the $10,000 RCQ at SCG CON Columbus with a deck that showcases the evolving face of this archetype. The most significant addition from Foundations is Llanowar Elves, one of the most iconic and efficient one-drop mana producers in Magic's history. Replacing Duress in the main deck, Llanowar Elves enables explosive starts, letting you curve into Glissa, Sunslayer or Unholy Annex as early as turn two. That early mana acceleration quickly puts opponents on the back foot. As history has shown, Llanowar Elves forces decks to pack reliable ways to eliminate it on turn one, such as Cut Down, Torch the Tower, or Lay Down Arms. Failing to answer it early risks falling irreversibly behind.

Another notable upgrade is Soulstone Sanctuary, which adds more utility to the deck's mana base while supporting the archetype's core synergies. Once activated, it remains a creature for the rest of the game and counts as a Demon for Unholy Annex. Because of this new synergy, I've relabeled archetypes featuring three or more copies of Unholy Annex as Golgari Demons, distinguishing them from Golgari Midrange versions without the card.

Two more inclusions from Foundations are Scavenging Ooze and Vivien Reid, both of which Johnson ran a single copy. Scavenging Ooze provides excellent utility against graveyard-focused decks like Azorius Oculus while shoring up the deck's matchup against red burn strategies by gaining life. It's preferable to Caustic Bronco, especially as Llanowar Elves allows you to frequently skip the two-drop slot. Vivien Reid shines in grindy matchups, where she can remove key threats like Unholy Annex, Archfiend of the Dross, Overlord of the Hauntwoods, Deep-Cavern Bat, and Caretaker's Talent while leaving behind a formidable planeswalker.

Despite these new tools, the core of Golgari Demons remains largely unchanged. It was already a top-tier contender before Foundations, but with the addition of Llanowar Elves, it now represents a commanding 13.3% of the winner's metagame.

Boros Burn with Boltwave

4 Battlefield Forge 4 Boltwave 4 Boros Charm 4 Burst Lightning 4 Emberheart Challenger 2 Fugitive Codebreaker 4 Hired Claw 4 Inspiring Vantage 4 Lightning Helix 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Monstrous Rage 6 Mountain 2 Raucous Carnival 2 Restless Bivouac 1 Rockface Village 2 Shock 4 Slickshot Show-Off 1 Thran Portal 2 Fugitive Codebreaker 2 Obliterating Bolt 2 Scorching Shot 3 Screaming Nemesis 3 Torch the Tower 3 Urabrask's Forge

In previous iterations, red aggro decks in Standard focused on creatures, aiming to dominate the battlefield with Knights and Mice. Gruul Prowess relied on about a dozen spells to trigger valiant and prowess abilities, while Mono-Red Aggro leaned on a sizable lineup of creatures to deliver relentless damage. Though these archetypes had access to flexible burn spells, their strategy was never about actual, factual burn.

However, thanks to three pivotal cards from Foundations, Standard now accommodates a full-fledged burn archetype. Boltwave, Burst Lightning, and Boros Charm headlined L1X0's Magic Online Challenge–winning deck, showcasing their potential to deliver devastating amounts of direct damage. Once opponents drop to single-digit life totals, a flurry of burn spells becomes an almost guaranteed kill. Burst Lightning proves invaluable as both early-game removal and a late-game finisher, but Boltwave and Boros Charm stand out for their sheer mana efficiency. Lava Spike and Boros Charm were modern burn staples, and now their power is available in Standard. The resulting new Boros Burn archetype has claimed 8.7% of the winner's metagame over the past week.

Although burn takes center stage, aggressive early creatures remain useful for consistent damage output. In the occasional creature-heavy draw, Boros Charm supports creature damage in addition to straight-up burn, synergizing beautifully with Monstrous Rage to emulate Embercleave. For example, curving Emberheart Challenger into Monstrous Rage and Boros Charm can transform it into a 7-power trampling double striker, hitting for a staggering 14 damage as early as turn three. Add in the extra damage from Hired Claw on turn one, and a turn-three kill becomes possible!

Boltwave's arrival has also given rise to variants like Gruul Burn, Naya Burn, and Mono-Red Burn, making life gain more important to survive in the new Standard. Effective life-gain options include Sheoldred, the Apocalypse; Tranquil Frillback; Beza, the Bounding Spring; Scavenging Ooze; Zur, Eternal Schemer; Sheltered by Ghosts; Archangel of Wrath; Charming Prince; Moment of Craving; Elenda, Saint of Dusk; and Tough Cookie. Previously, the key to combating prowess-based aggro decks lay in timely removal of their creatures during combat. Now, however, the raw damage output of burn strategies is making life gain more valuable.

Rakdos Pact with Harmless Offering

4 Greed's Gambit 2 Cut Down 4 Harmless Offering 4 Go for the Throat 4 Duress 4 Demonic Pact 4 Torch the Tower 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Case of the Stashed Skeleton 4 Beseech the Mirror 4 Swamp 1 Brotherhood's End 4 Blazemire Verge 3 Mountain 4 Raucous Theater 4 Restless Vents 1 Rankle's Prank 1 Molten Collapse 4 Lithomantic Barrage 4 Cruelclaw's Heist 1 Sheoldred's Edict 2 Leyline of the Void 1 The End 1 Pyroclasm 1 Case of the Crimson Pulse 1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General

In 2016, Chris Botelho showcased the competitive potential of Demonic Pact and Harmless Offering, piloting the combo to a Top 8 finish at the 1,712-player Standard Grand Prix in Portland. His ingenious strategy leveraged the first three modes of Demonic Pact to generate a substantial resource advantage before donating the enchantment to his opponent via Harmless Offering—just in time for its dreaded "you lose the game" ability to trigger.

With Foundations, that infamous combo returns to Standard, and players have eagerly embraced its potential with solid results. James Spinelli's 9th-place finish at the $10,000 RCQ at SCG CON Columbus exemplifies this archetype's resurgence. Spinelli's build is a creatureless control deck that uses an arsenal of removal spells to buy time while Case of the Stashed Skeleton and Beseech the Mirror facilitate assembling the combo. For added redundancy, the deck includes Greed's Gambit as an alternative to Demonic Pact. Although it cannot force an opponent to lose outright, it generates immediate value and becomes cruelly inconvenient gift when handed over. In this new Standard metagame, gifts are rarely as harmless as they seem.

Rakdos Reanimator with Zombify

4 Atraxa, Grand Unifier 4 Bitter Reunion 3 Bitter Triumph 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Blazemire Verge 2 Cut Down 2 Duress 4 Fear of Missing Out 1 Fountainport 4 Koma, World-Eater 2 Mountain 3 Preacher of the Schism 2 Push // Pull 4 Raucous Theater 1 Restless Vents 2 Sulfurous Springs 4 Swamp 2 The Cruelty of Gix 3 The Elder Dragon War 1 Valgavoth, Terror Eater 4 Zombify 2 Abrade 3 Brotherhood's End 2 Duress 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Molten Collapse 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 2 Virtue of Persistence

Another new take on Rakdos has emerged by exploiting around Zombify and Koma, World-Eater, two standout cards from Foundations. The archetype's stock list was piloted by ScreenwriterNY to a 3rd-place finish at a recent Magic Online Challenge.

The reprinted Zombify provides a powerful way to reanimate massive threats earlier than before in Standard. Previously, Rakdos decks relied on options like The Cruelty of Gix, Coiling Rebirth, or Push // Pull, which could be cast on turn five or six. With Zombify, however, you can discard a powerful legendary creature to Fear of Missing Out, Bitter Reunion, or Bitter Triumph and bring it back to life as early as turn four. Against hyper-aggressive decks, that one turn sooner can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Koma, World-Eater, meanwhile, stands out as a formidable new reanimation target. With ward 4, a reanimated Koma on turn four is practically untouchable, as opponents are unlikely to be able to pay the cost for even the cheapest removal spells. By the time they can, Koma will have already summoned an overwhelming army of Serpent tokens, turning the tide decisively in your favor. With these powerful tools, Rakdos Reanimator has evolved into a Standard contender that demands respect.

Mono-Black Conqueror with Bloodthirsty Conqueror

2 Anoint with Affliction 4 Bloodletter of Aclazotz 3 Bloodthirsty Conqueror 2 Cut Down 4 Deep-Cavern Bat 2 Duress 2 Enduring Tenacity 1 Go for the Throat 2 Mirrex 2 Preacher of the Schism 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 1 Soulstone Sanctuary 2 Starscape Cleric 22 Swamp 4 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber 4 Unstoppable Slasher 2 Virtue of Persistence 1 Bladecoil Serpent 1 Cut Down 1 Darkstar Augur 1 Deadly Cover-Up 1 Duress 3 Ghost Vacuum 2 Liliana of the Veil 1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General 2 Malicious Eclipse 1 Outrageous Robbery 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse

Alongside the old favorite of Rakdos Pact, Foundations has also brought in a new combo revolving around Bloodthirsty Conqueror, which triggers whenever your opponent loses life, allowing you to gain a life in return. This life gain then triggers Enduring Tenacity or Starscape Cleric, forcing your opponent to lose another life and setting off an endless cycle of life drain.

While this kind of loop isn't entirely new—cards like Sanguine Bond and Exquisite Blood once offered similar possibilities—those enchantments contributed little on their own. Bloodthirsty Conqueror, however, serves as both a potent combo piece and a powerful standalone threat, making it much easier to integrate this life-drain combo into a competitive deck. The list played by Ruin000 to a positive record at a recent Magic Online Challenge exemplifies this new direction. Though it primarily functions as a Mono-Black Demons deck, the addition of the infinite-combo potential gives it an exciting new angle, allowing it to close out games unexpectedly.

Dimir Graveyard with Kiora, the Rising Tide

4 Deep-Cavern Bat 4 Faerie Dreamthief 1 Razorlash Transmogrant 2 Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal 1 Terror Ballista 4 Gnawing Vermin 4 Overlord of the Balemurk 4 Kiora, the Rising Tide 4 Fallaji Archaeologist 2 Chupacabra Echo 4 Wail of the Forgotten 2 Revenge of the Rats 2 Virtue of Persistence 4 Dead Weight 4 Invasion of Amonkhet 2 Liliana of the Veil 2 Jace, the Perfected Mind 4 Restless Reef 4 Darkslick Shores 4 Gloomlake Verge 4 Undercity Sewers 8 Swamp 2 Island 4 Underground River 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Season of Loss 2 Duress 2 Withering Torment 1 Razorlash Transmogrant 4 Huskburster Swarm 2 Terror Tide

Kiora, the Rising Tide is another awesome build-around card from Foundations, seamlessly fitting into a blue-black descend deck. The decklist above, piloted by Tulio Jaudy to a positive record at a recent Magic Online Challenge, focuses on rapidly filling the graveyard with cards like Fallaji Archaeologist and Overlord of the Balemurk. This quickly unlocks descend for Wail of the Forgotten and, even more importantly, can enable Kiora to create an 8/8 Scion of the Deep token as early as turn four. Another exciting payoff for this graveyard-centric deck is Revenge of the Rats, a new Foundations card that further enhances the deck's synergy.

Though this initial build is a bit rough, running 80 cards in the main deck, it hides plenty of power beneath the surface. For instance, transforming Invasion of Amonkhet into Lazotep Convert to copy Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal from your graveyard can effectively create an unkillable creature. When this creature dies, it returns transformed as Lazotep Convert and can continue to copy Aclazotz, enabling an ongoing cycle. These graveyard-based combos existed before, but the power of Kiora provides a sweet new angle. Kiora has also found a home in various Azorius Oculus builds, further showcasing her potential. With so many possibilities to explore, the new Standard environment offers rich potential for graveyard-centric strategies. Regardless of what deck you're preparing to play, be sure to pack a few Ghost Vacuums or Rest in Peaces in your sideboard.

The Most Played Cards from Foundations

As we've seen, Foundations has introduced a wealth of exciting new cards to the Standard format, breathing new life into both established and emerging archetypes. Below is a summary table showcasing the 25 most played new-to-Standard cards based on the decklists I analyzed.

Cards from Foundations are swiftly gaining traction, becoming staples alongside older favorites. The most played nonland main deck cards include Go for the Throat, Cut Down, Burst Lightning, Monstrous Rage, Monastery Swiftspear, Torch the Tower, Anoint with Affliction, and Llanowar Elves. In sideboards, top picks include Ghost Vacuum, Duress, Negate, Urabrask's Forge, Elspeth's Smite, Pawpatch Formation, Exorcise, and Rest in Peace. This signals that Standard is currently defined by the most efficient one-mana creatures and interactive spells, where the game begins in earnest on turn one, and falling behind is not an option.

This is only the beginning for Foundations in Standard, and the coming months promise to be filled with fierce competition and thrilling metagame evolutions as players refine their decks and explore new options. You can find Regional Championship Qualifiers near you via the store and event locator or your regional organizer's website. With RCQs heating up and the excitement building for the first Magic Spotlight Series event at SCG CON Atlanta on January 2025, there's never been a better time to get involved with Standard!