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. This past weekend, 974 players in total competed across the Regional Championships for Australia/New Zealand, Japan/Korea, Southeast Asia, and China. Together, these four tournaments awarded 40 coveted invitations to Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven and five precious seats at Magic World Championship 32.

In this article, I'll break down the Standard metagame, examine win rates across the major archetypes, and highlight the spiciest decks that rose to the top. But first, a well-deserved congratulations to the newly crowned champions.

Ma Noah Victorious at the Champions Cup Final with Bant Rhythm

Congratulations to Ma Noah, who emerged victorious at the Champions Cup Final (the Regional Championship for Japan and South Korea)! He piloted Bant Rhythm to victory over Tase Yuya's Momo White deck in the finals.

Both finalists earned invitations to Magic World Championship 32, taking place at MagicCon: Atlanta in November 2026. The Top 16 players without a prior qualification for Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven secured spots for that event, held at MagicCon: Las Vegas in May 2026.

1 Craterhoof Behemoth 1 Forest 3 Mockingbird 4 Starting Town 4 Temple Garden 1 Keen-Eyed Curator 3 Seam Rip 1 Hallowed Fountain 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Badgermole Cub 2 Brightglass Gearhulk 4 Gene Pollinator 4 Breeding Pool 4 Nature's Rhythm 1 Meltstrider's Resolve 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Hushwood Verge 1 Unable to Scream 4 Spider Manifestation 2 Ouroboroid 4 Quantum Riddler 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Unable to Scream 2 Oko, Lorwyn Liege 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 3 Sage of the Skies 2 Spider-Sense 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Focus Fire 2 Rest in Peace 1 Insidious Fungus

South Korea's Ma Noah is a Pro Tour veteran, with a Top 8 finish at Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3 to his name. After finishing first in the Swiss rounds of his Regional Championship this past weekend, he blazed through the Top 8 to win the entire tournament.

His Bant Rhythm list was very similar to the version that Andrea Fortunati used to win the Ultimate Guard European Magic Series in Turin the preceding weekend. Ma Noah made a few minor tweaks, though. In the main deck, he included a single copy of Unable to Scream to increase the options available to Brightglass Gearhulk. In the sideboard, he added the third Sage of the Skies, letting him reliably block Slickshot Show-Off.

17 Plains 4 Momo, Friendly Flier 4 Sage of the Skies 4 Abandoned Air Temple 4 Starfield Shepherd 4 Seam Rip 3 Nurturing Pixie 4 Cosmogrand Zenith 1 Figure of Fable 4 Haliya, Guided by Light 4 Springleaf Drum 4 Get Lost 1 Cheeky House-Mouse 1 Voice of Victory 1 Agent Bishop, Man in Black 2 Requisition Raid 3 Sheltered by Ghosts 1 Pyrrhic Strike 4 Rest in Peace 4 Clarion Conqueror 1 Elspeth, Storm Slayer

Tase Yuya reached the finals with Momo White, a deck that has been gaining popularity due to its favorable matchup against Izzet Prowess, the most-played deck in Standard right now. The dream start is Momo, Friendly Flier on turn one, followed by Springleaf Drum and Sage of the Skies on turn two. That early pair of 2/3 flying lifelinkers can quickly put you ahead in the damage race while letting you draw extra cards with Haliya, Guided by Light on subsequent turns.

The 2nd-place decklist was fairly stock, including the engine of Starfield Shepherd and Nurturing Pixie, which lets you flood the board with inexpensive fliers. After going wide, Cosmogrand Zenith and Abandoned Air Temple can pump your entire team at once. A spicy copy of Agent Bishop, Man in Black allowed Tase Yuya to boost his creatures even more frequently.

Simon Linabury Triumphs at the ANZ Super Series with Mono-Green Landfall

Congratulations to Simon Linabury, who claimed victory at the ANZ Super Series (the Regional Championship for Australia and New Zealand) by piloting Mono-Green Landfall to a 1st-place finish! His victory secured an invitation to Magic World Championship 32, while the Top 10 unqualified players locked up their seats at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven.

2 Webstrike Elite 2 Promising Vein 4 Earthbender Ascension 4 Mightform Harmonizer 2 Archdruid's Charm 4 Escape Tunnel 4 Sapling Nursery 4 Sazh's Chocobo 3 Ba Sing Se 2 Mossborn Hydra 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Icetill Explorer 4 Badgermole Cub 4 Fabled Passage 13 Forest 4 Meltstrider's Resolve 2 Surrak, Elusive Hunter 2 Pawpatch Formation 2 Torpor Orb 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 Mossborn Hydra 1 Keen-Eyed Curator

Mono-Green Landfall is one of the defining forces in Standard today. The deck leverages Escape Tunnel and Fabled Passage to generate multiple landfall triggers in a single turn, with Icetill Explorer doubling the rate of land drops. When you do this, Sazh's Chocobo grows to an enormous size, Earthbender Ascension piles on additional +1/+1 counters, Mightform Harmonizer threatens lethal attacks out of nowhere, and Sapling Nursery lets you flood the board with Treefolk tokens.

Simon Linabury's list looked fairly stock, with his choice to include two copies of Webstrike Elite rather than Leatherhead, Swamp Stalker as the main deviation from the aggregate build. Webstrike Elite can fill the gaps in the early part of your curve and has reach to block Slickshot Show-Off.

Muhan Yu Victorious in China with Izzet Prowess

Congratulations to Muhan "Beenew" Yu, who conquered China's Regional Championship with Izzet Prowess! With his victory, he earned an invitation to Magic World Championship 32. Additionally, the Top 8 unqualified players received invitations to Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven.

7 Island 4 Opt 2 Eddymurk Crab 4 Elusive Otter 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Burst Lightning 2 Bounce Off 4 Boomerang Basics 1 Secret Identity 2 Wild Ride 2 Multiversal Passage 4 Stock Up 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Steam Vents 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Sleight of Hand 4 Slickshot Show-Off 2 Eddymurk Crab 1 Get Out 1 Roaring Furnace 2 Sear 2 Spell Pierce 3 Ral, Crackling Wit 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Fire Magic 1 Broadside Barrage

Across the four Regional Championships, Izzet Prowess was the most-played deck overall at 16.1% of the combined field. With an impressive 57.4% win rate, it has firmly cemented its status as the deck to beat in Standard right now.

Yu's list was typical for the archetype, and he liked how all the card-selection effects gave him a strong sense of control over his games. He highlighted Eddymurk Crab as his best card. This 5/5 is a relatively recent addition to Izzet Prowess, but most of the successful builds included it this past weekend. Eddymurk Crab can easily be cast for two or three mana in the mid to late game, and it can single-handedly swing the damage race in your favor.

Richmond Tan Triumphs in Southeast Asia with Izzet Elementals

Congratulations to Richmond Tan, who took the trophy at Southeast Asia's Regional Championship with Izzet Elementals! His victory netted an invitation to Magic World Championship 32, and the Top 6 players without prior qualifications earned spots at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven.

1 Cori Mountain Monastery 3 Sunderflock 4 Vibrance 2 Starting Town 3 Burst Lightning 2 Bounce Off 1 Restless Vinestalk 1 Ill-Timed Explosion 4 Wistfulness 4 Deceit 2 Winternight Stories 3 Breeding Pool 4 Flamebraider 1 Island 2 Eclipsed Realms 4 Ashling, Rekindled 2 Secluded Courtyard 4 Cavern of Souls 1 Pit of Offerings 1 Quantum Riddler 4 Steam Vents 3 Spirebluff Canal 4 Roaming Throne 2 Disdainful Stroke 1 Essence Scatter 1 Flashfreeze 1 Sear 1 The Unagi of Kyoshi Island 2 Beza, the Bounding Spring 1 Ill-Timed Explosion 1 Abrade 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Spell Snare 2 Fire Magic

Izzet Elementals uses Flamebraider and Ashling, Rekindled to ramp into powerful evoke Elementals. Roaming Throne doubles your Elementals' triggers for maximum impact. Vibrance, Deceit, and Wistfulness also help you deploy Sunderflock. Richmond Tan brought a stock build of the archetype because he felt it was the easiest deck for him to pilot on little playtesting. It worked beautifully, as he was holding the trophy at the end of the weekend.

The Standard Metagame and Win Rates

Standard, the rotating 60-card format that currently allows expansion sets from Wilds of Eldraine forward, is one of Magic's premier competitive formats. Across the Regional Championships for Australia/New Zealand, Japan/Korea, Southeast Asia, and China, a total of 974 Standard decklists were available for analysis. After setting archetype names based on each deck's contents, I compiled the overall metagame share and match win rates for each archetype (excluding mirror matches, byes, and draws).

In this table, each archetype name hyperlinks to a top-performing decklist that closely reflects its aggregate build. The "other" category collects decks with one percent metagame share or less, including Mono-Red Aggro, Jeskai Midrange, Temur Omniscience, Boros Aggro, Gruul Delirium, Esper Pixie, Mono-Blue Otters, Gruul Harmonizer, Sultai Control, Jeskai Momo, Simic Omniscience, Grixis Reanimator, Izzet Blink, Golgari Ouroboroid, Grixis Elementals, and more.

Compared to the metagame at the preceding four Regional Championships, there were no massive shifts. Izzet Lessons declined slightly in popularity, while many Simic Rhythm players moved to Bant Rhythm. Izzet Prowess remained the most popular deck, with one of the strongest win rates overall.

As decks based around Momo, Friendly Flier and Sage of the Skies are one of the best ways to defeat Izzet Prowess, these cards also rose in popularity. Last weekend saw plenty of mono-white decks and versions with splashes, either for Nova Hellkite or Quantum Riddler. These splashes increase the overall power of the deck, but they come at the cost of fewer basic lands to support Abandoned Air Temple.

The underperformers of the weekend, especially versus Izzet Prowess, were Dimir Midrange and Rakdos Discard. These decks appear poorly positioned in the Standard metagame right now.

Meanwhile, a few creative decks and fringe archetypes found success. Let's take a closer look at the spiciest decks that earned, or narrowly missed, a Pro Tour invitation.

Golgari Reanimator Takes Paul Gabat to the Pro Tour

1 Armaggon, Future Shark 1 Valgavoth, Terror Eater 4 Zuko's Conviction 4 Archdruid's Charm 4 Forest 4 Starting Town 4 Llanowar Elves 3 Duress 4 Kona, Rescue Beastie 4 Bitter Triumph 4 Blooming Marsh 4 Wastewood Verge 1 Requiting Hex 4 Vaultborn Tyrant 4 Evendo, Waking Haven 4 Susur Secundi, Void Altar 1 Ghalta, Stampede Tyrant 2 Deep-Cavern Bat 2 Overlord of the Balemurk 1 Summon: Bahamut 2 The Last Ronin 3 Keen-Eyed Curator 2 Harvester of Misery 1 Duress 1 Absolute Virtue 3 Overlord of the Hauntwoods 3 Frenzied Baloth

Paul Gabat finished in 3rd place at Southeast Asia's Regional Championship with a spicy deck that no one saw coming. The main game plan is to deploy Kona, Rescue Beastie; tap it using Evendo, Waking Haven or Susur Secundi, Void Altar; then put a powerful haymaker onto the battlefield. Vaultborn Tyrant is the go-to creature. A variety of one-of creatures, all fetchable off Archdruid's Charm, offer a toolbox of options.

Alternatively, through Bitter Triumph or Overlord of the Balemurk, you can put an enormous creature into the graveyard then return it to the battlefield with Zuko's Conviction. This powerful reanimation strategy earned Paul Gabat an invitation to the Pro Tour, reinforcing the depth of the current Standard format.

Jeskai Midrange Takes Kyle Gibson to the Pro Tour

1 Cori Mountain Monastery 1 Elegant Parlor 3 Aang, Swift Savior 3 Restless Anchorage 1 Pyroclasm 1 Pyrrhic Strike 4 Floodfarm Verge 2 Seam Rip 3 Hallowed Fountain 4 Get Lost 1 Island 3 Shiko, Paragon of the Way 1 No More Lies 2 Day of Judgment 4 Lightning Helix 4 Sacred Foundry 4 Stock Up 1 Tishana's Tidebinder 3 Gwen Stacy 1 Elspeth, Storm Slayer 1 Plains 2 Spirebluff Canal 4 Steam Vents 2 Sunbillow Verge 4 The Legend of Kuruk 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Ultima 1 Requisition Raid 1 Flashfreeze 1 Pyroclasm 3 Rest in Peace 2 Doorkeeper Thrull 1 Negate 3 Voice of Victory 1 Elspeth, Storm Slayer

Kyle Gibson finished in 10th place and earned a Pro Tour invite with a spicy Jeskai Midrange deck. While sweepers like Pyroclasm and Day of Judgment allow the deck to take a control role if needed, it can play a more proactive game with cards like Aang, Swift Savior and The Legend of Kuruk.

The sweetest interactions in the deck involve Gwen Stacy. You can airbend Gwen Stacy with Aang then replay the exiled card as Ghost-Spider for just two mana. Even better, Shiko, Paragon of the Way can exile Gwen Stacy as a two-mana card then cast it as a copy of Ghost-Spider.

Mox Jasper and CC Chan Got Close to a Pro Tour Invite

4 Roiling Dragonstorm 4 Firdoch Core 4 Unending Whisper 4 Opt 4 Stormchaser's Talent 20 Island 4 Valley Floodcaller 1 Impolite Entrance 4 Boomerang Basics 2 Get Out 4 Sleight of Hand 3 Mox Jasper 2 Winternight Stories 1 Take the Fall 2 Spell Pierce 2 Into the Flood Maw 3 Unable to Scream 1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian 1 Annul 2 Quantum Riddler 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 Torpor Orb

Mox Jasper has struggled to gain traction, but CC Chan took the card to a 6-2-1 record at China's Regional Championship, one win short of reaching the Top 8. Bizarrely, the deck doesn't even include any Dragon creature cards. Instead, the deck enables Mox Jasper with Firdoch Core.

Since Firdoch Core has changeling, it counts as an Otter for Valley Floodcaller and as a Dragon for Mox Jasper. The deck is capable of storm-like combo turns where you tap Firdoch Core for blue mana, cast Sleight of Hand or another card-draw spell, and untap the artifact with Valley Floodcaller. During such a turn, Mox Jasper acts like a ritual, effectively adding two mana for free. Eventually, you can set up a loop with Stormchaser's Talent and Boomerang Basics, boosting your Otters to infinite power. Perhaps this inventive deck is where Mox Jasper will finally shine.

What's Next for Standard?

Looking ahead to the next premier event on the horizon, Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven will take place at MagicCon: Las Vegas on May 1–3. This invite-only tournament, scheduled two weeks after Prerelease events for Secrets of Strixhaven, will showcase Standard at Magic's biggest stage, with livestreaming coverage at twitch.tv/magic all weekend!