There's nothing quite like watching the best players in the world put Magic through its paces, and Pro Tour Aetherdrift delivered a masterclass in Standard's depth and diversity. The Top 8 showcased a wide range of archetypes, while the Swiss rounds saw plenty of innovation pushing the format in new directions. In the end, longtime Magic competitor and renowned combo expert Matt Nass secured a landmark victory, adding to an already impressive résumé that includes five Grand Prix titles and a Top 8 finish at Pro Tour Kaladesh.

Nass qualified for the Pro Tour by reaching the Top 8 of the $100,000 Limited Open at MagicCon: Las Vegas. Once he arrived at Pro Tour Aetherdrift, he never looked back, ending Day One undefeated and dropping no more than a single match all weekend. In the tournament's final turn, after quadruple-checking his math, he deployed Zur, Eternal Schemer and engineered a devastating attack for more than 54 damage, proving once and for all that math is for more than just blockers.

While the Pro Tour tested players in both Limited and Standard, today's article will focus solely on the Standard rounds, breaking down win rates and standout decks from the tournament. By removing the Draft portion and looking beyond the Top 8, we'll gain a clearer picture of the biggest Standard takeaways. These insights will be particularly valuable for players chasing Regional Championship invites, as Standard is the current Constructed format for in-store Regional Championship Qualifiers. With that in mind, let's run the numbers on the Pro Tour!

The Standard Win Rates at the Pro Tour

According to the Pro Tour metagame breakdown, three archetypes dominated the field: Gruul Mice, Esper Pixie, and Domain Overlords. Together, they accounted for more than half of the competitors. While Esper Pixie failed to crack the Top 8, Domain Overlords secured three spots, Gruul Mice claimed one, and two additional red-based aggro decks joined them in the elimination rounds. Beyond these front-runners, the metagame featured a whirlwind of diverse archetypes, with several unconventional strategies making deep runs. Golgari Graveyard and Jeskai Oculus rounded out the Top 8, proving that there was room for innovation among the expected powerhouses.

In the table below, you'll find the non-mirror, non-draw, non-bye match records and win rates for every archetype in the Standard Swiss rounds. Each archetype name hyperlinks to a representative decklist.

With Aetherdrift releasing just one week before the Pro Tour, competitors had to work quickly to break the format and refine their strategies. Despite the compressed timeline, Domain Overlords emerged as a clear front-runner, posting an impressive non-mirror, non-draw, non-bye win rate of 55.9%. The corresponding 95% Clopper-Pearson confidence interval ranged from 50.6% to 61.2%, reinforcing its status as the standout performer among the most played decks. Domain Overlords now stands as the new deck to beat in Standard, and we can expect Standard to shift around it in the coming months.

The Pro Tour results also confirmed a classic rock-paper-scissors dynamic at the top of the format: Domain Overlords typically defeated Esper Pixie, Esper Pixie had the edge over Gruul Mice, and Gruul Mice came out ahead against Domain Overlords. Given how the weekend played out, it's likely that Esper Pixie will decline in popularity moving forward.

Not every archetype found success. Black Midrange decks struggled mightily, with a poor matchup against Domain Overlords. Dimir Midrange had an especially rough showing, managing to win only about a quarter of its matches at Pro Tour Aetherdrift. Now, Dimir Midrange looks like one of the worst-positioned decks in Standard.

The Standard Decks and Players with 8+ Wins

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

• Matt Nass, 10-0, Domain Overlords (Champion)
• Arne Huschenbeth, 9-1, Azorius Control
• Christoffer Larsen, 9-1, Golgari Obliterator
• Ken Yukuhiro, 9-1, Jeskai Oculus
• Reid Duke, 8-1-1, Domain Overlords
• Ben Stark, 8-1-1, Orzhov Pixie
• James Dimitrov, 10-2, Domain Overlords (Finalist)
• Christopher Leonard, 9-2, Domain Overlords (Semifinalist)
• Abe Schnake, 8-2, Selesnya Cage
• Charles Wong, 8-2, Azorius Control
• Ian Robb, 8-2, Mono-Red Aggro
• Jacopo Bartollini, 8-2, Temur Otters
• Jason Ye, 8-2, Esper Paragon
• Serhiy Deymundt, 8-2, Gruul Mice
• Vinícius Karam, 8-2, Esper Pixie
• William Bossaneli Araujo, 8-2, Gruul Mice
• Matthew Anderson, 8-2, Domain Overlords

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

Domain Overlords Dominated the Tournament

3 Floodfarm Verge 2 Wastewood Verge 4 Hushwood Verge 2 Razorverge Thicket 3 Shadowy Backstreet 3 Hedge Maze 4 Lush Portico 1 Plains 1 Island 1 Swamp 1 Forest 4 Up the Beanstalk 2 Analyze the Pollen 2 Get Lost 3 Temporary Lockdown 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 4 Overlord of the Mistmoors 4 Overlord of the Hauntwoods 4 Leyline Binding 4 Ride's End 4 Zur, Eternal Schemer 2 Day of Judgment 1 Sunfall 2 Negate 1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines 2 Nissa, Ascended Animist 2 Rest in Peace 1 Elspeth's Smite 1 Tear Asunder 3 Obstinate Baloth 1 Pawpatch Formation 1 Stock Up 1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier

From Standard's "Big Three" archetypes (Gruul Mice, Esper Pixie, and Domain Overlords), one deck stood head and shoulders above the rest. Domain Overlords posted a dominant 55.9% win rate in the Swiss rounds, brought three players into the Top 4, and drove the tournament to a Domain Overlords mirror in the finals. Up the Beanstalk remains an incredibly potent card, and its power only grew with the deck's adoption of Ride's End, the most played new card from Aetherdrift. At this point, Domain Overlords is unquestionably the deck to beat in Standard.

Like every Domain Overlords list at the Pro Tour, Matt Nass's winning build leveraged Zur, Eternal Schemer to animate its Overlords. However, his version stood out in several key ways, most notably by running three copies of Temporary Lockdown in the main deck. This board sweeper, capable of exiling creatures, enchantments, and even the Maps created by Get Lost, proved invaluable against Gruul Mice and Esper Pixie.

While most Domain Overlords mana bases struggled to consistently cast a double-white spell on turn three, Nass sidestepped this issue by eschewing Cavern of Souls entirely, being the only Domain Overlords player at the Pro Tour to do so. Instead, he ran extra copies of Floodfarm Verge and Razorverge Thicket, ensuring his mana could reliably support Temporary Lockdown. With these deck-building adjustments and his skill in Constructed, he didn't lose a single Standard match all weekend.

Orzhov Pixie Boasted the Highest Win Rate

4 Nurturing Pixie 4 Plains 4 Get Lost 4 Swamp 4 Concealed Courtyard 4 Caves of Koilos 3 Restless Fortress 4 Bleachbone Verge 4 Grim Bauble 4 Hopeless Nightmare 2 Loran of the Third Path 4 Momentum Breaker 3 Liliana of the Veil 4 Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber 3 Soulstone Sanctuary 4 Temporary Lockdown 1 Tinybones Joins Up 2 Beza, the Bounding Spring 3 Cut Down 3 Rest in Peace 2 Loran of the Third Path 2 Tinybones, the Pickpocket 3 Enduring Innocence

Among all Standard deck archetypes at the Pro Tour, none posted a higher win rate than Orzhov Pixie. Though only a single player ran the deck, that player was none other than Hall of Famer Ben Stark, who navigated it to a stellar 8-1-1 record. While Orzhov Pixie shares some similarities with Esper Pixie, it forgoes blue entirely, meaning no copies of Stormchaser's Talent or This Town Ain't Big Enough.

Instead, the deck leans into Liliana of the Veil alongside the discard from Hopeless Nightmare, shifting toward a more classic midrange game plan reminiscent of Golgari Midrange. The decision to pair black with white rather than green is largely driven by the strength of Temporary Lockdown. For midrange enthusiasts, this deck is a fantastic place to start—especially with Aetherdrift's addition of Momentum Breaker and Grim Bauble, both of which synergize seamlessly with the bounce ability of Nurturing Pixie.

Another key inclusion is Unholy Annex. While it dominated Standard in late 2024, the card had recently fallen out of favor because the supporting Demons, like Archfiend of the Dross, are poorly positioned in today's Standard. But Nurturing Pixie acts as a "hidden Demon" of sorts, bouncing the Room to churn out additional Demon tokens. Watching Ben Stark wield this deck at the Pro Tour was a masterclass in precision play, as he systematically dismantled his opponents' resources while building up his own.

Mono-Red Aggro Burned Bright

4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Manifold Mouse 4 Hired Claw 4 Monstrous Rage 15 Mountain 4 Rockface Village 4 Screaming Nemesis 4 Burst Lightning 2 Witchstalker Frenzy 4 Lightning Strike 3 Soulstone Sanctuary 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Lithomantic Barrage 3 Torch the Tower 4 Sunspine Lynx 2 Witchstalker Frenzy 2 Ghost Vacuum

For those looking to punish Domain Overlords, Mono-Red Aggro is the deck for you. The deck posted an impressive 56.5% win rate at the Pro Tour, thanks in large part to its highly favorable matchup against Domain Overlords. With a streamlined curve, relentless hasty threats, and efficient burn spells, Mono-Red excels at closing out games before Domain Overlords can stabilize and leverage its powerful late-game tools. Ian Robb showcased this strategy with extreme skill and prowess, securing a Top 8 finish with the list shown above.

While key lifelinking swings from enchantments animated by Zur, Eternal Schemer can threaten to turn the tide, Mono-Red Aggro has the tools to stop them. Screaming Nemesis and Sunspine Lynx, brought in from the sideboard, can outright shut down life gain. Domain Overlords players will typically avoid blocking Screaming Nemesis to prevent triggering its ability, but savvy Mono-Red players can use Burst Lightning on their own Nemesis to deny life gain at a pivotal moment. After sideboarding, Sunspine Lynx is a pivotal threat that punishes opponents for creating Everywhere tokens with Overlord of the Hauntwoods. All in all, Mono-Red Aggro is well-positioned to keep Domain Overlords in check.

Azorius Control Has Returned

4 Stock Up 4 Get Lost 2 No More Lies 1 Horned Loch-Whale 3 Temporary Lockdown 1 Demolition Field 3 Beza, the Bounding Spring 3 Day of Judgment 4 Ride's End 1 Sunfall 3 Seachrome Coast 3 Restless Anchorage 2 Meticulous Archive 1 Adarkar Wastes 2 Fountainport 4 Floodfarm Verge 5 Plains 3 Island 2 Blast Zone 2 Negate 4 Jace, the Perfected Mind 1 Change the Equation 2 Overlord of the Mistmoors 1 Obstinate Baloth 2 Rest in Peace 2 Overlord of the Mistmoors 1 Devout Decree 2 Dissection Tools 1 Negate 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 2 Wilt-Leaf Liege 3 Tishana's Tidebinder

Although none of the seven Azorius Control players reached the Top 8, several came close. The archetype delivered an astounding performance overall. Arne Huschenbeth, for example, went 9-1 in Standard and 3-3 in Draft, narrowly missing the Top 8 on tiebreakers but securing a coveted invitation to Magic World Championship 31.

With an impressive 66.7% win rate at the Pro Tour, Azorius Control proved particularly adept at dismantling Heartfire Hero and Abhorrent Oculus decks. The classic game plan of countering spells with No More Lies and sweeping creatures with Day of Judgment is a time-honored strategy, but Azorius Control had not been a major force in Standard for months. So, what fueled its resurgence at Pro Tour Aetherdrift?

The biggest catalyst was the addition of two key cards: Ride's End and Stock Up. Ride's End offers a clean and efficient answer to aggressive threats, exiling Heartfire Hero to avoid its death trigger. Its flexibility against creatures of any size gave it an edge over Elspeth's Smite. Meanwhile, Stock Up might be the best Divination variant ever printed. Digging five cards deep allows Azorius Control to consistently find a way to stabilize the board, offsetting the tempo loss of playing a draw spell. While it lacks the instant-speed versatility of Deduce, the card selection is unparalleled.

Against Domain Overlords, a full playset of Jace, the Perfected Mind provided a reliable game plan, punishing opponents who drew too many cards with Up the Beanstalk and depleted their libraries. Although Zur, Eternal Schemer can still end games out of nowhere, tweaking the deck to include extra copies of No More Lies or Three Steps Ahead could help mitigate that weakness, especially if Domain Overlords players continue adopting Matt Nass's Cavern-free list. The metagame is shifting, and Azorius Control is back.

Azorius Omniscience Made Its Mark

4 Omniscience 4 Abuelo's Awakening 3 Ephara's Dispersal 3 Temporary Lockdown 2 Picklock Prankster 3 Chart a Course 3 Confounding Riddle 4 Fallaji Archaeologist 4 Moment of Truth 3 Invasion of Arcavios 3 Stock Up 2 Blast Zone 3 Adarkar Wastes 3 Seachrome Coast 4 Floodfarm Verge 4 Meticulous Archive 3 Plains 5 Island 1 Season of Weaving 3 Riptide Gearhulk 2 Get Lost 2 Negate 1 Temporary Lockdown 1 Johann's Stopgap 1 Day of Judgment 2 Grand Abolisher 1 Soul Partition 1 Sunder the Gateway

Another white-blue deck with impressive results was Azorius Omniscience, which posted an impressive 56.7% win rate at the Pro Tour and is a favorable matchup against Domain Overlords. Sean Goddard, for example, piloted the deck to a strong 7-3 finish. Once again, we see main-deck copies of Temporary Lockdown, a recurring theme among successful Standard decks. In a format packed with Stormchaser's Talent, Nurturing Pixie, Innkeeper's Talent, and Emberheart Challenger, the three-mana sweeper handles all permanent types and reliably buys crucial time.

Azorius Omniscience revolves around a powerful, explosive combo: milling or discarding Omniscience and then reanimating it as a creature on turn four with Abuelo's Awakening. From there, Invasion of Arcavios—cast for free off Omniscience—grabs Season of Weaving from the sideboard. Season of Weaving then creates a token copy of Omniscience while bouncing everything else, including Invasion of Arcavios. This lets you to play the bounced Invasion of Arcavios for free, retrieving Season of Weaving from the graveyard and looping the sequence, now gaining two free pawprint modes with each cycle. This generates infinite creature tokens while drawing your entire deck in the process. The deck's success at the Pro Tour proves that intricate combo strategies can still thrive in today's metagame.

As a combo deck reliant on assembling multiple pieces, Azorius Omniscience benefited greatly from the consistency boost of Stock Up. Another key Aetherdrift addition was Riptide Gearhulk, which offered a transformational sideboard plan. Against opponents who board out creature removal in favor of counterspells like Negate and graveyard hate like Rest in Peace, Riptide Gearhulk can slip through their defenses and swing the board in your favor. It also provides a backup target for Abuelo's Awakening; even though it starts as a modest 1/1 flyer when reanimated, its prowess and double strike combined with flying's evasion can quickly turn it into a significant threat.

Izzet Artifacts Crafted Spicy Victories

4 Repurposing Bay 4 Simulacrum Synthesizer 4 Legion Extruder 4 The Enigma Jewel 4 Memory Guardian 2 Chainsaw 2 Boommobile 1 Radiant Lotus 2 Mazemind Tome 2 Collector's Vault 3 Thran Spider 4 Torch the Tower 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Shivan Reef 1 Fomori Vault 6 Island 5 Mountain 2 Akal Pakal, First Among Equals 2 Mazemind Tome 2 Pyroclasm 1 The Stone Brain 3 Lithomantic Barrage 2 Spectral Interference 2 Ghost Vacuum 1 Scorching Shot

Before the tournament began, I wrote an article highlighting nine spicy decklists from the Pro Tour, each of which featured innovative synergies and novel, unexpected strategies. Of those, Izzet Artifacts, Temur Exhaust, Golgari Obliterator, and Abzan Roots all won at least half of their matches, proving their competitive viability. Izzet Artifacts delivered the strongest performance, carving out a niche in a metagame largely devoid of artifact hate. The deck's two pilots combined for a solid 9-6 record (60.0%), with Rémi Roudier earning enough match points to requalify for the next Pro Tour.

As I explained in that article, the heart of the Izzet Artifacts deck is Repurposing Bay, a twist on the infamous Birthing Pod. Its two-mana activation cost may be steep, but The Enigma Jewel smooths things out as a pseudo–Sol Ring. The artifact chain begins with Legion Extruder at two mana, goes to Thran Spider at three, Boommobile at four, Memory Guardian at five, and ends with Radiant Lotus at six. Those first three offer a valuable effect when they enter, ensuring the deck keeps up on the battlefield while setting up for its explosive endgame.

Radiant Lotus can sacrifice itself and two other artifacts to add nine mana, allowing you to activate the craft ability of The Enigma Jewel. By exiling Radiant Lotus, Boommobile, and two other nonland cards from the graveyard, it will transform into Locus of Enlightenment. This artifact now has the activated ability of Radiant Lotus, which gets copied. (It targets and is therefore not a mana ability.) So, when you sacrifice three other artifacts, you'll add eighteen mana. From there, the final step is activating Boommobile's exhaust ability for X=15, which also gets copied, delivering a lethal duo of Fireballs at your opponent to close out the game. This creative strategy highlights the depth of Standard—a little innovation can go a long way.

What's Next for Standard?

After Pro Tour Aetherdrift, it's clear that Domain Overlords is set to rise in popularity, and its dominance may spur Mono-Red Aggro to become the go-to strategy for defeating it. Meanwhile, fresh contenders like Orzhov Pixie, Azorius Control, Azorius Omniscience, and Izzet Artifacts will surely continue to gain traction, joined by an assortment of creative brews that also proved their competitive mettle at the Pro Tour. The exciting new developments promise to keep the Standard metagame dynamic and full of surprises.

For those aspiring to qualify for future Pro Tours or Regional Championships, the current round of Regional Championship Qualifiers, running through March 22, offers Standard as the format for in-store Constructed events. To learn more, this article provides an overview of the various paths to qualify for the Pro Tour in 2025.

Looking further ahead, June promises to be a thrilling month for high-level Standard. Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ at MagicCon: Las Vegas (June 20–22) and the Magic Spotlight event in Chiba, Japan, (June 27–29) will be major milestones, each occurring after the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm and Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™. These events are set to shape the future of Constructed in 2025, and they'll mark another exciting chapter for competitive Magic.