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 Pioneer Regional Championship Qualifiers that were held earlier this year from April 2024 through July 2024, the corresponding championships are fast approaching! The latest Regional Championships will feature up to eighteen rounds of competitive Pioneer before a winner is crowned, a highlight of any competitive player's career.

The Pioneer Regional Championship schedule spans across several months:

• September 28–29: Brazil
• October 5–6: United States
• October 12–13: Japan/Korea and Southeast Asia
• October 19–20: Chinese Taipei
• October 26–27: No Regional Championship (due to Magic World Championship 30)
• November 2–3: China and South America
• November 9–10: Europe, Middle East, and Africa and Australia/New Zealand
• November 16–17: Canada
• November 23–24: No Regional Championship
• November 30–December 1: Mexico/Central America/Caribbean

These Regional Championships are important events, with fierce competition featuring some of the best Pioneer players in each region. As a handy reference, the first three locations in the schedule above link to their respective Melee pages, where you'll be able to find decklists and standings as the tournaments get underway. Some events may have live video coverage; for example, Star City Games announced that there will be live video coverage at the United States Regional Championship.

Each Regional Championship participant gets a non-foil copy of the Secret Lair Seasoned Pyromancer prize card, while top finishers in the event also get a traditional foil copy. Also on the line are cash prizes and invitations to the first Pro Tour of 2025, with the number invites varying by region. The winners of each Regional Championship—as well as the finalists from the events held in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan—will also qualify for Magic World Championship 31, happening later in 2025.

The Pioneer format was shaken up considerably by the August 26 ban of Amalia Benavides Aguirre and Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord. So in the remainder of this article, we'll take a closer look at the top decks in Pioneer based on tournament results after the ban, getting you up to speed on the state of the format going into the Regional Championships. Along the way, I will highlight potential Duskmourn: House of Horror additions that stood out to me, as that set will be legal in all of the upcoming Regional Championships.

The Post-Ban Pioneer Metagame

Pioneer is a nonrotating format including all Standard-legal sets from Return to Ravnica onward, with the most notable cards on the ban list being the allied fetch lands. With over 10,000 cards to choose from, Pioneer features a variety of powerful strategies.

To provide a metagame snapshot, I limited myself to tournaments held after the August 26 bans. I combined 608 decklists from scheduled Pioneer events on Magic Online and 110 decklists from Pioneer tournaments on Melee. One of the largest tabletop events was held at SCG CON Tampa, where I chatted with several competitors about the format. In my data set of decklists, the most-played nonland cards across all main decks and sideboards provide a first bird's eye view of the post-ban Pioneer metagame.

666820 489782 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker Monstrous Rage Monastery Swiftspear Mystical Dispute

To understand what decks to expect at the top tables of Pioneer tournaments, I awarded points to each deck equal to its rectified number of net wins (its number of match wins minus losses if positive and zero otherwise). Each archetype's share of total rectified net wins can then be interpreted as its share of the winner's metagame, combining popularity and performance into a single metric.

The "Other" category included Bant Spirits, Izzet Ensoul, Quintorius Combo, Mono-White Tokens, Boros Heroic, Azorius Spirits, Mono-Black Midrange, Boros Prowess, Rakdos Transmogrify, Golgari Food, Temur Creativity, Boros Tokens, Izzet Transmogrify, Mardu Heroic, Azorius Humans, and more.

Before the August 26 ban of Amalia and Sorin, the top three decks in Pioneer were Rakdos Vampires, Amalia Combo, and Izzet Phoenix. The first two lost their key cards, but the third was left untouched. So after the ban, Izzet Phoenix was the obvious deck to beat, and it has indeed dominated the Pioneer tournaments thus far with a 14.8% of the winner's metagame.

Meanwhile, aggressive or proactive decks with little-to-no interaction against a turn three Vein Ripper or 20/20 Amalia Benavides Aguirre have improved substantially. In an article from right after the ban, I predicted a resurgence of Mono-Red Wizards, Mono-White Humans, Izzet Ensoul, Boros Convoke, Waste Not, Lotus Field Combo, and Mono-Green Devotion. Mmany of those decks indeed rose in popularity. These decks tended to struggle against Rakdos Vampires and Amalia Combo, based on data from tournaments held on Melee in 2024, but they all had a positive matchup against Izzet Phoenix.

Overall, graveyard-based strategies have become popular, as many players now aim to return Arclight Phoenix, Cauldron Familiar, or Parhelion II from the graveyard. With this in mind, anti-graveyard cards like Rest in Peace, Leyline of the Void, and Unlicensed Hearse are well-positioned and worth your sideboard slots. The rise of Cauldron Familiar and Witch's Oven also means that Regional Championship competitors could benefit from adding Yasharn, Implacable Earth or Containment Priest to their sideboards.

To provide a more detailed Pioneer format primer, let's take a closer look at the 15 archetypes with the highest winner's metagame share since the bans. To do so, I've used a decklist aggregation algorithm that considers the popularity, performance, and synergy of individual card choices.

1. Izzet Phoenix

4 Fiery Impulse 4 Riverglide Pathway 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Steam Vents 4 Treasure Cruise 4 Picklock Prankster 4 Arclight Phoenix 4 Consider 4 Ledger Shredder 4 Sleight of Hand 4 Opt 4 Lightning Axe 3 Island 2 Hall of Storm Giants 2 Spell Pierce 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Stormcarved Coast 1 Galvanic Iteration 1 Temporal Trespass 1 Proft's Eidetic Memory 3 Mystical Dispute 2 Brotherhood's End 2 Crackling Drake 2 Young Pyromancer 2 Thing in the Ice 1 Ashiok, Dream Render 1 Negate 1 Brazen Borrower 1 Aether Gust

Izzet Phoenix, with a 14.8% share of the winner's metagame, is the obvious deck to beat in Pioneer after the bans. The deck aims to recur Arclight Phoenix from the graveyard by chaining together three cheap spells in a single turn. Treasure Cruise is an amazing card, and Izzet Phoenix remains the best Pioneer deck to exploit the powerful delve spell. A recent development is that many successful lists have adopted Proft's Eidetic Memory, which can turn a tiny Picklock Prankster into an enormous flier with vigilance.

From Duskmourn: House of Horror, Pyroclasm could provide an upgrade to the sideboard. With the reprinting of this two-mana sweeper, Duskmourn makes it available in Pioneer for the first time, and it seems more mana-efficient than Brotherhood's End against most of the aggro decks in the format. I have also seen some hype for Abhorrent Oculus, but I don't think it actually fits into Izzet Phoenix because you are already exiling your graveyard with Treasure Cruise. Still, it will be fun to reevaluate all card choices with a new set in the mix.

2. Rakdos Prowess

4 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Blood Crypt 4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Monstrous Rage 4 Slickshot Show-Off 4 Sulfurous Springs 4 Titan's Strength 4 Ancestral Anger 3 Ramunap Ruins 3 Callous Sell-Sword 3 Claim // Fame 2 Den of the Bugbear 2 Mountain 2 Dreadhorde Arcanist 1 Rockface Village 4 Fatal Push 4 Thoughtseize 2 Unlicensed Hearse 2 Rampaging Ferocidon 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring 1 Reckless Rage 1 Ob Nixilis, the Adversary

Rakdos Prowess is a relative newcomer in Pioneer, but its results have been impressive thus far. Fueled by Emberheart Challenger and Heartfire Hero from Bloomburrow, it combines the valiant mechanic with pump effects like Monstrous Rage and Ancestral Anger for lightning-fast aggression.

A key reason to add black is for Callous Sell-Sword, which can sacrifice Heartfire Hero for the win. Ideally, you boost Heartfire Hero with various pump effects, attack for 10, and sacrifice it for Burn Together to win the game. Black also unlocks Claim // Fame, which combines resilience with speed. The black cards synergize perfectly with the new valiant creatures, which is why a black splash has become preferred over green or white. Moreover, Thoughtseize and Fatal Push provide additional versatility after sideboard.

Even with these splashes, the core of the deck is red, which is why I might consider Razorkin Needlehead as a sideboard option from Duskmourn. It might not line up well against Pyroclasm, but it can surely punish Izzet Phoenix players for drawing too many cards. Another option from Duskmourn could be Turn Inside Out, either instead of Titan's Strength or in addition to it.

3. Jund Food

4 Bloodtithe Harvester 4 Blightstep Pathway 4 Cauldron Familiar 4 Fatal Push 4 Deadly Dispute 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 4 Mayhem Devil 4 Blood Crypt 4 Witch's Oven 3 Scavenger's Talent 3 Blackcleave Cliffs 3 Ygra, Eater of All 2 Sulfurous Springs 2 Overgrown Tomb 2 Claim the Firstborn 2 Swamp 2 Unlucky Witness 1 Mountain 1 Stomping Ground 1 Hive of the Eye Tyrant 1 Cragcrown Pathway 1 Ramunap Ruins 4 Thoughtseize 2 The Meathook Massacre 2 Unlicensed Hearse 2 Leyline of the Void 2 Ob Nixilis, the Adversary 1 Ashiok, Dream Render 1 Damping Sphere 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring

Jund Food is basically a traditional Rakdos Sacrifice deck that uses Treasures and several green lands to splash Bloomburrow's Ygra, Eater of All. Ygra goes infinite with two copies of Cauldron Familiar: As the Cats are now Food, you can sacrifice one Cat to the other, looping them for infinite life drain. This combo, which is easy to assemble with Scavenger's Talent, used to be fruitless in the face of Vein Ripper, as your opponent would drain you twice as fast. However, now that Vein Ripper has basically disappeared following the ban of Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord, Pioneer has become hospitable for Cauldron Familiar strategies again.

From Duskmourn, I might consider a few copies of Popular Egotist as a complement to Mayhem Devil, supercharging Witch's Oven activations. Undead Sprinter is another interesting one—I'm not sure if it fits the deck, but it could enable more aggression and resilience. Furthermore, Blazemire Verge could improve the mana base, helping to cast Cauldron Familiar on turn one and tapping for red later. Perhaps we could shave a Swamp, Blightstep Pathway, Ramunap Ruins, and Sulfurous Springs to make room.

4. Azorius Control

4 March of Otherworldly Light 4 Field of Ruin 4 Hallowed Fountain 4 Deserted Beach 4 Restless Anchorage 4 Plains 4 Island 4 No More Lies 4 Dovin's Veto 4 The Wandering Emperor 4 Memory Deluge 4 Omen of the Sea 3 Supreme Verdict 3 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria 3 Demolition Field 3 Sunken Citadel 3 Temporary Lockdown 2 Change the Equation 2 Hall of Storm Giants 2 Hengegate Pathway 2 Get Lost 1 Castle Ardenvale 1 Farewell 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire 1 Fountainport 1 Sunfall 1 Narset, Parter of Veils 1 Shark Typhoon 1 Jwari Disruption 3 Beza, the Bounding Spring 3 Mystical Dispute 2 Aether Gust 2 Narset, Parter of Veils 2 Shark Typhoon 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad 1 Farewell 1 Temporary Lockdown

With a solid suite of spot removal, countermagic, card draw, sweepers, and planeswalkers, Azorius Control has remained the premier control deck in Pioneer. After sideboard, Bloomburrow's Beza, the Bounding Spring now helps to keep aggro decks under wraps. During the Pioneer Regional Championships in 2023, the 80-card versions with Yorion, Sky Nomad proved the most successful. Currently, they are slightly more prominent than 60-card versions with Kaheera, the Orphanguard.

From Duskmourn, Floodfarm Verge could improve the consistency of the mana base, especially in 80-card versions. They are basically basic lands with upside, except that you still need enough basic lands for Field of Ruin. Finding the perfect land mix won't be easy, but I could imagine shaving a Plains, a Deserted Beach, or a Demolition Field to make room.

5. Selesnya Angels

6 Plains 4 Kayla's Reconstruction 4 Bishop of Wings 4 Giada, Font of Hope 4 Resplendent Angel 4 Righteous Valkyrie 4 Skyclave Apparition 4 Collected Company 4 Branchloft Pathway 4 Temple Garden 4 Brushland 4 Razorverge Thicket 3 Inspiring Overseer 3 Llanowar Elves 3 Elvish Mystic 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire 3 Rest in Peace 2 Archon of Emeria 2 Tocasia's Welcome 2 Reidane, God of the Worthy 2 Shapers' Sanctuary 2 Anointed Peacekeeper 2 Damping Sphere

Selesnya Angels used to have a favorable matchup against Izzet Phoenix, so it has made a reappearance in post-ban Pioneer. Between Llanowar Elves, Elvish Mystic, and Giada, Font of Hope, the deck can quickly ramp into a powerful set of Angels to dominate in the air. Bishop of Wings boosts your life total, which is beneficial for Righteous Valkyrie and Resplendent Angel. With Collected Company and Kayla's Reconstruction, you'll consistently assemble these synergies and fly to victory.

From Duskmourn, Hushwood Verge might improve the mana base, allowing you to cast Llanowar Elves and Elvish Mystic on turn one and then tapping for white mana later. Again, finding the perfect land mix won't be easy, but we might shave a Plains, a Brushland, or a Branchloft Pathway to make room. Additionally, Split Up might fit into the sideboard because I imagine you can set it up as a one-sided sweeper in creature mirrors.

6. Atarka Red

4 Aloe Alchemist 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Monstrous Rage 4 Play with Fire 4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan 4 Atarka's Command 4 Burning-Tree Emissary 4 Copperline Gorge 4 Stomping Ground 4 Karplusan Forest 4 Reckless Bushwhacker 3 Cunning Coyote 2 Ramunap Ruins 2 Den of the Bugbear 2 Cragcrown Pathway 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance 1 Mountain 1 Audacity 3 Magebane Lizard 2 Rampaging Ferocidon 2 Rending Volley 1 Shapers' Sanctuary 1 Grafdigger's Cage 1 Scorching Shot 1 End the Festivities 1 Bonecrusher Giant 1 Kari Zev's Expertise 1 Pick Your Poison 1 Tears of Valakut

Atarka Red is an aggressive deck that aims to flood the board with hasty creatures and subsequently boost all attackers with Atarka's Command or Reckless Bushwacker. From Bloomburrow, the deck has adopted Hearthfire Hero. It may start off small, but it doesn't stay that size. Target it with Cunning Coyote, Monstrous Rage, or Aloe Achemist, and you get a free +1/+1 counter. With the right draw, you can easily present lethal damage by turn three.

From Duskmourn, you might consider Thornspire Verge, but I would caution against it. With so few basic lands in the deck, you basically need to draw Stomping Ground to make Thornspire Verge better than Mountain. But, if you already control Stomping Ground, then you don't need the fixing anymore. A Duskmourn card that I would be interested in is Norin, Swift Survivalist. I could imagine one or two copies as an aggressive one-drop that allows you to swarm a large blocker. Especially when you're exiling and recasting Burning-Tree Emissary, it will allow you to keep the pressure up.

7. Boros Convoke

4 Battlefield Forge 4 Gleeful Demolition 4 Inspiring Vantage 4 Knight-Errant of Eos 4 Needleverge Pathway 4 Novice Inspector 4 Sacred Foundry 4 Thraben Inspector 4 Venerated Loxodon 4 Voldaren Epicure 4 Warden of the Inner Sky 3 Imodane's Recruiter 3 Resolute Reinforcements 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben 2 Shefet Dunes 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance 1 Plains 1 Den of the Bugbear 1 Case of the Gateway Express 2 Invasion of Gobakhan 2 Rending Volley 2 Get Lost 2 Wedding Announcement 2 Forge Devil 2 Portable Hole 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring 1 Reidane, God of the Worthy 1 Rest in Peace

Boros Convoke can overwhelm opponents with enormous battlefields as early as turn two. It was a big part of the Pioneer metagame before The Lost Caverns of Ixalan, but it was pushed out due to a horrendous matchup against Amalia Combo. Now, it's back. With Voldaren Epicure on turn one, followed by Gleeful Demolition and Thraben Inspector on turn two, you can immediately convoke Venerated Loxodon, allowing you to pass on turn two with fourteen power on the battlefield, spread across six creatures. After building up a massive board, Knight-Errant of Eos can find Imodane's Recruiter to set up a massive attack.

From Duskmourn, I would be interested to try Veteran Survivor, perhaps as a sideboard card against graveyard-based strategies. Between attacks, convoke creatures, and Warden of the Inner Sky, it should be easy to enable its survival trigger, allowing you to exile Arclight Phoenix or Cauldron Familiar from the opponent's graveyard. I would also consider one or two copies of Arabella, Abandoned Doll, which rewards you for going wide with small tokens while acting as a Gleeful Demolition target if the need arises.

8. Rakdos Midrange

4 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Blightstep Pathway 4 Blood Crypt 4 Bloodtithe Harvester 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 4 Fatal Push 4 Thoughtseize 4 Archfiend of the Dross 3 Graveyard Trespasser 3 Haunted Ridge 2 Duress 2 Reckoner Bankbuster 2 Hive of the Eye Tyrant 2 Swamp 2 Go for the Throat 2 Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 1 Mountain 1 Den of the Bugbear 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 1 Castle Locthwain 1 Kolaghan's Command 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 1 Bitter Triumph 4 Leyline of the Void 2 Damping Sphere 2 Hidetsugu Consumes All 2 Extinction Event 1 Duress 1 Reckoner Bankbuster 1 The Meathook Massacre 1 Path of Peril 1 Go Blank

While the combo of Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord and Vein Ripper no longer available, the core of the midrange strategy remains. Throughout 2023, Rakdos Midrange was the most popular deck in the format, featuring high card quality with format staples like Thoughtseize, Fatal Push, Bloodtithe Harvester, and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker. The aggregate post-ban list has four main deck copies of Archfiend of the Dross, which dominates the air and survives Lightning Axe. This improves the ever-important matchup against Izzet Phoenix. Perhaps the Phyrexian Demon might also support Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber from Duskmourn?

Speaking of Duskmourn, Blazemire Verge could be a solid addition to the mana base. It can tap for black to play Thoughtseize or Fatal Push on turn one, and then switch to red later. In Rakdos Midrange, any dual land will help pay the escape cost of Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger, so I might shave Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance and/or Brightstep Pathway to make room. For the sideboard, I would be interested to try the out the versatile Untimely Malfunction. In the mirror match, this new Duskmourn card could destroy Reckoner Bankbuster or redirect an opposing discard or removal spell.

9. Abzan Greasefang

4 Raffine's Informant 4 Greasefang, Okiba Boss 4 Thoughtseize 4 Esika's Chariot 4 Parhelion II 3 Darkbore Pathway 3 Grisly Salvage 3 Concealed Courtyard 3 Temple Garden 3 Bitter Triumph 2 Razorverge Thicket 2 Duress 2 Cache Grab 2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship 2 Blooming Marsh 2 Godless Shrine 2 Witherbloom Command 1 Sentinel of the Nameless City 1 Can't Stay Away 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Mana Confluence 1 Overgrown Tomb 1 Swamp 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 1 Brushland 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 1 Plains 1 Traverse the Ulvenwald 4 Fatal Push 3 Temporary Lockdown 2 Liliana of the Veil 2 Unlicensed Hearse 2 Kutzil's Flanker 1 Reckoner Bankbuster 1 Duress

Abzan Greasefang has also returned to its former glory after the bans. It's a combo deck with the goal of putting a Parhelion II into the graveyard on turn two and crewing it with Greasefang, Okiba Boss on turn three. The rest of the deck is built to fill the graveyard and support this combo. There is a midrange backup plan involving Esika's Chariot, which means that anti-graveyard cards are not lights out, although they are still very effective.

A recent addition from Bloomburrow is Cache Grab. Digging for four cards instead of five, it will usually be worse than Grisly Salvage, but having more copies of the effect adds consistency. Cache Grab has an upside in a few edge cases, as it can return Esika's Chariot or sideboard cards such as Unlicensed Hearse, Temporary Lockdown, and Liliana of the Veil. For that reason, many successful lists run a mix of the two-mana instants. From Duskmourn, Cynical Loner could be a consideration. It's a little slow, but crewing Esika's Chariot to put Parhelion II or Can't Stay Away into the graveyard might be useful.

10. Lotus Field Combo

4 Arboreal Grazer 4 Botanical Sanctum 4 Hidden Strings 4 Lotus Field 4 Pore Over the Pages 4 Sylvan Scrying 4 Vizier of Tumbling Sands 4 Archdruid's Charm 3 Bala Ged Recovery 3 Boseiju, Who Endures 3 Thespian's Stage 2 Emergent Ultimatum 2 Dark Petition 2 Impulse 2 Temple of Mystery 1 Lair of the Hydra 1 Breeding Pool 1 Omniscience 1 Forest 1 Lier, Disciple of the Drowned 1 Hedge Maze 1 Yavimaya Coast 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Fae of Wishes 1 Zagoth Triome 1 Path of Peril 2 Voyaging Satyr 2 Silence 2 Into the Flood Maw 2 Temporary Lockdown 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Dragonlord Dromoka 1 Narset's Reversal 1 Approach of the Second Sun 1 Emergent Ultimatum 1 Zacama, Primal Calamity 1 Grand Abolisher

Lotus Field Combo is a combo deck that can generate a lot of mana in a single turn. The plan is to find Lotus Field, make another copy of it with Thespian's Stage, and untap those lands with Hidden Strings and Pore Over the Pages. Emergent Ultimatum provides access to Lier, Disciple of the Drowned and Omniscience, which will usually lead to victory. The most common win condition is Fae of Wishes, which grabs Approach of the Second Sun from the sideboard.

Before the ban, many lists used Strict Proctor to stifle Lotus Field's trigger and to tax Amalia Combo's Prosperous Innkeeper. After the ban, Strict Proctor has largely disappeared. Meanwhile, Bloomburrow's Into the Flood Maw has been adopted as a handy sideboard card to deal with Damping Sphere or Magebane Lizard.

11. Mono-Green Devotion

12 Forest 4 Outcaster Trailblazer 4 Invasion of Ixalan 4 Leyline of the Guildpact 4 Storm the Festival 4 Cavalier of Thorns 4 Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner 4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx 4 Old-Growth Troll 4 Elvish Mystic 4 Llanowar Elves 3 Lair of the Hydra 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 Ulvenwald Oddity 1 Oath of Nissa 3 The Stone Brain 2 Arasta of the Endless Web 2 Unlicensed Hearse 2 Keen-Eyed Curator 2 Scrapshooter 1 Emrakul, the Promised End 1 Cityscape Leveler 1 Obstinate Baloth 1 Prowling Serpopard

Mono-Green Devotion is only a small part of the winner's metagame, but it is capable of amazing openings. When you start the game with Leyline of the Guildpact in your opening hand, you immediately get four devotion to green. Subsequently, with an Elf on turn one and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx on turn two, you can cast Cavalier of Thorns as early as turn two. The deck is a well-oiled machine that will rarely run out of steam, as Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner and Outcaster Trailblazer keep drawing cards.

The deck gained Keen-Eyed Curator and Scrapshooter from Bloomburrow as sideboard, adding interactive permanents with a lot of green pips. From Duskmourn, I would be interested in trying Overlord of the Hauntwoods. It's a decent card to hit off Storm the Festival. If you draw it, it can be cast for three mana to both ramp and add devotion to green. Perhaps alongside Leyline of the Guildpact, it might unlock the potential to splash an additional color as well.

12. Five-Color Landfall

6 Forest 4 Brokers Hideout 4 Cabaretti Courtyard 4 Lotus Cobra 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 4 Riveteers Overlook 4 Fabled Passage 3 Ill-Timed Explosion 3 Lumra, Bellow of the Woods 3 Nissa, Resurgent Animist 3 Port of Karfell 3 Spelunking 3 Mountain 3 Plains 3 Leyline Binding 3 Ancient Cornucopia 3 Escape to the Wilds 3 Mazemind Tome 2 Atraxa, Grand Unifier 2 Kenrith, the Returned King 2 Mana Confluence 2 Portable Hole 2 Island 2 Swamp 2 Worldsoul's Rage 1 The World Tree 1 Annie Joins Up 1 Zacama, Primal Calamity 2 Negate 2 Beza, the Bounding Spring 2 Deafening Silence 2 Rending Volley 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Portable Hole 1 Annie Joins Up 1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines 1 Tranquil Frillback 1 Cavern of Souls

Five-Color Landfall is a brand-new archetype that was enhanced by Bloomburrow's Lumra, Bellow of the Woods. You're combining the New Capenna pseudo-fetch lands alongside Lotus Cobra; Nissa, Resurgent Animist; and Omnath, Locus of Creation to add tons of mana and cast massive spells. But, there's also the possibility for an infinite loop.

Suppose you control either Lotus Cobra or Nissa, Resurgent Animist, so that every land entering the battlefield adds one mana. You also need one Lumra, Bellow of the Woods on the battlefield and another in the graveyard. With this setup, sacrifice Port of Karfell to return Lumra, losing the other to the legend rule. You return Port of Karfell and five fetch lands, which are sacrificed immediately. This adds at least six mana, while Spelunking allows Port of Karfell to return untapped. Sacrifice Port of Karfell and loop to mill your deck, add infinite mana, gain infinite life, put all of your creatures onto the battlefield. Eventually, you can win the game with infinite Omnath, Locus of Creation triggers or Kenrith, the Returned King activations.

13. Rakdos Tree

4 Bloodtithe Harvester 4 Agatha's Soul Cauldron 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Blightstep Pathway 4 Blood Crypt 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 4 Fatal Push 4 Tree of Perdition 4 Voldaren Epicure 4 Voldaren Thrillseeker 4 Thoughtseize 3 Inti, Seneschal of the Sun 3 Mutavault 3 Raucous Theater 2 Swamp 2 Flamecache Gecko 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 1 Mountain 1 Castle Locthwain 3 Path of Peril 3 Leyline of the Void 2 Duress 2 Laughing Jasper Flint 2 Ob Nixilis, the Adversary 2 Alpine Moon 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring

Rakdos Tree shows that Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord plus Vein Ripper was not the only combo available for a black-red midrange deck. The plan here is to discard Tree of Perdition to a Blood token or Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, then exile it with Agatha's Soul Cauldron. This grants Tree of Perdition's ability to another creature, such as Bloodtithe Harvester, which can then tap to set your opponent's life total to 2. Alternatively, Agatha's Soul Cauldron could exile Voldaren Thrillseeker, granting its sacrifice ability to your creatures with a +1/+1 counter. These lines allow you to set up lethal damage out of nowhere.

From Bloomburrow, the deck gained Flamecache Gecko, which can add a "free" creature to the battlefield, and its discard-and-draw ability has excellent synergy with Agatha's Soul Cauldron. From Duskmourn, I expect that Marvin, Murderous Mimic would be a good addition to this deck as well. By gaining the activated ability of Tree of Perdition, it can set your opponent's life total to 2 on turn four, adding redundancy to this game-winning combo.

14. Waste Not

8 Swamp 4 Fatal Push 4 Field of Ruin 4 Thoughtseize 4 Waste Not 3 Geier Reach Sanitarium 3 Castle Locthwain 3 Go Blank 3 Liliana of the Veil 3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 3 Sunken Citadel 2 Hive of the Eye Tyrant 2 Sheoldred's Edict 2 Bandit's Talent 2 Hostile Investigator 2 Path of Peril 2 Extinction Event 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 1 Demolition Field 1 Go for the Throat 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 1 Duress 1 Graveyard Trespasser 2 Duress 2 Invoke Despair 2 Mazemind Tome 2 Path of Peril 2 Sheoldred's Edict 1 Pithing Needle 1 Reckoner Bankbuster 1 Graveyard Trespasser 1 Extinction Event 1 The End

Waste Not is all about discard spells. Thoughtseize, Go Blank, and Liliana of the Veil can force opponents to discard their best cards before they get the chance to play them. It only gets better when Waste Not rewards you with extra creatures, mana, or cards. Once your opponent's hand is empty, Geier Reach Sanitarium can close out the game by continuing to trigger Waste Not and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse.

This deck preys on Izzet Phoenix. With the main deck Go Blanks to exile their graveyard, as well as Waste Not to punish them for discarding to Ledger Shredder or Lightning Axe, the deck is crafted to turn Phoenix's biggest strengths against them. The deck also gained Bandit's Talent from Bloomburrow, which can trigger Waste Not, drain the opponent, and eventually turn into a one-sided Howling Mine.

15. Niv to Light

4 Bring to Light 4 Up the Beanstalk 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 4 Leyline Binding 4 Fabled Passage 4 Sylvan Caryatid 3 Indatha Triome 3 Vanishing Verse 2 Blood Crypt 2 Niv-Mizzet Reborn 2 Molten Collapse 2 Pillage the Bog 2 Omnath, Locus of Creation 2 Abrupt Decay 2 Lightning Helix 2 Ketria Triome 2 Jetmir's Garden 1 Mountain 1 Plains 1 Ziatora's Proving Ground 1 Valki, God of Lies 1 Temple Garden 1 Forest 1 Raffine's Tower 1 Swamp 1 Island 1 Niv-Mizzet, Supreme 1 Deafening Clarion 1 Spara's Headquarters 1 Steam Vents 1 Drowned Catacomb 1 Sunpetal Grove 1 Godless Shrine 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Savai Triome 1 Raugrin Triome 1 Mana Confluence 1 Watery Grave 1 Glacial Fortress 1 Sunfall 1 Unmoored Ego 1 Woodland Cemetery 1 Kolaghan's Command 1 Stomping Ground 1 Yasharn, Implacable Earth 1 Breeding Pool 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 1 Krenko's Buzzcrusher 1 Roxanne, Starfall Savant 3 Fatal Push 3 Dovin's Veto 2 Ashiok, Dream Render 2 Lightning Helix 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad 1 Kambal, Consul of Allocation 1 Culling Ritual 1 Notion Thief 1 Deafening Clarion

Niv to Light is a five-color midrange deck that uses a collection of multicolor cards from across the color pairs to maximize Niv-Mizzet Reborn and Niv-Mizzet, Supreme. The knock-out punch is casting Bring to Light for Valki, God of Lies, which can then be cast as the powerful Tibalt, Cosmic Impostor. Niv to Light was one of the few decks that could clinch a positive matchup against Rakdos Vampires and Amalia Combo, so its metagame positioning has gotten a considerably worse after the bans. However, with the enormous amount of customizability in this toolbox strategy, it might be able to able to adapt to the new metagame.

From Duskmourn, any Verge lands or multicolor cards could be considered for Niv to Light, including Drag to the Roots and Rite of the Moth. In addition, Overlord of the Hauntwoods could fix the mana, supporting Leyline Binding and triggering Up the Beanstalk even when you cast it for its impending cost. There's certainly some potential.

Overall, the post-ban Pioneer metagame looks healthy and diverse. Among winning strategies, there's aggro, midrange, control, and combo, all with adequate representation, and there are suitable answers to all the top deck archetypes. I look forward to seeing how the metagame will develop across the Regional Championships!

The Road to Magic World Championship 30

The upcoming Pioneer Regional Championships will award qualifications for the 31st Magic World Championship, happening later in 2025. But that's still far in the future. This year, on October 25–27, 2024, the 30th Magic World Championship takes place at MagicCon: Las Vegas, inviting Regional Champions from the 2023–24 season. As Corbin Hosler and I count down the weeks leading up to that event, each week I'm looking at a great deck from a past Magic World Championship.

At the 2018 World Championship, 24 competitors came to Las Vegas to compete across Standard and Draft. Among them was Javier Dominguez from Spain, who came tantalizingly close to the title in the previous year. In 2017, he lost to William "Huey" Jensen in the finals. In 2018, fueled by determination, Dominguez tore his way through the tournament. As he made it to yet another World Championship finals—an incredible feat in itself—it was clear that Dominguez was not looking for another second-place finish. In the end, his quest for redemption was successful, as he locked up the title by defeating Grzegorz Kowalski in a Rakdos Chainwhirler mirror match.

2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance 1 Karn, Scion of Urza 4 Bomat Courier 4 Scrapheap Scrounger 2 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider 2 Pia Nalaar 4 Goblin Chainwhirler 2 Rekindling Phoenix 2 Hazoret the Fervent 2 Glorybringer 2 Doomfall 1 Cut // Ribbons 2 Magma Spray 3 Abrade 2 Heart of Kiran 4 Dragonskull Summit 4 Canyon Slough 2 Aether Hub 14 Mountain 1 Swamp 1 Pia Nalaar 1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance 2 Karn, Scion of Urza 1 Magma Spray 2 Doomfall 1 Siege-Gang Commander 3 Chandra's Defeat 1 The Eldest Reborn 2 Duress 1 Sorcerous Spyglass

The story of Standard at the 2018 Magic World Championship was written in red and black. More than half of the players registered a black-red deck with Goblin Chainwhirler, which had been a dominant force in Standard for months. The powerful Chainwhirler would snipe one-toughness creatures, crew Heart of Kiran, and rumble in combat. Its triple-red cost put a heavy constraint on the mana base, but thanks to Canyon Slough and Dragonskull Summit, the deck could still support several black cards and activated abilities.

Bomat Courier Abrade Goblin Chainwhirler

Dominguez's list featured Bomat Courier and Scrapheap Scrounger as early-drop creatures that rewarded attacking over blocking. As a result, Rakdos Chainwhirler could get out the gates quickly and put a lot of pressure onto the opponent. But it could also switch roles if need be. When on the draw or paired against a more aggressive strategy, the deck had the tools to take a control role. Using spot removal and powerful four-drops, it could dominate the board and go over the top in the late game. With the perfect mix of power, consistency, and flexibility, the deck had it all.

The 2018 Magic World Championship was the first one to grant the yearly Magic World Champion the special honor of being featured on a Magic card, immortalizing their likeness. While the champion doesn't design it, they consult with R&D on its selection and appear pictured in the art. One year after his victory, with the release of Throne of Eldraine, Javier Dominguez was depicted on Fervent Champion.

Fervent Champion 513494 607079 654986

Following his victory at the 2018 Magic World Championship, Javier Dominguez has kept up an amazing string of top finishes. For example, at Mythic Championship V in 2019, he added another trophy to his collection. And since the return of the Pro Tour in 2023, his results have been incredible:

• 19th at Pro Tour Phyrexia
• 5th at Pro Tour March of the Machine
• 5th at Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings
• 9th at Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor
• 10th at Pro Tour Thunder Junction
• 7th at Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3

It is incredibly hard to go 11-5 or better at a Pro Tour, let alone six times in a row. Domginuez's recent streak of Pro Tour finishes is truly exceptional, confirming that he is one of the best players in the world right now. At the upcoming Magic World Championship 30, he is without a doubt one of the favorites, and he could possibly become the first player to have his likeness immortalized on a second World Championship card.

Magic World Championship 30 features Standard and Duskmourn Draft, with $1,000,000 USD in prizing up for grabs. It will be an awesome celebration of competitive Magic and the stories it creates, so don't miss it on October 25–27, 2024. Even if you aren't at MagicCon: Las Vegas to see the action unfold from the sidelines in person, all three days of the event will be broadcast live on twitch.tv/magic as well as on the Play MTG YouTube channel!