Energy is high as players prepare for Arena Championship 7 this weekend, December 14–15! This premier event, streamed live on twitch.tv/magic starting at 9 a.m. PT each day, will showcase 48 of MTG Arena's top competitors vying for their share of a $250,000 prize pool, sixteen coveted Pro Tour qualifications, and two prestigious invitations to Magic World Championship 31. The format? Best-of-Three Standard Constructed, with all decklists available once the tournament is underway.

Who Is Competing?

The Arena Championship—held three times a year—is the pinnacle of competitive play on MTG Arena. Recent updates have expanded its scope, making this flagship event larger than ever, with increased participation and heightened stakes. Securing an invitation is no small feat: this weekend's elite field features players who earned at least six wins in Qualifier Weekend Day Twos held in May, June, July, and August of this year.

This weekend's roster is brimming with Magic veterans, ensuring a showcase of high-level gameplay. Among the competitors are the following:

• Arne Huschenbeth, Kaldheim Championship winner
• Corey Baumeister, Grand Prix New Jersey 2017 champion and esteemed commentator
• David Olsen, Top 8 competitor at Pro Tour March of the Machine
• Zhi Yimin, Grand Prix Nagoya 2019 finalist
• Frank Skarren, a two-time Grand Prix champion
• Matthew Saypoff, 2022 US Regional Champion
• Keisuke Sato, Arena Championship 1 finalist

While these accomplished players might stand out as favorites based on their tournament resumes, victory at Arena Championship 7 is far from assured. The competition is fierce, with every player in this stacked field bringing a wealth of skill and determination to the battlefield.

What Are They Playing?

Day One of Arena Championship 7 will feature six Swiss rounds of Standard. On Day Two, the Top 24 players will move on to a single-elimination playoff using the same decks. The Top 8 players from Day One will earn a bye in the first round, while the 9th through 24th seeds will battle for the remaining slots.

Standard, a rotating 60-card format, currently encompasses all Standard-legal sets from Dominaria United onward. The format has recently garnered significant attention, serving as the centerpiece for the ongoing Regional Championship Qualifiers and the upcoming Spotlight Series event at SCG CON Atlanta. The recent release of Magic: The Gathering Foundations has infused the format with a wealth of new cards, expanding the possibilities. The Arena Championship 7 field breaks down as follows.

A little over a month ago, Magic World Championship 30 showcased the dominance of Dimir Midrange and red-based aggro strategies. Since then, their metagame presence has only grown, with Dimir Midrange claiming over 40% of the field at Arena Championship 7.

Interestingly, some archetypes that previously performed well, such as Azorius Oculus, Boros Burn, and Temur Otters, are conspicuously absent. Most competitors have gravitated toward one of two distinct pillars. They've chosen either Dimir's disruption, with cards like Enduring Curiosity and Go for the Throat, or the explosive aggression of red decks built around Heartfire Hero and Emberheart Challenger.

Spyglass Siren 607079 673456 574569 Go for the Throat Kaito, Bane of Nightmares

Dimir Midrange blends efficient disruption with card-advantage engines and a versatile suite of instant-speed options. As one player explained: "I settled on Dimir Midrange because it has some of the most powerful starts with the ability to change your deck to a control deck. That flexibility is important to me. The matchups I was worried about are red aggro decks and Jeskai Convoke, but after a bunch of testing and sideboard planning, I feel like those matchups are about 50/50. I expect Dimir to be the most played deck."

Heartfire Hero 669047 669057 Burst Lightning Monstrous Rage Questing Druid

Gruul Aggro, on the other hand, thrives on the relentless pressure of aggressive creatures and burn spells to push damage through. One competitor shared their perspective on the deck, saying that, "I settled on Gruul Aggro because it looked like Dimir was moving away from beating red decks toward trying to beat the mirror. We realized that the more they do that, the worse the Gruul matchup becomes. Essentially, the absence of creatures like Unstoppable Slasher; Preacher of the Schism; and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse in Dimir main decks is great for red decks. In addition, decks that prey on Dimir, like Jeskai Convoke and Simic Terror, aren't the best against Gruul. The one matchup that I'd like to avoid is Golgari Midrange. Luckily, you have to be very gutsy to play Golgari into a field of Dimir Midrange."

What Is the Impact of Foundations?

While Magic: The Gathering Foundations introduced numerous impactful cards, they primarily strengthened existing archetypes rather than creating entirely new ones.

Soulstone Sanctuary Burst Lightning Faebloom Trick Authority of the Consuls Llanowar Elves Maelstrom Pulse

The most played new-to-Standard card in the event is Soulstone Sanctuary. It is included in almost all black midrange decks, adding utility to their mana bases. Once activated, it remains a creature for the rest of the game and even counts as a Ninja for Kaito, Bane of Nightmares and a Demon for Unholy Annex.

Close behind is Burst Lightning, a four-of in every Gruul and Mono-Red Aggro list. Its flexibility as early-game removal and a late-game finisher makes for a significant upgrade over Shock. If you fall down to 4 life, you are now within easy burn range.

A more innovative inclusion is Faebloom Trick, featured in half of the Dimir Midrange decks. The two Faeries enable Enduring Curiosity or trade effectively against opposing creatures like Faerie Mastermind or Floodpits Drowner. While its main role is to improve the mirror match, Faebloom Trick can also tap down Screaming Nemesis or Archfiend of the Dross to buy enough time to win the game.

Rounding out the list of most impactful cards from Foundations are Authority of the Consuls—a valuable sideboard piece in controlling white decks—as well as Llanowar Elves and Maelstrom Pulse, two cards that have become staples in Golgari Midrange. Llanowar Elves enables explosive starts, letting you curve into Glissa, Sunslayer or Unholy Annex as early as turn two. Some of these decks also incorporated Stab, Scavenging Ooze, and/or Vivien Reid.

Finally, several Simic and Sultai decks have incorporated Opt and Unsummon to reduce the cost of Tolarian Terror. This strategy rose in popularity after reaching the Top 4 of the recent 349-player Standard Showcase Challenge. Now, three of the players at Arena Championship 7 will aim to cast one-mana 5/5s.

Standard Deck Summaries

As mentioned, decklists will be available on Melee once the tournament is underway. Until then, here are summaries of each archetype.

Dimir Midrange (20 players): Also known as Dimir Curiosity, Dimir Midrange seeks to disrupt opponents with a mix of removal, discard, and counter magic while applying pressure through cheap, evasive creatures. Once Enduring Curiosity is in play, those creatures will refill your hand, maintaining a steady flow of resources. Thanks to its versatile interaction, Dimir Midrange has a solid plan against virtually every deck in the field.

Gruul Aggro (10 players): Gruul Aggro excels at blisteringly fast kills with synergistic valiant abilities. Previously known as Gruul Prowess, this deck now emphasizes raw aggression, with cards like Hired Claw replacing Monastery Swiftspear. Screaming Nemesis and Manifold Mouse have overtaken classic pump spells. As a result, it plays more like a traditional aggro deck, including a green splash for Questing Druid, Innkeeper's Talent, and more.

Mono-Red Aggro (4 players): Effectively a Gruul Aggro deck without the green splash, this deck boasts a smoother and less-painful mana base, running more copies of Rockface Village. In place of Gruul's green cards, Mono-Red generally includes extra copies of Monastery Swiftspear and Lightning Strike. Alongside Burst Lightning for additional direct damage, the deck packs a lot of explosive firepower.

Jeskai Convoke (3 players): Jeskai Convoke leverages token generators like Novice Inspector and Spyglass Siren with Gleeful Demolition to convoke Knight-Errant of Eos by turn two. Follow-ups like Imodane's Recruiter can deal massive damage, while Case of the Gateway Express and Warden of the Inner Sky provide additional payoffs for wide boards. The recent addition of Sheltered by Ghosts has proven invaluable in close matchups.

Golgari Midrange (3 players): This deck focuses on the best black and green interactive spells, with Mosswood Dreadknight and Glissa Sunslayer delivering a fast, resilient clock. Every Golgari Midrange list includes Unholy Annex, but most have moved away from the full Demons package. Golgari players have started cutting cards like Archfiend of the Dross as most Dimir Midrange players have adopted Floodpits Drowner to trump it.

Mono-White Tokens (2 players): Also referred to as Mono-White Caretaker, this archetype excels at dismantling creature-based strategies with Lay Down Arms and Sunfall. Its game plan involves stalling long enough to capitalize on Carrot Cake alongside either Caretaker's Talent and Enduring Innocence. This deck's combination of board control and card advantage gives it a good position in the current metagame.

Simic Terror (2 players): Named after its trademark card, Tolarian Terror, this innovative strategy fills the graveyard with cards like Sleight of Hand, Seed of Hope, and Cache Grab to reduce the cost of Eddymurk Crab and Tolarian Terror, both of which trigger Up the Beanstalk when cast. The deck's bounce spells, including Rona's Vortex and This Town Ain't Big Enough, can provide crucial tempo advantage over Dimir Midrange.

Sultai Terror (1 player): Essentially a Simic Tempo deck with a minor black splash, this variant includes black removal spells and enables the kicker cost of Rona's Vortex, adding flexibility and power. Bushwhack and Analyze the Pollen help find the deck's basic Swamp and can go as low as 17 lands.

Orzhov Tokens (1 player): This archetype builds on the Mono-White Tokens deck, splashing for black's improved removal suite. While it loses Lay Down Arms and some mana consistency, it gains access to powerful removal tools like Cut Down and Go for the Throat.

Zur Overlords (1 player): Also known as Domain Ramp, this deck leverages Overlord of the Hauntwoods to ramp ahead while triggering Up the Beanstalk and achieving full domain for Leyline Binding. Zur, Eternal Schemer can animate the decks Overlords and turn them into lifelinking threats with devastating attack triggers.

Azorius Artifacts (1 player): This archetype uses artifact tokens, like Clues and Maps, and animates them with cards like Zoetic Glyph and Case of the Filched Falcon, turning the artifacts into massive threats. It can also exploit Clues and Maps with Warden of the Inner Sky and Regal Bunnicorn for explosive openings that can quickly overwhelm opponents.

The Championship Outlook

Standard at Arena Championship 7 looks poised to be a showdown between Kaito, Bane of Nightmares and Emberheart Challenger. Will Dimir Midrange or a red aggro deck take the crown? Or could a dark horse surprise the field and claim the first-place prize of $30,000?

Personally, I like the position of Mono-White Tokens and Simic Terror. Mono-White Tokens can go over the top of Dimir Midrange and, coupled with its life-gain tools, combat red aggro. It looks well-positioned in a metagame where problematic combo and ramp decks are on the decline. Simic Terror, meanwhile, might be weak to the red aggro decks with Lithomantic Barrage in their sideboards, but many believe this archetype is favored against Dimir Midrange, which is the most played deck by far.

Still, with so many rounds of top-tier play, anything is possible. Don't miss a moment! Catch the livestream starting at 9 a.m. PT on December 14–15 at twitch.tv/magic.