Counting the Days Until Dominaria United

For those around back in the block era, Standard rotation is harder than ever to understand. Despite arguments for and against the block configuration, it’s undeniable that figuring out WHEN a rotation was coming has been a hassle. Now, with an extended meta due to Dominaria United being pushed back, we’re seeing the effects of a mostly ‘solved’ metagame. The decks in Standard have been solidified, and I want to review the decks taking the top spots in ladder and tournament.

I’ve talked about Naya Runes at length during my deck tech earlier this year. While it’s not my preferred deck, due to it underperforming in the best of three matchup, the shell has been seeing some love in both tournament and ladder play. Listed at a cool 3.0% of the meta-game, the deck is still seeing some pet-deck love. While not low enough to list as a rogue deck, losing the Runes package come Dominaria United will leave the deck in a much weaker position. It’s likely we will see a transition to a G/W shell with more Sagas and a control focus. Dominaria 2018 introduced the Saga, and hopefully we’ll see impactful Sagas printed to support the archetype. We may even see Creatures that care about the Enchantment supertype, adding a new core for the supporting Enchantment themes present in NEO.

Mono-Green was seeing small amounts of play during the start of SNC’s release. Topiary Stomper and Titan of Industry were explored, but ultimately it all came back to the Green powerhouses in Kaldheim and Midnight Hunt / Crimson Vow. Esika's Chariot has remained a mainstay of the deck, alongside Sculptor of Winter from the same set. The snow package doubles as ramp and removal, and likely will see new versions of these effects. Sculptor will likely be replaced by a possible Llanowar Elves represent, while we’ll likely see more fighting and targeted removal options in Mono-Green. Snakeskin Veil’s defensive utility will be rough to lose, but the deck may just move to a more aggressive focus, or be absorbed into multi-color identities.

Red’s place in the meta is currently fueling the removal packages for several multicolor decks. Between Grixis Vampires, Boros Control, and the peak of the current meta, Hinata Control, Red players have their choice of options. Primary options popping up across all decks are Expressive Iteration, Voltage Surge and Spike-Field Hazard. Kami’s Flare also has been a staple of sideboards. While it’s mostly been an efficient color of removal, our last visit to Dominaria gave us Goblin Chainwhirler and created a solid foundation for more aggressive Red decks. Alongside cheap threats in AFR and NEO, we could see a powerful Red deck take the meta by storm. As long as it isn’t actually Storm.

Players have been feeling the extended Standard rotation, and I think we’re all excited to see how Dominaria United will shake things up. Original Dominaria was a huge hit, and led to an exciting and dynamic standard both during its Pro Tour and going forward in the format. While I doubt any wild new mechanics like Sagas will be making a debut, the biggest thing most of the current decks need is more ways to diversify their game plan. There’s a diverse set of decks present, but the ways they achieve their goals have become stale in the longer-than-usual SNC Standard. Fingers crossed Dominaria United has the impact Standard players are looking for!