Want to learn more about the metrics I use in tracking the metagame? You can find an explainer here.
Do you have any idea how good it felt to put that header up top? Thank you Daybreak Games and Wizards of the Coast for reversing the decision to limit the number of decklists shared from Magic Online events.
Okay, back to the numbers!
The last weekend was absolutely a weird one for the Pauper Challenges. The Sunday event had several 1-5 records finish in the Top 32 which has added volatility to the data set. Again over the course of a season these aberrations tend to even out, but when taken in isolation the numbers can look a bit jarring.
Looking at the numbers it is clear that Grixis Affinity had the best weekend and it wasn’t really close. Seven Top 8s across four events, with a win, is fantastic. To do it in only a dozen Top 32 appearances would normally give me a reason to pause and to see if there was an underlying issue with the format. That being said given the number of Top 32 decks with more losses than wins (20 decks; over 15% of all Top 32 finishes) the success of Affinity loses a little bit of the shine.
Even with the noise to signal ration, the format continues to trend in a similar direction. Blue Terror, Grixis Affinity, and various Red decks are at the top with black based midrange forming a solid second tier. Basilisk Gate decks are making their presence known, firmly solidifying themselves as a strong option while Elves leads the way for hypermana decks.
Speaking of Gates I do want to call out the winner of the February 21 Challenge. This build opts to shave on stack interaction in favor of more closing power in Rancor and also trades Lórien Revealed for Open the Gates. While this may be a card access issue (Revealed is 10,000 times the cost of Open the Gates on MTGO), it speaks to the strength of the Gates package that even a lower-powered – and dare I say? – a more budget conscious build of the deck can still perform at a high level.
Looking into the final weeks of Lorwyn Eclipsed season I would still try to have a plan for the big three but you cannot simply ignore building out a board resilient presence that can survive the onslaught of black removal. CawGates looks well positioned at the moment but if you wanted to go rogue I could imagine a build of green ramp that places emphasis on Ward and Hexproof creatures to get the job done.
Power Rankings
Dropped from rankings: Dredge, Faeries
10. Gruul Ponza (Not Ranked)
9. Madness Burn (-2)
8. Jund Wildfire
7. Elves (+2)
6. Rakdos Madness (Not Ranked)
5. CawGate (+1)
4. Rally Red (+1)
3. Golgari Gardens
2. Blue Terror (-1)
1. Grixis Affinity (+1)
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