All articles tagged with #metagame
Mega Starmie offers middling DPS in both Water- and Psychic-type raid metas and is outclassed by top contenders like Kyogre, Mewtwo, and other Mega evolutions. While its stats aren’t terrible, they don’t justify using a Mega slot in most raids; it’s best suited for Tier 3 or easy Tier 5 raids with many players, or as a fun meme and buddy rather than a serious investment.
Metagame Mentor previews Modern for the Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering Marvel Super Heroes, based on 900+ post-release decks. It ranks 13 archetypes by Winner's Metagame Share, led by Boros Energy (11.1%), with Eldrazi Tron (8.0%), Izzet Affinity (8.5%), Izzet Prowess (6.6%), Broodscale Combo (6%), Ruby Storm (5.7%), Esper Goryo's (5.7%), Grixis Reanimator (4.5%), Boros Land Destruction (4.3%), Amulet Titan (3.2%), Jeskai Control (2.6%), Tameshi Belcher (2.5%), and Domain Zoo (2.4%). The Marvel set's impact is modest, with Hex Magic and Avengers Disassembled appearing in a few builds, while Consign to Memory remains the most-played card; fetchlands and disruption spells continue to shape the metagame. Pro Tour begins July 17 in Amsterdam with a $500k prize, with coverage on YouTube/Twitch.
Mega Skarmory, boosted by Mega Evolution, offers a budget Flying-type attacker with strong defensive stats and useful team support in GO Raids. Its resistance to Bug, Grass, and Poison makes it a solid pick in large-group raids, especially when Rayquaza or Charizard Y aren’t available. However, its DPS as a Steel-type attacker is lackluster compared with Metagross and Lucario, and it trails top Flying counters like Mega Rayquaza and Mega Charizard Y in raw power. Overall, it’s a viable niche option for PvE in large raids, best used when budget constraints or group size make a cheaper Flying-type valuable.
Baxcalibur gains from its new exclusive move Glaive Rush, boosting its effectiveness in Ultra and Master Leagues, but it still underperforms against Steel, Fairy, and other dragon threats; Great League remains sub-50% win-rate, indicating it’s unlikely to disrupt the PvP meta despite Community Day boosts.
Post-ban, Modern’s metagame is broad and led by Boros Energy at 11.0% of the winner’s share, followed by Izzet Affinity (8.4%) and Izzet Prowess (6.7%), with Grixis Reanimator, Gruul Broodscale, and several other archetypes rounding out the top 15. The analysis combines over 1,000 recent decklists and a net-wins metric to capture both popularity and performance, noting that Violent Outburst and Umezawa’s Jitte remain underrepresented while staples like Consign to Memory, Vexing Bauble, Mystical Dispute, and Thoughtseize dominate across main and sideboards. The piece also provides aggregate decklists for archetypes, highlights the RCQ circuit running through August 2, and points to upcoming events including Pro Tour 2027 and MagicCon Amsterdam.
Over the weekend four Regional Championships handed out 62 Pro Tour invitations across 19 Standard archetypes, with champions Yuchen Liu (China, Izzet Prowess), Rafael Kenji (South America, Dimir Excruciator), Dawson Courson (Canada, Mardu Discard), and Zachary Aymie (US, Four-Color Control). The piece canvasses the full metagame, showing no single deck dominates as Izzet Prowess remains most-played but waning, while Four-Color Control, Selesnya Landfall, and several fringe strategies gain traction. It highlights build-varieties within key archetypes (e.g., Izzet Prowess variants) and notes Four-Color Elementals and other decks posting strong results. In short, Standard remains diverse and dynamic, with invitations spread across many decks, and ongoing store championships RCs ahead to test new innovations.
At Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven, Izzet decks dominated in popularity (nearly 49% of the field) but Landfall strategies—especially Selesnya Landfall and Mono-Green Landfall—led in performance, with Nathan Steuer winning the title using Selesnya Landfall and other Landfall variants reaching the Top 8; Izzet variants posted mid‑pack win rates and failed to produce a Top 8, while new decks like Mardu Discard and Azorius Prison showed promise. The event signals a shifting Standard metagame in the coming weeks as regional championships approach.
Melmetal remains a versatile, if not dominant, option in Pokémon GO's 2026 meta. It shines as a bulky Steel-type with many resistances and shield-based movesets that can pressure a wide range of teams in PvP—especially in Great and Ultra Leagues—and may find niche value in Max Battles with Gigantamax Melmetal. It’s not a top-tier raid attacker or Master League mainstay, making it a situational pick rather than a must-build. The event’s Meltan shiny quest adds collectible appeal, which can justify the grind for many players.
Flamigo, a Gen 9 Flying/Fighting Pokémon, is analyzed for Pokémon GO's current metagame. In PvE raids it underperforms compared with top Flying and Fighting attackers, while in PvP it offers spice via Double Kick, Upper Hand, and Brave Bird that can counter some meta threats, making it a potential anti-meta pick in Great League, but it's still outclassed in Ultra and Master Leagues. Grinding Flamigo may be worth mainly for an event Stardust bonus and for potential niche PvP uses; there is no signature move, only a Costar ability, and no guaranteed meta breakthrough. Bottom line: not a go-to raid pick, but a fun, spicy option for specialists and theme cups.
Two days into Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed in Richmond, Badgermole Cub failed to dominate as a wide-open metagame produced a seven-archetype Top 8, led by Luis Salvatto's Dimir Excruciator; the draft environment featured five color themes and showcased diverse decks ahead of a dramatic Sunday final.
After two days and a field just over 300, Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed trimmed to eight in a Top 8 packed with seven archetypes, highlighted by Dimir Excruciator and Izzet Lessons; Larsen upset Sajgalik in the semifinals to become the first finalist, while Portolan defeated Belacca to join him, setting up a Larsen–Portolan final in an event that showcased a highly dynamic metagame.
During Niantic's GO Rocket Takeover, a new batch of Shadow Pokémon arrives (Thundurus, Greninja, Chesnaught, Delphox), spawning a PvP-focused analysis. Shadow Thundurus offers strong energy generation and a viable Great League presence with moves like Brick Break/Crunch; Shadow Greninja can outperform its non-Shadow in Ultra and Great Leagues thanks to Water Shuriken and high damage, though bulk is sacrificed. Chesnaught and Delphox act as sidegrades with tradeoffs that depend on league and move choices. Overall, the update provides versatile, viable options for various metas and is worth testing on your teams.
Over 1,500 players competed in Magic Spotlight: The Avatar in Lyon and Atlanta, earning 16 Pro Tour invites and $100k. Simon Nielsen won Lyon with Simic Ouroboroid, while Kye Nelson won Atlanta with Bant Airbending, and six Top 8s went to Ouroboroid across the events. Mono-Green Landfall posted the highest win rate (about 58%), Badgermole Cub decks around 56%, and Izzet Lessons remained a top archetype (~52–54%). Jeskai Control offers a viable answer to Ouroboroid, Boros Aggro showed gains with white splash, and Esper Pixie/Dimir Bounce were present in the mix. The piece emphasizes Standard’s fluid meta and tees up Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed and RCQs as the next big tests.
The article provides an overview of the current Standard metagame in Magic: The Gathering, highlighting the dominant decks such as Izzet Lessons, Selesnya Landfall, and Dimir Midrange, and discusses recent shifts and strategies ahead of upcoming major tournaments like Magic Spotlight: The Avatar in Lyon and Atlanta.
Wizards of the Coast banned Vivi Ornitier and Proft’s Eidetic Memory in Standard to address their dominance, along with banning Screaming Nemesis to balance Mono-Red Aggro, and made additional bans across Pioneer, Legacy, and Pauper formats to maintain game health and diversity.