Weekly Metagame Report (May 20 to May 26)

May 31, 2012 | Posted by Dee

In this metagame report, we see that UW Delver is the clear top deck in post Avacyn Restored Standard on Magic Online. RG Aggro is the second best deck. After that, you’ve got a couple decks with tier three status.

Metagame Chart

The data for this chart comes from the Standard decks that won prizes in last week’s Magic Online Daily Events and Premier Events.

Elite Metagame Chart (4-0s and Top 8s)

The data for this chart comes from the Standard decks that went undefeated, or 4-0, in a Magic Online Daily Event or top eighted a Magic Online Premier Event over the same time period.

Comparison Table

By comparing these two charts, we can create the table below, which shows the difference between the regular and elite metagame.

Deck	Metagame	Elite Metagame	Gain/Loss	% of Gain/Loss
UW Delver	29.10%	32.76%	3.66%	12.59%
RG Aggro	11.98%	16.09%	4.11%	34.32%
Wolf Run Ramp	10.88%	5.17%	-5.71%	-52.46%
Esper Control	8.07%	7.47%	-0.60%	-7.40%
Zombies	7.82%	6.32%	-1.50%	-19.20%
Pod	7.33%	9.20%	1.86%	25.36%
Humans	4.65%	2.87%	-1.77%	-38.14%
Other	20.17%	20.11%	-0.06%	-0.28%

Based on this table, we can make some reasonable conclusions about deck rankings.

Tier One

UW Delver

We have a clear top deck. UW Delver had a whopping 29% in the regular metagame. It more than doubled the next deck, RG Aggro, at 12%. When you look at the elite metagame, UW Delver’s dominance continued with almost 33%. Again it more than doubled the next best deck.

Unfortunately, I suspect these numbers may even go higher because this past weekend the deck took the top six spots at the Starcitygames Standard Open in Nashville.

There was a Block Grand Prix going on at the same time so many of the pros were not playing Standard. Maybe Nashville was just a fluke.

I hope someone is able to build a deck that beats UW Delver consistently because we don’t need another deck dominating like last year’s UW Caw Blade. If UW Delver continues to crush the metagame, we might see some bannings soon. Last year, Stoneforge Mystic and Jace, the Mind Sculptor were banned on June 20 (the effective dates were July 1 for paper and June 29 for Magic Online) and June 2012 starts tomorrow.

Note: The UW Delver deck category includes decks that splash black for Lingering Souls.

Tier Two

RG Aggro

Other than UW Delver, RG Aggro was the only deck to get double figures. Wolf Run Ramp had close to 11% in the regular metagame but it sunk to 5% in the elite metagame. On the other hand, RG Aggro tripled Wolf Run Ramp’s elite metagame share with 16%.

Tier Three

Wolf Run Ramp
Esper Control
Zombies
Pod

Tier Four

Humans

Other Decks

Here’s a table breaking down the decks in the Other category that had at least 1% share in the regular metagame.

Deck	Metagame	Elite Metagame	Gain/Loss	% of Gain/Loss
UG Infect	2.32%	2.30%	-0.02%	-1.03%
UR Delver	2.08%	0.00%	-2.08%	-100.00%
Tokens	1.96%	1.15%	-0.81%	-41.24%
Mono Blue Grand Architect	1.96%	2.87%	0.92%	46.91%
Heartless Summoning	1.22%	2.30%	1.08%	88.05%
UB Control	1.10%	0.57%	-0.53%	-47.77%
UW Control	1.10%	2.30%	1.20%	108.94%

Filed Under Metagame Report, Standard

7 Responses to “Weekly Metagame Report (May 20 to May 26)”

Dreanor on May 31st, 2012 2:59 am

Only Deck I could think of that would be able to beat U/W delver involves Torpor Orb and or Grafdiggers main deck. Possibly with Tezzeret as the engine. Stop snapcasters dead in their tracks.
Really disappointed how the meta is turning out though, its almost as bad as Cawblade which means we’ll see Snapcaster probably getting a ban soon..

Imagine if they reprint Glimpse the Unthinkable in RTR? That is a good enough reason to ban snapcaster.
Bernhard on May 31st, 2012 4:28 am

Nice compilation. The numbers are indeed troubling but I wouldn’t cry for the banhammer just yet. I want to see the trend for at least a couple of weeks before feeling entitled to do so.

And I disagree with everything Dreanor said, more or less.
Jawa on May 31st, 2012 4:44 am

Doubt that Snapcaster would be banned, more likely Ponder.
Dreanor on May 31st, 2012 4:48 am

Magic is so opinionated!
Dee on May 31st, 2012 5:48 am

Thanks, Bernhard.

Tezzeret with 4 Nihil Spellbombs seemed pretty good against the old Delver decklists.

The biggest problem right now is the new tech, Restoration Angel. This card gives Delver yet another angle of attack at instant speed. Plus, the Angel dodges Slagstorm and blocks so many creatures like Delver, Strangleroot Geist, Wolfir Avenger, and Blade Splicer.

I just tested GerryT’s winning deck with the Angel. She was really good. I cast her end of turn to dodge Day of Judgment and then Mana Leaked the board wipe spell. That was a nice tempo boost.

In another game, I flickered Snapcaster Mages to flashback Ponders and bury my opponent with card advantage.

Any deck that wants to beat Delver will have to find an answer for Restoration Angel.
Dreanor on May 31st, 2012 7:09 am

While I lost my match to Delver playing U/W Miracles I still feel that the deck was able to go toe to toe with it. Restoration Angel doesn’t save the board from sweepers like DoJ or Terminus and it has plenty of card advantage and answers.
rex on May 31st, 2012 8:41 pm

UB tez could be a nightmare for Delver.

Torpor Orb – shuts down Angel and Snappy
Nihil Spellbomb – Stops Token Generator
Grafdigger’s Cage – Stops flashback spells

The only question is, can UB tez stand up against Pod, RG and zombies. UB is notoriously bad against undying creatures.