3 MTG Standard decks surprisingly dominate meta 2 days after Wilds of Eldraine’s launch

The release of Wilds of Eldraine has caused a variety of best Magic: The Gathering Standard decks to emerge from smaller tournaments following the set’s digital launch on Sept. 5. 

Following the Sept. 5 digital launch of Wilds of Eldraine through MTG Arena and Magic Online, three MTG decks have joined builds like Domain Ramp, Mono-Black, Red Deck Wins, and Dimir Midrange at the top of the Standard meta. Players showed off new cards from the set at two tournaments this week: the MTGO Standard League and the Matcherino Standard WOE tournament. 

Finishing first at the WOE Standard event was a GB Midrange build, while a GW token deck made it to the top four as well. At the MTGO tournament, builds like Selesnya Enchantments, Mono-Blue Tempo, and Mono-White Angels went 5-0. Each of these three MTG Standard decks has a chance of showing up at the Magic World Championship later this month.

GB Midrange MTG Standard deck

A Green and Black MTG Standard deck that used new cards like Sentinel of Lost Lore, Mosswood Dreadknight, The Huntsman Redemption, and Virtue of Persistence was piloted by Raiven at the Matcherino Standard WOE tournament.

The build has three copies of Sheoldred, the Apocalypse because all decks running the color Black are playing the legendary Phyrexian until WotC decides to ban it from Standard. A single copy of Cankerbloom was played in the main deck to combat a rise in Enchantments, while two copies of Graveyard Trespasser ensured cards like Atraxa, Grand Unifier are exiled from the graveyard before players can reanimate the Phyrexian angel. 

GW tokens MTG Standard deck

Also finishing in the top four of the Matcherino Standard WOE tournament was a Green and White token deck piloted by OVA. The deck includes four copies of both Regal Bunnicorn and Pollen-Shield Hare, two WOE cards that support go-wide token strategies. Also included are four copies of Virtue of Loyalty from the new Standard set, along with three copies of Sentinel of Lost Lore in the sideboard. 

Go-wide tokens were sitting on the fringe of the Standard meta prior to the launch of WOE. Additions like Regal Bunnicorn, Virtue of Loyalty, and Pollen-Shield Hare have greatly improved the build—especially when combined with cards like King Darien XLVIII and Elesh Norn. 

Selesnya Enchantment MTG Standard deck

The Selesnya Enchantment deck isn’t a newcomer to the Standard meta, having wreaked havoc in best-of-one through MTG Arena for some time now. But the build typically hasn’t performed well in tournaments since March of the Machine was released. 

Piloted by Chuchuzihnho, the Selesnya Enchantment GW deck only included two new WOE cards in the main deck: Yenna, Redtooth Regent and Royal Treatment. The deck runs the usual GW Enchantment suspects, along with four copies of Calix, Guided by Fate. And unlike best-of-one variations of the build, only one copy of Michiko’s Reign of Truth was in the main deck. 

Players can test out the Standard format following the release of Wilds of Eldraine digitally through MTG Arena and MTGO or at local game stores starting on Sept. 8.