Top MTG Standard Cards for Winning: Meta Bombs & Strategies

Want to WIN Games in Standard? Play These Cards!

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Discover the top Standard "bombs" in Magic: The Gathering with high win rates when cast. Optimize your deck strategy for competitive play!

People often discuss win rates when cards are included in a deck, or maybe win rates if a card is drawn during a game. There is even something to take from the percentage of decks a card appears in. Sure, we can say x and y are good cards to put in your deck, but what cards are truly the best? Which ones give you the best chance of winning a game after you cast them? We are going to look at those cards today. We are effectively examining the biggest bombs in the format. There is still a concept of not relying on one card to win the game, and using synergies to win. I get it. I would invite you to consider, however, even if you do not plan to play any of these cards, you should definitely be aware of what is a bomb that needs your attention in the format. Without further ado, let's check out the bombs in Standard, and see how insane their win rates are.

Standard Cards with Highest Win Rate (When Cast)

Note that this statistic is simply if the card was cast from someone's hand. It does not look at whether or not the spell was resolved. I think this has bearing on the outcome of the game as well. If it gets countered or removed, we know it is also that much more important. This is why I believe looking at win rate when cast is the best metric for the biggest threats.

If you aren't familiar with this card, it is used with cards that say "Lose the game" on them, and it is used to hand it off to an opponent. With a recent printing of Demonic Pact in Foundations, this deck has become a thing in Standard. It doesn't have a crazy metashare, but when it works, it works. Harmless Offering boasts an 82% win rate in Standard when cast. That has quickly propelled this to the top. The best way that we can deal with it is to have removal for the permanent that is about to be handed off. That and counter spells are likely the only reason this card doesn't have a 100% win rate.

When this card was spoiled, the groans were audible from miles away. It's safe to say that we don't see this card a ton in Standard currently, but if someone casts it, it's pretty hard to win the game after that. There are too many other ridiculous cards in the format that make it just about impossible to win if they are being cast for free. This ten-mana enchantment has a win rate of 80% when cast. It is close to Harmless Offering, and it is possible that the two could trade places from time to time given metashare. This card is seeing a lot of play in Pioneer in Hidden Strings decks, and I imagine the win rate is pretty high for it there too.

This card is a little more fun, and has an exciting interaction. It doesn't immediately make you lose the game, or directly lead to things that make you lose, usually. It just accelerates the clock for...doomsday. It is also possible that players can lose to decking themselves by playing this card, which I think is interesting too. It's also a demon, and you know that those things are in right now. Excruciator is also more commonly played. We have over 8,000 games of data to go from with this deck, which should give it more consistency and accuracy in the numbers. If that isn't enough for you to want to play it, the guy who just won the World Championship used it to win his trophy. I think that alone could be enough to convince me. I'll sweeten the pot even more: it has a 75% win rate when cast.

This card is the opposite of fun to play against. It doesn't help that it is not very commonly played, but when it does resolve, this thing hurts. If it is late enough in the game, and your opponent has enough mana, they will basically kill you in two turns after getting rid of all of your creatures. It also helps the opponent stabilize with the life gain. Twilight has a 75% win rate when cast, and it is pretty tough to deal with the aftermath of it. Two swings from the five mites that they make and you lose. Some decks have the audacity to play sunfall and this card, and sometimes we are left to wonder if some people were loved enough as a child.

Atraxa has solidified itself ever since being included in the format. With a 74% win rate when cast, it turns out that refilling your hand after casting a huge spell is really good. It is also helpful that it is one of the best attackers and blockers in the format. The lifelink can help you stabilize and deter an opponent's attack, and the vigilance allows you to attack on your turn and still hold it back as a blocker. It is a great combination of keywords, and it is definitely one of the keys to winning games in Standard.

Best Practices for Dealing with Bombs in Standard

Two of these cards are creatures, but the other three are spells. Something else that is noteworthy is that for all of these cards to be good, they cost four or more mana. This means cards like Disdainful Stroke could be a really good answer for people to have in their sideboards. It also contributes to a great mana-positive exchange while dealing with a card that could hand us a loss if resolved. With one of the spells being a board wipe, it is also effective to have cards that give creatures indestructible. If you are concerned with losing to Demonic Pact, it would be a good idea to have enchantment removal. Three out of the five colors have it available now, and one of the colors can at least bounce permanents to their owner's hand. Having these answers can help you deal with Omniscience and Demonic Pact. I personally play Withering Torment to deal with pesky enchantments. These are the top five bombs in Standard, and even if you don't want to play these cards, I hope this has helped you prepare to deal with them!

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I am a Magic The Gathering competitive player, and streamer. I specialize in homebrew decks. My favorite formats are: Standard, Pioneer (Explorer on Arena), and EDH. I first started playing MTG in 2001, and have played on and off since then.

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Explore the latest mono black discard deck tech for Magic: The Gathering Standard. Discover new tools from Edge of Eternities and dominate the metagame!

Mono Black has New Tools: Time for DISCARD

It really feels like we are still taking in everything from Final Fantasy. About a month ago we had MC Vegas and the collector boosters were all the craze, along with the pro tour. In less than five weeks, we have seen a bunch of cards banned, had rotation, and had a new set release. It is an eventful MTG Summer to say the least. Right now, it is that time that we all love where a new meta will be formed. I know that I usually release deck lists before the new set comes out, but this time I wanted to wait for the set to be released and test it a bit after rotation before I advised whether or not some of this stuff was worth burning wildcards on. The first list that I have for you is the discard list. We got some new tools in Edge of Eternities and in this post-ban/rotation meta we are going to have a better opportunity to get back to basics and try out some of the good old-fashioned mono black fun. My favorite thing about this deck is that we can turn our main engine into a creature when we are ready. There are so many good discard spells in the format right now. We are approaching a point where control decks are going to be relevant again because aggro decks are still good. It is part of my due diligence to find out a good control/discard deck for you. This is my first attempt. We are going to use our efficient threats to trade with problematic creatures, and remove them where needed. We will use our discard spells to help ensure that the opponent runs out of gas. Once they get to that point, we will punish them for having no cards in hand. This will eventually lead to them getting too far behind to simply beat us with a top deck. We even have some options for gaining life that will help us stay in the game. Let's take a look at some of the new cards that are making a splash early. Fun New Toys

The Decks that Benefitted the Most from Monday's Bans

We are fresh off of an absolute KNEECAPPING of the Standard Meta. The top two aggro decks, domain, graveyard combo, and bounce all took a huge hit. We are currently operating as if these decks are now unplayable, so by default, there will be questions. Can we keep playing the other decks that were decent in the meta? Will they get better? And even, can I finally brew in Standard the way that I want to? The answer for now might be yes to all of that. In a format that feels as if it is wide open, we have a chance to take a wild-west approach to the current Standard format until we have rotation and the next set. While there will be plenty of brews to come, I would like to examine the decks that will now move up into the upper echelon of the meta. There are three different archetypes that I believe will benefit from the bans. Let's start it off with one that might seem pretty obvious This probably doesn't come as a surprise. Many people have had success with this deck, and have used it as somewhat of an anti-meta list to deal with all different types of threats. Although the meta is a little bit more wide open, I still think this list is equipped to take down anything that is thrown at it.

We Had to do it! Boros Equipment is BACK!

I'll never forget what it was like to come back to magic a few years ago after taking a seven-year break to stumble across a meta that was so diverse, it had a deck that was centered around equipment, and the deck was actually really good. It was the golden age of Standard. Kaldheim was the most powerful set in the format by far, and the rares and mythics from that plane set the tone for what the meta would be in our beloved format. Sadly, it ended up rotating, and it did not get to stick around long enough to see the three-year rotation cycle like we have now. The good news is, we are going to try and bring it back! We will look to use cards that go all the way back in Standard so far to the point where the deck might only be playable for a couple of months. That's okay, we will have our fun while we can. I want to throw my hat in the ring for a powerful Boros Equipment list in our new Standard that comes out with Final Fantasy. I think there are too many powerful equipment both in this set, and that have come out within the last year to overlook giving this a shot. It may look a little different, and be a bit janky, but we have enough powerful cards to make this deck awesome. What I love most about it is that we will be able to tutor for equipment cards, and that is where we can kind of use a toolbox of equipment and have a few different one-ofs to diversify our threats. This also allows us to use our sideboard for additional equipment cards if needed. We should expect the deck to change as we see what the meta turns into after Final Fantasy is released. I believe that people are expecting change, and even if we don't get it in the first two months, we will also have rotation. That will guarantee change if nothing else does. We will take a look at the deck and then go over some of the new cards that are showcased within it, and we can see a pretty cool combo that will form. I included a lot of new cards in this deck, so forgive me if I don't get to all of them - but I promise that they all fit well for their own reasons. You can see that we definitely want to set things up early with this deck. The meta is very fast and we want to have our engines going on turns two and three and start trying to amass value from there. We will even try to get maximum value out of cards like Leyline Axe to try and get it going before we even lay our first land. Some of our creatures create their own equipment, and some creatures allow us to tutor for equipment. Some allow us to equip for free, and some even reanimate equipment from our graveyard, or allow us to attach them from our hand. We have many different ways to get value in this deck, so let's take a look at the key players. Key New Cards

Sephiroth is Everything we Wanted Him to be. Let's Build a Deck Around Him!

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The Meta is Changing, so it's Time for a Standard Check-In

Remember when Domain was the best deck in the format? Pepperidge Farm remembers. We are currently experiencing some pretty hefty shifts in the meta regarding the most popular decks, and it seems that many players who enjoy big mana decks are making the shift towards an aggro-based list. A few of us have gotten our wish - myself included - Tarkir has brought us the shift in the meta that many felt we desperately needed. There are some cards in Tarkir that stand out and are helping to shape the meta. We have new archetypes rising, and there are some other archetypes that were on the edge of being relevant, and just needed a couple of cards. Some of those archetypes are now lit up, and the meta is becoming more diverse. I think it's a little too early to flat out call it healthy, but I think that it is starting to feel better, and to feel as if we can play fun decks without playing against the same thing every time. Today we will look at some of the biggest shifts in the metagame, and check out some of the cards that are causing these shifts. The Latest Challenger We'll start out with the biggest difference-maker in the meta: Izzet Prowess. This is a deck that people have tried to play before, and there were random times where it was good, but it has finally been given a tool that allows for constant generation of creatures, and rewards proper sequencing of spells.

Finding the best Pixie Deck in Standard (it's Orzhov)

We just finished up the Regional Championship in Bologna, and we are finally getting some answers in regards to what the best decks are in Standard. We had the confirmation of aggro still being very effective, and those pesky mice continue to do their thing. In addition to that, Izzet Prowess has made a name for itself. Jeskai Control had a good showing, and Domain was still represented as well. We have all known about Esper Pixie for a bit, and many of us have been adequately terrorized by it. A new, more consistent version of this archetype is here and it uses some great cards. This archetype had a good showing at the Regional Championship, and had a list that qualified for the next RC, while just missing a spot at the pro tour. Orzhov Pixie is a deck that aims to be more consistent with its mana, and also allows for a pivot to more of a midrange battle when needed. The plethora of discard and removal make it a deck that is right up my alley, and I will never turn down the opportunity to play cards that make the opponent lose life. Today we are going to examine Orzhov Pixie, and why I believe it is the best version of the Pixie Archetype. We will go over some important cards that this list uses that the Esper version does not, then we will compare the pros and cons of playing each list. This list that was pretty well curated by Massimiliano earned him an honorable finish in Bologna. This player was one win away from a pro tour invitation and at that point, you have to say that they are in the conversation to be considered one of the top-tier players in Europe at least. They will be back for more opportunities to qualify. This deck has started to break into the meta, and it has finally made a name for itself by having three different players finish in the top 64 with the deck. All three players took home at least $500. Not bad for playing your favorite game over a weekend. What strikes me the most in this deck is the versatility of it. There are cards that we can top deck that make it so we are a lot less likely to run out of gas. I think that is what I enjoy most about this compared to the Esper Version. Esper is all in on the combo itself, and it doesn't have as good of a backup plan. This list allows you to play the midrange and attrition-based matchups that are sometimes demanded of you based on what the opponent is playing. The versatility of Orzhov Pixie is what sets it apart. Relevant Cards

Mono Black has New Tools: Time for DISCARD