We've already had a few days to try out the new mini set Alchemy: Edge of Eternities on MTG Arena, and today we're taking a look at the cards that are seeing the most play in the Alchemy format and are performing the best! This time, ranking the top 8 cards in the set was more difficult than usual, because the power level seems so well distributed, with plenty of playable cards, but no real powerhouses that automatically become must-haves in the appropriate decks. Furthermore, many of these cards were designed to work together, with the intention of allowing multiple cards to be included in the same deck and creating new archetypes. This makes it much more difficult to evaluate them individually, as the improvements they gain from synergizing with each other cannot be ignored, and some of them are in this ranking largely due to the strength of the group.

Remember the last time there was a ban in Standard? We needed it so badly that the format was almost unplayable and two different decks were way too powerful compared to everything else. We aren't in as dire a situation currently, but this time it is arguably more annoying and unfun. Magic Spotlight just wrapped up in Orlando and we saw a top 8 field that had 75% Vivi Cauldron representation. The metagame itself was about 55%. This is even worse than it was with Cutter. It is evident that Vivi is the best deck, and it has gotten to the point where other decks are abandoning their gameplan to include cards in the main deck to try and stop the Vivi combo. This is a dead giveaway that we have a glaring issue. Since I believe that some type of ban will happen, I think it is useful to consider what Standard looks like after that, and what decks might emerge. We will take a look at the other deck that did well in the event, and what list starts to stand out after the imminent ban on either Vivi or Cauldron. There was a silver lining today. Amidst all of the complaints about the current format, mono red set all that aside and took care of business. Needless to say, the deck looks very different than it did the last time we saw it in a major event, but the archetype itself is proving to have evergreen efficacy. You have to figure that this deck is still good after additional bans, but it definitely would look different. It would be allowed to have more of a gameplan, and the gameplay of the deck would likely be more linear. It was relieving to see that Vivi didn't outright win the event, but even without the deck getting first, it still feels like it won in a lot of ways.  There isn't a ton to actually recap for the event. It was a ton of Vivi, and Mono Red did its best to fight against it. There were a couple of Mono Black decks that made two, some Dimir, and some Azorius Midrange. When it came down to it, however, the top 16 was virtually all of the top 2 decks.

The Standard RCQ season is in full swing, and although it's still early, it is always nice to get that first qualification out of the way. I was fortunate enough to do that a week ago at a local RCQ and it was with this demon list that I finalized a little bit before heading over to the event. Things worked out really well for me, as I only dropped one match all day, and the person who handed me my only loss, I ended up beating in the finals. The matchups were pretty diverse. We are cautiously optimistic about calling Standard a "healthy" format right now. The Vivi Cauldron and Dimir Kaito decks might say otherwise, but it is pretty healthy otherwise. I was fortunate enough to not go up against Vivi at all this day, but I did have to go against Kaito twice. Thankfully I was able to beat it both times.  As for the deck itself, it definitely has to take on a new look after rotation. There are a couple of new choices that we use for removal, and we even get to use a new card from Edge of Eternities. This modal spell actually helps a ton with synergy in the deck outside of simple removal. We will check on that momentarily. What is most interesting to me about this deck, and intriguing is the fact that it is successful so far in the new meta, is that we are reverting back to the combo that we played previously. We have reintroduced the Slasher/Bloodletter combo and it seems to be working well. When I think of where the list is at now, I think of it as a sort of "back to basics" list. There aren't a ton of demons, but just enough to make it consistent. Each slot is pretty carefully chosen and we have definitely lowered the AMC compared to other lists, and I think that helps out with a meta that is still fast - even after rotation. Alright, enough of me yapping and gloating. Let's take a look at the deck!  You will see that there are a lot of familiar faces here. A couple of new friends, but we have kept the shell that has been around for the last eight to ten months. My favorite part about the deck is that while it does have the combo option, it can simply grind with or without the combo pieces in play. Equally, the combo pieces themselves are just good cards on their own. Bloodletter of Aclazotz is good in almost any deck that makes someone lose life and Unstoppable Slasher forces bad resource trades in a format that demands decks to run removal. The opponent often has to burn two spells to get rid of it, and we usually come out on top in that exchange. The important part here is that we get a lot of value out of all of our creatures. I'll show you some of the new cards from the last couple of sets that we have, and then go over new removal choices so we can get a feel for how to pilot this going forward.

Sometimes, we all just need to play goofy Commander cards in Standard. And sometimes, a set like Foundations brings a ton of goofy Commander cards to Standard for us to play with, such as Rise of the Dark Realms. Rise of the Dark Realms is the single highest-power reanimation spell in the game, but it has an absolutely crippling mana cost that's very difficult to get to in a format like Standard… unless you ramp like crazy. Today, we’re marrying ramp and reanimator to produce a huge payoff that can win the game on the spot. This deck is optimized for best-of-one because it is overly reliant on the graveyard and no amount of sideboard adjustments will likely be able to compensate for that fact. That said, I was delightfully surprised at how well the deck performed. I first built this on my stream as a goofy feature and I truly believed my mythic rank would tank as a result, but after 37 BO1 matches, it had a 57% win-rate.

Arena Anthologies have quietly become some of the most exciting releases on Magic: The Gathering Arena. Unlike regular sets, these curated bundles drop iconic cards straight into Arena, and their impact is immediate. For formats like Timeless and especially Brawl, they can completely reshape the landscape overnight. With the latest drops, we've seen cards that not only power up competitive strategies but also unlock fresh brewing potential for casual players. Let's take a look at the biggest winners and the decks that came out ahead. Arena Anthologies 1 Sword of Feast and Famine

With the arrival of Edge of Eternities on MTG Arena, the current goal of many players is to collect the new cards, so they are therefore focusing on limited, so as to also practice for the Qualifier Weekend on August 23, which will be sealed. However, the Premier Draft is not the only way to farm cards; the platform also offers a valid alternative for constructed players: the Best-of-One Events! If you're interested in this route, I'm here for you, because today I want to show you what I think are the five best decks for succeeding in the Standard Event right now, which will allow you to gradually obtain all the cards while leaving you with a more or less unchanged amount of gems!

Insidious Roots is one of my favorite cards in the current standard that encourages all kinds of silly builds involving the graveyard and pulling creatures out of it in one way or another. One popular build prior to our recent rotation featured Osteomancer Adept and Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler to create a self-feeding engine that could play out an entire deck and fling an enormous plant for a win. If you’re curious, check out the article I wrote on that deck here: While the theory on that deck was sound and it performed very well, one of the key combo enablers has now rotated out of the format. Tyvar is gone from Insidious Roots, but rather than accept this as the death of the deck, I've decided to push forward and accept it as a challenge to overcome.

If you're looking for an off-meta brew to take down your opponents at your next Standard event, this mono-red Dragons list might be exactly what you need. It's a budget-friendly build that still delivers explosive plays, letting you punish slower decks with early pressure and finish with hard-hitting flyers. Between efficient removal, treasure-powered ramp, and game-ending threats, this deck can go toe-to-toe with the format's heavyweights while keeping your opponents guessing. The Deck This mono-red Dragons build keeps things simple but packs plenty of firepower for the new Standard environment after rotation. By trimming down on flashy but expensive mythics, the deck stays budget-friendly while still delivering big threats and solid interaction. It's built to curve out aggressively, pressure opponents early, and finish with powerful flying Dragons. Here's how each part of the deck comes together.