Modern’s metagame has fallen back on old favorites. With Modern Horizons 3 coming soon, players are holding their breath for the new shakeup. The data is clear.
David Ernenwein
David has been playing Magic since Odyssey block. A dedicated Spike, he's been grinding tournaments for over a decade, including a Pro Tour appearance. A Modern specialist who dabbles in Legacy, his writing is focused on metagame analysis and deck evolution.
Violent Outburst is banned, and the Modern metagame is adjusting. However, from the data it’s clear that players have little idea which direction it’s heading.
I haven’t had to do that many metagame updates for February, it being the month where bans tend to happen. That wasn’t the case this month, though I suspect that the data will add fuel to the banning call fires. I understand, but I’d caution everyone to consider the context before jumping to conclusions. February’s data is defined by the Regional Championships and that created a localized warp.
There is a clear metagame warp in January’s data. However, it appears to be driven less by actual metagame forces than Magic Online being Magic Online.
Time to close the books on 2023. It’s been quite a year. We saw two of the biggest sustained warps in Modern’s history, banned and restricted policy reverted to an earlier form, and we had the first unban since 2019.
With Fury and Up the Beanstalk banned, Modern is set to dramatically change. The data clearly shows how necessary the bans were, though the impact is uncertain.
Modern continues to be dominated to an extreme degree by Scam. There has been innovation in the lower tiers, but it appears that the status quo will persist.
In September, Modern’s metagame developed along the same lines as it did in August. This is not a good thing, and it is getting much worse. David has the data.
August was… unexpected. Wizards threw everyone off with their Ban Day decisions. Bans were expected in Standard (based on Wizards’ own statements) and hoped for in multiple other formats. Instead, Modern and Legacy saw unbans. The impact this has had will be on display in this metagame update.
The Pro Tour strongly reflects the impact of Tales of Middle Earth. Modern’s metagame is warping around the set to an alarming degree. The data is quite clear.
The One Ring is driving the metagame changes in Modern. However, the impact isn’t particularly high, and the card’s power remains unclear.
The June Modern Metagame Update is here. New additions have stirred Modern’s mostly stagnant metagame, but that might not be permanent. David has the details.
David E. explains why Vintage on Magic Online is way underplayed, offering a crash course on its rules of engagement. Be warned: here there be dragons.
