Nadu richly deserved to be banned, and the August metagame data proves it. However, Grief is a more speculative ban but will cause a stronger metagame shift.

The post August ’24 Metagame Update: Wings Clipped first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Nadu Breakfast is confirmed as a Tier 1 deck. Sorta. Magic Online never behaves as expected. However, the metagame's direction is quite clear. August 26 looms.

The post July ’24 Metagame Update: Bird’s the Word first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

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.

The post April ’24 Metagame Update: Holding Pattern first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

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.

The post February ’24 Metagame Update: Championship Changes first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

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.

The post November ’23 Metagame Update: A New World first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

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.

The post October ’23 Metagame Update: It Got Worse first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

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 post August ’23 Modern Metagame Update: The Unban’s Effect first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

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.

The post June ’23 Metagame Update: Churn Returns first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Modern's top creatures have outgrown removal. Stern Scolding could change format interaction forever. See how the counterspell lines up against the competition.

The post No Further Nuisance: Blue Just Got Its Fatal Push first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

The March Modern Metagame Update is ready. Modern is incredibly stable, and that is translating into highly polarized, and not ideal, data. David E. explains.

The post March ’23 Metagame Update: Overwhelming Outliers first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Players are trying, but the metagame has proven resistant to challenge. With change unlikely, is Wizards intentionally deceiving Modern players?

The post March ’23 Metagame Analysis: Innovation Attempts first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

The January Modern Metagame Update is here. In this month, the top decks remain stable while the lower tiers show more innovation and experimentation.

The post January ’23 Metagame Update: Before the Storm first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Modern is moving in a decidedly red direction. Indomitable Creativity decks are diverging between paper and online play. David E. explains how and why.

The post December ’22 Metagame Analysis: A Warp Has Formed first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

New month, new Modern metagame update. While there have been shakeups within the Tiers, the last update of 2022 looks familiar... and that's alarming.

The post December ’22 Metagame Update: Concerning Continuity first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Modern's metagame has been shaken up repeatedly, but that's not obvious looking at winning decks. Modern is thus in a complicated place, as David E. explains.

The post State of Modern: 2022 Edition first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

October has proven to be both a volatile and a stable month for Modern. David E looks into the reason for the contradiction and what to expect in November.

The post October ’22 Metagame Analysis: Adaptation and Endurance first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

The October Modern Metagame Update has arrived, and the results are simultaneously surprising and expected. Yorion's ban had some unanticipated consequences.

The post October ’22 Metagame Update: A Newish World first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Modern's metagame is shifting. Some of it is predictable, but some unforeseen developments are nonetheless returning Modern to a state of heavy flux.

The post September ’22 Metagame Analysis: Metagame Shift first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Though Tier 1 remains stable, the September Metagame Update reflects a shaking of the lower tiers as Modern adapts to Leyline Binding. David E. shares the data.

The post September ’22 Metagame Update: An Old Threat Rises first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

The combo of free elementals and undying effects in RB Scam is so good it feels like we're scamming our opponents. Adam goes over the deck and how it works.

The post Deck Spotlight: RB Scam first appeared on Quiet Speculation.