Despite new decks arising to challenge them, the preban standbys continue to define Modern. New engine cards from Aetherdrift may be enough to dethrone them.

The post January ’25 Metagame Update: Reenergized first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

With Modern Horizons 3 near, the Modern metagame is holding its breath. Players are choosing to play established decks and coast to the metagame's finish.

The post May ’24 Metagame Update: Waiting for Horizons first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

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.

The post December ’23 Metagame Update: Holiday Hangover first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

The end of the year means an update to the Modern Ban Watchlist. The metagame has failed to deal with its outliers and so corrective bans may be incoming.

The post Modern Ban Watchlist: 2023 Edition first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

The data from the first round of Regional Qualifiers is out. David E. looks into the results, analyzing whether the data reflects Pioneer's metagame and health.

The post Natural Results: Regional Championship Analysis first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

The week after a set release is always full of experimentation and surprises. David E. has seen some very unexpected cards in unexpected formats so far.

The post Wartime Innovations: Surprising BRO Pickups first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

It seems likely that The Brothers' War will endanger Karn, the Great Creator in Pioneer. However, whether Karn is too good in Modern is far more complicated.

The post Further Karn-versations: Modern 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.

Is Karn gonna be forever, or is he gonna go down in flames? Because it's looking like Wizards has a blank space on the ban list, and they'll write his name.

The post We’ve Got to Talk About Karn. first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

The next RCQ season has arrived. David E's first tournament didn't go well, but there are still lessons to be learned about Pioneer and how to be a Spike.

The post Living With Misfortune: Pioneer RCQ Report first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Yorion, Sky Nomad is BANNED in Modern and so is The Meathook Massacre in Standard. Adam talks about why and predicts the new directions the formats will take.

The post Yorion and Meathook Get MASSACRED first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

All eyes are on Pioneer, but they can't stop staring at Mono-Green's off-color Planeswalkers! Adam explains why they're here and what they bring to the table.

The post Pioneer Deck Spotlight: MonoG Devotion first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

David E. attended a Modern RCQ this weekend. Despite being his preferred format, it didn't go well. Winning takes more than just good preparation, after all.

The post Fate is Fickle: Modern RCQ Report first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

David's June metagame update for the Modern format indicates... stability? How could this be!? Read on to get the full scoop on Omnath and others.

The post June ’22 Metagame Update: Stability Achieved first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

David E. goes deep on a couple new Modern decks before Streets drops, weighing the pros and cons of Tameshi combo and Cabal Coffers-powered Mono Black Control.

The post New Contenders: Pre-Capenna Deck Evaluation first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Have you ever thought about being a Magic content creator? This week Paul looks at some of the joys and challenges of making Magic content.

The post So You Want To Be a Magic: The Gathering Content Creator? first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

This week, Kai puts the market under a microscope in preparation for the release of Modern Horizons 2, with a focus on Modern.

The post A Shift in the Markets first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Pioneer is set to pop off when paper Magic returns, and this week Joe takes a look at five Pioneer all-stars to speculate on.

The post Pioneer Prospects: Five Cards Worth Speculating On first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Theros Beyond Death's broken Thassa's Oracle and Underworld Breach have taken over every metagame - and the market.

The post Theros Beyond Death Defines the Metagame and the Market first appeared on Quiet Speculation.

Join Chris Martin, Sam Lowe, and Chris O'Berry as they jump into Throne of Eldraine's impact on Standard, Modern, and EDH going into release weekend.

The post QS Insider Cast – Throne of Eldraine Release Week first appeared on Quiet Speculation.