This Week in Standard: Monday, March 24th

Posted on March 24, 2025

Welcome back to another week of your favorite Standard weekly column, This Week in Standard! Standard is in a solid place right now, with a multitude of well-performing decks to choose from. While decks like Domain, Pixie, and Red are still at the top of the food chain, there are a handful of other decks winning events, like Azorius Omniscience and Jeskai Oculus.

Another cool deck that caught my eye is Dimir Demons, which has made a bit of a resurgence with the printing of Stock Up, and in this specific list, Oildeep Gearhulk.

Deck Name | Format | Creator, Tournament/Placement

Planeswalkers (3)
3 Jace, the Perfected Mind

Sorceries (9)
2 Duress
3 Deadly Cover-Up
4 Stock Up

Enchantments (2)
2 Nowhere to Run

Artifacts (2)
2 Mazemind Tome

Buy This Deck Export text

I like that this deck is similar to Azorius Control, but with a much faster kill. I also really like the four copies of Oildeep Gearhulk here, as it gives you more life to work with against Mono-Red. With more copies of Sunspine Lynx floating around, I could even see going up on a higher basic land count in decks like these. I also really respect the Phyrexian Obliterators in the board here, this feels like one of the best cards for Black against the various Red decks of the format.

While I could talk more about what cards are in Standard, I'd rather spend time today talking about what cards aren't. With this week being the first major week of Tarkir: Dragonstorm spoilers, there are a ton of new cards to talk about that may make a major impact on Standard as we know it.

Elspeth, Storm Slayer is 1 powerhouse of a Planeswalker, so much so that I wrote an entire 1200 word article on it just a few days ago. So if you want to know more about that card and why it's so busted, I suggest giving it a read!

One thing that I hope comes back to Standard with the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm is the return of Midrange decks. I think my worry with Midrange is that it's hard to stabilize against decks like Mono-Red. You have to both counter the insanely fast starts of Heartfire Hero into Manifold Mouse while also fending off Screaming Nemesis and now cards like Sunspine Lynx. On the other side of the equation are decks like Domain, which can go over the top of Midrange decks by ramping with Overlord of the Hauntwoods and Up the Beanstalk.

I really like some of the new Sultai cards from this set, however. Awaken the Honored Dead is my kind of removal spell, tacking on an additional Gravedigger effect with it. You can also pair this with Fangkeeper's Familiar, which is a new take on Mystic Snake. I like that Fangkeeper's Familiar can destroy most cards out of Domain as well as Stormchaser's Talent and Fear of Missing Out. Fangkeeper's Familiar honestly just seems live in every matchup you could think of. It gains life and counters threats from creature decks, while also giving you reach against decks like Domain. I guess against Control decks it's less impressive, but at least it has flash and can help you set up your next few draws.

Rakshasa's Bargain is also a great draw spell for Sultai, although this card feels like it slots in Domain since of how easy it is to cast in addition to it triggering Up the Beanstalk.

Ugin, Eye of the Storms is another incredibly powerful Planeswalker from this set. While this card will certainly be Modern-playable, I think you could make an argument for this card in Domain, especially since its +2 ability can stabilize you against aggro in the long-game.

I could also see this Ugin slotting into more of a dedicated Green-based Ramp strategy, utilizing cards like Solemn Simulacrum and Mazemind Tome for colorless-sources. While there are certainly some powerful colorless cards in Standard, like Sire of Seven Deaths and Cityscape Leveler, I'm not sure that strategy beats out Domain as the premier Ramp strategy of the format.

I'd really like to make Shiko, Paragon of the Way, work in Standard. I think this card pairs nicely with Lightning Helix and Stock Up, but there are a few new Jeskai cards coming in Tarkir: Dragonstorm.

Rediscover the Way is one of these cards! I like that Shiko works so well with Sagas under 3 mana, and while the last chapter of this card might not always be relevant in a grindy Midrange mirror, I like that you can use it to boost your Shiko to attack for 8 damage.

Last, but not least, is this set's rare land cycle. While it may not be a dual land cycle, these are probably some of the strongest lands we've had in a long while, maybe even since Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty:

These lands do so much on their own while also not being legendary, it's kind of incredible. I think on face value I really like the Red one, especially in Boros shells. It's activated ability lets you stay in long games, and can help you hit your last few points of damage through a removal spell or burn spell.

Great Arashin City seems powerful with how it interacts with Ketramose, the New Dawn. While there isn't a dedicated Ketramose deck in Standard, I think we're edging closer to it being a reality as we get more playable cards with exile effects. The Green and White lands seem playable, although I think their costs are a little expensive. Dalkovan Encampment at least gives you some extra damage in the form of ethereal 1/1s for a turn, which is great for Aggro decks once they run out of steam.

Lastly, Mistrise Village seems okay for Standard, albeit I think it's more of an Eternal card. Even as an Azorius Control player, I don't think this card is too prohibitive in Standard. Your opponent first has to tap an additional 2 mana to even sure their spell can't be countered, and that's assuming you even have a Three Steps Ahead or other counter in your hand. I think these cards, while fairly costed, are just so incredibly powerful based on the fact they're non-legendary lands that can come into play untapped off of the Murders at Karlov Manor rare land cycle.

That's all the previews I have for now! I think Tarkir: Dragonstorm is looking like an incredible set for Standard. It has a powerful land cycle, great multicolored cards, and very pushed Planeswalkers. All in all, it's hard for one set to overturn Standard, due to the sheer number of powerful cards and strategies that already exist inside the format. With the three year rotation cycle, pre-established decks are harder to push out of the format in favor of new ones.

However, I think Tarkir: Dragonstorm is already putting out some uniquely powerful cards, and I'm hopeful we'll see the return of types of decks that were present during the original Tarkir Standard, like Abzan/Sultai Midrange and Dragon Control deck variants.

Thanks for reading, and I'll be back next week to talk about more spoilers!

-Roman Fusco