If you'd asked me what deck was going to perform the best at Pro Tour Aetherdrift, I probably would have mentioned five or six decks before I remembered that Domain was a deck that could theoretically win the tournament. And, I don't think I'm alone in that. We were all caught up in the Pixie decks, or the Dimir decks, and didn't think there was a chance that Domain could consistently perform in the face of the Red aggressive decks. But, perform it did, placing 3 decks in the top 4 and ultimately winning the tournament.

That's why they play the games.

While I don't think Domain was the best performing deck at the Pro Tour (I think that title goes to the Azorius Control decks), it's hard to argue that it was the right choice. I know, I know, results-oriented thinking, but sometimes the results speak for themselves, and it's hard to argue with the dominance Domain displayed at the Pro Tour.

Honorable Mention

This card looked so innocent when it was spoiled that I don't think I even registered it. But, after seeing Azorius Control break out at the Pro Tour, and seeing this card slip into decks all the way back to Vintage, I ordered my playset over the weekend.

Number Ten

Christoffer Larsen piloted a Golgari Obliterator deck to a 9-1 Standard record at the Pro Tour, and it felt like a great choice in a tournament where aggressive Red decks made up the largest selection of deck archetypes played. Combining the Obliterator with Bushwhack is something a lot of people have tried since it was reprinted, and going forward its playability will ebb and flow as decks shift from aggressive/damage-based removal to more targeted spot removal like Go for the Throat. But, should you ever land the combo, it's pretty much game over.

Number Nine

Believe it or not, leading up to the Pro Tour there were people entertaining the idea that this card was worthy of a ban. I get it. Watching your opponent return Hopeless Nightmare and Nowhere to Run to effectively make this card a draw 2 for 2 (and oh yeah the two cards you draw are gas) can be frustrating. I think this card's power lies in the speed of Standard. When your deck is loaded with 1- and 2-drops, this card has the potential to do some busted things. So, while I don't THINK this card will need to be banned, I can see it as a possible outcome in the future. Standard is weird.

Number Eight

This was the best performing and most played card from Aetherdrift. While a part of me wants to jump on the, "Aetherdrift is a terrible set!" bandwagon, I'm instead going to try and remain optimistic. The lead time from Aetherdrift's release to the Pro Tour was small, and I don't think the Pro's had enough time to fully explore decks featuring Aetherdrift cards. Until then, while it might not be exciting that a situational uncommon removal spell is the most played card in the set, Ride's End represented well, as a removal spell that exiles and triggers a card draw off of Up the Beanstalk.

Number Seven

I've been on the Sunfall bandwagon for a while, but it seems the general consensus from the best performing Domain decks is that Day of Judgment (or maybe even Split Up) is the necessary card right now. The aggressive decks are so fast that the difference in mana value between the two makes Day of Judgment the better card for this metagame.

Number Six

Selesnya Cage decks did not perform well, but the newer Bant Cages decks made up for it. It turns out, having access to counter magic is a big plus against the decks that want to go big, and using Brightglass Gearhulk to fetch up a Mockingbird feels like the natural next evolution of the deck. Collector's Cage has proven itself to be a card powerful enough to build multiple iterations of a deck around, and it can only get better going forward.

Number Five

The Oculus decks just keep on keeping on, with a dedicated crew of pilots. The deck never feels like the best deck in Standard, but it consistently performs well enough to stay on the radar. Abhorrent Oculus is a card that will dominate a game if it isn't answered immediately, and that's often enough to have a few people willing to sign on for a deck.

Number Four

I've mentioned my disdain for Heartfire Hero multiple times, but I'm coming around to the idea that Manifold Mouse may actually be the straw that stirs the Mice deck's drink. turn one Hero into turn two Manifold Mouse is the type of play pattern that can have your opponent dead on turn three, ahead of Day of Judgment. And if not, casting it with the Offspring ability is a great follow-up to a Day of Judgment anyway.

Number Three

While Overlord of the Hauntwoods is probably the "best" of the Overlords, Overlord of the Balemurk goes in the widest selection of decks. Roots, reanimator, and even some Pixie decks have started to adopt the Overlord. It's seeing play in multiple formats. Yet, I still think we might be just scratching the surface of this Overlord's playability.

Number Two

This card checks all the boxes for aggressive decks and gave them the best chance to fight the Domain deck. This is the most important card for the Red decks in many matches, and it's very, very difficult to answer through combat.

Number One

The best engine card in the format, and it can only get better going forward. The game changes when you have this on turn two, and even if they remove it you're still up a card. The first Beanstalk often helps find the second, and the card advantage from multiples quickly buries your opponent. We keep getting these reverse Kicker mechanics that let us cast expensive spells for a discount in the early game, and I don't see them moving away from this anytime soon (it is great design space to explore). I don't know if Beanstalk can make it to the end of its rotation window without becoming such a pain to the format that it needs to be banned (perhaps with Evoke when we return to Lorwyn). Enjoy it while it lasts, Beanstalk fans.

So, where do we go from here? It looks like we're poised to see a rise in Domain decks for the next few weeks, as players rush to try out the PT winning deck. Others will try to tune Mono-Red in a way to race the Domain decks, and dedicated Pixie players will still be hanging around because the deck is fun and consistent. If you have an RCQ in the next few weeks, what should you focus on (other than the usual, "Know your deck inside and out, learn the matchups" advice you should always adhere to)?

I still think what I said a few weeks ago is the way. Graveyard hate is lacking right now, and a strong graveyard-based deck has the greenlight to dominate for a weekend or two. Just look at the sideboards of the Top 8 decks: it's rarely more than 1-2 token Rest in Peace or Ghost Vacuum. No one expected a serious showing from the graveyard decks, and that's one of the reasons a Golgari Graveyard deck made the Top 8, as it maximized a resource that few others were willing to exploit (though the Azorius Omniscience deck I was championing weeks ago had a pretty good win rate at 56.7%, with a decent sample size) and fewer still were prepared to fight.

You can find more of my Magic musings on Twitter/X @travishall456 and on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/anakinsdad.bsky.social