We're now a week removed from the bans, and some decks have performed very differently than I expected.
Which deck do you think has been the biggest winner or loser so far?
I broke down the new Bo1 meta and updated my tier list here:
Curious where everyone disagrees with the rankings.
If you were starting a brand-new F2P account today, what would your strategy be?
Save wildcards for one deck? Start with a budget deck? Draft? Open packs? Upgrade a Starter Deck?
I'm curious what route people think gets you competitive the fastest.
I put together my own approach here:
https://youtu.be/PNvk-bV_w1Y
After playing all 10 free Starter Decks and looking at the data from the SDK challenge, I re-ranked them.
I know there are going to be some disagreements 😅
Which deck do YOU think deserves to be higher?
My full 2026 tier list:
https://youtu.be/ejdLmDQ-i5g
With three cards banned, I'm curious what everyone thinks rises to the top of Standard now.
Does 4-Color Reanimator become the deck to beat, or does something else benefit even more from the shakeup?
I took another look at Reanimator here:
What's your post-ban Tier 1?
If your goal is purely to build your collection, which would you choose: Quick Draft or Standard Event?
I ran the EV for both, and one thing that surprised me was how much the answer changes based on your win rate.
Curious what everyone here prefers and why.
My full comparison:
https://youtu.be/F4g7UUfocFE
Playing the free Morbid Machinations Starter Deck got me thinking about how different mechanics feel depending on whether you can trigger them on demand.
Morbid is incredibly powerful when you control the timing—but much less reliable when you're waiting for it to happen naturally.
What other mechanics do you think have that same "on-demand vs. incidental" difference?
I explored that idea while playing Morbid Machinations:
https://youtu.be/PSGmn7MWjEA
Every tier list sparks a few debates.
In your opinion, which deck is getting more hype than it deserves right now?
I discuss the August Bo1 Standard tier list if you'd like to compare notes:
I've seen a lot of different approaches from F2P players.
Some buy every Mastery Pass.
Some never do.
Others only buy it if they'll finish it.
What's your strategy?
I analyzed whether it's actually worth it for F2P players:
https://youtu.be/jghVU7CILFY
Most people judge Starter Decks by how fast they can win, but I'm curious about the opposite.
Which free Starter Deck do you think has the strongest late game?
I played Graveyard Gifts, and while it's definitely built for longer games, I wanted to see if that was enough to make it stand out.
Gameplay if you're interested:
https://youtu.be/hA1xT3mWTg8
I don't know if everyone counts 4c Reanimator, I guess that's a combo deck, but in the classic, infinite combo style, what's your favorite deck? What deck is the strongest, or teh one you are most likely to recommend?
I took Mono Green's infinite Squirrel combo for a spin:
https://youtu.be/INz1ElLONcw
Looking forward to hearing about some fun decks.
Rotation always brings a wave of anxiety and misinformation, and I hear the same questions in chat every year. This is heightened for F2P players, who often have less resources than they think they need.
If you could give them just one piece of advice, what would it be?
Here's the advice I find myself repeating most often:
https://youtu.be/Sf0aVgjc6Yk
Every format seems to have one card that makes budget decks feel much stronger than they should.
My vote right now is Unholy Annex.
What's yours?
I built a Budget Mono Black Demons deck around it if you're curious:
https://youtu.be/B_w4NKEdS3w
Not every Standard deck has to be the best deck in the format.
Sometimes you just want to ramp into enormous Dinosaurs and see if they're good enough.
I took a Mono Green Dinosaur deck onto the MTG Arena ladder, and it honestly performed better than I expected.
What is your Go To Off-Meta but Fun deck?
Gameplay here if you're interested:
https://youtu.be/wWtlehsQJ_M
I see a lot of different advice for new and F2P players:
So I decided to test three different ways to spend the same 5,000 Gold and compare the results.
I'm curious if you could only spend 5,000 Gold today, what would you choose, and why?
I shared my results here if you're interested:
https://youtu.be/hjHPkYZgbZk
Are you buying any of the new Wildcard Bundles?
Would you suggest them to other F2P players? If so, which ones?
20x Uncommon Wildcards can build most of Mono White Aggro, for 120 Gems, is it worth it?
I broke down the value of every bundle here:
https://youtu.be/AhLh-yUp0ow
Curious to see what everyone else thinks.
What's the best control deck in Standard right now? Jeskai Lessons is the most popular, but what is the best?
4c Control (Inevitable Defeat)?
Jeskai Lessons?
Dimir Control?
I've been having a lot of success with Jeskai Lessons because it feels like it always has another answer. Is everyone planning on switching to Jeskai Lessons or go over the top of it?
Video: https://youtu.be/rIONBJCl__c
If you had to register one deck to climb the Bo1 ladder today, what would it be?
Not your favorite deck; the one you honestly think gives you the best chance to win.
I shared my July Standard rankings here:
https://youtu.be/giRbciyBp7g
Curious to see where the community lands.
Now that people have had some time with the Marvel set... What's your verdict on Baron Helmut Zemo?
Is he:
I tested him in Mono Black Devotion here:
https://youtu.be/ZHIDLF_oyuk
Curious where everyone lands.
I have an idea for a new F2P community challenge.
Starter Deck Knockout
Build a team of 3 Free Starter Decks on Arena.
What's the strongest three-deck lineup you can build?
I played my first run here if you're curious:
https://youtu.be/TeCjCglOW_g
Forget the meta for a minute.
If your only goal was to have as much fun as possible playing MTG Arena Standard, what deck would you choose?
Mine is 4-Color Reanimator. The big creatures and ridiculous plays make every game memorable.
Video: https://youtu.be/Mhc7OVOJ8rk