Standard is undeniably in a decent spot right now when it comes to diversity. While Dimir decks are more popular than what is necessarily ideal, there are still a wide variety of different decks that are all competitively viable.
This is good to see, especially for a format that has had a rocky past few years. Wizards made it a point to work towards revitalizing Standard back in early 2023, and it seems these plans may be working.
In fact, Mark Rosewater recently commented on these efforts in a response on his Blogatog page. According to him, the plan to rejuvenate Standard is “going well.” Yet, in spite of this statement, many players are still voicing their concerns about Standard at the local level moving forward.
As we will see, even with Wizards’ efforts to help revitalize Standard, a large chunk of players feel that things are far from ideal. Is Standard truly on the up and up? Let’s dive in and discuss.
A Brief History and Update
In order to fully understand what Mark Rosewater is referring to when he says that the “plan” is going well, it’s important to look back on what changes were made in an effort to help Standard thrive. Back in May 2023, Wizards put out an article admitting that while Magic continued to grow as a whole, “tabletop Standard [hadn’t] kept pace.” This comes in spite of MTG Arena thriving.
As a result, Wizards made it a point to bring about some pretty massive alterations to the course of Standard play. First and foremost, Wizards stretched the Standard rotation schedule from every two years to every three years. The goal here was to give cards more longevity and allow players to craft around unique mechanics over a longer stretch of time.
Later in the year, Wizards released another article talking about the “next steps” towards revitalizing Standard. This brought about another slew of changes. Standard Showcase events were back on the menu at WPN stores, and Store Championships would all exclusively feature Standard across the board.
Fast-forwarding to now, Mark Rosewater gave a brief analysis of Standard’s current state. Not only does he mention that he’s heard a lot of positive things about Standard, but he also states that sanctioned Standard play in paper is “way up.”
This comes in response to one player’s comments that there are “no sanctioned Standard events within an hour” of where they live. As it turns out, based on player reaction, this doesn’t seem to be out of the ordinary.
Player Reaction
Overall, many player comments fall into two different camps. First, there are those who’s local game stores simply aren’t running Standard events regularly. This is definitely subjective from area to area based on how many players are interested, but many players have said that there just isn’t enough interest for their stores to justify running Standard events.
Second, there are a large number of players who feel that, while Standard is on the rise in their region, it has come at the cost of Pioneer and Modern. For them, rather than draw new and more casual players into Standard, the revitalization efforts over the last year have simply shifted the format focus on enfranchised players.
As one player states, Modern’s constant influx of absurdly powerful cards coupled with a lack of Pioneer RCQs have caused players to gravitate to Standard. Add on the fact that Standard’s gameplay has improved dramatically since the ban of Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and it makes sense why interest in the format has grown.
In both of these cases, though, the competitive tabletop audience as a whole isn’t garnering too much additional support. EDH still rules the day. Plus, with MTG Arena being so convenient, there’s less incentive for players to go out and spend more money to keep up in paper. Standard may be in better shape, but things are far from perfect.
Concerns Moving Forward
Speaking of difficulty keeping up with Standard, a multitude of changes coming in 2025 have players concerned for tabletop Standard as a whole. At the top of that list, we have the arrival of Universes Beyond sets to the Standard environment.
A large number of players have voiced their disdain for this change. Some have already seen attendance for local Standard events dwindle since the announcement. And this goes beyond just the general distaste that some players have for Universes Beyond sets.
Along with Universes Beyond sets entering Standard, Standard is moving to a six-sets-per-year model. As such, players are forced to keep up with evolving metagames at a much faster rate.
Right now, players are pleased that there are multiple strategies in Standard that are cost-friendly. Jeskai Convoke and Simic tempo, for instance, are both valued just over $100. Things could easily change with the arrival of flashy Universes Beyond sets, and players will have to adapt with their wallets. As one player claims, these changes will pose as the “real test” for Standard moving forward.
All in all, it’s nice to see Wizards of the Coast make steps towards improving the state of tabletop Standard. Unfortunately, Mark Rosewater’s point that sanctioned Standard play is up doesn’t tell the whole story. After all, if an increase to Standard play translates to a decrease in Pioneer and Modern play, was the revitalization process really a success?
Meanwhile, while Standard is strong from a gameplay perspective right now, that could easily change as more and more sets enter the fray. Hopefully Standard’s popularity continues to blossom, even in the face of all this skepticism.
