The Standard MTG format has been in a really tough spot recently. While it has been getting more popular, especially thanks to Final Fantasy, the metagames have been dire. Back in June, Izzet Prowess was horrific to play against, largely thanks to Cori-Steel Cutter. Now, just six weeks on, we’re back dealing with another mistable metagame.
In case you’ve been living under a rock and ignoring Standard, Vivi Ornitier is the current problem. Combined with Agatha’s Soul Cauldron, Vivi’s ability can be spread across your board, creating a degenerate combo. Unfortunately, unlike many combo decks in MTG, this combo isn’t just powerful; it’s frighteningly consistent, too.
At the moment, there’s no question that Vivi Cauldron decks are the strongest in Standard, and it’s not even close. Recent tournaments have been dominated by this deck, making things feel incredibly stale. Due to this, MTG players have recently been asking for Wizards to take action with emergency bans. Sadly, it has recently been revealed that this won’t be happening.
The Vivi in the Room
Late last week, Wizards of the Coast released their latest Metagame Mentor article for the Standard format. In this article, Wizards broke down all the format’s top decks to keep players in the know. While this isn’t anything new, this recent article was the first time that Wizards really dived into the post-rotation Standard metagame.
In doing that, Wizards obviously couldn’t avoid talking about Vivi Cauldron decks and their current dominance. By Wizards’ count, this archetype currently makes up 41.4% of the winner’s metagame share across 600 recent tournaments. Given that Dimir Midrange, the next most popular deck, only has a 13% winner’s metagame share, it’s safe to say there’s a problem.
To put this issue more into perspective, pre-ban Izzet Prowess decks had a 42% metagame share at Pro Tour Final Fantasy. While this was obviously a problem, the deck notably didn’t win this prestigious event. Instead, Mono Red Aggro, running Magebane Lizard, managed to effectively play around Izzet Prowess’ game plan.
Now, it seems Wizards of the Coast is hoping that the same thing will happen to Vivi Cauldron. Pointing toward many exile-based removal spells like Strategic Betrayal, Torch the Tower, and Obliterating Bolt, there are technically answers to Vivi. While this is technically true, Vivi Cauldron isn’t just a one-trick pony that’s beatable with the right removal.
Thanks to the line of running Marauding Mako into Fear of Missing Out and Tersa Lightshatter, Vivi Cauldron is also an insane aggro deck. If needs be, the combo can just be the icing on top of the cake, which pushes the deck’s dominance even further. While the deck isn’t literally unbeatable, it definitely feels like the odds are stacked against the rest of the field.
No Emergency Vivi Cauldron Bans
Even if there are technically answers to Vivi Cauldron, stating that answers exist is missing the point. When decks claim as much meta share as Vivi Cauldron does, it warps the rest of the metagame around it. Rather than being a breeding ground for interesting and creative decks, it’s all just decks trying to beat Vivi.
This was exactly the problem with Cori-Steel Cutter and Izzet Prowess a couple of months ago. Not only was the deck pretty horrible to play against, but the metagame was forced to adapt around it. While this will always happen as part of a balanced metagame, meta shares like this are inescapably meta-warping.
Mercifully, there is one positive between the meta-warping similarities of Izzet Prowess and Vivi Cauldron. Back in June, Wizards stated that Izzet Prowess’ dominance cleared the threshold for action being taken in a regular ban window. Typically, these post-set ban windows are only reserved for true problem cards, rather than mere metagame shakeups.
Given that 42% and 41.4% are so close, it stands to reason that Wizards will take action against Vivi Cauldron in the next scheduled window. The real problem is that the next ban window isn’t until November 24th. This means we’re stuck dealing with Vivi’s overwhelming dominance for another three months.
This decision may seem rather baffling as clearly Wizards knows Vivi Cauldron is a problem. While true, Wizards are sticking to their current ban cadence due to their current schedule, which works around RC and RCQ seasons. This means we won’t be getting any emergency Standard bans, potentially ever, unless something is catastrophically broken.
Right and Wrong
Sadly, while emergency bans to deal with Vivi Cauldron would be great, there’s no winning here. Prior to 2023, the lack of a fixed ban schedule was massively frustrating, and unscheduled announcements shook confidence in formats. By having predetermined ban windows, players could at least trust that their new $800 deck wouldn’t become useless overnight.
The problem with this system is, evidently, that MTG players may be waiting some time for bans. Somewhat unsurprisingly, not everyone is happy about this extended wait until November. On Twitter, for example, MTG Pro Adriano Moscato stated, “I will not play a single Standard game until the ban.”
In theory, this action may be somewhat premature, as Spider-Man will be released on September 26th. Following this, the Avatar: The Last Airbender set will launch right before the bans on November 21st. In theory, these sets could mix up the Standard metagame, which might prevent Wizards from implementing the needed bans.
Since Standard bans are a massive spike in complexity, which also makes pack opening less enjoyable, it’s no secret that they’re to be avoided. Unless they’re absolutely necessary, Wizards will do what they can to avoid action. Sadly, Avatar: The Last Airbender offers are perfect opportunity not to do anything in November.
When the November 24th bans roll around, MTG players will have only had access to the set for a week. This means that the post-release metagame will have yet to be decided. Over time, players could still find new combos, strategies, and cards to exploit and shake up the meta with. Potentially, this could mean that banning cards on November 24th may be premature in the long run.
A Long Wait Ahead
Ultimately, it looks like we’ve got a long wait ahead until November at the very least. In that time, there’s no telling what will happen to the Standard metagame. As unlikely as it seems, there is a chance Spider-Man will really shake things up, making bans unneeded. Similarly, players may simply innovate enough to bring down Vivi Cauldron’s meta share, balancing the format.
Admittedly, while these are possibilities, Vivi Cauldron definitely seems nigh-unbeatable, and that’s unlikely to change. Hopefully, this means the needed bans will happen eventually, but we’ll have to see about that.
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