This month, for the first time in 686 days, a bunch of MTG cards will be rotating out of Standard. And thank goodness, it was starting to feel a little crowded in here with so many sets squeezed into the format. Here, we’re taking a look at the most impactful Standard cards we’re saying goodbye to come rotation day, which in case you didn’t know, is July 26, 2024.
There are four MTG sets leaving Standard in total: Streets of New Capenna, Kamigawa Neon Dynasty, Crimson Vow, and Midnight Hunt. Across these sets there are a number of impactful cards, which you’ll either be sorry to see go or happy to be rid of, depending on how much you play them.
With a three year Standard rotation, players have a lot more choice when selecting cards for their decks. No doubt there are a number of highly played cards which will be seamlessly replaced by newcomers in Bloomburrow, or other cards in the Standard MTG format. But there are plenty of cards that don’t have obvious analogues to fill their spots, and we’ve tried to prioritize them in this list.
The Wandering Emperor
First up, one of the best MTG planeswalkers ever, and certainly the most important in Standard for the last few years (sorry Liliana of the Veil). Every midrange or control deck playing White has been running this card pretty much since Kamigawa hit stores.
The Wandering Emperor does such a good job of protecting players, keeping them alive longer with a trifecta of removal, life gain, and tokens, while also forcing aggressive decks to spend crucial attacks taking her down. Losing this planeswalker strikes a blow against white decks, especially Azorius control, who as we’ll see later, loses another corker of a card.
Kumano Faces Kakkazan
Aggressive red decks have so many options right now (and Bloomburrow gives many more) so they’re unlikely to be hurt much by rotation, though losing Ancestral Anger will be a blow to the prowess-themed variants. However, the one rotating card that can’t easily be replaced is Kumano Faces Kakkazan.
This saga is easily the best mono red aggro one drop right now. The card just does so much. Each stage is relevant, giving a tiny bit of damage, a valuable turn two buff, and an extra body. We expect mono red to be strong come rotation, especially with control decks looking weaker, but Kumano’s exist is going to sting.
Wedding Announcement
Though it’s not as omnipresent as it used to be, Wedding Announcement is an incredible card that offers card draw, bodies and buffs, and white decks will feel its absence.
In fact, without Wedding Announcement and The Wandering Emperor, I wonder if midrange decks will have much reason to play white at all. I’d guess Dimir and Golgari midrange are likely to be the new flavor of the month, unless there’s some really good new cards in Bloomburrow.
Raffine, Scheming Seer
If Orzhov midrange is a less attractive option post-rotation, the reasons for stretching to a third color are about to really dry up. Dennick, Pious Apprentice is going, but more importantly we’re waving goodbye to Raffine.
The powerhouse of this deck, Raffine, Scheming Seer is an aggressive card that rewards you for attacking with card draw and counters. Without her, I’d say this deck is dead – though Dimir still has plenty of strong options, and other ways to draw cards.
Memory Deluge
Finally, a card that’s easy to overlook but is actually the glue that holds plenty of other strategies together. Memory Deluge is a brilliant card draw spell that serves as a valuable tool for both slower, controlling decks, and combo decks like Temur Landfall that need to dig for their pieces.
There’s nothing approaching its usefulness in Standard right now, so if you play this card at the moment, you’re going to miss it when you have to cast about for an inferior replacement come August.
Which decks lose the least in the August Rotation?
- Boros Convoke – Voldaren Epicure (which actually could be more impactful than it seems)
- Golgari Midrange – Graveyard Trespasser
- Dimir Midrange – Tenacious Underdog
Which decks lose the most?
- Orzhov Midrange – Wandering Emperor, Graveyard Trespasser, Tenacious Underdog, Wedding Announcement
- Temur Landfall Combo – New Capenna sacrifice lands, Memory Deluge
- Esper Midrange – Raffine Scheming Seer, Wedding Announcement, Dennick Pious Apprentice, Wandering Emperor
- Azorius Control – Wandering Emperor, Memory Deluge
For more Magic: The Gathering content, check out our guide to the MTG release schedule and the best MTG Arena decks.