Magic: The Gathering's Standard format sucks right now. That's not a controversial statement. Spend more than five minutes on YouTube or Reddit, and you'll come across a cacophony of voices decrying Standard. As someone who primarily plays Standard, this has been a painful blow - especially given how good things seemed just one year ago.
For me, the summer of 2024 was a golden era for Magic: The Gathering. That's entirely down to Bloomburrow. The adorable, animal-stuffed set was gorgeous, accessible, and impeccably themed. It also allowed all kinds of MTG Arena decks to flourish.
Things got even more interesting - and diverse - with later MTG sets like Duskmourn and Foundations. Orzhov, Boros, Dimir, Azorius, and more were both enjoyable and viable. Black and red were chomping on the biggest portions of the color pie, yes, but data shows that no one deck ruled the meta. Heck, Dimir Aggro was the only one that managed to push above 10%.
I first started to notice a change in Spring this year, with the release of Tarkir: Dragonstorm. It was a fun, flavorful set, but my MTG Arena matches gradually became more same-y. Red Aggro and Izzet were cropping up on the regular, with the occasional Dimir deck breaking up the monotony.
We all know what happened next. Final Fantasy, MTG's first Standard-legal Universes Beyond set, hit the scene. Vivi became the golden boy of multiple formats, and Standard's diversity was decimated in his wake.
According to MTGTop8, 18% of all competitive Standard decks are Izzet Aggro in 2025. If we look at the last two months alone, that number skyrockets to 33%. The only other decks with any real presence are Mono Red and Dimir Aggro, both of which hogged around 15% of the meta in that two-month period.
63% of Standard players are supposedly using the same three decks, all of which share a similar play style. Compare this to 2024, when nine different decks made up 62% of the meta. The playing field has narrowed, visibly and dramatically. The results of the latest Magic Spotlight series further prove this. Six of the top eight decks were Izzet Cauldron, an Aggro deck featuring the cataclysmic combo of Vivi and Agatha's Soul Cauldron.
Wizards of the Coast is aware that it has a Vivi-shaped problem on its hands. It's brought its next MTG banlist update forward by two weeks, and it's acknowledged that "Vivi Ornitier is warping the Standard format and likely needs to go."
The reasons for holding off until November make sense - for top-tier paper Magic players, at least. Wizards of the Coast doesn't want to disrupt the Standard RCQ season by making pro players' costly decks defunct at the last minute.
As for anyone playing Magic online or at a local game store, we're stuck in Izzet limbo. It'd be foolish to invest in an Izzet Cauldron deck when bans are near-guaranteed, but we also can't opt out of playing against early adopters that already own four copies of the cards on death row.
Besides, Vivi isn't entirely to blame for the state of Standard. The format already had a Red Aggro problem before Final Fantasy hit the scene. Back when Vivi was young, fresh-faced, and not totally dominating, The Final Fantasy Pro Tour top eight was still composed of the same two decks: Izzet Aggro and Mono Red. (Incidentally, those remaining two decks in the Magic Spotlight top eight were also Mono Red.)
Wizards tried to patch the problem in June with its biggest Standard ban since 2005. Three of red's most overpowered cards were axed as part of this. Reporting on the ban at the time, fellow Wargamer Tim Linward implied that cutting one or two cards might not be enough to take down the Aggro beast. "While the card pool they have to fall back on is not going to perform anywhere near as well, they're only one or two overcooked cards away from bouncing right back into the pack."
Three months later, and the same two decks are still on top.
Back at square one, Wizards is proposing further bans. It's also promising that "we're going to be more aggressive next year with the number of banned and restricted announcement windows". Given that we now get six sets a year - and they rotate every three years rather than two - this is essential for blocking future Vivis who might spend too long in the sun.
Ironically, Standard's hands-off approach to bans and rotation was originally intended to 'save' the floundering format. That strategy hasn't worked too well, and I'm not confident this next one will, either.
Vivi is, objectively, a monster, but banning one or two bad actors hasn't worked before. Releasing more sets hasn't turned the tide, either. The Magic Spotlight top eight decks only feature three Edge of Eternities cards. It's early days for Spiderman, but initial reactions have been lukewarm, so we can likely expect another Standard set that barely touches the sides.
Wizards also doesn't seem to acknowledge that its balance problems extend beyond Izzet. The September announcement actually highlights Mono Red as a sign of Standard diversifying, rather than proof that this stagnation began before Izzet Cauldron.
When Vivi is gone, what will take its place? Mono Red and Dimir Aggro, probably. The cycle begins again.
Wizards' current solution is to spend more time searching for ban-able cards. That's a reactive bandaid that will help with the Vivi situation, but it won't solve the bigger Problem With Standard. What we need is a more proactive approach: more sets designed with its meta in mind. This might be too much to ask in a world where Commander eclipses the profits of all other formats, but I ask for it regardless.
After a years-long break, Bloomburrow was the set that made me fall in love with Magic again. It encouraged me to experiment, and every match felt fresh and exciting. For that glorious summer, I was playing Arena pretty much every night. I was eager to see what Magic would throw at me next.
I miss that feeling. I long for more than the stale taste that Standard gives me now. And, until serious change happens, I guess I'm playing Alchemy instead.
Got your own opinions on the state of Standard? Tell us about them in the Wargamer Discord. Or, for more on the TCG, here's all you need to know about the remaining MTG release schedule for 2025.