We are back my friends. I apologize for the delay in this article, it was difficult to finish compiling the data and my intention was to draw more comparisons between 2023 and 2024, this took a little more time and perhaps made this article even longer. That's why we're going to divide this conversation into two parts, in the first part we're going to check out what the meta of our TOP 15 most played in 2024 was like and the changes that occurred in relation to 2023. In the second part we're going to focus on the list of this TOP 15, who they are, their characteristics and what to expect from them in 2025. So if you like a lot of numbers and colorful graphs, this article is for you
Again, most of this article is my personal opinions and observations, plus numbers i had gather from our reports, just to be clear.
My 2024 was excellent, that year were released many Commanders that I wanted to play with, but I started the year with Eris, Roar of the Storm, moved on to Flamewar, Brash Veteran and switched to Tinybones, Bauble Burgler at the end of the year and I'm still working on list, and from the top of mind a recall Stella Lee, Wild card that i didnt get the chance to try yet.
The Format went through some considerable changes, in April, we had the unban of Emrakul, Natural Order, Leveler and Loyal Retainers and I wanted to talk a little bit about each one
Leveler has the obvious impact only on Beamtown Bullies, and despite the unban of this Commander's best win condition, the Deck didn't see many tables and its participation in the meta doesn't compare to 2023. I believe this is a good indication that the unban was well received by the format, which did not suffer negatively
Natural Order affects a wider range of decks, in theory every green deck could use it, but as we will see later, the participation of decks containing green was very small.
Emrakul makes it very difficult to observe direct impacts, as any Deck could use it. My experience with the card is less than pleasant, but I can't show this objectively
I don't have much to say about Loyal Retainers, other than the fact that I haven't seen it on any table
Still on the banned list, we only had 1 card banned this year, the infamous Nadu, Winged Wisdom. Which is actually very good, it shows that our format is stable, managing to deal with the new developments and the increasingly bigger power creeps that Wizards sends our way, in addition to highlighting the committee's attention to more difficult situations.
In relation to 2023, we had a drop in the total number of Reports, going from 225 in 2023 to 168 in 2024, our TOP 15 was in 149 of these reports last year. The question remains, do we have fewer players or are we reporting less?
The meta of this TOP changed by 33%, in total, 5 decks are new to this list, but 4 of them were already in play in 2023, they just ranked better in 2024, one of them is new. Apart from these, all the other 10 are old comers, despite being in different positions.
As we mentioned previously, if we look at the color distribution for our TOP 15, we notice mainly that:
White has gained presence dramatically in recent years
Black has gradually gained even more space, remaining the most used color over the years
Blue and Red have proportional shares of the meta and make a very similar movement over the years
Green's presence plummets, having lost almost 50% of its share over 2 years
These changes are influenced by several factors, Esper is the most widely represented combination in the meta as we can see, it has gained two new strong commanders in Raffine and Tivit in recent years, increasing the presence of blue and white, in addition to being very present support colors across the meta in other combinations. In 2024 Izzet gained a strong new comer with Eris, lifting the blue and red presence that had been falling after Niv-Mizzet's ban. What also caught a lot of attention was the abrupt decay of green, despite Tamyio being highly rated as a powerful Commander, It seems like we didn't have many players willing to try it, despite her limited appearance, she had good results. Apart from that, we had Necrobloom's that haven't fully blossomed yet. In the TOP 15 the presence of Leovold and Grist remains consistent, but even they lost space compared to last year. It's also worth remembering classics like Azusa and Titania that practically disappeared from the Meta, I've seen Loot, Exuberant Explorer players locally and I hope it reaches more people and more results in 2025.
Regarding the style of play, the distribution of our archetypes has undergone considerable changes over this period of time.
We will continue to rely on the Next Level Deck Building work to categorize deck macro-archetypes. If you disagree with anyone here, tag me on Discord, let's exchange ideas.
Aggro has lost considerable space since 2023, despite still being the predominant archetype. Midrange has a slight decrease, but as we will see later, the archetype was better diversified. Control has a small climb, with at least one new face. Combo continues to have less representation, despite being doubled this year, more traditional combos like Cormella did not reach this far.
As the decks on the list haven't changed much, the macro archetypes also remain similar. It's worth pointing out here, Midrange in 2024 was represented in its entirety, just as aggro was in 2023. Control remained, slightly swollen from the end of year celebrations. And we had i little bit more Combo’ish year.
And finally we have the distribution by Commander. Some went down, others went up, a hand full of new faces. We are gonna talk in depth about each and every one of those Commanders on another article, so we dont tire ourselves too much.
And what can we take from this list as a lesson for 2025?
If you're new to the format, looking to get into it and don't really know what to put together, if you've come from the Classic Commander format and want to see something different, this list will serve you well as a guide on what to invest that will definitely be worth it. Any of these decks that you decide to put together will make good results, the choice will depend solely on your personal taste and your goal.
But if you're already a Marit Lage of the format, this also serves as a guide to what's likely to await you on game day. Seeing these numbers displayed can help you better decide what goes in your deck, after all, 99 cards is very few cards. Every small choice of what to put in and what to take out of your deck has an impact. Thinking about good answers in specific matches or average answers against a wider variety can be the difference between 3-1 or 2-2 at the end of the day. And this vision brought here by these numbers is very real, every Wednesday I see around seven of the decks on the list on my LGS.
We are at a very stable moment in the format, where it can deal with threatening decks like Beamtown Bullies and Eris and instead of needing to Ban them to maintain format health, we welcome them and are able to give them space to play. This is an excellent opportunity to enter the format, today more than ever, Wizards has been reprinting powerful staples that are necessary such as Shock lands and Fetch lands. Every collection has some new addition to the hall of playable commanders in the format. So now is the time to call that colleague to meet Leviathan, pull that friend from cEDH, Modern, Legacy, to test this Eternal, legacy like, highly competitive and refined format.
As for me, I will try to do this exercise more often in 2025, perhaps a state of the Meta every 3 months or 6 months. This is only my third article in my life, it would help me a lot to have your feedback, I hope you liked it. Soon we will break down each deck in our TOP 15 (Hopefully later this month)
So that this list article doesn't end up without a list, I brought a selection of decks that were new in 2024, those decks that didn't make it there, some of them are definitely TOP material, we just need more people to play with them. Others are decks that had some results and that I wish they had more of.
Esior, Wardwing Familiar + Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful | Outside the Top 15 by a good margin, but still in sixteenth place, the owl-dog duo still did damage. Considerably more participatory than last year, these Partners are an excellent Fish (Tempo) strategy option. Yoshimaru is always a consistent threat and this blue version has access to disruption and draw, in addition to Esior's excellent protection in the Command zone. It wasn't this time, but who knows, maybe 2025 will be their year. |
xPlayed | 22 |
N tournaments | 22 |
Average Placement | 2 |
TOP 4 | 17 |
TOP 1 | 5 |
% of Meta | 1,28% |
Participation | 13,25% |
Placement TOP | 16 |
Ajani, Nacatl Pariah | Ajani was one of the babywalkers from Horizon 3 to have a considerable presence in the meta. A very fast and consistent Boros aggro that has been gaining ground throughout the year, Ajani is a Swarm threat in colors that are already known to be strong in the format, the first side with two reasonable bodies for 2 mana and the built in trigger to transform into planeswalker. Once flipped, he is a constant threat, populating the board with 2/1 cats that can cause extra incidental damage outside of combat, as well as being able to cast a literal Cataclysm, remaining on the field even after that. |
xPlayed | 17 |
N tournaments | 15 |
Average Placement | 2 |
TOP 4 | 13 |
TOP 1 | 5 |
% of Meta | 0,98% |
Participation | 8,93% |
Placement TOP | 23 |
Voja, Jaws of the Conclave | A very interesting Naya Midrange, which if well built can produce good results. You have access to several elvish mana dorks and some utilities that will help you finish the game once Voja enters, as well as some incidental wolves along the way to guarantee some draws. Furthermore, the commander is really big and Ward already guarantees good protection so that he can stay at the table and do his business. |
xPlayed | 17 |
N tournaments | 13 |
Average Placement | 7 |
TOP 4 | 3 |
TOP 1 | 1 |
% of Meta | 0,98% |
Participation | 7,74% |
Placement TOP | 26 |
Yisan, the Wanderer Bard | Small cheat on this list, Yisan is an old acquaintance of the format, I'm happy to see him again. A toolbox combo deck, where you will search for the right answer or next step in line to the Finisher |
xPlayed | 16 |
N tournaments | 15 |
Average Placement | 6,5 |
TOP 4 | 5 |
TOP 1 | 1 |
% of Meta | 0,92% |
Participation | 8,93% |
Placement TOP | 32 |
Flamewar, Brash Veteran | A really fun deck, which I personally really liked, a good midrange option. The deck is resilient and the commander can end the game quickly through Commander damage, in addition to filling your hand with cards. Lots of good and fun synergies and interactions, just my kind of game. |
xPlayed | 13 |
N tournaments | 12 |
Average Placement | 8 |
TOP 4 | 5 |
TOP 1 | 2 |
% of Meta | 0,75% |
Participation | 7,14% |
Placement TOP | 40 |
Marchesa, Dealer of Death | Grixis Control that generates value in two different ways at the same time, feeding the graveyard and putting cards in your hand every time you commit a crime. And what would interactions be if not crimes? Cancel, crime. Remove, crime. Dismiss it, crime. You even have repeatable crime sources like Spellskite and Scrabbling Claws. Combine this with a cmc 3 in a 3/4 body and we have an excellent Draw Go control. I gave her a try early in 2024, maybe i should do it again |
xPlayed | 13 |
N tournaments | 12 |
Average Placement | 3 |
TOP 4 | 8 |
TOP 1 | 3 |
% of Meta | 0,75% |
Participation | 7,14% |
Placement TOP | 42 |
Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student | Our second babywalker to enter the format. Could this be our UG commander who will stay? Very consistent, but has difficulty closing the game. The creature face provides a consistent form of card advantage and the low cost is very inviting. The planeswalker face's Ultimate unfortunately doesn't end the game either, it just makes it boring. But the Deck allows for various forms of builds around Simic mechanics that adept players can better identify with. |
xPlayed | 13 |
N tournaments | 12 |
Average Placement | 2 |
TOP 4 | 10 |
TOP 1 | 6 |
% of Meta | 0,75% |
Participation | 7,14% |
Placement TOP | 43 |
Ruby, Daring Tracker | A Midrange gruul that is deceiving, you don't expect anything from the deck but it is actually very good. Little Red Riding Hood is a treat disguised as Mana Dork. The deck accelerates 4 and 5 cost threats with Elves at 1 and Commander at 2, perhaps followed by another 1 cost ramp in the same turn. The archetype is full of strong threats that are difficult to respond to on this curve between 4 and 6, and if by chance the commander stays on the field and there is nothing else to ramp up, her own buff turns her into a 3/4, a very good body. to speed up the clock |
xPlayed | 12 |
N tournaments | 11 |
Average Placement | 4,5 |
TOP 4 | 6 |
TOP 1 | 1 |
% of Meta | 0,69% |
Participation | 6,55% |
Placement TOP | 44 |
Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury | The Boros version of Uro/Kroxa, courtesy of Modern Horizons 3 (starting to see a pattern). It can be built as a midrange or aggro, very resilient and flexible. Phlage fights against aggros thanks to the removal and life again ability when it come into play, while escape guarantees matches against controls. How many times have i lost to an escaped Phlage with Arena of Glory? Too many times |
xPlayed | 8 |
N tournaments | 7 |
Average Placement | 8 |
TOP 4 | 1 |
TOP 1 | 0 |
% of Meta | 0,46% |
Participation | 4,17% |
Placement TOP | 57 |
The Necrobloom | The lone flower of the lands archetype trying to thrive in the scorched earth after the Bans of Chasm and Field. I think I already said this, but I don't think we need to unban Glacial Chasm or Field of the Dead, I just hope that green gets payoffs for this archetype that are his own. Necrobloom was one of the best so far, the colors are suitable for the strategy, with a wide range of interactions to choose from, good synergistic cards, the possibility of slipping a combo in. Maybe we didn't find the perfect balance, maybe the PH of the soil is a little off |
xPlayed | 8 |
N tournaments | 7 |
Average Placement | 7 |
TOP 4 | 4 |
TOP 1 | 0 |
% of Meta | 0,46% |
Participation | 4,17% |
Placement TOP | 58 |
Nadu, Winged Wisdom | I will refrain from talking about Wizards' mistake’s, you have certainly read multiple Ban articles in all formats, but it had to be an (dis)honorable mention |
xPlayed | 7 |
N tournaments | 7 |
Average Placement | 2 |
TOP 4 | 5 |
TOP 1 | 2 |
% of Meta | 0,40% |
Participation | 4,17% |
Placement TOP | 63 |
Basim Ibn Ishaq | Letting my personal tastes speak louder, Basim has a knack for Fish, the limitation of 1 draw per turn is problematic, although you can get around it with cards with flash. The deck can be built based on artifacts, legends, or a mix of both. Personally, I still haven't managed to put together a list that works 100% but it will be one of my struggles in 2025 |
xPlayed | 3 |
N tournaments | 3 |
Average Placement | 5 |
TOP 4 | 1 |
TOP 1 | 0 |
% of Meta | 0,17% |
Participation | 1,79% |
Placement TOP | 113 |
Glarb, Calamity's Augur | Making TOP 1 two of the three times it appeared, the commander generates great value and can be assembled flexibly, it can be a lands deck, a turns deck or a very classic midrange, the last one being my preference. I saw some games of the deck and I can say that the card advantage it provides is real, a little bit of cards from the Lands strategy, such as exploration, is enough for this interaction to generate a lot of presence in the entire game, cards in hand and in table. I definitely hope to see more Froggys in 2025 |
xPlayed | 3 |
N tournaments | 3 |
Average Placement | 1 |
TOP 4 | 3 |
TOP 1 | 2 |
% of Meta | 0,17% |
Participation | 1,79% |
Placement TOP | 118 |
Inti, Seneschal of the Sun | Personally, I have a soft spot for decks that take advantage of synergy more than individually good cards. I would recommend this aggro deck other than Ragavan to anyone who likes monored, not saying he's stronger, but definitely more fun. The synergies are very well used and it seems that Aetherdrift is bringing more cards that take advantage of this. Talking about the proper Commander, Inti has a low cost, and the ability guarantee Buff, evasion and card advantage, everything Aggro needs |
xPlayed | 3 |
N tournaments | 3 |
Average Placement | 6 |
TOP 4 | 1 |
TOP 1 | 1 |
% of Meta | 0,17% |
Participation | 1,79% |
Placement TOP | 121 |
thanks for your working!