I wanted to talk a little and risk an analysis of the 2024 meta, but for that I felt the need to have a point of comparison first, so I decided to take a step back and talk a little about 2023 first.
This article has some objectives:
◉ Serve as a starting point for analyzing 2024 (coming soon)
◉ Show a little of our format, in broad terms, for both old and new players.
◉ If you're coming back, maybe I'll leave you up to date
Now, imagine yourself going back to 2023, missing those who left us, among several decks that tried to establish themselves and failed, decks that were replaced in their archetype, remember all the times you set a Shadow of Mortality with a brainstorm, only to be revealed by Yuriko and kill her opponent. Remember all the times your opponent attacked you with 3 goblins, only for 3 gigantic humans to come from the top, attacking, indestructible
Personally, what I remember most about 2023 was already a somewhat bittersweet aftertaste left by 2022, of all the times my opponent tried to remove my Niv-Mizzet with an instant, just so I could draw a counter in the trigger, of all the times my Opponent drew 2, discarded 1 and created a 1/1 Pilot with his Shorikai, but that's water under the bridge, let's focus on what happened well
It was the second consecutive year with an increase in reports, we went from 82 in 2021, to 215 in 2022 and 225 in 2023, perhaps an effect of the end of the Pandemic, new players and the flood of material that wizards published in those years. I started on leviathan myself in 2021, building the collection based on reprints of key cards.
The year brought with it more collections than I can remember, but making a comparison, some new faces caught our attention
◉ Aragorn, King of Gondor
◉ Atraxa, Grand Unifier
◉ Cormela, Glamour Thief
◉ Dihada Binder of Wills
◉ Ertai Resurrected
◉ Indoraptor, the Perfect Hybrid
◉ Slimefoot and Squee
◉ Thalia and The Gitrog Monster
From the 2023 wave we had many new decks that established themselves in the format, although Dihada and Aragon were immediate successes, all the others on this list have been gaining ground throughout 2024
The Ban Hammer came early and heavy, in January 2023, with Jeska, Thrice Reboorn and Mins & Boo, Timeless Heroes, banned as Commander. Two planeswalkers who had been warping the format. Personally I don't miss them.
These bans opened up a lot of space. Until the end of the year, the format was dominated by Esper for variety (Raffine, Aminatou and Tivit) Boros for overwhelming strength (Mainly Winota, with some presence of partners) and Golgari (Mostly Grist and a little bit of Hogaak) totaling 21% of all meta
At the end of the year, another Ban, probably more impactful than the first. As of October, Winota and Yuriko are now banned as commanders, which hasn't stopped them from being among the most played in 2023. In the 99, The One ring, wash away, field of the dead and Glacial Chasm got washed away.
With all this in mind, let's delve deeper into the TOP 15 most played of 2023
Zooming in on the meta for just the Top 15 decks, we have a similar distribution, with Esper in first, but the positions are reversed, Golgari in second and Boros in third. The concentration of these color identities in their main representatives, Winota and Grist, demonstrate the consistency of these decks, while esper opens the range with its options appearing in quantities close to each other. The distribution has a good representation of pairs of color identities with 2/5 of monocolors, 4/10 of 2-color combinations and 4/10 of 3-color combinations, only 1 representing 4 colors and none of 5 five colors.
To talk about this TOP 15, we will use some numbers obtained from our reports, as well as some definitions found in the book "Next level Deck Building"
According to Patrick Chapin, Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 141
"There are four basic types of strategies in Magic [...] Each of these basic strategies is further divided into four major archetypes. [...] These sixteen major archetypes are not completely crisp and distinct from one another; quite the opposite ! They're like a spectrum, with Fish blending into the Rock, which then blends into True Midrange, and so on — all the way to Lava Spike, which actually completes the loop, blending into Red Aggro."
The concept is visually self-explanatory, but we'll go into detail about each Commander, their respective archetype and my impressions
Using the principles outlined in the book, I tried my best to rank the decks on the list. I know that the same commander can be built with a different archetype and strategy, but I tried to classify, in general terms, what would be most common to be built for that specific commander.
Thus, we have the distribution below, which shows that the meta last year had a strong inclination towards Aggro strategies. It is also worth noting the small presence of the combo archetype, which does not seem to find space in the format, being either too strong that it ends up being banned or not strong enough and ends up not having a presence.
Opening our range a little, we have the distribution of Macro archetypes
Aggro leads as the most popular archetype among Krakeners, it is completely represented by the 4 macro archetypes, with Fish (Time for the intimate) and Red Aggro (Make no mistake, this does not mean that the decks are exclusively mono reds) Leading not only the archetype but also the format as a whole. Swarm and Linear come next in the archetype, but equally well represented overall.
Our second favorite archetype was the Midrange, I'm just getting into it now. It was not represented by all of its macro archetypes, but Midrange Aggro Control is in contention for the Top 3 most played.
Traditional Control, in an empirical observation, diminishes compared to the others, even though it is represented by 3/4 of its macro archetypes. I always had the impression that the format was more Control and Midrange and maybe locally it is, but that doesn't translate globally. Still in my opinion, control strategies are easier to build effectively
Last but not least, Combo, represented by just 1 of its macro archetypes. Probably when you see who is representing this archetype you will be mad at me, but please be patient
Going even deeper, we have the distribution of Commanders, in their macro archetypes, in their respective strategies
Aggro not only has the largest participation but also has the greatest variety of commanders, totaling 7 of the 15 most played commanders.
Midrange strongly represented, mainly by Grist and Leovold, proving that the best control is a punch in the face
Control in a hegemonic UWx presence
And finally, alone, Combo represented here by Dihada, not in the most common sense of the archetype
Now that we've unraveled the skein of our meta, we can officially enter the top 15. We'll list them here by the most played, not necessarily the best decks, best placed or any other criteria.
# 15
Tied with our 14th, present in 13% of tournaments throughout 2023, totaling 1% of the annual meta, placing 15th only due to a technicality and a higher Average Placement, we have our beloved Voltron Mono White, Light-Paws
Frequency of Play
"Linear Aggro decks generally:
• Use synergy to create interactions more powerful than any
one card can normally be
• Can borrow elements from a wide variety of others
archetypes
• Are all-in on their theme"
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 158
Light-paws is a good deck for several reasons, monocolors are excellent entry points into the format, you won't need to spend money on the land base and you can worry about key cards in your deck. The commander is capable of generating a lot of value out of nowhere, where every aura becomes two, sometimes doubling the service as Buff and removal in the same play. Usually finishing with All That Glitters or Etheral Armor
Archetype | Aggro |
Macro Archetype | Linear |
Times Played | 30 |
N Tournaments | 29 |
Average Placement | 4 |
% All tournaments | 12,89% |
% of meta | 1,39% |
# 14
Registered in 13% of the 2023 tournaments, making up 1% of the total meta for the year, we started our count with the affectionate nickname in Brazil as Dollynho (look it up)
Frequency of Play
I personally don't like this type of deck, a pile of good cards that don't necessarily work well together, but do an excellent job individually, the definition of pure midrange.
"Decks of this strategy tend towards “good stuff” decks. Puree
Midrange decks tend not to be blue, and favor individual
card quality over deck synergy. One of the most common
configurations of Pure Midrange is cheap removal + a variety of
good creatures at various points on the curve."
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 214
Omnath does this very well, with access to 4 colors and all collections, it is very simple to pick-n-choose the best ones. The commander alone is already incredibly strong, for a 4 mana 4/4 that will generate value in several ways by simply playing land, with access to 11 fetch lands. What makes the deck unattractive may be precisely that, a very expensive mana base and needing to have the best cards of each of the 4 colors may make the deck less accessible, in addition to being very susceptible to Blood moon effects.
Archetype | Midrange |
Macro Archetype | Pure Midrange |
Times Played | 30 |
N Tournaments | 29 |
Average Placement | 3 |
% All tournaments | 12,89% |
% of meta | 1,39% |
# 13
Despite his late arrival at the party, the king still made his presence felt with an appearance in 13% of the 2023 tournaments, representing 2% of the meta for the year.
Frequency of Play
With appearances only from July 2023, the commander allows several strategies, being very flexible, but here we will focus on Tap Out
"Tap-Out decks generally:
• Use permission to buy time, rather than secure control
• Brute force opponents, rather than rely overly on synergy
or finesse
• Requires a quantity of big advantages, since some of the
power of its cards will be wasted at times"
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 256
The commander generates a card advantage through the Monarch mechanic, while guaranteeing damage with the second ability. Vigilance even ensures that the Monarch is protected by its 4/4 body and lifelink provides good protection against aggro. The "aggressive" control stance, bordering on Midrange, makes the deck versatile against other controls and very fast Aggro's
Archetype | Control |
Macro Archetype | Tap out |
Times Played | 34 |
N Tournaments | 29 |
Average Placement | 3 |
% All tournaments | 12,89% |
% of meta | 1,58% |
# 12
Playing in 16% of the 2023 tournaments, he participated with 2% of the annual meta. The esper sphinx embodies the ultimate in control, Draw Go
Frequency of Play
"Draw-Go decks generally:
• Plan on countering much to nearly everything the
opponent does, [...].
• Rely largely on one-for-one trades, meaning card
advantage is needed
• Need some kind of a sweeper to clean up everything that
snuck under the permission"
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 267
For those on the other side of the table, Tivit is insufferable, and when he finally has an opening, the giant sphinx watching from the command zone descends. And that's enough imposing a difficult choice on you, whether I give more mana or more draw to my opponent, and we know that both choices are wrong. Furthermore, Ward - 3 makes it harder to remove and easier to respond to removal. Finally, with just four attacks needed to win, generating more treasures and/or clues in the process, Tivit establishes itself as an excellent option for those who want to be unbearable
Archetype | Control |
Macro Archetype | Draw Go |
Times Played | 35 |
N Tournaments | 35 |
Average Placement | 4 |
% All tournaments | 15,56% |
% of meta | 1,63% |
# 11
Being present in 18% of tournaments throughout 2023, with 2% of the total meta, the dog and horse partners.
Frequency of Play
As we already saw the definition of this archetype earlier, I'm going to explore a little why I think these partners fit here
"Linear Aggro decks can be among the most aggressive strategies
available. They can end up sharing properties with others
archetypes, such as Madness with Aggro-Control, Kithkin with
Tokens, or Affinity with Storm Combo. But aggressive decks that
function primarily by exploiting a single mechanic or creature
type have similar properties. These strategies push as hard as
they can in that single direction. They rely heavily on synergy,
rather than purely on card quality."
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 157
Who among us didn't take a huge hit on turn 2 because the opponent started the game with, mana dog, mox amber, izamaru... the very strong synergy of legendary permanents coming in with ease, whether because they cost 0, 1 or even lands, makes this deck able to escalate the game very quickly and if it is not answered, it can end on turns 3 or 4.
Archetype | Aggro |
Macro Archetype | Linear |
Times Played | 40 |
N Tournaments | 40 |
Average Placement | 3 |
% All tournaments | 17,78% |
% of meta | 1,86% |
# 10
Starting the Top 10, my favorite deck of 2023, reaching 17% presence in the year's tournaments, contributed 2% to the annual meta, the only izzet on this list
Frequency of Play
Red Aggro by definition:
"[...] every Red Aggro deck shares these
differentiating principles:
• A lower curve than many of its peers, enabling the deck to seize initiative in the early turns, which manifests in creature beatdown
• The capacity [...] to finish games via a non-interactive “reach” tool set. [...]
• An almost-necessary implication is the ability to remove blockers with those burn spells (a capacity not shared by all Aggro-family decks), and an almost constant stream of difficult questions to ask whether you should use your burn spells to remove creatures or go to the face"
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 142
Ghyrson gradually gained space in the format, proving to be an excellent explosive Aggro option, managing to deal well against other aggros in the format and being fast enough against controls. Access to blue gives you good ways to buy cards and guarantee the gas to finish the game. I could go on much longer, most of my games in 2023 were with this deck, but I'm going to avoid pulling any punches.
Archetype | Aggro |
Macro Archetype | Red Aggro |
Times Played | 41 |
N Tournaments | 39 |
Average Placement | 4 |
% All tournaments | 17,33% |
% of meta | 1,91% |
# 9
Present in 18% of 2023 events, representing 2% of the year's total meta, this is one of the oldest Espers in the format, remaining relevant since the end of 2020
Frequency of Play
"Combo-Control decks generally:
• Play a controlling game, but have a Stage Three that goes
beyond victory condition, instead being an actual gameending
combination of cards
• Play a game that is somewhere between Tap-Out and
Draw-Go, but with a one-turn endgame
• Will play a slower game often, but threaten to win in the
very early turns making it hard to judge their pacing"
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 296
That's what Aminatou does, she spends the entire game controlling you, with good Blink synergies, staple control cards and considerable threats, always on the verge of one of the possible combos that the deck could be using to end the game. Over the years, the deck has only gained more options of what to do and how to do it, with very varied lists and easily adapting to the local scene.
Archetype | Control |
Macro Archetype | Combo Control |
Times Played | 41 |
N Tournaments | 41 |
Average Placement | 4 |
% All tournaments | 18,22% |
% of meta | 1,91% |
# 8
With participation in 17% of the 2023 tournaments, it corresponded to 2% of the annual meta, one of the classic midranges of the format, since 2020
Frequency of Play
"Aggro-Control decks generally:
• Play the control game against aggro
• Play the aggro game against control
• Revolve heavily around gaining time advantages"
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 240
Queen Marchesa does this job well, with hand disruption, varied removals that generally play the role of 2 for 1 or key answers for specific situations, while combining good creatures that resolved the game. The deck generates card advantage through the monarch mechanic and various planeswalkers, as well as Aragorn. Some lists even "end" the game with Mass Destruction of the worst kind, Armageddon, Cataclysm, etc.
Archetype | Midrange |
Macro Archetype | Aggro control |
Times Played | 42 |
N Tournaments | 39 |
Average Placement | 6 |
% All tournaments | 17,33% |
% of meta | 1,95% |
# 7
Registered in 20% of 2023 tournaments, with a presence of 2% in the total meta of the year, our third and last Esper, another sphinx (Coindencia?). For those who were wondering Aggro Fish, also called Tempo, for those intimate
Frequency of Play
"• The central objective of Tempo is to create a situation in which the opponent is always one step behind, spending more resources and mana to deal with the deck's threats or responses.
• Mana efficiency is crucial, with cards that maximize the impact of each mana spent, allowing the deck to play aggressively and maintain resources to respond to the opponent.
• Tempo Decks alternate between an aggressive approach and a controlling approach depending on the situation. They play proactively when establishing threats and reactively when protecting those threats with rapid responses
"
Raffine executes a meticulous game plan, efficient and annoying little creatures that will grow and recycle the hand once the commander is in play. Combining the entire control kit available, with an answer for absolutely everything, makes Raffine an excellent choice for those who like Arquetipo
Archetype | Aggro |
Macro Archetype | Fish |
Times Played | 50 |
N Tournaments | 45 |
Average Placement | 3 |
% All tournaments | 20,00% |
% of meta | 2,32% |
# 6
Seen in 22% of tournaments throughout 2023, reaching 3% share of the year's meta, one of the decks I most hate playing against, Dihada. I know you saw it back there as Combo Big Spell and you must have turned your nose at me, but let me cook
Frequency of Play
"Big Spell decks generally:
• Are set up to maximize the power of a single spell (or a few similar spells) with the intention of winning the game upon playing successfully a single copy
• Can play a legitmate “backup” game with the rest of their deck, since the key big spell requires a relatively small percentage of the deck to work
• Frequently require “bad” cards that are needed in the deck in order to turn the Big Spell into a game-winner, though these cards do not need to be actually drawn or cast"
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 311
Now that we've read the definition, I understand that this deck's Reanimate list falls under this category. Since your plan is to just resolve a Reanimate Spell and bring back a very absurd creature that will win the game. Plan B? Casting them from your hand with the absurd amount of treasures that Dihada produces, by the turn you cast it it is already possible to have 9 mana easily. There are other ways to build the deck, like a pure midrange full of planeswalkers and Mass Destructions, without a doubt, but considering the decks that came first, the Reanimate version took the lead.
Archetype | Combo |
Macro Archetype | Big spell |
Times Played | 54 |
N Tournaments | 49 |
Average Placement | 4 |
% All tournaments | 21,78% |
% of meta | 2,51% |
# 5
Starting the TOP 5, being in 23% of tournaments in 2023, contributing 3% of the annual meta, Leovold. And again, as we already covered the topical definition of the archetype a little earlier in this article, let's try to delve deeper here.
Frequency of Play
"Aggro-Control decks often play the role of rulebreaker, combining
the initiative of beatdown with the late-game lockdown power
of control. As such, these decks often play long and elegant
Stage Two duels, which often seem decided from turn 1 or 2.
The advantage is there by virtue of card strength, which can be
frustrating for some players, even if the Aggro-Control decks still
demand adept execution."
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 240
Being a set of good creatures mainly on turn 3 that will interfere with the game, plus the plethora of control Spells and the hint of shamelessness in the interaction of the commander + Wheel Effect (with backups). This deck is solid in every way, I didn't find particularly bad matches and some decks simply couldn't match it (looking at you Raffine)
Archetype | Midrange |
Macro Archetype | Aggro Control |
Times Played | 62 |
N Tournaments | 51 |
Average Placement | 6 |
% All tournaments | 22,67% |
% of meta | 2,88% |
# 4
Participating in 27% of events in 2023, representing 3% of the meta for the year, the reddest of the reds, Ragavan.
Frequency of Play
"• A primary or secondary focus on creature-based attacks
(especially “getting the jump” on the opponent in the early
turns)
• Generally low average converted mana costs (CMCs)
• A default tendency to “play the beatdown” role in a Who's
thebeatdown? scenario"
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 142
How good can a 1 mana creature be? This was certainly the thought of the person who designed this commander. The days of Lions of the Savannah are gone, now a 1 mana 2/1 creature will generate value in two different ways simply by connecting with the opponent, in the form of treasure and stealing cards from the opponent's top. The treasure guarantees speed in the deck, even if you don't steal anything interesting, ramping up to larger threats of 3 or 4 mana or even multiple low-cost threats guarantees the beatdown of this deck. The list is at your discretion from the library of good fast red creatures and Burn Spells
Archetype | Aggro |
Macro Archetype | Red Aggro |
Times Played | 70 |
N Tournaments | 60 |
Average Placement | 4 |
% All tournaments | 26,67% |
% of meta | 3,25% |
# 3
Registering presence in 28% of 2023 tournaments, with a 3% impact on the year's meta, a crowd's favorite kunoichi, Yuriko, the Tigers Shadow
Frequency of Play
Our already intimate Patrick Chapin wrote about Fish:
"Aggro-Control and Fish are in fact often mistaken for one another — and in the context of a particular format, the decks will often share many individual cards. In addition, especially when comparing Fish or Aggro-Control to traditional control decks, they both tend to play the beatdown, run out a threat (whether it is a Bitterblossom or a Master of the Pearl Trident), and then use their permission to hold a lead they already have. The distinction between them is that Fish / Suicide Black plays out its threats and then plays out its Time Walks, whereas Aggro-Control generally plays out its Time Walks before getting in with
its threats."
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 194
And boy, thus it shows, Yuriko always starts turn 1 with an evasive creature, it seemed glued to the hand. When not, the game became suspicious. The imminent threat of the ninja on turn 2 was very strong, her ability alone was enough to guarantee a card advantage and the damage to end the game, combine this with the fact that really useful ninjas have come out in recent years and the game could end in the blink of an eye, as the ability triggers for each ninja. Furthermore, the colors have many efficient responses with very low or zero alternative cost, making yuriko the best Tempo option at the time, highly efficient and inevitable.
Archetype | Aggro |
Macro Archetype | Fish |
Times Played | 73 |
N Tournaments | 64 |
Average Placement | 5 |
% All tournaments | 28,44% |
% of meta | 3,39% |
# 2
Appearing in 29% of 2023 tournaments, with a 4% share of the year's meta, the Boros that made every playmat look too small, Winota.
Frequency of Play
"Swarm decks generally:
• Primarily win by playing numerous small creatures,
maximizing swarm at the expense of reach
• Generally win combat by enhancing their own creatures,
rather than focusing on killing all opposing creatures
• Have token-making spells and cards that create multiple
creatures (these are common, though not vital)"
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 178
Only those who lived know what a mess Winota is. Going from a situation where everything was fine, to a completely crowded board crushing you in a slap. Boros has a lot of access to good Free protections, which made it difficult to deal with the board state even if you survived the attack. The deck was especially strong and explosive, with Goblins and the like making chips and populating the table, the useful and large humans to finish, even if you didn't cast the commander, the creatures were good enough to be able to close some games. The inability of most decks to deal with this type of situation was very frustrating
Archetype | Aggro |
Macro Archetype | Swarm |
Times Played | 78 |
N Tournaments | 66 |
Average Placement | 3 |
% All tournaments | 29,33% |
% of meta | 3,62% |
# 1
Finally the TOP 1 most played from last year, present in 33% of tournaments held in 2023, making up 4% of the annual meta, The Hunger Tide, Grist
Frequency of Play
Grist takes first place in this top due to a technicality, until September 2023, Winota was the most played deck. If it weren't for the ban, maybe the situation would be different, but here goes:
"Rock decks generally:
• Try to be just a little bigger than the most common aggro decks
• Blend acceleration and modest disruption to try to race bigger decks
• Play green primarily for creatures, black for discard and removal"
Next Level Deck Building (2009), pg 203
Even in terms of technicality, the commander has been gaining a lot of space and many followers. The deck is consistent in a captivating style, with shenanigans of the fact that the commander is a creature in other zones, such as Cavern of Souls and Unearth. The lists have a low variance, generally using low-cost disruptions and a curve of efficient creatures, some even using Lock pieces like Contamination and Braids. Expect to see more and more of this Golgari.
Archetype | Midrange |
Macro Archetype | The Rock |
Times Played | 86 |
N Tournaments | 74 |
Average Placement | 5 |
% All tournaments | 32,89% |
% of meta | 4,00% |
RESUME
2023 was great. We said goodbye to huge forces in control in Niv Mizzet, Shorikai and Jeska and that was felt, and maybe that's why, I swear to you that I always thought that this format tended towards control, it was an empirical observation, maybe my meta is like this and that's why I projected it on the format. But doing this article we see a consolidated and well-developed aggro with all macro archetypes represented, and I know there are combos out there, we just have to delve deeper in this ocean.
So I come away from this first analysis with a different perspective, perhaps this will help me build my decks better and gain insights into new decks. I hope this has helped you improve Krakener a little, or just as good entertainment. And if you're reading this, you've never played Leviathan, I hope I've awakened a little bit of curiosity in you.
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