Leviathan Survey In-Depth Analysis: State and Outlook for the Format

Hello Leviathan players!

The Leviathan Survey, conducted between April 29 and May 21, 2025, gathered 120 responses from Leviathan players. Respondents were primarily from Brazil (51%), Venezuela (24%), and Poland (15%). The goal of the survey was to provide a comprehensive picture of the metagame, player perceptions, and identify areas for potential change. Below is a detailed analysis of key findings from the survey, enriched with direct comments from participants.

1. Player Profile

• Age: The dominant group of players (60.8%) are between the ages of 28-44, indicating that the older generation is the main players in the format.

• Magic Experience: The vast majority (72.5%) have been playing Magic: The Gathering for over 7 years, indicating an experienced community.

• Leviathan Experience: 44.2% of players have been playing Leviathan for 1-3 years, indicating a stable, if not very old, fan base.

• Play Frequency: The distribution is fairly even, with 35% playing once a month, 28.3% every 15 days, and 31.7% once a week, suggesting moderate but regular community activity.

• Trust in the Committee: 60.8% of respondents trust the Committee, and 55% believe that the Committee makes data-driven decisions with the health of the format in mind. This is a positive sign, although there is room for increased trust and transparency. One player suggests: "We need more reports in the WhatsApp group and on the website to support the format."

2. Perception of Archetypes in the Metagame

Players agree that the Control and Midrange archetypes dominate Leviathan. While statistics indicate a growing number of Aggro decks in 2024 and 2025, the prevailing opinion is that aggressive strategies in practice adapt to the Midrange style in order to remain effective. A full 38.3% of respondents believe that there are no "true" aggro decks in Leviathan, only faster Midrange variants. This is a direct consequence of the high starting life (30 points) that favors longer games and control decks. "It's very difficult to play aggro with 30 points of life - the extra life favors control in the mid and late game," one player comments.

3. Impact of 30 Life

The 30 Life starting point is one of the most controversial aspects of the format:

35% of respondents agree, and 32.5% partially agree, that 30 Life favors "greedy" control decks and limits strategy variety.

Many players suggest reducing the starting life to 25, believing that "it would help see more aggro strategies."

However, some defend 30 Life as an integral part of the format's identity, arguing that lowering it would make Leviathan too similar to Duel Commander (which is focused on aggro) and would undermine its unique character. One player states, "Leviathan is the perfect Commander 1v1 format for me. Duel Commander ruined everything by banning everything, saying that control is too strong, and lowering Life to 20, which is absurd."

4. Power of Colors in the Metagame

Player perception clearly indicates that blue and black are considered the strongest colors in the format, due to their key role in dominant control decks.

Black is often criticized for its "broken" removal effects, reanimation, and powerful cards like Opposition Agent. Players point to the lack of effective counters to black-based "hate decks."

Blue is also considered very strong, especially in control and combo decks.

Green and white are seen as the weakest. Format analysts agree that green needs improvement. Commentary emphasizes that green is "by far the worst color in the game - very slow."

5. Banlist Impact on Archetypes

The banlist generally does its job in eliminating threats to the format's balance. However:

69% of respondents (combined agree and somewhat agree) believe that some pure combo decks are weakened by the banlist. This leads to a lack of dedicated combo decks, as most efficient combos are banned.

There is a call for more transparency and more frequent, well-explained banlist updates.

Players express a desire to see more experimental unbans, while criticizing some past unbans, such as Emrakul. One comment suggests: "Unban Food Chain. Unban Field of the Dead!"

There are also calls for cards from the Reserved List, including old duals, to be banned, which would help the format and support aggro and midrange decks.

6. Partner rule and Mulligan

The rule commonly known as the Partner rule is positively received by 84.2% of respondents. Also, the majority (59% of respondents) do not think that it limits most combinations of "partners". However one comments state: "The main issue right now is the partner rule. The only viable partner deck is Yoshimaru aggro, which doesn’t suffer from mulligan. Other strategies (midrange, combo, control) are hurt and don’t exist." The survey also included a proposal to switch to the rule in Duel Commander, which would eliminate the feeling of "forced mulligan" when playing with two commanders.

7. Format Rules and Suggested Changes

Commander Damage

The issue of commander damage is one of the elements of the Leviathan format that has been controversial, especially in the context of aggressive strategies:

Current rule: Most players (74.2%) feel that the 21 damage rule from commanders is fair. Many do not see the need for changes, arguing that changing this value would not introduce more options to the format. However 45% agree that it could introduce some more options and only 33.3% completely disagree with it.

Player comments: There are voices in the comments that support reducing commander damage to allow for more diverse aggressive strategies. For example, one player writes: "I think reducing commander damage to 16 might enable new aggro and Voltron strategies, which are currently nonexistent."

Connection to starting life: The low playability of aggro strategies is also related to the high starting life (30 points), which favors control and combo decks. Changing commander damage could be one of the actions, along with possibly lowering starting life, to improve the positioning of aggro decks.

8. Gold Bordered Cards

The introduction of gold bordered cards is a controversial topic:

Some players see it positively, as a way to increase card availability.

Others oppose it, seeing it as a form of proxy acceptance. One player puts it bluntly: "I didn't like the unban of gold bordered cards. It would have been better to just ban Reserved List cards instead."

9. Future Challenges and Opportunities

• Major Challenges:

Aggro Archetype: Still nerfed by 30 life. Actions like changing starting life or other ways to nerf life for other archetypes are needed (e.g. banning old duals). "All the good aggro commanders are banned," notes one player.

Combo Archetype: Either too strong or too weak due to the ban list. Experimental unbans of key combo cards like Food Chain should be considered.

Partner: Yoshimaru's Dominance indicates a balance issue with this mechanic.

• Possibilities:

Relax the banlist: Despite being one of the most liberal, there is still room to loosen it further.

Experimental unbans: Could safely shake up the format and make it more dynamic.

Commander Damage change: Could benefit aggressive commander-focused strategies.

More support and transparency: Players want more reporting and official support for the format, perhaps even recognition from Wizards of the Coast to counter the exodus of players to Duel Commander.

The Leviathan Survey provides a comprehensive look at the format's metagame and the sentiment of its community. The results clearly indicate that players are engaged and have concrete ideas for how Leviathan can continue to evolve and improve balance. Addressing the issues of 30 life, archetype diversity, and Committee transparency seems crucial to the long-term health and popularity of the format.