Standard Meta Recovers As Decks New and Old Take Over

Last updated on November 12, 2025

Yuna, Hope of Spira | Illustration by NINNIN

It's barely been 24 hours since WotC's latest Banned and Restricted announcement. Vivi Ornitier was finally banned, and players are currently scrambling to figure out which archetype will fill Vivi Cauldron's shoes. Mono-Red (aka Red Deck Wins) also took a significant hit with the banning of Screaming Nemesis.

The unfortunate truth is that Red Deck Wins has clawed its way up from bans in the past, and it may very well do so again. Before Vivi Cauldron, we had Izzet Prowess…Are Red Deck Wins and Izzet Anything just bound to rise to the top once more?

It's impossible to say, but there are several archetypes that have been at the Tier 2 boiling point which are likely to bubble over. If you're keen on brewing in Standard, here are a few decks to try out.

Dimir Midrange

This one needs no introduction. Dimir Midrange revolves around Kaito, Bane of Nightmares, a ridiculous 4-mana planeswalker that can be ninjutsu'd in for just . Spyglass Siren is the perfect 1-drop to throw down turn 1 to ensure that you can get Kaito out on turn 3. Deep Cavern Bat, a mainstay in multiple Standard decks, acts as disruption that can also easily be repeatedly with Kaito.

The deck is stacked with tap and stun effects to prevent opponents from sneaking in damage in the early game. Floodpits Drowner works exceedingly well here, as it can tap and stun a creature, and act as further fodder for Kaito. This deck also packs tons of removal like Bitter Triumph and Strategic Betrayal.

Certain hate cards like Tishana's Tidebinder and Azure Beastbinder may or may not continue to see play now that Vivi Ornitier is no longer in the picture, but they both feel like solid includes regardless.

Simic Aggro

Edge of Eternities brought several staples to Standard, y'all seen the pricetag on Quantum Riddler these days?

However, one other card has been making massive waves in Standard, and card is Ouroboroid. This thing spirals out of control rapidly in +1/+1 counter strategies, of which there are plenty in Standard at the moment. Throw down Innkeeper's Talent or Genomorph Imago in the early game, then survive long enough to get this cracked plant wurm out, and you'll be good as gold. Each of your combat phases that your Ouroboroid sees will scale your board up rapidly.

Pawpatch Recruit is a top tier 1-drop here; it'll make it so you can start stacking counters early. Jackal, Genius Geneticist is a stellar include, as having multiples of any creature in this strategy can put you so far ahead your opponents won't be able to catch up.

Sultai Reanimator

This deck is simply explosive, and is brought to you by your friendly neighborhood Superior Spider-Man. It's essentially a Standard-legal Living End effect, and It's quite simple to pull off. Get as many sick creatures into your ‘yard as you can, cast Superior Spider-Man targeting the Bringer of the Last Gift you've most likely milled/discarded by now, and profit.

Casting a Superior Spider-Man that then enters as a copy of Bringer satisfies Bringer's “if you cast it” clause, which allows you to just dump your entire graveyard onto the field. If you've filled your graveyard with cards like Ardyn, the Usurper and Overlord of the Balemurk, you've now created an insane wall of value that can scarcely be stopped.

Yuna & Kona

Both of these strategies, much like Sultai Reanimator, revolve around cheating out permanents with giant mana values. Despite Abuelo's Awakening being banned in June, Yuna, Hope of Spira and Kona, Rescue Beastie kept the dream of playing with Omniscience alive.

Yuna has been a particularly hard sell in Standard as of late thanks to the dominance of Vivi Cauldron and Red Deck Wins. Being a 5-drop is particularly difficult in a competitive Standard format that revolves around turn 3 and 4 wins. With the format hopefully slowing down a little bit, perhaps its viability will rise. There are tons of incredible Standard-legal enchantments worth reanimating right now, such as Summon: Bahamut, the Overlord cycle, and much more.

How in the world does a small beastie such as Kona, Rescue Beastie have such gargantuan abilities? Regardless, people have been messing around with Kona and EOE‘s Spacecraft to some success: With Kona on the field, cast The Seriema to go grab Absolute Virtue, station the ship with Kona, profit.

Wrap Up

Fire Nation Palace | Illustration by Awanqi (Angela Wang)

These are just a few of the decks that have been just waiting for their shot in the Vivi Cauldron / Red Deck wins meta. Will Red Deck just continue to Win, or will new strategies actually become viable? Firebending does look pretty broken, especially in 60-card formats, so let's see how it all pans out!