If Monstrous Rage is Not Banned, Final Fantasy May Not Have A Chance

Last updated on June 5, 2025

Monstrous Rage Monstrous Rage – illustration by Borja Pindado

Magic's Standard format is the most aggressive it has been in quite some time. Izzet Prowess and Red Deck Wins make up nearly half of the Tarkir: Dragonstorm Standard metagame in the last two weeks, with aggro decks representing 75% of the format.

A lot of the frustration is pointed at Monstrous Rage, the one-mana pump spell powering many of these quick kills. Plenty of MTG players and content creators hope the red instant gets a ban in WotC's upcoming Banned and Restricted Announcement on June 30.

But will banning Monstrous Rage be enough to diversify Standard?

All The Rage in Standard

The Battle of Bywater – Illustration by Tomas Duchek

Recent Regional Championships and MTGO qualifiers tell a consistent story. Red Deck Wins keeps turning in Top 8 finishes, while Izzet Prowess remains the most-played deck overall. Both decks combined represent 44% of the Standard metagame in the last two weeks according to MTGTop8:

Source: MTGTop8

To be fair, things look a bit differently when you check the very cream of the crop. An all-in-on-Monstrous mono-red deck did snatch #1 at the Regional Championship having, but 6 of the other top 8 decks were combo or control (and Izzet Prowess only showed up in two slots at the bottom of the Top 16):

Source: MTGTop8

And, even in top-tier Tournaments where Izzet Prowess does quite well, some Prowess players are cutting down on the number of Monstrous Rage copies, like Luis Salvatto did to reach Top 4 at the South American Magic Series Regional Championship in Chile…

Source: MTGTop8

 … and sometimes even getting rid of the Cutter entirely!

Source: MTGTop8

This latest “Let's cut rage from cutter” trend gives credence those who think that just banning Monstrous Rage would not be enough to stop Izzet Prowess – even if it would very likely send Mono-Red to Tier 2 – and that on June 30th WotC needs to bring the ban hammer down on several red cards.

“WOTC needs to declare a ‘Bloody Monday' in the next 3 weeks and ban 3-4 red cards from Standard, says u/travishall456. “That’s about the only way Standard changes.”

There's even more evidence of the above when looking at the Alchemy format on MTG Arena: While it's a different Magic format (it has digital-only cards, and sets rotate one year sooner) Monstrous Rage is already banned in Alchemy, yet that doesn't prevent Izzet Prowess from doing very well in that format. 

And there's an interesting irony, too: Few decks hate Monstrous Rage more than… Izzet Prowess!

Fighting Rage with Rage

Ironically, the best way to beat Izzet Prowess may be with Monstrous Rage.

In fact, according to MTG Hall of Famer Frank Karsten's Standard metagame and win rates from the last four Regional Championships, Red Deck Wins may be Izzet's Prowess only weak spot!

Source: Frank Karsten's post on X

Mono-Red Aggro is the only deck against which Izzet Prowess shows a below-50% winrate, which is why Mono-Red's share of the metagame has increased in the last couple of weeks.

So it looks very likely that it's “Go Bloody Monday or Go Home” here. If WotC only bans Monstrous Rage and nothing else, we may end up in Standard meta in which Izzet Prowess just shrugs it off, but where its main predator gets nerfed out of relevance and allows Cori-powered mice and monks to run over everybody else.

Will Final Fantasy Have a Chance?

Y'shtola, Night's Blessed – Illustration by Magali Villeneuve

“It’s a shame that the best-selling set ever is happening during a Standard meta where you die on turn 3 or 4 most matchups,” notes MTG content creator Saffron Olive. “Hard to imagine new players brought in by FF running into Mice, Prowess and Omniscience as they try to play their favorite characters having a great time.”

Many MTG players are skeptical that the upcoming Final Fantasy x MTG crossover will dent this red-centric metagame, let alone letting players slam down their favorite FF character without dying the next turn – or even giving them a chance to cast them at all.

“So far it's looking a lot like Aetherdrift, where there may be two rares/mythics that actually see play and a few uncommons,” notes u/SkylineR33. “Too many of the cards are just outright expensive to play for such a fast constructed meta.”

“I think it speaks a lot to how bad mono green is in the current meta, that some of the most cracked green landfall cards are being printed and… they probably won't get played in standard,” saysu/DinnerIndependent897.

“I'd be extremely surprised,” says u/Clear_Inspector_9796 in the most upvoted reply whether or not Final Fantasy will shake up the meta. “Starting Town will be a staple in most decks. Beyond that…. Maybe Vivi, Tifa, and Lightning. Maybe. Most of the cards are just way over costed.”

Above all, Final Fantasy doesn't bring much in the way of interaction and decent removal. There's lots of iconic legendaries and equipment, but few cards that keep you alive until you get to bring your costly spells to bear.

Wrap Up

Cloud, Planet's Champion – Illustration by Magali Villeneuve

Standard isn’t on fire, but most competitive conversations now start with “What beats Monstrous Rage?”. And new players brought into Standard thanks to Final Fantasy may welcome a slower-paced Standard metagame that lets new players find out what turn 4 looks like, and where cute chocobos don't get slaughtered on sight.

It's not that Final Fantasy is a weak set. It's that Standard is way too fast and furious.

Only WotC knows what they'll do on June 30. But banning Monstrous Rage alone may do more harm than good by nerfing Izzet Prowess's best counter while leaving Prowess itself intact. A wider ban list might be necessary to open real space for innovation, and to give Final Fantasy cards more than cameo appearances.