Last updated on January 22, 2026
Ouroboroid | Illustration by Samuel Perin
It seems that everyone has their own opinion on the Standard format. Personally, I love it. I was raised on this rotating format when I learned how to play, and to this day it’s still one of my favorite formats.
Wizards of the Coast does a lot to try and keep Standard interesting, successful or not. They constantly put out new cards to the point where most new cards are designed with Standard in mind. Is it so bad to play with the new cards Wizards creates?
Let’s jump in and explore the Standard format and how it works. Let’s get right to it!
What Is the Standard Format?
Enduring Curiosity | Illustration by Julie Dillon
Standard is one of Magic: The Gathering’s flagship competitive formats. While every other format is defined by how many years’ worth of sets are legal, the sets legal in Standard change every three years. Only the most recent sets are legal in the format, which keeps the format fresh and interesting each year that you play it.
What Is the Purpose of the Format?
In my opinion, Standard is the bread and butter of competitive Magic. It’s the most popular format to play on MTG Arena, and when it works, it’s constantly evolving. A deck that wins an event one week is not necessarily the correct choice the following week. If you want to play competitive Magic, this is the best Constructed format for you to start with, especially as you find plenty of Standard format qualifier events across both Magic Online and Magic Arena.
What Sets Are Legal in Standard Right Now?
As of right now, there are 13 sets legal in Standard. They are:
The 2023/24 sets began with Wilds of Eldraine, and the next Standard rotation will happen in 2027, since WotC is skipping rotation in 2026 to calibrate it to the calendar year.
Format Rules
Standard follows all the normal rules for a one-on-one Constructed format. Your deck must consist of a main deck with at least 60 cards in it (let’s be honest, it should be exactly 60 cards with about 23-25 lands) and a sideboard of up to 15 cards. Across those 75 cards, you can’t use more than four copies of the same unique card, except basic lands. When you play a best-of-three match, you have the opportunity to switch cards between your maindeck and sideboard to improve your chances in the next games. The cards that are legal for play change each year.
What Is Standard Rotation?
Sunbird Standard | Illustration by Aldo Dominguez
Every year, the sets that are legal in Standard change during what’s called the Standard rotation. We're up to six or seven Standard sets a year, so there are tons of sets in every rotation, but old sets fall off as news sets are added in.
When Standard rotated as of Edge of Eternities, the number of legal sets in the card pool shrunk to about two years of sets. Starting in 2027, the rotation shifts to the calendar year rather than the Fall; bookmark this page for more details when we're closer to that rotation.
Banned Cards in Standard
Vivi Ornitier | Illustration by Toni Infante
- Abuelo's Awakening
- Cori-Steel Cutter
- Heartfire Hero
- Hopeless Nightmare
- Monstrous Rage
- Proft's Eidetic Memory
- Screaming Nemesis
- This Town Ain't Big Enough
- Up the Beanstalk
- Vivi Ornitier
- Leyline of Resonance is banned in Best-of-One Standard formats on Arena.
Leyline of Resonance can be played in traditional matches, Limited and paper. Aside from the list above, there are no other cards banned from play in Standard.
With MTG Arena added into the equation, more people are playing Standard than ever before, and a lot more data can be collected about the format. Standard's list of banned cards on MTGA is exactly the same with the exception above.
While WotC is generally hesitant to ban cards in general, Standard has seen more bannings as of late. WotC remains committed to ban problematic cards if they break the format like Vivi Ornitier and Cori-Steel Cutter, though they don't always remove the worst offenders right away.
Where to Play Standard?
MTG Arena
I’ve mentioned already that Standard is MTG Arena’s most popular format. This is largely because it is the simplest format to quickly bring players up and compete. There really is no better place to play the format. There are a bunch of great in-game events and Pro Tour Qualifiers, and you can always jump on the ladder and play.
Magic Online
Magic Online’s leagues are a great way to play Standard against some exceptionally strong players without having to work your way up to the diamond or mythic ranks on Arena. You also have the weekly challenge events for a real test. You can win real rewards through these events by selling the prizes you get, so if that’s something that appeals to you then this is a great way to play the format.
Paper / In Person
This is of course not going to play well for everybody, and it depends entirely on whether stores in your area run Standard events or if you can find friends who want to play the format with you. It can be difficult to keep up with Standard set releases, which makes it hard to maintain a collection for the format. But it’s not impossible, and some smart trading can make it a lot easier to keep up with the new releases. If your local store(s) run Standard events, they can be very enjoyable to see how your local metagame evolves from week to week.
Where to Find Standard Decks
Whether building a deck is a strength of yours or not, looking at winning decks is an important resource. You can use the best decklists for inspiration and to scout the kinds of decks you can expect to play against.
Arena Tutor
Have you used Draftsim’s Arena Tutor yet? If not, I highly recommend it. Among a litany of great features is the metagame tab, which gives you a look at what other decks are in the format and you can see how those kinds of decks are performing in the format.
Magic.gg
Magic.gg is the official Wizards of the Coast website for everything about competitive Magic. It features details for upcoming Pro Tours and Arena Championships, coverage of those events, and most importantly, decklists. Not just decklists for these professional events, but also for regional championships around the world as well as lists pulled directly from MTG Arena. It’s an excellent source for competitive decklists and data on what works well.
MTGGoldfish
Saffron Olive is known as one of the biggest personalities in the world of Magic streaming. MTGGoldfish, is a great source for decklists in a variety of formats, largely pulling from Magic Online and a variety of competitive tournaments from around the world.
What is the Best Deck in Standard?
After the recent bannings of cards like Vivi Ornitier and Screaming Nemesis hitting decks like red aggro and Izzet Cauldron, Dimir Midrange has become a strong contender in the format.
Planeswalker (3)
Creatures (22)
Azure Beastbinder x3
Tishana's Tidebinder x2
Cecil, Dark Knight x2
Deep-Cavern Bat x3
Enduring Curiosity x4
Floodpits Drowner x4
Spyglass Siren x4
Instant (8)
Bitter Triumph
Essence Scatter x2
Shoot the Sheriff x2
Spell Pierce
Stab x2
Sorcery (2)
Land (25)
Gloomlake Verge x4
Island x4
Multiversal Passage x2
Realm of Koh
Restless Reef x3
Soulstone Sanctuary x3
Swamp x4
Watery Grave x4
Sideboard (15)
Annul
Duress x2
Faebloom Trick
Intimidation Tactics
Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
Negate
Raven Eagle x2
Stab x2
Tishana's Tidebinder x2
Zero Point Ballad x2
Dimir Midrange was already a good competitive deck, and the recent bannings made it a solid Tier 1 option. Kaito, Bane of Nightmares is a really strong card that sees play in Eternal format decks. Being able to ninjitsu a planeswalker is good against countermagic. Kaito also has hexproof while attacking, and each time it hits, you deal damage and get a free Preordain. The support suit is also really solid with Spyglass Siren, Enduring Curiosity, and Tishana's Tidebinder. Good removal, counterspells, and discard help this deck face whatever the opponent has. The best way to deal with Kaito is to play a lot of creatures or red burn.
Creature (30)
Pawpatch Recruit x4
Tyvar, the Pummeler x2
Ouroboroid x4
Mockingbird x2
Azure Beastbinder x2
Jackal, Genius Geneticist x4
Llanowar Elves x4
Badgermole Cub x4
Gene Pollinator x4
Enchantment (4)
Instant (2)
Sorcery (2)
Land (22)
Botanical Sanctum x4
Willowrush Verge x4
Restless Vinestalk
Forest x5
Breeding Pool x4
Multiversal Passage x4
Sideboard (15)
Reclamation Sage
Repulsive Mutation
Torpor Orb x4
Tishana's Tidebinder x2
Sab-Sunen, Luxa Embodied
Unable to Scream x2
Spider-Sense x2
Soul-Guide Lantern x2
Simic Aggro is also a strong option, with cards like Ouroboroid and Quantum Riddler. The addition of Badgermole Cub from Avatar: The Last Airbender moves it up a notch in the tier list. Ouroboroid is a really strong creature buffer, spreading +1/+1 counters around to everybody, while Gene Pollinator and Llanowar Elves generate extra mana with the Cub around. Plus, Ouroboroid and earthbending together produce some really strong land creatures.
Creature (19)
Marauding Mako x4
Quantum Riddler x4
Fear of Missing Out x4
Tiger-Seal x3
Duelist of the Mind x4
Enchantment (6)
Frostcliff Siege
Stormchaser's Talent x3
Roaring Furnace / Steaming Sauna x2
Instant (4)
Sorcery (8)
Boomerang Basics x4
Winternight Stories x4
Land (23)
Spirebluff Canal x4
Multiversal Passage x4
Mountain x3
Riverpyre Verge x4
Island x8
Sideboard (15)
Spell Pierce
Chandra, Spark Hunter
Cut Propulsion
Soul-Guide Lantern x2
Fire Magic
Frostcliff Siege
Roaring Furnace / Steaming Sauna
Pyroclasm
Ghost Vacuum x2
Disdainful Stroke x2
Abrade
Spider-Sense
Izzet Looting and Mono-Red Aggro, while getting targeted with bans, are still powerful metagame options. Izzet Looting relies on constantly drawing and discarding cards quickly, which powers cards like Marauding Mako and Duelist of the Mind. Fear of Missing Out is a nice bridge between the deck’s themes, offering card draw and discard while benefiting from the filled graveyard.
Standard Products
Standard is well supported by WotC. After all, we're looking at 6+ new sets for Standard every year. If you want to build up a collection of Standard-legal cards, you can jump into any of these Standard sets to get a foothold.
Foundations
There truly is no better Standard set of cards to start with than Foundations. The quality of cards in Foundations play boosters is designed to hold up for several years. This set will persist in Standard until at least 2029, and each color has powerful cards backing it up. Learn about Magic's archetypes and see how cards from Foundations fit those decks.
- WELCOME TO THE MULTIVERSE—Meet Magic’s most popular characters, raise zombies or cats, and strategically command armies or ancient power; this set covers Magic’s greatest hits and it’s the perfect way to start playing with your friends
- A GAME THAT FUSES ART, STORIES & STRATEGY—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy, gorgeous art, fantastical stories, and a thriving fan community all together into a card game experience like no other
- BEST BOOSTERS FOR PLAYING WITH FRIENDS—Construct a deck out of your favorite color combinations or draft packs with friends, Play Boosters are specially balanced for any way you like to play
- SIMPLY THE BEST CARDS—Play with cards that made Magic what it is today and open packs that may contain beautiful Borderless cards that put the card’s art on full display, including fan-favorite reprints with new art
- COLLECT RARE & MYTHIC RARE CARDS—Each Play Booster contains 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of a Special Guest Mythic Rare card featuring a beautiful alt-frame treatment from Magic’s history
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Last Airbender Play Boosters teach you the ways of the Avatar with allies and bending throughout. You get a chance to add transforming sagas that represent powerful past Avatars, and with all the clues, earthbent lands, and unblockable little spirits running around, you'd think a 100-year war might come to a conclusion.
- WATER. EARTH. FIRE. AIR… MAGIC—Wield the power of the elements as Avatar: The Last Airbender teams up with Magic: The Gathering! Climb atop a sky bison and travel from the walls of Ba Sing Se to the heart of the Fire Nation and restore balance to the world—or conquer it
- BEND THE ELEMENTS LIKE A MASTER—Relive the series with iconic scenes, collect cards featuring your favorite characters, and master Avatar: The Last Airbender-themed game mechanics
- JOIN TEAM AVATAR!—Join the fray with powerful bending masters, hybrid animals, and unforgettable allies wielding blades, boomerangs, and the occasional cabbage
- FOIL & RARE IN EVERY PACK—Each Play Booster contains at least 1 shiny Traditional Foil card and 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of special cards featuring beautiful borderless alternate art
- BEST BOOSTERS FOR PLAYING WITH FRIENDS—Play Boosters are the best way to discover what Magic has to offer; they're perfect for building decks, playing Limited games with friends, and are tons of fun to open
Edge of Eternities
The Edge of Eternities Play Booster Box could have a shock land in store for you. Even if you don't see one of those dual lands, you will see spacecraft and ramp options with lander tokens. When you go with this set, go boldly where no player has gone before.
- BATTLE FOR THE FATE OF A DYING STAR—Explore distant planets, wield dazzling magic, and wage war with alien factions
- BEST BOOSTERS FOR PLAYING WITH FRIENDS—Play Boosters are the best way to discover what Magic: The Gathering has to offer; they're perfect for building decks, playing Limited games with friends, and are tons of fun to open
- LAUNCH YOUR COSMIC COLLECTION—Each Play Booster contains 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of Special Guest Mythic Rare from Magic’s history featuring new Borderless art
- SHINING FOIL IN EVERY PACK—Every booster also includes at least 1 shining Traditional Foil card of any rarity; in 20% of packs you’ll also find a Traditional Foil Land card
- PLAY BOOSTER BOX CONTENTS—30 Edge of Eternities Play Boosters, each containing 14 MTG cards and 1 Token
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy Play Boosters feature solid mechanics like landfall cards and adventure cards, and the mainline games are featured to the fullest with chocobos, sidequests, and crystals. Don't skimp on this set, it was an all-time best-seller for a reason!
- THE ENTIRE FINAL FANTASY SAGA IS HERE—Step into the unforgettable stories of all 16 FINAL FANTASY core games brought to your tabletop with the strategic gameplay of the Magic: The Gathering trading card game
- CUE THE VICTORY FANFARE—Cast powerful spells, meet iconic characters, and visit familiar locales on the back of a Chocobo with cards featuring FINAL FANTASY-themed art and mechanics
- BEST BOOSTERS FOR PLAYING WITH FRIENDS—Play Boosters are the best way to discover what Magic has to offer; they're perfect for building decks, playing Limited games with friends, and are tons of fun to open
- COLLECT RARE CARDS—Each Play Booster contains 1–4 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of special cards featuring beautiful borderless alternate art
- SHINING FOIL CARD IN EVERY PACK—Every Play Booster also includes at least 1 card with a shiny Traditional Foil treatment; in 20% of packs you’ll also get a Traditional Foil Land card
Standard Theme Decks
These two decks do not release until Lorwyn Eclipsed drops on January 23, 2026.
Green-White Angels
The Angels Theme Deck shows us Giada, Font of Hope on the cover. The Foundations card and angel–dork from the Streets of New Capenna is a fan favorite and a great reason to try out Standard.
- 60-CARD THEME DECK—Accessible, ready-to-play decks filled with iconic Magic themes. A fun, fast entry into Standard format—choose a theme that fits you and jump right in
- WHAT IS STANDARD?—Standard is Magic's most-played 60-card constructed format, where you build decks from the most recently released sets. Dynamic gameplay and evolving strategies make Standard one of the most fun and popular ways to play!
- CONTENTS—1 battle-ready 60-card Angels theme deck, 1 deck box, 5 double-sided token cards, 1 strategy insert, and 1 reference card
Blue-Red Pirates
Swipe a Pirate Theme Deck and do your best to play “He's a Pirate” in your head. Fearless Swashbuckler shows up on the cover of a deck that leans on vehicles and takes a different approach to Izzet colors in Standard.
- 60-CARD THEME DECK—Accessible, ready-to-play decks filled with iconic Magic themes. A fun, fast entry into Standard format—choose a theme that fits you and jump right in
- WHAT IS STANDARD?—Standard is Magic's most-played 60-card constructed format, where you build decks from the most recently released sets. Dynamic gameplay and evolving strategies make Standard one of the most fun and popular ways to play!
- CONTENTS—1 battle-ready 60-card Pirates theme deck, 1 deck box, 5 double-sided token cards, 1 strategy insert, and 1 reference card
Standard Communities
If you want an online community to discuss the Standard format, there are lots of options. The first place I look is my LGS. Many local game stores around the world operate online communities through social media, Discord, or other such channels. Join such a community for the advantage of getting to know the players at your store. If your local store runs Standard events, it’s possible their online communities can also be used for discussion of the format.
With Standard so popular on MTG Arena, lots of streamers play it. As such, their personal communities often have Standard discussions. Especially as a way of discussing decks or showing Arena gameplay from their channels. There are so many creators to choose from and everyone likes different kinds of players and streamers, so all I say is to browse the best available channels on Twitch and see who's content appeals to you.
Of course, you’re reading this article on Draftsim.com and we have our own Discord for you to engage with. We have a dedicated section for Standard format discussion and you’re very welcome to join us!
What Is Standard Best of 1 on MTG Arena?
On MTG Arena, best-of-one (or BO1 for short) formats are very popular, as opposed to the traditional best-of-three format that is commonplace in live events. This is to make games a lot quicker. The main difference is that because you don’t get to use your sideboard, you’re much weaker against your bad matchups. Faster and more aggressive decks are much more widely played as a result. Control decks rely on their sideboards more, so they see less play here. If wish cards that use the sideboard return to Standard, you get to assign a 7-card sideboard, but otherwise, it doesn’t come into play.
Is Foundations Legal in Standard?
Yes, Foundations is legal in Standard until at least 2029. It's a special case in that it will not rotate out of Standard like other regular sets, even when the rotation shifts to the first set in the calendar year in 2027.
What's the Difference Between Commander and Standard?
The differences between Commander and Standard are vast with very different requirements for construction of the decks and attitudes of the players. Both are popular Constructed formats for different reasons, but here are a few main comparison points.
- Standard uses 60-card decks and allows 4-card playsets, while Commander has 100-card decks, color identity, and allows only single copies along with a designated card you can replay in the command zone.
- In Standard, both players start at 20 life, but in Commander games are often fired off with four players that start with 40 life.
- Standard is competitive while the generally casual Commander places more focus on fun interactions.
What’s the Difference Between Standard and Modern?
There are three main differences between Standard and Modern:
- Standard rotates annually and Modern doesn’t rotate at all.
- Standard has only three year's worth of sets legal at once while Modern has over 20 years’ worth of sets legal and counting.
- Modern’s banlist is more than 50 cards, and much more likely to grow than shrink, while Standard’s is always quite small.
Other than that, the formats share the same rulesets regarding deck construction and gameplay.
Are All Standard Decks Modern Legal?
Yes, your Standard decks are legal in Modern. However, it's a bit like swimming only in the shallow end of a huge and deep pool. There are a lot more cards for you to potentially face in the Modern pool compared to Standard.
It's possible for a card to be banned in Modern that's unbanned in Standard, though that doesn't describe any cards right now. For example, if Deathrite Shaman were reprinted in Standard for some reason, it would still be banned in Modern.
What’s the Difference Between Pioneer and Standard?
There are a few main differences between Standard and Pioneer:
- Standard rotates annually and Pioneer doesn’t rotate at all.
- Standard has a maximum of the most recent sets legal at once while Pioneer has over 10 years’ worth of sets from Return to Ravnica forward.
- Standard's ban list is less than a third of Pioneer's.
Other than that, the formats share the same rulesets regarding deck construction and gameplay.
Why is Standard Not Popular?
Standard is in fact popular, but there's a sentiment across the MTG community that it's not in great shape at the moment. The most common reasons include the cost to stay up to date with decks and the speed at which cards rotate out. The data shows that lots of people play Standard, especially on MTG Arena, so it comes around to one of the more common answers for too many questions, money: It costs too much to play Standard in paper. On Arena, it can be a nice wildcard alternative to formats like Historic or Timeless.
There's also a subset of players who are very unhappy with the decision to make all new Universes Beyond products Standard legal, which has lead to a sort of mini-boycott from a small portion of the player base.
Wrap Up
Shiko, Paragon of the Way | Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez
I know everyone in Magic likes to voice their opinion when it comes to Standard, but I find that when you set that aside and genuinely play the format for yourself, you can have a ton of fun. At the end of the day, that’s what really counts.
If you liked this article, and you play on Arena, check out Arena Tutor! If you like a rotating format, learn about Alchemy as an Arena-exclusive way to play the newest cards. Follow Draftsim on Twitter, and share this article with your friends to help drive the conversation further or point them to one you found interesting from our stream of new articles.
Until next time, take care of yourselves!
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2 Comments
There is no Rotation in 2026. The next Rotation is Jan 23, 2027, when Duskmourn and sets prior will rotate out.
Standard is not the most expensive format. If you’re not trying to make Tournament levels – most players are much more casual than that – and you’re not trying to match meta, it’s a wonderful low-budget format. All you need are to hit pre-release and pick up a few packs or drafts here and there (or spring for the Mastery Pass on Arena if that’s where you like to play).
It’s more fun to play against the meta, and it’s still easy to be competitive at your LGS, and to hit Diamond regularly (and Mythic occasionally) on Arena.
Thanks for pointing that out, we made this correction a while back but missed a tag in the article.
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