The Impact of March of the Machine on Standard: More than 1467 Decks Analyzed

Angel Sevilla
25/04/2023 · 11 min read

Quick Intro

Hey everyone!

Welcome to my breakdown of the impact of  Mach of the Machine on Standard. 

Using all the data from the first week including MTGO Challenges, and major tournaments, I'll try to  showcase the key cards needed to update our decks for the new Standard metagame, and how the new set has shaped the format.

To do so, I'll cover the cards from the new set played in each archetype.

Let's jump right in!

1. Esper Legends

Esper Legends has been one of the top decks throughout the previous season, and with the addition of MOM, it has found new cards that make it incredibly efficient.

The most noteworthy cards include Rona, Herald of Invasion, and Surge of Salvation in the sideboard, both of them truly making a significant impact in the archetype.

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Rona is a Merfolk Looter on steroids in this deck, and when she transforms, she becomes an absolute nightmare for many opposing decks.

Other cards that are seeing play in this archetype, albeit less frequently, include Sheoldred and Elesh Norn, as well as Invasion of Gobakhan in the sideboard to buy the necessary time against aggressive decks.

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Most played cards in Esper Legends

2. Mono White Midrange

Mono White was another dominant deck in the previous Standard that has gained ground with this set.

The primary culprit is Surge of Salvation, a card that has thrived in white sideboards and effectively streamlines our matchups against black-based decks, such as Esper Midrange, Mono Black, Orzhov Midrange, and so on.

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Just like in Esper Legends, Invasion of Gobakhan has proven to be an incredibly effective card. It enables white players to delay their opponents' game plans, giving them enough time to develop their strategie against aggressive decks without problems.

Finally, it's also crucial to highlight how both Archangel Elspeth and Elesh Norn have found their place in numerous versions.

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However, my personal pick as one of the set's sleeper cards is Guardian of Ghirapur, which allows us to blink our creatures and activate their ETB triggers multiple times.

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Most Played Cards In Mono-White Midrange

3. Red Deck Wins

As a counterpoint to midrange decks, we have a classic archetype present across all formats: Mono-red. This archetype has found the essential staples it needs to once again become one of the top tiers in the metagame: bloodfeather phoenix and invasion of regatha.

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The Phoenix gives us a form of recursion and the potential to make a comeback after mass removal, while Regatha is a great burn spell that can be aimed directly at our opponent's faces, with the upside of being a card we can transform later.

The other key card in the archetype is Nahiri's Warcrafting, which provides us with efficient removal, coupled with a solid card advantage.

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Regarding the sideboard, the standout card is once again Lithomantic Barrage, which needs no further introduction: it's an absolute nightmare for blue and white decks.

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Most Played Cards In Mono-Red Aggro

4. Rakdos Midrange

Throughout this initial week, Rakdos Midrange has stepped down from its top-tier deck position, but it remains firmly within the tier one rankings of the format. In this case, it has found fewer reinforcements for the main deck than other archetypes have.

The card that has made the most significant impact in the game is none other than Chandra, Hope's Beacon, accompanied by the now ever-present Lithomantic Barrage in the sideboard.

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It's also quite interesting to see how Glistening Deluge has made its way into the sideboards of numerous builds as an effective mass removal option against aggro/token decks.

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Most Played Cards In Rakdos Midrange

5. Rakdos Atraxa

As expected, there are also decks featuring Atraxa, the card that has become ubiquitous in a variety of formats from Legacy to Standard gracing all kinds of reanimator, creativity, transmogrify, and similar decks.

Rakdos Atraxa (also known as Rakdos Reanimator) has also been impacted by March of the Machine, featuring cards like Etali, Primal Conqueror and Volcanic Spite.

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Etali serves as an excellent reanimator target, capable of swiftly securing victory single-handedly, while Volcanic Spite offers valuable spot removal capabilities, further enhancing our draw filtering process.

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And, of course, they're incorporating Lithomantic Barrage into their sideboard - the go-to addition for red decks ;)

Most Played Cards In Rakdos Atraxa

6. Grixis Midrange

The third top-tier black midrange deck in the current Standard is Grixis Midrange. Numerous versions are including cards such as Chandra, Hope's Beacon and Invasion of Amonkhet into their main decks.

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Both cards offer card advantage, with Chandra being particularly good at it. And the ability to "reanimate" an opponent's Atraxa makes Invasion of Amonkhet truly captivating.

In addition to the classic Grixis Midrange, a new deck has emerged that combinesHidetsugu and Kairi with Explosive Singularity, which we've categorized as a distinct archetype: Grixis Singularity.

Most Played Cards In Grixis Midrange

7. Domain Control

This deck is designed to fully capitalize on Battles and multicolor, pushing its potential to the limit. In upcoming articles, we'll delve deeper into it. For now, it's important to note that one of the key cards from the new set in this deck is Invasion of Alara.

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With the assistance of all the tricolor lands from previous sets, it becomes incredibly easy to play and get the most out of it.

Most Played Cards In Domain Control

8. Mono Green

At last, another mono-colored deck. In this instance, we witness what we've all anticipated since the set spoilers started rolling out: Polukranos Reborn is an absolute juggernaut.

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Combined with Doomskar Warrior and Tribute to the World Tree, it creates an intriguing deck that adds a refreshing twist to Mono Green in Standard.

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Most Played Cards In Mono-Green

9. Mono Black

Mono Black, which was once the dominant deck in the early days following the release of ONE, has gained two significant cards with March of the Machines: Sheoldred and Grafted Butcher.

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Most Played Cards In Mono-Black

10. Mono Blue Tempo

Mono Blue Tempo continues to be one of the most affordable decks to play in Magic the Gathering, yet it has received virtually no fresh cards from the latest set, save for Moment of Truth, which has found its place in the main deck.

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Most Played Cards In Mono-Blue Tempo

Final words

I hope that this analysis of the impact of the set will help you to fine-tune your decks with the new cards. And If you think we have missed any key archetype, let us know in the comments, and I will try to include the analysis ASAP.

 Until next time!

Angel Sevilla
MTG Decks developer
MTGDecks.net developer and Magic Enthusiast. Blue decks lover and control fanatic ;).

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