Power Rankings

Question: What's the best way to attack a card that nets your opponent value whether or not it actually resolves? Answer: Never let them cast it. Despite Thought Erasure costing 2 mana, it's the closest thing to Thoughtseize we've seen in a while. Being able to hit any spell in your opponent's hand in a format full of decks that want to play expensive, splashy cards is quite the benefit. With the additions Esper received from Ravnica Allegiance, we finally see how big of an impact this card can make on a format.

Even with people gunning for the decks this card performs best in, it remains one of the best cards in the format. Nothing quite replaces the unique set of characteristics the card has baked into it and it's likely we haven't seen the best home for the card yet. Sultai Midrange may make good use of Krasis, but I'd be surprised if that is the best shell.

Well, it was nice while it lasted. Esper Control has popped up in a big way and reinforced just how strong Teferi is. He's quite possibly the most influentional Standard planeswalker since Jace, the Mind Sculptor and one that you need to be prepared to fight. Even if you don't get much Esper, it's one of the better engines in the various Nexus of Fate decks and I'm sure people are still looking for a playable Jeskai Control list.

Drakes continues to perform well and people are experimenting with this odd looking Drake in other shells. I've seen it pop up in Mono-Blue Tempo lately as a 1-drop with a bit more impact than Mist-Cloaked Herald. What surprises me is just how strong the card is against the usual removal options. Players hate killing it early and later on become stuck in a position where they simply can't.

Speaking of the Mono-Blue Tempo decks, the deck has finally shaken off the budget-players-only label and garnered some real respect over the past two weeks. Not only has it popped up in every major Standard event so far, it's performed at a respectable level and is arguably the best positioned deck in the format for next week. This is the card that pulls it all together and fuels many of the free wins you get from the deck, making up for the underpowered Draft chaff you need to run (as is Fish tradition).

The fairer of the 5-mana planeswalkers, Vivien is a cornerstone of G/x decks as a good answer to Drakes, Hydroid Krasis, and enchantments. Once again the meta has shifted into a spot where you could easily make the argument that running three in the main deck is completely justified. Aggro being put on the backburner makes these planeswalker threats even more impactful than usual.

Yes, technically Wilderness Reclamation is what enables the degeneracy, but Nexus creates some of the most ludicrous situations ever seen in a game of Magic. Just ask Shahar Shenhar: https://www.twitch.tv/shahar_shenhar/clip/SingleFrigidBubbleteaHassaanChop.

Much like Mono-Blue Tempo finally being promoted from budget deck, this felt like the week everyone collectively acknowledged the Gates deck wasn't just a meme. With multiple builds doing some very unfair things ranging from pumping out 6/6 Gatekeeper Rams, turn-5 Gate Colossi, or simply fueling Nexus of Fate and Expansion // Explosion, Guild Summit is a great example of a true build-around with massive payoffs. Yes, your mana base is possibly the slowest seen in tournament Magic in the past 20 years. On the other hand, your lands draw you a card and in the late game a Summit can easily be a draw five for 2U.