Nadu richly deserved to be banned, and the August metagame data proves it. However, Grief is a more speculative ban but will cause a stronger metagame shift.
Grief
Nadu Breakfast is confirmed as a Tier 1 deck. Sorta. Magic Online never behaves as expected. However, the metagame’s direction is quite clear. August 26 looms.
Modern’s metagame has fallen back on old favorites. With Modern Horizons 3 coming soon, players are holding their breath for the new shakeup. The data is clear.
I haven’t had to do that many metagame updates for February, it being the month where bans tend to happen. That wasn’t the case this month, though I suspect that the data will add fuel to the banning call fires. I understand, but I’d caution everyone to consider the context before jumping to conclusions. February’s data is defined by the Regional Championships and that created a localized warp.
With Fury and Up the Beanstalk banned, Modern is set to dramatically change. The data clearly shows how necessary the bans were, though the impact is uncertain.
Modern continues to be dominated to an extreme degree by Scam. There has been innovation in the lower tiers, but it appears that the status quo will persist.
August was… unexpected. Wizards threw everyone off with their Ban Day decisions. Bans were expected in Standard (based on Wizards’ own statements) and hoped for in multiple other formats. Instead, Modern and Legacy saw unbans. The impact this has had will be on display in this metagame update.
The June Modern Metagame Update is here. New additions have stirred Modern’s mostly stagnant metagame, but that might not be permanent. David has the details.
Modern’s top creatures have outgrown removal. Stern Scolding could change format interaction forever. See how the counterspell lines up against the competition.
The March Modern Metagame Update is ready. Modern is incredibly stable, and that is translating into highly polarized, and not ideal, data. David E. explains.
The January Modern Metagame Update is here. In this month, the top decks remain stable while the lower tiers show more innovation and experimentation.
