Draft Deck Meta

Theros: Beyond Death Draft Deck Metagame

Draft deck metagame only consists of decks with the maximum number of wins (3 wins in Traditional and 7 wins in Quick and Premier drafts).
Select an archetype to see the popular cards used in winning decks of that group.

Gruul card breakdown - 260 decks, 11.17% of meta

Creatures

3.0 This has nice stats and some really significant text. Pumping power is nice, because it allows it to threaten to hit hard when you have all your mana open, and can trade for lots of stuff, and the exile clause also comes up in this graveyard-heavy format. 2 1x in 28%

3.5 Like most Escape creatures, Aracnir tends to give you some pretty nice card advantage. Early it isn’t the most impressive creature, but even just chump blocking with it feels pretty good, since it can come back in the late game and knock a flyer out of the sky as a 4/5. 3.4 1x in 29%

2.5 One-mana 1/1 Deathtouchers are always solid playables, they can trade with anything, which is especially appealing for a card that only costs one mana. 2.1 1x in 29%

2.0 This has alright stats and a decent ETB trigger, though it is kind of a bummer it only increases power. This makes it harder for it to create an attack for you where a creature is now able to survive combat, instead it will just make it hit harder. 1.7 1x in 30%

3.0 So, a 4-mana ¾ that can raise its power while lowering its toughness is probably already something you’d play a reasonable chunk of the time. That ability means it can trade with anything, and also that every time you attack with it, if your opponent doesn’t block, they could be about to eat 6 damage. But the Guardian also comes with the very specific upside of making your Labyrinth of Skophos way better, since the Minotaur will now fight anything you target with it. Now, the Labyrinth is a rare and this is an uncommon, so the chances of getting them both together are pretty low, but when you do, it will feel pretty good. 2.3 1x in 30%

3.0 This is a great Common payoff for the 4-power deck, as it often will be a ¾, and in a set with lots of Auras, trample is pretty nice! Note by the way that it counts itself when looking for 4 power, so if you have suited him up with an Aura that allows him to have 4-power, it will still get the boost. 1.4 1x in 30%

3.0 This gives you some nice fixing that gets better if you have a big guy around. It is super vulnerable and dies to every removal in the set, which is especially painful when your opponent spend only one mana to kill it, but it is still a high quality common. 3.1 1x in 31%

2.5 A 4-mana 4/4 with Reach and downside doesn’t sound amazing, but it actually lines up fairly well in this format. It is a sizable creature, and as long as you’re just always attacking with him, the fact he can’t block a big chunk of the time doesn’t matter! It is a little annoying that he has Reach – a purely defensive ability – but won’t be able to block with it very often. He does do a good job of stonewalling a board that has like…one flyer and not much else, at least. 1.5 1x in 33%

4.0 This is an excellent common. A 4-mana 4/4 virtually always makes the cut, but this one gets to come back in the late game much larger, guaranteeing you a 2-for-1, and sometimes just being a straight up win condition. 3.5 1x in 33%

3.0 Another nice Escape creature, the Chimera offers the ability to trade as a result of its high power, and then it can just keep coming back and threatening the opponent as a 5/2. 2.5 1x in 34%

3.5 This is a great payoff for the 4-power deck, as it will often grow in size quickly enough to represent a real problem for your opponent, and it starts with decent stats to begin with! 4.2 1x in 36%

3.0 This is a key common for Red aggro decks in this format. It has reasonably aggressive stats and doesn’t tend to stay dead, and can really represent inevitability. 2.2 1x in 36%

2.5 This is a solid creature that is especially good in the 4-power deck, as giving Trample to everybody is likely to have an immediate impact in a deck with enough larger creatures, and of course the Forerunner packs more than 4 power itself! 2.7 1x in 36%

3.0 This signpost uncommon feels a bit underwhelming to me. Sure, the guy is efficient and he has trample, but I feel like I should be getting a little something else to make up for the downside here. Sure, even if you don’t have a big enough creature, the Warden is a good blocker, and sure – RG is the color pair all about having high power – but still, just not that impressed here. Will you play him in all your RG decks? Absolutely. But he shouldn’t be the card that pulls you into the color pair. 2.8 1x in 40%
Instant, Sorcery

0.0 Making unblockable tokens over and over again and using up your valuable graveyard resources and mana just isn’t worth it. 0.5 1x in 3%

4.5 As usual, Board sweepers are really strong in Limited, and this kills almost everything in this format. They are hard-to-replace effects that just completely reshape the game. And sure, they are obviously symmetrical, but because you’re the one with Storm’s Wrath you know its coming – your opponent doesn’t, and that is often enough for you to come out ahead. 5 1x in 3%

1.0 Six mana for a board pump effect like this honestly isn’t that impressive, especially because the boost it gives is so inconsistent, and it doesn’t even offer a keyword ability to sweeten the deal. You’ll play this in some of your Green decks, especially if you’re close to mono-green and going wide, but you’ll barely every play this. 1.8 1x in 5%

4.0 This either gives you a flexible and very efficient removal spell, or a hasty elemental token. I think more often than not, you’ll want the removal option here – it isn’t the most efficient thing at only two mana – since it does 2, but that’s the least efficient it gets! At 3 mana you are doing 4 damage, and at 4 mana you are doing 6! This will be capable of taking down almost anything, and it does it at a discount. The other mode isn’t as attractive in most cases, but sometimes your opponent’s shields will be down, and you can make the Elemental token and win the game. The X damage part doesn’t let you hit players, but if that’s what you’re interested in doing, that Elemental token can help with that. 5 1x in 8%

0.0 // 2.5 There is a real sacrifice deck in this format, and that means this Threaten effect is actually worthwhile sometimes! Stealing an opposing creature and then sacrificing it is one of the sweetest things you’ll ever do in Magic, and because there are good sacrifice outlets in this format, you’ll actually set that up sometimes. It is unplayable pretty much everywhere else, though. 1.3 1x in 10%

1.5 This is alright in aggro decks, as it can let you close out a game, but it is still highly situational – it doesn’t tend to do much unless you have lethal. 0.6 1x in 10%

1.0 This is an alright trick, but in a format with lots of playable offensive Auras, tricks are a little less valuable. 1 1x in 13%

1.5 This is an alright trick. You’ll play it sometimes in aggro decks. 1.1 1x in 15%

3.5 This can tuck a huge number of permanents in this set and it does it really efficiently, basically amounting to being premium removal. 3.1 1x in 18%

2.0 This gives you some nice card selection, loads your graveyard, and provides an instant speed effect for the UR deck, so it fits into most decks in this format reasonably well. 1 1x in 20%

2.0 This is a solid draw spell for Green, and it is nice that it puts at least three cards in the graveyard when you use it, because that will help you fuel Escape. 1.1 1x in 23%

3.5 Well, it isn’t Lightning Bolt, or even Lightning Strike – but that’s ok, this is still premium removal. . It can kill stuff in response to Auras – which will be extra good in this format, as well as in response to combat tricks and other shenanigans, and it can kill the majority of creatures you’re going to see in this format, frequently trading up. Scry 1 might just seem like small value, and I guess it kind of is, but adding a little bit of card selection to a great removal spell is nice. 3.9 1x in 26%

2.5 You can main deck this pretty easily in this format – there are Enchantments everywhere, and sometimes exiling an Escape creature is worth it. 2 1x in 27%

1.5 There aren’t many formats where removal spells that involve you sacrificing a creature end up working out in Limited, and this isn’t one of them, even with a fairly legit sacrifice deck around. 1.6 1x in 27%
Enchantment, Artifact

1.0 first three chapters help make it so your creatures can attack harder and give them trample, and if you play this on turn 3 and your opponent has an empty board you can start doing a ton of damage. But, that’s the kind of ability that normally won’t scale very well as the game goes on -- sure, if you have creatures who are challenging to block it gets more interesting, but the boost to only power and Trample just isn’t something I’m that interested in. I feel like most aggro decks would rather just play a 3-mana creature than this. Now, the fourth chapter of this Saga is the most interesting one, since it gives you a fight effect -- but the fact your opponent KNOWS it is coming, means they can play around it to some extent -- it just takes so long for you to get to chapter 4 too. 1.5 1x in 8%

2.5 This is always nice in every format we see it in. It gives you serious fixing, and if your curve is low enough you can count it as a land in your deck, allowing you to play more meaningful cards. 1.8 1x in 9%

4.5 4 mana to steal a creature is great, but keep in mind that unlike most Red effects like this, it doesn’t give the creature you steal haste. The upside though is you get to steal it for more than one turn -- you will have it for two turns instead! But this card does a whole lot more than that! It might take a little bit, but between stealing their creature, then forcing their creatures to attack you, and the final chapter of the Saga, you’re going to be killing stuff most of the time when you play this. Overall, I think this seems pretty powerful -- Chapter I you get a blocker out of the way who you can attack with next turn, Chapter II you can force your opponent into bad attacks, and Chapter III, most of your opponent’s creatures die. And you obviously get to avoid having your own creatures damage themselves, since your creatures don’t have to attack. Though, I would recommend attacking the turn before Chapter III with the creature you stole, so your opponent won’t get it back. Sometimes this won’t line up right, and that’s frustrating, but most of the time it works in your favor. 4.7 1x in 10%

1.5 Granting flying to things is always a reasonable thing to do with Equipment, and the additional upside here of making the equipped creature unblockable doesn’t hurt, though you probably only do that if you can do lethal. 0.7 1x in 11%

3.0 This gives you a nice mana boost in the early game, and then in the late game – when such an effect doesn’t feel especially useful – it gives you something that can actually impact the board in the form of a wolf token. 3.1 1x in 14%

1.5 This comes with all the downside of Auras – it can lead to card disadvantage from those 2-for-1s and so forth, and the initial boost it gives for three mana is not worth that risk. A single +1/+1 counter just isn’t enough – and I don’t think two is enough either to offset the risk. This means there are two turns where your investment looks ugly, which gives your opponent extra time to get rid of this before you’ve gotten a reasonable amount of value out of it. Once it has added 4 counters you’re probably getting there, but that just takes so long. 3.5 1x in 17%

2.0 This gives a really nice stats boost for the cost, though it does come with some quite significant upside. If you’re an aggressive deck, slapping this on your one or two drop can often win you the game – but of course you’re going to get 2-for-1’d and Lightning Bolted if your opponent has an answer. This tends to be worth it in those aggro decks, but not really anywhere else. 1.2 1x in 17%

1.0 // 3.5 This is a powerful 4-power build around that basically draws you a card every turn when you meet the requirement. Your deck has to have the right composition, but when it does, this will win you games. 2.5 1x in 20%

2.5 This is nice fixing and ramp, and like all Omens it can be cashed in to Scry later in the game. If you aren’t splashing it probably isn’t something you’re super interested in playing. 2 1x in 21%

2.0 This is another Aura that feels like a combat trick that leaves some value behind, and the boost it often gives is well worth it in aggro decks. Still risky of course, so keep that in mind. 1.5 1x in 30%

3.5 This is a removal spell that also gives one of your creatures a stats boost, and that’s pretty nice. It isn’t the most efficient at removing things, but it is nice that it actually impacts your side of the board too, even if +1/+1 isn’t always going to be a major thing. 3.5 1x in 38%

3.5 This gives a large enough boost to toughness that this enables a number of creatures to fight and survive than would have been able to without it. This often feels like a removal spell that leaves behind a permanent stats boost for one of your creatures, and that tends to feel pretty good – though it does have the usual downsides that Fight spells do – if you’re not careful, you might get 2-for-1’d. 3.5 1x in 40%

3.0 Two mana to do two to anything at Instant speed is usually a solid card, if not premium removal. Adding some scry to the later game doesn’t hurt either. Then this gets a little bonus for both being an Enchantment, and a card with Flash -- since there are decks in this format interested in both things. This is cheap enough too, that killing 3 and 4 mana creatures who have two toughness with it will happen a decent chunk of the time. Sometimes you’ll break even on it, but I think you’ll trade up enough that this will feel really good. 2.9 1x in 41%

2.5 This replaces itself, and that’s quite nice. The +1/+0 and Trample boost probably wouldn’t have been enough, even in a format with Enchantmetn synergy, but because it draws you a card, you get to avoid the danger of a 2-for-1. 2.3 1x in 42%
Planeswalkers

5.0 5 for 5 loyalty is usually a good place to be, and Ashiok can immediately go up to 6 loyalty and make a 2/3!(!) creature, which also happens to start exiling stuff from your opponent’s library. That last part probably won’t matter a ton, but in a format that has a graveyard theme, it could turn out to be pretty nice. So, Ashiok, Nightmare Muse can use the ⅔ to protect them, and also just start filling the baord with them. Ashiok’s -3 ability is quite good too -- allowing you to bounce something and make your opponent discard a card from their hand is great, and it will be particularly spicy in situations where your opponent has no hand. Ashiok’s ultimate is also the kind that can just end games, though it does require some set up. So -- Ashiok can add pretty nice creatures to the board, bounce problem permanents, and has a game-breaking ultimate -- that makes Ashiok an absolute bomb. 5 1x in 0%

4.0 So, Calix loves Enchantments. And in a format with a bunch of Enchantments, I think he will be pretty powerful – his +1 will regularly draw you a card, and his -3 will let you kill anything that stands in your way. He doesn’t have an Ultimate that will be consistently game-breaking, but it isn’t bad. Now, this set is loaded up with Enchantments for sure, but I think you need around 7 of them for Calix to be at his best, and sometimes even in a deck with that many he won’t be at his best. 4.5 1x in 1%
Lands

3.0 These give great fixing while also improving your draw a little bit. That makes it well worth the fact it comes into play tapped. 5 1x in 0%

0.0 This is unplayable, as usual. There aren’t enough non-basics in this set for it to be worth running. If there were, it would actually be kind of interesting -- since it can also fix for you, but if it doesn’t’ have a target, it is just a land that produces only colorless mana, and that’s liability in Limited, where mana bases usually aren’t very good to begin with. 0.5 1x in 1%

1.0 Filterlands that don’t do anything else tend to be pretty bad, but you’ll run this if you’re desperate for fixing. 0.8 1x in 3%

3.0 This is a nice utility land. Any land that becomes a meaningful card at some point in a game feels nice, since most lands have outlived their usefulness by that point of the game. This can really make it hard for your opponent to attack you, especially. 5 1x in 4%

3.0 These give great fixing while also improving your draw a little bit. That makes it well worth the fact it comes into play tapped. 4.9 1x in 4%
Top Rated Cards

4.0 At worst, he is a 3-mana 2/3 with a powerful ability who churns out creature tokens when stuff dies. Now, the fact that those creature tokens can’t block is no small thing – part of the value of creature tokens in a lot of games is that they can provide chump blockers, and these can’t do that – they are all about attacking. So yes, that is definitely a downgrade, but still – you’re getting creature tokens when stuff dies, and that’s nice value. Plus, he also likes it when extra big creatures die, and he can make two tokens. It is nice too that this ability includes himself, so it basically impossible for your opponent to straight up trade with Anax – he can even potentially get his power up to 4, in which case he would make two tokens! I think that Anax brings a lot of power for an uncommon, especially as a three drop. 4.2 1x in 25%

4.0 At worst she is a 4-mana 2/3 that makes your creatures come down with an additional counter – and that’s a card you would pretty much always play. But, the higher your devotion, the higher the power, and the more impressive she becomes. 4.2 1x in 27%

4.0 This is an excellent common. A 4-mana 4/4 virtually always makes the cut, but this one gets to come back in the late game much larger, guaranteeing you a 2-for-1, and sometimes just being a straight up win condition. 3.5 1x in 33%

4.5 This is a really neat card. 5 mana for a 4/2 that, in most cases, will be netting you at least a couple of cards is really sweet. And, the fact that he helps stock up your graeyard so you can bring him back later with Escape is some nice internal synergy. This is the kind of card that doesn’t have impressive stats, and it won’t be your win condition exactly, but the amount of cards it nets you -- especially if you manage to get it back with Escape later -- is completely absurd, and will be enough to win you the game on card advantage alone. I also like the high power, because it means finding a way to trade with the creature itself isn’t too hard. The one place where this might not feel great is if you are trying to hold on to some cards in your hand, but the good news is you can wait to cast this until it is as beneficial as possible. 5 1x in 2%

4.5 As usual, Board sweepers are really strong in Limited, and this kills almost everything in this format. They are hard-to-replace effects that just completely reshape the game. And sure, they are obviously symmetrical, but because you’re the one with Storm’s Wrath you know its coming – your opponent doesn’t, and that is often enough for you to come out ahead. 5 1x in 3%

4.5 A 3 mana enchantment that makes creatures cheaper, and has a useful mana sink ability usually plays pretty nicely, as it is a great way to grind out longer games. And obviously, if your devotion gets high enough, Nylea becomes a huge indestructible creature. 4.9 1x in 3%

4.5 This is a great efficient piece of Equipment that makes just about any creature into a problem. Lifelink is always a nightmare to play against, especially when your opponent can just keep a card on the table that can give life link to anything! Meanwhile, trample suddenly makes your big dumb guys a lot harder for your opponent to stop. Believe it or not, the turn of hexproof and indestructible part of the card will actually come up every now and again too, which is hilarious, because most people forget about that part of the card when you play against it. 5 1x in 4%

4.5 Tectonic Giant comes with fairly decent stats as a 4-mana ¾, and an ability that triggers every time he attacks. And, his ability is pretty flexible! Sometimes you’ll want the damage, especially if your opponent’s life is in danger. Other times, you’ll want the shot to cast some extra cards, if you are trying to pull back ahead. So, you repeatedly can get a pretty powerful effect out of it. And, even if your opponent kills your Giant right away, you’re going to get value out of it, since it gives you one of those two abilities when it becomes targeted by the opponent too! 5 1x in 5%

4.5 This is an incredibly powerful Constellation effect. Even if it just did one of the two things it does you would always play it – but getting a counter AND a card is amazing. Enchantments are everywhere in this set too, so setting that up isn’t exactly hard to do. He does start out a bit vulnerable, but as long as you trigger Constellation once with him you’re going to come out ahead, and anything more than that probably wins you the game. 5 1x in 8%

4.5 4 mana to steal a creature is great, but keep in mind that unlike most Red effects like this, it doesn’t give the creature you steal haste. The upside though is you get to steal it for more than one turn -- you will have it for two turns instead! But this card does a whole lot more than that! It might take a little bit, but between stealing their creature, then forcing their creatures to attack you, and the final chapter of the Saga, you’re going to be killing stuff most of the time when you play this. Overall, I think this seems pretty powerful -- Chapter I you get a blocker out of the way who you can attack with next turn, Chapter II you can force your opponent into bad attacks, and Chapter III, most of your opponent’s creatures die. And you obviously get to avoid having your own creatures damage themselves, since your creatures don’t have to attack. Though, I would recommend attacking the turn before Chapter III with the creature you stole, so your opponent won’t get it back. Sometimes this won’t line up right, and that’s frustrating, but most of the time it works in your favor. 4.7 1x in 10%

4.5 A 3-mana 2/2 with Flying and Haste is already good -- then, the Phoenix comes with the ability to pump its power if you pump mana into it, which means even if your opponent manages to get something with Reach or Flying into play, the Phoenix can take it down if it needs to. Then, like all Phoenixes, Ash Phoenix can rise from the ashes, and in this case come back as a 3/3 with Flying and Haste. It also only asks for three cards to be exiled to Escape, and because of that Escaping with this over and over again isn’t really far-fetched. That means this Phoenix is going to be a nightmare for opponents, constantly coming back and dealing lots of damage in the sky. While this Phoenix is small, I think that its recursion and efficiency are enough to make into a bomb. 4.7 1x in 13%

5.0 5 for 5 loyalty is usually a good place to be, and Ashiok can immediately go up to 6 loyalty and make a 2/3!(!) creature, which also happens to start exiling stuff from your opponent’s library. That last part probably won’t matter a ton, but in a format that has a graveyard theme, it could turn out to be pretty nice. So, Ashiok, Nightmare Muse can use the ⅔ to protect them, and also just start filling the baord with them. Ashiok’s -3 ability is quite good too -- allowing you to bounce something and make your opponent discard a card from their hand is great, and it will be particularly spicy in situations where your opponent has no hand. Ashiok’s ultimate is also the kind that can just end games, though it does require some set up. So -- Ashiok can add pretty nice creatures to the board, bounce problem permanents, and has a game-breaking ultimate -- that makes Ashiok an absolute bomb. 5 1x in 0%

5.0 So, if it doesn’t escape, you basically have a three mana spell that gains you 3 life, draws you a card, and puts a land on to the battlefield. That is already pretty close to a playable card. Then, when this escapes, it gets to be completely absurd -- amounting to a 4-mana 6/6 that will then draw you a card, gain you 3 life, and let you play a land etc., And, true to the “Titan” in its name, then it does it all again every time it attacks! The escape does require double-colored mana, and asks for five other cards in your graveyard, and both of those things are far from completely guaranteed, but it is easier to accomplish than you might think. If Uro escapes, you probably win the game. 4.7 1x in 0%

5.0 Well, Polukranos is Back, and he is undead and super powerful. A 4-mana 6/6 is already greatand while Poukranos does have an ability that is mostly a downside -- preventing damage and removing that many +1/+1 counters -- he comes with enough additional upside that you shouldn’t really care. His ability to fight anything means he can kill multiple creatures if he can stay in play, and he can Escape later in the game, and come back as a 12/12, which will allow him to fight a lot more things! 5 1x in 0%

Selesnya	2752 matches	323 decks
13.87% of Metagame
Golgari	2343 matches	275 decks
11.81% of Metagame
Gruul	2194 matches	260 decks
11.17% of Metagame
Rakdos	2062 matches	242 decks
10.40% of Metagame
Azorius	1847 matches	219 decks
9.41% of Metagame
Boros	1695 matches	200 decks
8.59% of Metagame
Orzhov	1349 matches	157 decks
6.74% of Metagame
Dimir	1059 matches	123 decks
5.28% of Metagame
Simic	863 matches	102 decks
4.38% of Metagame
Bant	558 matches	65 decks
2.79% of Metagame
Izzet	537 matches	62 decks
2.66% of Metagame
Jund	306 matches	36 decks
1.55% of Metagame
Mono Black	291 matches	35 decks
1.50% of Metagame
Mono White	287 matches	34 decks
1.46% of Metagame
Naya	211 matches	25 decks
1.07% of Metagame
Mono Red	208 matches	24 decks
1.03% of Metagame
Mono Green	189 matches	22 decks
0.95% of Metagame
Esper	163 matches	20 decks
0.86% of Metagame
Abzan	167 matches	20 decks
0.86% of Metagame
Mardu	151 matches	18 decks
0.77% of Metagame
Sultai	151 matches	18 decks
0.77% of Metagame
Grixis	147 matches	17 decks
0.73% of Metagame
Jeskai	88 matches	10 decks
0.43% of Metagame
Temur	84 matches	10 decks
0.43% of Metagame
Mono Blue	35 matches	4 decks
0.17% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-black)	24 matches	3 decks
0.13% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-white)	18 matches	2 decks
0.09% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-green)	9 matches	1 decks
0.04% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-blue)	9 matches	1 decks
0.04% of Metagame

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Theros: Beyond Death Draft Deck Metagame

Gruul card breakdown - 260 decks, 11.17% of meta

Creatures

Instant, Sorcery

Enchantment, Artifact

Planeswalkers

Lands

Top Rated Cards

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