Draft Deck Meta

Zendikar Rising 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.

Four Color (Non-white) card breakdown - 6 decks, 0.15% of meta

Creatures

3.5 So, a 5-mana 5/4 with Haste is decent, and that’s what it will be in a bad situation. Those stats and that keyword are well worth it. Obviously, this will sometimes cost more – and 6 for this isn’t nearly as good. But it also frequently costs 4, at which point it is pretty amazing. 3.8 1x in 33%

3.5 These sort of “infiltration” creatures that draw you a card when they do damage are just great, because they really snowball. The more cards you draw, the more likely you’ll be able to find a way to keep getting in with the creature. And, in this case -- the more likely you are to find Rogues who can make it unblockable. 3.6 1x in 33%

2.0 This has decent starting stats, a party creature type, and an ability that can keep it relevant. Seems fine. 1 1x in 33%

3.5 If this was just a 2-mana 2/2 with kicker that allowed it to be a 5-mana 5/5 in the late game, it would be at least a C+. That might sound underwhelming if you haven’t played with Kicker before, but being able to be either of those reasonably efficient cards is very powerful. Then, you add in the fact that BG is all about +1/+1 counters, so this skeleton having counters when it is kicked matters extra, and THEN you also add in the fact that he is a +1/+1 counter payoff himself, and you have something even better. 3.2 1x in 33%

3.0 This is a nice Common. Having a Grizzly Bear with a +1/+1 counter payoff as a base form isn’t bad when you have other late game option of paying 5-mana for a 4/4 with Trample. Neither side of this is especially efficient -- but that often doesn’t matter with creatures who have Kicker, as we’ve seen in the past. Just having an alternate option in the late game to make this a more imposing creature is nice, even if the rate isn’t great. 3 1x in 33%

2.0 This isn’t very efficient cast normally OR with Kicker, but the flexibility to choose either is enough to make that inefficiency matter less, as is the fact that it can gain you some life, which the BW deck really cares about. 2.9 1x in 33%

4.0 A 3-mana 4/3 with Haste and Trample that has to return to your hand every turn would be playable – while returning to your hand is part downside, your opponent also usually has to alter their plan just because of the threat of it coming down. Kicking this is obviously better though – then it becomes a 5-mana 5/4 with Trample and Haste, and that’s pretty nice. This is mostly a 5-mana 5/4 with Trample and Haste, but one that has the upside of being able to Dash in and do some damage before he’s ready to stick around on the board. 4.8 1x in 33%

3.0 A two mana 2/1 is a D+ at best these days, we just expect better stats for a two mana investment. However, the kicker upside here is quite strong in the late game. 2.5 1x in 50%

4.0 So this is a 4-mana 2/2 that does one to a creature or planeswalker when it comes down. That’s not so good. But, when it can kill something it will feel pretty good, but there are plenty of board states where it won’t be able to. However, doing 2 damage this this is a massive upgrade and will usually help you kill something, and at that points you have a great card. And it can do even more damage than that! 4 1x in 50%

2.5 A 3-mana 2/1 with Flying and Flash is already a reasonable card, but this is also a Rogue that mills your opponent, and that’s something that the UB decks are pretty interested in. 2.7 1x in 50%

3.5 As a 6-mana 5/5 with Vigilance that can fill whichever party role you need, this would probably be a C, perhaps even a C+ -- but it of course can also reduce its cost, and it isn’t crazy to imagine playing this for 5 mana, and playing it for 4 won’t be super rare either, and in those cases this is going to feel really good. A creature this size with Vigilance is always really nice in Limited, as it really makes it harder for opponents to effectively race you if you have a big creature who can play both offense and defense. 3.9 1x in 50%

2.5 We see this card in lots of sets, and it is always fine. It can trade for anything, giving it relevance all game long, but it is never particularly impactful. 2.4 1x in 50%

2.5 We have seen this card a lot, and it is always solid. At worst, it is a two mana 2/2 -- and it has the upside of being able to make some other more relevant creature get a +1/+1 counter in the later part of the game. The BG deck in this format also has +1/+1 counter synergies, AND it has a creature type relevant for partying, so it will be a nice two drop in multiple decks in this format. 1.8 1x in 50%

1.5 I think this is fine. A 4-mana 3/3 that scries 1 would probably be a C-. We recently had Octoprophet, which was a 4-mana 3/3 that always Scried 2, and that was definitely a solid C -- and that’s what this will be a decent chunk of the time. Obviously with a full party it gets better, but you shouldn’t really look at this as doing that very often, because it won’t. 0.9 1x in 50%
Instant, Sorcery

2.5 The reason this type of effect isn’t great is because it doesn’t do anything, or does far too little way more often than it actually does do something. However, when that window does open, it can do some nasty stuff, like completely wreck combat for your opponent. But, if it is clear it isn’t going to be much use, you can play it as a land to get more mana, and maybe even trigger landfall. 2.7 1x in 33%

0.0 This doesn’t counter enough things and it is too situational. 0.6 1x in 33%

3.5 If you don’t kick this, it does give you three options that are reasonably efficient -- you can Mind rot your opponent, reanimate something spell, or kill something small. The kicker here does make it cost 7, but obviously if you do all three of these things, you’re going to be in business. Now, making your opponent discard two in the late game doesn’t always matter, but you will usually still be killing something and reanimating something and that’s pretty good. 4.8 1x in 33%

3.0 One mana to do one to something is not usually a great card in Limited, it just doesn’t kill enough stuff. This card can at least hit players or planeswalkers too, but that’s still not that great. Even adding the Exile clause doesn’t help a whole lot. But you know what does help? Having a land on the other side! When you can’t really kill anything with the spell side, having a land isn’t a terrible back up. 3.5 1x in 33%

3.5 Look, a Black card that can hit Enchantments! That’s pretty weird. Anyway, this is a good removal spell. It is cheap and kills two permanent types, no questions asked. Now, the damage it does to you certainly matters -- but if you are paying two mana to blow up their 5 drop, paying 5 life for that is a reasonable cost most of the time. Now, playing more than one of these can be a little risky – you only have so much life after all, but value the first copy pretty highly. 3.7 1x in 33%

2.5 This can kill stuff at Instant speed, but it is a bit situational. It falls short of premium removal. 3.7 1x in 33%

1.0 This removal is way too conditional, you should only be running if it you have no other removal. 0.6 1x in 33%

1.0 This can potentially give you a whole lot for only one mana! But…it can also potentially be blank card. The likelihood of it being blank is about as likely as it is that you have a full party. On average, it will probably give somewhere between 1 and 2 tokens, and that hardly seems worth it to me. 0 1x in 33%

3.5 This is one of the better uncommon modal DFCs in this set. That’s because one side of it is a removal spell. Sure, it is Pounce for one more mana -- but the fact it can be removal when that works out for you, or a land when that’s what you need is just super good. Being an Instant also means that the Fight side of the card will find more windows than Sorcery speed versions of that effect. 4.1 1x in 33%

0.0 // 2.0 If you can’t consistently turn this into a cantrip it is unplayable. But, if you’re a UR deck that is interested in both spells and Wizards, this is a solid playable. 1.1 1x in 33%

1.5 So, this is an overcosted Giant Growth without kicker, and with it -- well, it still isn’t all that efficient. 5-mana for +5/+5 doesn’t really do it for me. Sure, sometimes it will turn damage lethal and all that, and it will certainly win combat for you, but to go that route you usually have to give up on developing the board for a turn, which just won’t be worth it a lot. 1 1x in 33%

4.0 So, having to pay 5 for this is a little bit short of premium. You just usually will be trading down with it, and that’s always rough -- even if it is an instant that can kill just about anything. But the good news is, you can reduce the cost of this to 4 pretty easily, and in Magical Christmas Land, this might only cost one Black mana! Ok, that last part won’t happen very often, but it IS upside. 4.3 1x in 50%

1.0 We see a Green card like this in most sets, and they are always kind of meh. They give you some nice card selection, and it is also kind of nice that if you wiff on a creature, you still get a card out of it. Whiffing on a creature is unlikely in most limited decks, but it DOES happen sometimes, so having protection from this doing absolutely nothing is nice. That said, this type of card, especially at two mana, generally feels like it is easy to cut in most decks. 0.2 1x in 50%

1.5 This is an alright trick. You’ll run it in super aggressive decks but not anywhere else. 0.9 1x in 67%
Enchantment, Artifact

2.5 This offers some good fixing, and some silly ramp if you can kick it. 3 mana mana-rocks that add any color aren’t usually amazing in Limited, but yeah, you play them often enough when you are interested in either ramping or fixing, and the upside if this giving you 3 extra mana for 6-mana in the later part of the game is nice. 4.6 1x in 17%

1.0 Two mana to draw a card, and 4 to draw two over the course of a couple of turns is..a thing? But in a set without artifact or sacrifice payoffs, I don’t see this making the cut most of the time. 0.6 1x in 17%

3.0 This gives a nice bonus for the cost when you first play it. It will usually at least be giving +1/+0 and Menace, and giving more than that isn’t far-fetched. Three mana for that boost isn’t too shabby. Now, having to pay four to equip it after that is a bit steep, but the free equip to start things off helps make up for that, as does the fact that it will frequently give a larger boost. 1.9 1x in 17%

1.0 These types of Auras always underperform. It seems like it would be really efficient to put this on a land, but it doesn’t generally pan out that way. The land does come back, which in a roundabout way can help you trigger landfall, but this just asks for too much effort. 0.8 1x in 17%

5.0 This is a huge bomb, not something we often see at Uncommon, but that’s what this is. There is a lot of Kicker int his set, and not ending up with like 5 cards with it is pretty unheard of, and even if that’s all you have, this is a very good card in your deck. It won’t feel like a bomb in those situations, but it will still be a great card! At worst, this is a 4-mana 2/2 with Flying that comes with that kicker pay off, and at best, it completely takes over the game and overwhelms your opponent – and that last part happens way more often than you might think. 4.3 1x in 17%

3.5 Getting away with just paying one for this on a creature that is already tapped is going to feel great, and when you are the more defensive player, that is probably often how you’ll use it, since it will enable you to do some other things on your turn. Sometimes, you need to just be able to lock down an opposing creature, and you can pay the Kicker when that’s necessary to get a blocker out of the way, or a creature your opponent just won’t attack with that is cause you all kinds of problems. 3.9 1x in 33%

3.5 This doesn’t have to sacrifice to use its ability, so in a UR deck it often becomes a repeatable source of removal that is difficult for your opponent to overcome. It can be a bit slow, but this is great in those decks. 2.8 1x in 33%
Planeswalkers
Lands

1.5 So this can be an okay land if you’re in a Party deck – those decks will predominately be UW and BR, colors that normally don’t have access to fixing – but if you have a couple of these, you can gain access to a lot of interesting party members. 1.2 1x in 0%
Top Rated Cards

4.0 As a 4-mana spell, bouncing two creatures is actually a reasonable deal, even if it is a sorcery. That card would probably be playable, it is just going to give you a pretty nice tempo advantage. Paying 4 to scry 2 and draw 2 is usually fine too. The last option is not going to be good very often if that’s what you choose, but hey, it can give you a creature too if that’s what you need. I feel like a card with those three options – without the kicker upside, would be pretty good. Then you add the Kicker upside, which will give you all three of these things, and it is certainly better than that. Sure, kicking this is kind of hard at 8 mana -- but when you do, it is going to be pretty devastating. 4.9 1x in 17%

4.0 Two mana to do 3 to something is premium removal, even as a Sorcery. You’re just going to trade up with it a lot, and that feels great, and hey, sometimes you can go after your opponent and end the game that way. Obviously the kicked version of this is far from efficient, but it is really just upside tacked on to an already premium removal spell, and having a direct damage spell that can do 5 is going to end some games. 4.2 1x in 17%

4.0 4-mana to kill a creature at instant speed is premium removal. Now, To be clear, it will never, ever cost three mana in Limited, because your opponent controlling 0 basic lands just won’t happen, but it can also be a land if that’s what you need! 4.8 1x in 17%

4.0 This is premium removal. Two mana to do 4 is always a great rate – it is efficient enough that you can pretty much always trade up with it. 4.5 1x in 17%

4.0 A two mana 1/3 with Flash and Flying is already playable, but the fact that it provides an ability that mills the opponent 2 cards as long as at least one rogue is attacking is great, especially because it eventually pumps the power of all of your rogues! 4.2 1x in 17%

4.0 A 4-mana 0/17 that makes people pay extra to use removal on it would probably already be pretty nice. Then, you add in the activated ability which lets it actually be a good attacker sometimes – and a blocker that can kill opposing attackers too – and I think you have a really nice card on your hands. It is definitely a silly meme card, but also a pretty strong one. 4.7 1x in 17%

4.0 The Kicker deck is very real, and Vine Gecko is part of the reason for that. If this could JUST reduce the cost of Kicker spells, or JUST gained the counter, it would be good – but it does both, making it pretty great. It can become your win condition if you need it to, as well as enabling Kicker in general. 3.9 1x in 17%

4.0 A 3-mana 4/3 with Haste and Trample that has to return to your hand every turn would be playable – while returning to your hand is part downside, your opponent also usually has to alter their plan just because of the threat of it coming down. Kicking this is obviously better though – then it becomes a 5-mana 5/4 with Trample and Haste, and that’s pretty nice. This is mostly a 5-mana 5/4 with Trample and Haste, but one that has the upside of being able to Dash in and do some damage before he’s ready to stick around on the board. 4.8 1x in 33%

4.0 So, having to pay 5 for this is a little bit short of premium. You just usually will be trading down with it, and that’s always rough -- even if it is an instant that can kill just about anything. But the good news is, you can reduce the cost of this to 4 pretty easily, and in Magical Christmas Land, this might only cost one Black mana! Ok, that last part won’t happen very often, but it IS upside. 4.3 1x in 50%

4.0 So this is a 4-mana 2/2 that does one to a creature or planeswalker when it comes down. That’s not so good. But, when it can kill something it will feel pretty good, but there are plenty of board states where it won’t be able to. However, doing 2 damage this this is a massive upgrade and will usually help you kill something, and at that points you have a great card. And it can do even more damage than that! 4 1x in 50%

4.5 Casting it without Kicker is honestly not a bad deal at all -- sometimes the counters will make for a nice trick or save a creature, and being able to Fight something at Instant speed for two mana is usually a playable card all on its own. If it was just a modal card without Kicker, it would already be good. But, adding Kicker to the mix makes this really good. It becomes a 5-mana spell that pumps your creature, which is going to make the fight part better, and it will also gain you more life potentially since you make a creature better. While 5 mana IS kind of a lot, and this has the downside of all fight cards -- playing it into open mana is very dangerous because of the risk of getting 2-for-1’d -- I think the upside here makes it worth the risk, especially as an Instant. You just have to carefully pick your spots with it, and if you do, kicking it will have a big impact on the outcome of many games. 4.7 1x in 17%

4.5 A 3-mana ⅓ with flying, deathtouch, and lifelink is a good card, and this usually has way more power than that. This can take over games in the sky and the lifelink makes it impossible for your opponent to race. This won’t always be able to take over games, but even when it can’t, it will represent a real problem for your opponent. 4.9 1x in 17%

5.0 This is a huge bomb, not something we often see at Uncommon, but that’s what this is. There is a lot of Kicker int his set, and not ending up with like 5 cards with it is pretty unheard of, and even if that’s all you have, this is a very good card in your deck. It won’t feel like a bomb in those situations, but it will still be a great card! At worst, this is a 4-mana 2/2 with Flying that comes with that kicker pay off, and at best, it completely takes over the game and overwhelms your opponent – and that last part happens way more often than you might think. 4.3 1x in 17%

5.0 This guy is real good. Even if you couldn’t reduce the cost at all, you’d be looking at a great card. It can attack right away in the sky, and also shakes up the rest of the board by giving it deathtouch. It is going to feel real bad to see your opponent slam this on the table because it will just change the game, and even if you untap and kill it, the damage will often already be done. Then, you have to consider that casting this for 5 will probably be a common occurrence, and casting it for 4 isn’t even that far-fetched. And cheaper than that isn’t entirely impossible. The planeswalker clause here isn’t going to come up a whole lot, obviously, but hey, it is more upside. I think this is just a bomb. 4.9 1x in 17%

Dimir	5058 matches	612 decks
15.03% of Metagame
Orzhov	4804 matches	580 decks
14.25% of Metagame
Boros	4343 matches	516 decks
12.68% of Metagame
Simic	2873 matches	345 decks
8.47% of Metagame
Gruul	2654 matches	317 decks
7.79% of Metagame
Selesnya	2549 matches	304 decks
7.47% of Metagame
Rakdos	2496 matches	301 decks
7.39% of Metagame
Golgari	2412 matches	288 decks
7.07% of Metagame
Azorius	1731 matches	210 decks
5.16% of Metagame
Izzet	1474 matches	176 decks
4.32% of Metagame
Naya	507 matches	62 decks
1.52% of Metagame
Esper	396 matches	48 decks
1.18% of Metagame
Mardu	335 matches	41 decks
1.01% of Metagame
Abzan	327 matches	38 decks
0.93% of Metagame
Sultai	303 matches	35 decks
0.86% of Metagame
Bant	224 matches	26 decks
0.64% of Metagame
Jund	192 matches	23 decks
0.56% of Metagame
Mono Blue	168 matches	21 decks
0.52% of Metagame
Jeskai	169 matches	20 decks
0.49% of Metagame
Temur	147 matches	18 decks
0.44% of Metagame
Grixis	145 matches	17 decks
0.42% of Metagame
Mono Green	130 matches	15 decks
0.37% of Metagame
Mono Red	125 matches	15 decks
0.37% of Metagame
Mono White	106 matches	12 decks
0.29% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-black)	53 matches	7 decks
0.17% of Metagame
Mono Black	58 matches	7 decks
0.17% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-white)	50 matches	6 decks
0.15% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-green)	34 matches	4 decks
0.10% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-blue)	35 matches	4 decks
0.10% of Metagame
Four Color (Non-red)	26 matches	3 decks
0.07% of Metagame

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Zendikar Rising Draft Deck Metagame

Four Color (Non-white) card breakdown - 6 decks, 0.15% of meta

Creatures

Instant, Sorcery

Enchantment, Artifact

Planeswalkers

Lands

Top Rated Cards

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