What’s the Best Deck in MTG Standard Right Now? RCQ Edition!

It’s Vivi Ornitier’s world, and we’re just living in it – or are we?

Welcome to the Standard Power Rankings! Recently, Standard has seen a powerful set release, an unprecedented round of bannings, and a rotation in which numerous sets and dozens of staple cards have left the format. 

The Best MTG Standard Decks Right Now, September 2025

Ketramose, the New Dawn (Borderless)

Market Price: $12.42

Starfield Shepherd
Quantum Riddler

Market Price: $26.22

The current round of Regional Championship Qualifiers (RCQs) runs through November 9, with Standard being the primary format. Plus, this upcoming weekend is Magic Spotlight: Planetary Rotation, which will be a massive two-day Standard tournament. I’ll personally be in the booth covering the event! 

To know what Standard looks like right now, look no further than these Power Rankings! 

#15 Simic Aggro

Genemorph Imago
Ouroboroid

Market Price: $22.21

Llanowar Elves

Since the Simic threats are individually strong, the synergy and combos are simply gravy. But it’s particularly cool to pump up Ouroboroid with Genemorph Imago or Bristly Bill, Spine Sower to start distributing counters at an outrageous rate. 

#14 Mono-Green Landfall

Tifa Lockhart
Icetill Explorer

Market Price: $13.27

Seedship Impact

None of the key cards rotated out, while the archetype benefits from several enticing additions from Edge of Eternities in both the mainboard and the sideboard. All in all, as one of Standard’s newer archetypes, Green-based Landfall is one of the most exciting decks on the Rankings. Splashing blue offers permission spells in the sideboard, plus opens the door to Genemorph Imago in the mainboard, whereas a red splash offers Worldsoul’s Rage.

#13 Mono-Black Midrange (Demons)

Elegy Acolyte
Tragic Trajectory
Archenemy's Charm

Although splashes are common, the featured decklist is mono-black, tapping into the powerful Archenemy’s Charm. I love this card as a way to build extra removal into the structure of the deck while simultaneously offering multiple useful modes for whatever situation you might face. The Demons deck is something I’m very interested in playing the next time I play Standard. 

#12 Gruul Delirium

As the old Gruul Mice deck scurries off into the sunset (Heartfire Hero and Monstrous Rage are now banned), Gruul Delirium is here to take its place. With a built-in graveyard theme, Gruul Delirium’s good draws can be just as scary, and some of its threats hit even harder.

Particularly potent is Violent Urge, which can kill people out of nowhere almost as quickly as you can turn on Delirium. It even combos with Overprotect to make an enormous double-striking trample creature. 

#11 Sultai Control

Rakshasa's Bargain
Deadly Cover-Up
Urgent Necropsy

One payoff is Rakshasa’s Bargain, which closely resembles an instant-speed version of Stock Up, which means not putting the shields down on key turns. Deadly Cover-Up is a potent board sweeper that can extract key cards (let’s say Vivi Ornitier) and dramatically weaken opposing strategies. Finally, Urgent Necropsy is a great way to punish players for building out boards with multiple types of nonland permanents, such as Agatha’s Soul Cauldron and Proft’s Eidetic Memory. 

#10 Temur Ferocious

Temur Battlecrier
Outcaster Trailblazer
Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest

While this can certainly play out like a simple “Monsters deck,” playing big creatures and attacking, it also features combo elements. Start combining copies of Temur Battlecrier and Roaming Throne to reduce the cost of your creatures, and draw a steady stream of cards with Outcaster Trailblazer. Finally, finish with a combination of Dragonhawk, Fate’s Tempest and Devastating Onslaught, your opponent can be dead without getting another turn!

#9 Jeskai Control

Consult the Star Charts
Shiko, Paragon of the Way
Pinnacle Starcage

Shiko, Paragon of the Way, for example, is a dream top-end creature for anyone who loves value, as it can give you a second shot at the best card in your graveyard, no matter what the situation calls for. With access to any combination of Lightning Helix, Split Up, Pinnacle Starcage, and Day of Judgment, Jeskai Control really has the tools to beat up on Standard’s Aggro decks. That alone would have my attention.

So when you show me a powerful and flexible shell of cards that offers game against everything, this is one I’d be considering if I were competing in the upcoming Spotlight event. 

#8 Golgari Midrange

Llanowar Elves
Elegy Acolyte
Ouroboroid

Market Price: $22.21

We’ve already seen Ouroboroid appear in Simic Aggro (#15), and we know how potent it can be. I’m also quite intrigued by the new Elegy Acolyte, which can replace Sheoldred, the Apocalypse at the same mana cost. As always, Golgari is well-rounded and customizable, and I’m excited to see if it has what it takes to compete against the best decks in the format. 

#7 Boros Mice (Aggro)

Emberheart Challenger
Manifold Mouse
Mabel, Heir to Cragflame

In a deck with Mabel, Heir to Cragflame, Flowerfoot Swordmaster, and Cheeky House-Mouse are respectable one-drop replacements for Monastery Swiftspear and Heartfire Hero, which are no longer legal. 

#6 Esper Self-Bounce (Pixie)

Seam Rip
Cosmogrand Zenith

Market Price: $13.13

Nurturing Pixie

Meanwhile, Stormchaser’s Talent, Nowhere to Run, and Momentum Breaker are among the best permanents to bounce and recast. These Self-Bounce decks are full of brutal and efficient cards and can bury an opponent in value very quickly. While Pixie decks were often straight Orzhov before rotation, the three-color Esper Pixie deck has come roaring back. In all cases, these Orzhov-based decks are likely to be well set up against opposing creature decks, as they utilize the very best removal spells available in Standard. 

#5 Azorius Control

Stock Up
Consult the Star Charts
Seam Rip

Key cards include Stock Up, plus a variety of sweepers and permission spells. With a mix of Seam Rip, Pinnacle Starcage, Day of Judgment, and Ultima, it’s difficult for opponents to assemble any suite of threats that Azorius Control can’t quickly dismantle. 

In the rotation, Azorius Control lost some non-essential role players like Jace, the Perfected Mind and Temporary Lockdown. These have been successfully replaced without much harm to the archetype. 

#4 Mono-Red (and Dragons)

Screaming Nemesis

Market Price: $24.56

Sunspine Lynx
Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant

Particularly scary is Sunspine Lynx, which hammers slower matchups and performs even better in Mono-Red than in other aggressive decks. Note that red-based Aggro decks are beginning to diverge into two distinct archetypes. One is more traditional and resembles the pre-rotation builds. The other, like the featured decklist, emphasizes Dragons and uses Sarkhan, Dragon Ascendant in the two-drop slot. 

#3 Izzet Prowess

Consult the Star Charts
Stormchaser's Talent
Vivi Ornitier

Market Price: $29.99

The Izzet Prowess decks you’re likely to see now aren’t about blitzing your life total down with Monastery Swiftspear and combat tricks. Instead, they can play out more like Storm combo decks, landing Vivi Ornitier and chaining spells to end the game in the course of one or two turns. This archetype still has burn and bounce for creature matchups, and can devastate slower opponents by hitting them with a well-timed Spell Pierce to ruin their plans and slam the door on the game.

#2 Dimir Midrange

Tragic Trajectory
Annul
Kaito, Bane of Nightmares

Market Price: $21.34

The goal is to come out early with cheap flying creatures. Enduring Curiosity and Kaito, Bane of Nightmares serve as payoffs for unblocked attackers. Once you start drawing extra cards, your steady stream of removal and disruption keeps the opponent from ever getting back into the game. 

There are very real reasons why players are turning to this well-proven archetype. It’s well-rounded, with solid game and effective weapons against every strategy. In short, Dimir Midrange is not going anywhere. It’s great at getting ahead and staying ahead with permission spells, which is important for matchups where you don’t want to trade blows.ARTICLE SPOTLIGHTStandard Dimir Midrange MTG Deck Guide – Best Cards, How to Sideboard, and More!Reid Duke Black-based MidrangeReid Duke8/20/2025

As with other black decks, Cut Down, Go for the Throat, and Sheoldred’s Edict needed to be replaced, but the existence of Tragic Trajectory, Shoot the Sheriff, and other black removal options has made that easy. 

#1 Izzet Cauldron

Agatha's Soul Cauldron

Market Price: $31.62

Vivi Ornitier

Market Price: $29.99

Fear of Missing Out

Izzet Cauldron resembles the old shell of Jeskai Oculus, with plenty of cheap spells and ways to fill its graveyard. However, instead of using Helping Hand, it uses Agatha’s Soul Cauldron to grant the activated ability of Vivi Ornitier to its other creatures. Once you do that, you can explode out with mana and kill your opponent very quickly. A big appeal of Izzet Cauldron is that Agatha’s Soul Cauldron provides built-in graveyard hate, which can be helpful in a variety of matchups. Ironically, one of the best ways to neutralize an opposing Soul Cauldron is with your own Soul Cauldron.