Standard: 8 Decks to keep an eye on the World Championship 2024

The Magic: The Gathering World Championship will take place next weekend, between October 25th and 27th, in Las Vegas. Its formats will be, as usual, draft of the most recent set (Duskmourn) and Standard, being the game's main competitive event this quarter and the most important tournament in the format in 2024.

With expectations high about which strategies and cards will be highlighted, players are making their bets on which decks will be most present. Questions about the future of current staples like Leyline of Resonance or the viability of archetypes like Azorius Oculus in a broad Metagame and in the hands of the best players in the world are some of the things that this event can answer.

In this article, we present eight decks that we should keep an eye during the 2024 World Championship, whether due to their solid presence in the current Metagame or the way some of them have grown in Challenges and other large tournaments that have taken place since the release of Duskmourn!

Gruul Prowess

Gruul Prowess is the deck to beat as we approach the World Championship. On the one hand, this means that many players will be betting on it as a solid and reliable choice for the constructed rounds. On the other hand, the amount of sideboard pieces and Meta Calls aimed at dealing with the best deck can hinder its results.

The litmus test for Gruul Prowess, which will be determined by its results at the biggest competitive event of the year, is whether it is actually worth including Leyline of Resonance on lists. The potential to win games in the second turn is attractive, but a poor topdeck can be the difference between winning and winning games, and the outcome of the archetype's variants with or without this card will determine its future in the Best of Three and the 2025 RCQs.

Golgari Midrange

Golgari Midrange is a solid and reliable choice that will reward players for their deckbuilding concessions. In theory, this archetype has the tools to handle any game in the current Standard, but it can't solve everything at once, and the decision of the amount of each card and the luck in the pairings can make all the difference in the deck's success or failure at Worlds.

Historically, Midranges have not done very well in Pro Tours or Worlds when they are not the absolute best deck. But without a target on its back like Esper Midrange had last season and Rakdos Midrange had in Pioneer, Golgari gives players the challenge of correctly reading the expected Metagame.

Dimir Midrange

Like the Golgari variant, Dimir Midrange is an archetype whose selection of responses and numbers between maindeck and sideboard will define its results in the event. However, the options in blue offer some flexibility with counterspells and universally useful cards like Tishana’s Tidebinder or Ertai Resurrected, in addition to providing access to Enduring Curiosity as one of the most powerful sources of Card Advantage in the current Metagame.

Four-Color Overlords

One of the new features of Duskmourn was the Overlords cycle, enchantment creatures that, in many ways, recall the classic Titans cycle that dominated Standard a decade ago. Today, Overlords don't show much potential as staples on their own, but players have found a way to make the most of their Impending ability: copying them with Doppelgang.

Since Doppelgang copies the permanent without counters, they will enter the battlefield as creatures, having their ETB effects and being able to attack earlier. From there, all you have to do is add an efficient Ramp shell, and you have one of the most powerful new decks in the Standard metagame - one that, from my experience playing it, feels like you're not playing fair Magic.

Four-Color Overlords will have to prove that it's a better deck than Domain Ramp in its category. If it can, it will add longevity to an archetype that will be lost in the next rotation, while also providing a new kind of combo for those who love that strategy.

Azorius Oculus

Abhorrent Oculus gave Azorius Tempo what it needed to return to the competitive scene and still be one of the best decks in the format today. The new creature provides a much more punishing threat compared to Haughty Djinn or Monastery Mentor, increasing the value that cards like Helping Hand have in the list.

But Azorius Oculus suffers from some specific problems that can either benefit or harm during the event: when it works, it seems unfair. Placing a huge threat in play very early can close out games when it is well protected, but the deck suffers against attrition games that can destroy them as many times as necessary and has a weakness against cards like Rest in Peace, and its success may depend on how many players will respect graveyards in their sideboards.

Azorius Enchantments

Azorius Enchantments has abandoned a more linear plan and become a multifaceted Aggro with the insertion of some specific cards like Enduring Curiosity and Silent Hallcreeper. It is less dependent on Ethereal Armor to win games while it remains a solid option as a “go wide” Aggro that can, at times, force the free win button with an aura.

Slasher Combo

If the combo between Unstoppable Slasher and Bloodletter of Aclazotz is strong enough to thrive in Pioneer, there is no doubt that it can do the same in Standard, especially when we consider that both Metagames have certain similarities today, such as having an Aggro as the best deck - the difference, however, is that the other archetypes at the top of the Metagame are more interactive with discards and removals.

Playing Bloodletter of Aclazotz requires major deckbuilding concessions that make it difficult to enter, for example, a Golgari Midrange or Dimir Midrange that wants to pay or with some of its cards, and players who previously bet on Mono Black versions are starting to experience splashes that may, at Worlds, appear as the key to changing the way of thinking and building Slasher Combo lists in both Standard and Pioneer.

Azorius Control

The various variants of White-based Control will certainly have their share of the Worlds Metagame and the question is which one will be most present. Azorius Control has shown solid results over the past few weeks and has been growing in Challenges and other tournaments since the release of Duskmourn.

While most variants rely solely on a splash for Negate and Jace, the Perfected Mind, others can expand the use of blue cards like Three Steps Ahead and No More Lies for a more interactive game plan against spells rather than permanents.

That's all for today!

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!