As expected, the August 10 Banned and Restricted update marked Standard's annual maintenance window in Magic: The Gathering, where Wizards of the Coast performs a "cleanup" of the format by removing its most troublesome cards.Gran-Gran, Badgermole Cub, and Stormchaser's Talent were the ones hit this time. All of them, as we mentioned in our ban expectations, were essential pieces to the most relevant archetypes in the current Metagame, and their removal functions almost like an early rotation preceding the official one, which happens at the start of 2027.Of course, decks like Lessons, Prowess, and the numerous green go-wide variants lost key pieces and will need to readjust. But we can also look at it from another angle: which strategies benefited the most from this intervention?The Winners of the August 10 BansJeskai/Four-Color ControlRevelation Control has ceased to be a worse "Jeskai Lessons" and also lost the need to hold off the hyper-speed of Cub decks. Consequently, it is well positioned in the Metagame and tends to have an edge against Spellementals, the only Izzet winner from these bans. I do not believe Four-Color will stay on top forever. It has inherent weaknesses against Tempo lines and hand and graveyard disruption that could open room for other archetypes to overtake it, but it will certainly be among the top contenders until the next rotation.Black MidrangeBlack Midrange decks are back on the menu. Golgari loses Cub but retains Professor Dellian Fel, and the Demons core still has some life left. However, the version that looks like a winner right now is Dimir. Blue offers stack interaction in Control matches and to counter a Sunderflock or Eddymurk Crab and prevent their ETBs, while black has Duress against both, plus the "Tempo" quality that lower-curve lists can bring if the Metagame demands it.Dimir ExcruciatorDimir Excruciator also came out unscathed from these bans. On top of that, if traditional Midrange decks return to the radar, its strategy of mixing grind with a potential free win could be tough for fairer decks to adapt to. Its position may shift as players add more targeted answers that work against both it and Revelation Control, like Rest in Peace, but the need for graveyard hate was no smaller before the bans, and Excruciator remained a relevant archetype through it all.Red AggroWithout Izzet Prowess running a fast and more resilient clock, and without Badgermole Cub letting the opponent dominate the board on the following turn, Mono Red could once again become the Aggro deck of choice, especially while the Metagame is focused on handling the "untouched" archetypes at the top. Longevity could be a challenge if it grows too much, and I do not believe it will stay in Tier 1 if another list with Practiced Offense is there, but playing red without blue is once again an option.Mardu DiscardWhere Red Aggro gains in speed, it will lose in reach as the Metagame adapts. Mardu Discard does not have the same reach problem and also benefits from not having to compete with Badgermole Cub's speed. It has the tools to grind out longer games and thematic synergies that help it plan for later turns with more explosive synergies. However, it could suffer collateral damage from the rest of the Metagame or face consistency issues that let faster Aggro decks go under it.What About the Other Decks?You have probably noticed the absence of some strategies, so let us evaluate each case.Izzet Spellementals is the only variant that lost nothing to the bans, and it is also a relatively cheap archetype to transition into when you already have the rest of the pieces. However, Cub lists were the main reason Spellementals was so popular, and the archetype has a severe problem in Control matches. The current "go-wide" strategy could simply become a Momo version that would capitalize on ETBs and Sage of the Skies, and among all the winners, the only one it would truly benefit against is maybe Mardu Discard. Moreover, it could suffer collateral damage from Rest in Peace against Reanimator.I believe a Momo version could also have room, but without playing Clarion Conqueror / High Noon to "lock out" the format's best decks, will there be reasons to choose it over a more consistent Aggro deck? It is possible, but losing two matchups that justified its maindeck choices is too high a price for this season. Perhaps moving toward mana disruption with Magmatic Hellkite and Dragons is the better option.Landfall should remain a viable strategy and might once again rely on explosive turns now that it has lost the extra mana. It could surprise, even be more efficient than Mono Red Aggro, but it is impossible to call it a "winner" when one of its key cards was banned.Prowess becomes much worse without Stormchaser's Talent, but underestimating Slickshot Show-Off's explosive potential would be a mistake. The Izzet core remains efficient, and the loss of Talent could bring adaptations with new themes, such as including the new Gandalf, Goblins' Bane and Astrologian's Planisphere, or simply replacing it with another efficient one-drop, even if it does not grow as fast, like Ghitu Lavarunner.Wrapping UpThat's all for today!If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!Thanks for reading!
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