Pro Tour Aetherdrift drew kind of a line in the Standard sand.

Personally, as someone who plays a lot of Standard regularly... I was surprised at what the format looked like - looks like really - once the dust settled. Not at the pilot in the first-place race car, but by how well his Weapon of Choice did.

Despite any metagaming to the contrary at the Pro Tour level ("Gruul Mice" was the most popular deck of the tournament), once Sunday's single-elimination rounds started, Domain Overlords levied a truly impressive level of dominance.

Overlords over Mono-Red Aggro in the Quarterfinals. Overlord over Gruul Leyline elsewhere in the Top 8. Opposite bracket? Overlords over Gruul Mice in the Top 4. It was Overlords over aggro over and over until there were nothing but Scheming Wizards, Everywhere tokens, and Up the Beanstalk in the finals.

Is this a one-deck format?

Of course not! Not for mortals mere, at least!

Like I said, as a regular player of Standard, I was surprised to see so many copies of Domain Overlords in the Top 8; and more surprised to see it kick everybody's butts. But now I'm kind of surprised that, given those events at the highest levels... We're kind of back in a zone online where lots of people are playing - and performing with - lots of other decks.

... But still, it's probably important to note that they're coming prepared; either with tech that's great against The Deck to Beat; or in some cases many of Domain's same cards.

That Deck to Beat:

Domain Overlords | DFT Standard | Matt Nass, 1st Place Pro Tour Aetherdrift

• Creatures (13)
• 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring
• 4 Overlord of the Hauntwoods
• 4 Overlord of the Mistmoors
• 4 Zur, Eternal Schemer

• Instants (6)
• 2 Get Lost
• 4 Ride's End

• Sorceries (5)
• 1 Sunfall
• 2 Analyze the Pollen
• 2 Day of Judgment

• Enchantments (11)
• 3 Temporary Lockdown
• 4 Leyline Binding
• 4 Up the Beanstalk

• Lands (25)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Island
• 1 Plains
• 1 Swamp
• 2 Razorverge Thicket
• 2 Wastewood Verge
• 3 Floodfarm Verge
• 3 Hedge Maze
• 3 Shadowy Backstreet
• 4 Hushwood Verge
• 4 Lush Portico

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Negate
• 1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
• 2 Nissa, Ascended Animist
• 2 Rest in Peace
• 1 Elspeth's Smite
• 1 Tear Asunder
• 3 Obstinate Baloth
• 1 Pawpatch Formation
• 1 Stock Up
• 1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier

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Nass's victorious build is largely the Zur-powered Domain Overlords deck that performed in Standard prior to Aetherdrift.

The deck works a lot like other Domain decks, but fancier. It has Up the Beanstalk as a powerful source of card advantage; and can play many qualifying spells at a discount. For example, Leyline Binding played for only 1 mana will still draw you a card.

The Zur-angle starts by playing Overlords (they deck's namesakes) for their Impending discounts... And then potentially turning them "on" into pseudo-hasty Enchantment Creatures with Zur. These creatures come online faster than the usual Impending timetable and swing in immediate lifelink. Even though Gruul Mice and Red Decks various are supposed to be able to perform against slow Domain decks, the combination of Zur's relatively high toughness, the even higher toughness on the Overlords, and that lifelink can turn around even games where Domain starts off behind in the life total category.

Probably the most important addition to the Domain strategy from Aetherdrift is Ride's End. Matt played four copies in his main deck.

This is a card that costs 5 mana (so can trigger Up the Beanstalk), but tends to only cost 2 mana. Yet another cheat!

Plus there's this:

More on both... In our next deck list!

Azorius Control | DFT Standard | Bielzito, 5-0 MTGO Standard League 3/4/2025

• Creatures (8)
• 2 Beza, the Bounding Spring
• 2 Overlord of the Floodpits
• 4 Overlord of the Mistmoors

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 2 Jace, the Perfected Mind

• Instants (14)
• 3 No More Lies
• 3 Three Steps Ahead
• 4 Ride's End
• 4 Get Lost

• Sorceries (7)
• 1 Sunfall
• 3 Day of Judgment
• 3 Stock Up

• Enchantments (3)
• 3 Temporary Lockdown

• Lands (26)
• 4 Island
• 5 Plains
• 1 Blast Zone
• 2 Adarkar Wastes
• 2 Demolition Field
• 2 Fountainport
• 2 Seachrome Coast
• 4 Floodfarm Verge
• 4 Restless Anchorage

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Authority of the Consuls
• 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring
• 2 Jace, the Perfected Mind
• 2 Negate
• 1 Obstinate Baloth
• 3 Rest in Peace
• 2 Tishana's Tidebinder
• 2 Wilt-Leaf Liege

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A year ago one of the best strategies against Domain was Azorius Control.

You can see from BIELZITO's deck list that Azorius Control is currently borrowing a lot of cards from Domain!

Last year, Azorius started out with the upper hand, but the decks entered into a kind of dance. Blue-White was fundamentally good against Domain because it could answer a relatively finite number of threats with Sunfall and Counterspells. Some versions played Jace, the Perfected Mind as a fast kill... And could in fact exploit an opponent who drew lots of extra cards with Up the Beanstalk or Atraxa, Grand Unifier.

The more controlling versions of Domain specifically battled back by setting Cavern of Souls to "Merfolk" as an answer to Jace. They would use Tishana's Tidebinder to answer Jace's kill... It was probably super gratifying for those Domain players to walk Azorius right into their fishy clutches... But these are not tools that the Zur version of Domain currently plays.

Mayhap an opening for Blue-White?

Stock Up is cheaper than the four-mana card draw like Spellgyre and Farsighted Ritual that Blue-White has been playing in recent months and years. I think it's particularly useful on turn five, when you can play Stock Up and No More Lies in one turn; or Stock Up directly into Ride's End.

Ride's End doesn't have quite the synergy in Blue-White that it enjoys in Domain, but the card is mostly just better than Not on My Watch.

Last October I proposed a version of Azorius in Standard that played four copies of that card.

Attacking creatures are usually tapped; so Ride's End is generally just Not On My Watch that can sometimes hit not tapped / not attacking creatures; or vehicles. But mostly? You're not setting off Heartfire Hero's death trigger.

Esper Pixie | DFT Standard | Kotte89, 5-0 MTGO Standard League 3/3/2025

• Creatures (11)
• 1 Overlord of the Balemurk
• 2 Preacher of the Schism
• 4 Fear of Isolation
• 4 Nurturing Pixie

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 3 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares

• Instants (7)
• 1 Destroy Evil
• 2 Spell Pierce
• 4 This Town Ain't Big Enough

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Stock Up

• Enchantments (14)
• 2 Momentum Breaker
• 4 Hopeless Nightmare
• 4 Nowhere to Run
• 4 Stormchaser's Talent

• Lands (23)
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Restless Reef
• 2 Adarkar Wastes
• 2 Restless Anchorage
• 2 Underground River
• 3 Caves of Koilos
• 4 Concealed Courtyard
• 4 Darkslick Shores
• 4 Seachrome Coast

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Break the Spell
• 2 Destroy Evil
• 3 Dreams of Steel and Oil
• 3 Ghost Vacuum
• 2 Pest Control
• 1 Preacher of the Schism
• 2 Temporary Lockdown

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Esper Pixie is still one of the most popular decks in Standard... Which might be another feather in Blue-White's cap. Esper Pixie is good at bouncing Nowhere to Run a bunch of times and Blue-White isn't particularly vulnerable to that. Moreover, Esper has to think a second if it wants to go crazy on Hopeless Nightmare... What with Obstinate Baloth and Wilt-Leaf Liege waiting in the Azorius sideboard.

You kind of have to hand it to Blue-White mages who play Obstinate Baloth. The card has a super high ceiling... But it's not exactly easy to cast. Wilt-Leaf Liege on the other can can be summoned if you can find . Once in play, it's actually pretty good with Overlord of the Mistmoors.

Now imagine you're an Esper Pixie player who might not be able to get quite as much value from your Hopeless Nightmare... How will you get ahead in card advantage?

This deck with its double-digit creatures, is now opting in tor the same card draw as Blue-White Control! Esper is also casting a Stock Up!

Gotta find This Town Ain't Big Enough somehow!

Now despite losing in the Pro Tour Aetherdrift quarterfinals; despite the same Nowhere to Run being cast multiple times in the average game, no one is dissuading basic Mountains tappers from suiting up their Mice with Rockface Village and getting into The Red Zone.

[Robb from https://magic.gg/news/pro-tour-aetherdrift-top-8-players-and-decks]

Mono-Red Aggro | DFT Standard | Ian Robb, Top 8 Pro Tour Aetherdrift

• Creatures (24)
• 4 Emberheart Challenger
• 4 Heartfire Hero
• 4 Hired Claw
• 4 Manifold Mouse
• 4 Monastery Swiftspear
• 4 Screaming Nemesis

• Instants (14)
• 2 Witchstalker Frenzy
• 4 Burst Lightning
• 4 Lightning Strike
• 4 Monstrous Rage

• Lands (22)
• 15 Mountain
• 3 Soulstone Sanctuary
• 4 Rockface Village

• Sideboard (15)
• 4 Lithomantic Barrage
• 3 Torch the Tower
• 4 Sunspine Lynx
• 2 Witchstalker Frenzy
• 2 Ghost Vacuum

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The most important tool for Mono-Red has got to be Sunspine Lynx in the sideboard.

One of my favorite games that I've played recently was siding in Sunspine Lynx against a Zur deck. They were up. They turned on an Overlord of the Hauntwoods. They got in with lifelink.

I was able to take out Zur with a Witchstalker Frenzy, because what else was I supposed to be able to target?

I had to let the opponent get in a couple more times; because after the first big lifelink swing, I needed to "cheat" to win. I wasn't going to get it on the merits. It had to be a swindle, and that swindle was Everywhere.

At the time, I wasn't sure if my play was going to work. Would Everywhere count as a basic land? I crossed my fingers and tapped four lands.

Oh thank gawd. Game, set, and match. Sunspine Lynx might not be able to save you if they get too far ahead with lifelink... But I've done double digits with one. I don't know if there is a more gratifying feeling in the format.

Lithomantic Barrage is -- unlike Ride's End -- a removal card that isn't new from Aetherdrift... But has relevant text. It can tear up not only Zur but even the fifth toughness on Beza, the Bounding Spring. Word of warning, though: If the opponent actually starts attacking with their enchantments, you're in for an uphill battle

Standard is all over the place right now... In a good way! If your teeth were chattering over a Domain monolith in the format, it doesn't look like that's a major problem right now. All the decks - Control, Ramp, Tempo, Aggro - are performing; many are using new cards from Aetherdrift, but honestly they aren't taking up the most slots in seventy-fives. You'll probably have to have some tools for fighting Zur and his Overlord buddies... But it's pretty cool making people take 100 for drawing 100 extra Everywheres.

LOVE

MIKE