Standard rotation is happening sooner than you think, and players are going to be caught off guard with how quickly things will change. 2025 is a much more jam-packed year of Magic than we've ever had in the game's history, with a total of six brand new sets added to Standard. Because of this, Standard (just for this year) rotates in the summer instead of the fall. This is relevant as the next set, Edge of Eternities, releases only one week before the next Standard RCQ season starts on August 2nd.

With a recent ban announcement and rotation and a new set only weeks away it's vital to know which decks retain the most cards, which decks lose the most, and what cards you should probably have in your collection to prepare for the next RCQ season.

While I already wrote an article detailing the most impactful cards that rotate out of the format, here are my picks for the most important cards staying in Standard.

Dual Lands

Dual lands are the crux of Standard. They help determine how fast or slow a given format is, and help define if three-color decks are viable, or if there's only enough lands to support two-color archetypes. While we do lose a significant amount of lands with rotation, we retain a few sets of powerful lands in addition to five returning lands in Edge of Eternities.

In my last article I discussed how so many lands leaving Standard would affect the format, most notably pain lands and fast lands for aggro decks. However, with shock lands returning I'm not so sure rotation will really greatly affect mana bases in Standard - if anything, they'll make mana bases stronger.

Watery Grave returning leads me to believe Dimir won't hurt too deeply from losing some lands, the same goes for decks like Gruul/Boros Aggro, as well as Orzhov Pixie. Jeskai Control gets a Sacred Foundry at least, while Overlords gets... basically a bunch of new lands that pair well with surveil lands. Notably, we don't get Steam Vents for Izzet-based decks right away, but decks like Dimir and Esper Pixie profit greatly from these five reprints.

Basically Every Card from Mono-Red

While it's true that Red decks were heavily impacted by the recent Standard bannings, losing both Monstrous Rage and Heartfire Hero, it's still worth noting that the archetype retains a lot of powerful cards, despite these bans. Red still has a pretty fast curve in Hired Claw, Embertheart Challenger/Manifold Mouse into Screaming Nemesis. While you don't have Monstrous Rage, you still get access to bolting your own Nemesis, and great tech for Midrange and Control matchups in Sunspine Lynx post-board. While I don't think this deck is tier one anymore it only really needs another new powerful one-drop or spell to push it back to spot #1-2 in the Standard meta. Red is not dead by any means, and with two cards banned it's still holding out.

Jeskai Control

I'll shamelessly plug Jeskai any chance I can get, but this is another deck that really only loses Temporary Lockdown. I think with Lockdown rotating, Control decks will rely heavier on Shiko, Paragon of the Way in conjunction with cards like Lightning Helix and Split Up. With the banning of Cori-Steel Cutter, Control decks don't have to rely as heavily on Ultima. Sure, powerful cards like Agatha's Soul Cauldron still stick around, but you can always slot in Abrade or Suplex into these lists. With no cards leaving besides Lockdown and the reprint of Sacred Foundry, I think Jeskai will be the premier Control deck of the new Standard.

It's also worth noting that we get a Godless Shrine and Watery Grave Reprint, so I'm curious if Esper Control could see play in Standard, granted there are enough cards to justify wanting to play the archetype. Cut Down and Go for the Throat rotate, so I'd be hesitant to try Esper unless there are some good removal spells in the next set.

Dimir Midrange

With Watery Grave back in Standard Dimir doesn't get hit too hard by rotation, even though it loses Darkslick Shores and Underground River Dimir just has some of the best resilient threats in the game right now, notably Kaito, Bane of Nightmares and Enduring Curiosity. However, with both Cut Down and Go for the Throat leaving, the deck might have to switch to Shoot the Sheriff, and pray there's a one-mana removal spell in Edge of Eternities. Floodpits Drowner is a fine alternative in the meantime.

The Overlords

Domain as we know it rotates in July, with the departure of Zur, Eternal Schemer and Leyline Binding. Up the Beanstalk also just bit the dust in the most recent ban announcement, so where does Overlords go from here? After reviewing some lists that have done well on Magic Online my main thought is Yuna, Hope of Spira. I'm actually kind of glad that a card like Yuna gets to shine post-bannings, as well as Esper Origins. The core of this idea still stays around in Standard - finding ways to cheat out Overlords while winning the long game. Even for Control decks it's hard to deal with a Yuna immediately resurrecting an Overlord, especially after you just cast your one Day of Judgment effect. There's definitely a lot of room to explore here, but I think the basis of these decks will always be Esper Origins, Yuna, Hope of Spira, and Overlord of the Mistmoors. I've seen Red versions with Terra, Magical Adept and Overlords of the Boilerbilges, as well as Abzan versions with Overlord of the Balemurk.

I think it would be cool to pair Yuna with Awaken the Honored Dead, but we might need to wait for the other five shock lands before that idea becomes a reality.

Izzet Cards

Cori-Steel Cutter is dead, long live Cori-Steel Cutter (NOT!). I'm finally happy to see Cori-Steel Cutter leave Standard, however Izzet still remains a solid choice, albeit the deck is much different now. With Stormchaser's Talent and Stock Up, as well as Vivi Ornitier all in the same Standard format, I think it's unlikely that we don't see these cards relevant as long as they're all legal. I could still see a more prowess-heavy version of this deck still be viable if another haste threat is introduced next set. I don't think you can rely just on Slickshot Show-Off, so in the meantime Vivi Ornitier with Agatha's Soul Cauldron seems like the best way to build Izzet.

Orzhov Pixie

Pixie seems pretty close to dead with the banning of Hopeless Nightmare and the imminent rotation of Temporary Lockdown. That being said, Nurturing PIxie, Tinybones Joins Up, Sunpearl Kirin, and Momentum Breaker all stay in Standard post-rotation. I could see this deck transitioning into more of a Midrange shell with Dark Confidant, perhaps Beza, the Bounding Spring and Elspeth, Storm Slayer. It'll take a lot to make these decks work, but with so many sets releasing per year I think the chance we get another broken card that synergizes with Pixie is not out of the question. Keep in mind that a lot of cards from the original Esper Pixie deck still stay around, like Spiteful Hexmage, Fear of Isolation, Sheltered by Ghosts, Stormchaser's Talent, and Optimistic Scavenger. Again, I'm not sure if something's there but it's worth keeping an eye on.

Standard is in an exciting place at this given moment. With a ban announcement of seven cards, impending rotation, and a new set only weeks away, there's a lot of room for discovery. While the format may have shifted away from Aggro in favor of decks like Dimir Midrange, it still feels like anything could happen. I think decks like Control and Overlords have a lot of room to innovate, as well as decks like Vivi Cauldron. With Edge of Eternities not being a Universes Beyond set, I'm inclined to think that the power level of this set will be much higher than Final Fantasy or the upcoming Spider-Man set. I'd get your shock lands and honestly just invest in what archetype you think fits your play style. As for me, I'll be "stocking up" on my Control cards, but I do have a soft spot for a certain female protagonist from Final Fantasy X...

Until then!

-Roman Fusco