Do you remember Standard, that rotating Magic format, that was the format of choice for many FNMs before COVID hit? More often than not, it is now something I play only on Arena as none of my LGS offer it anymore.

WOTC today announced some a pretty significant change to the Standard format. Starting with  the release of Wilds of Eldraine, Standard will cover three years of sets rather than the current two.

Before the rule change, Innistrad: Crimson Vow, Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, and Streets of New Capenna would all have rotated out of Standard this upcoming September. Now they will do so only in September 2024, giving them an additional year of life in the format. And from there, every new set will remain in the format for three years as well. According to Wizards:

Extending the Standard rotation to three years will, we believe, achieve two main points (and an additional benefit) that can make tabletop Standard more enjoyable:

• This will give current Standard cards more longevity. Time and again, we hear that players want to play with cards they love and enjoy longer. Standard is our only rotating format, and while keeping it fresh is important, we also feel that there’s a more effective middle ground.
• It will allow mechanics and archetypes to be more effectively built on over time. As we moved away from the block model, we gained a lot of flexibility, but we also lost some ability to build on mechanics and themes within a set. With a longer window, we can find more opportunities to build up or revitalize archetypes. Coupled with the point above, that can lead to more diversity, longer-lasting archetypes, and enough competitive churn to keep players engaged.
• It also gives us stronger tools to create an environment where decks are more “color(s) and mechanic” (like Green-White Toxic or Blue-White Soldiers) and less midrange. With a larger card pool, the format can handle bigger swings with entire decks seeded at once.

More sets should indeed lead to more diversity in the meta. But it also means that cards that become staples for Tier 1 decks may persist in the meta longer than before. Cards like Invoke Despair or Reckoner Bankbuster will likely continue to appear in decks for another year. Diversity will hopefully also lead to cheaper cards but it could have the reverse effect for staples. For example, Sheoldred, the Apocalypse is already a CA$100 card and Fable of the Mirror-Breaker is a CA$40 card. Could they climb higher or will the diversity of cards allow for more answers to those types of cards and reduce their hold on the format?

The change could also lead to more bans. With a longer shelf life for cards, WOTC may need to ban cards that warp gameplay for too long. Many players have already expressed how much they despite Invoke Despair (still less annoying than Ruin Crab was in its day in my opinion) and bringing Standard back to life may be difficult if players find themselves facing the same decks over and over.

The Standard format change will carry over to Arena as well. Alchemy will not change and will keep the current two-year rotation schedule.

Wizards also announced that this is a first step in helping Standard finds its way back into more LGS. Exactly what those steps are is not immediately clear as WOTC has only promised that additional developments are “still in the planning stages.”

Will the announced changes to Standard get you back in the format? Or are you among those who never left? Drop us a note below to let us know.