The September RCQ picture has sharpened. Izzet Spellementals leads the latest winner's metagame, while Jund Sacrifice is close behind. These are results to study, not a promise that any one deck will win your local room.
The snapshot
Frank Karsten's September 24 analysis covers more than 800 successful Standard tournament decks from September 1–21, using published Magic Online Challenges and selected RCQs. His winner's metagame measure combines popularity with positive match performance.
Izzet Spellementals led at 16.5%, followed by Jund Sacrifice at 12.2% and Mono-Green Landfall at 12.0%. Dimir Midrange was next at 9.6%. Those shares describe this sample and period; they are not matchup win rates.
Representative decklists
These published tournament builds are the lists linked in Magic.gg's September 24, 2026 snapshot. They are dated examples, so check newer event results and Standard legality before registering a deck.
- Izzet Spellementals — full tournament decklist
- Jund Sacrifice — full tournament decklist (also reproduced in our Jund Sacrifice guide)
- Mono-Green Landfall — full tournament decklist
- Dimir Midrange — full tournament decklist
What to playtest
Start with a representative published list, then adjust for the decks you actually face. Izzet's rise makes early interaction and efficient turns a useful testing priority. Jund Sacrifice and Mono-Green Landfall demand different answers, so avoid treating the field as one matchup.
The source analysis links each archetype to a full tournament list. Check the current banned list and event rules before registering a deck, and recheck results after the next release changes the card pool.
Source
Magic.gg — Metagame Mentor, September 24, 2026. Check the source for updates after publication.
Featured image: Magic Grand Prix Rotterdam, 2009, photographed by Sebastian Rittau. Wikimedia Commons source (CC0). Archive illustration; it does not depict the September 2026 RCQs.
