Legacy: Meta Review - May 2025

Greetings, Legacy community! I know that, right now, everyone is probably overwhelmed with the huge number of Final Fantasy spoilers coming out every day - and, don't worry, we'll discuss what should impact Legacy and what shouldn't really soon.

However, as I'm just now coming back from my two-week vacation, I believe we should review the Legacy meta right now, after Troll of Khazad-dûm and Sowing Mycospawn were banned. To get to the tiers below, we compiled data from multiple sources, including tournaments around the world.

So, let's see what we got!

Reanimator - 10.52%

Three bans (Grief, Psychic Frog, and Troll of Khazad-dûm) should be enough to push Reanimator out of the top of the meta, right? No. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

More resilient than a cockroach, Reanimator is still raising the dead (pun intended) and is still at the top of the meta.

Dimir Tempo – 9.57%

Next, we have the flagship of Tempo decks in Legacy, an archetype we recently discussed here at Cards Realm, Dimir Tempo. According to this recent article, "It perfectly combines pressure, tempo, and disruption, and, as such, it can face any opponent. It also doesn't have any clear weaknesses you can explore".

Oops, All Spells – 6.90%

Oh, Oops... This turn-1 combo list is this well-positioned in the meta, and I don't know if it's a game pattern WotC considers healthy.

Previously, it was mostly used by grinders on Magic Online to play several tournaments in a row. Now, it is consistent enough to get results in bigger tournaments. More than a few of us are keeping our eyes on it.

Izzet Delver – 6.07%

The Expressive Iteration ban pushed Izzet out of the Delver pool, and now Cori-steel Cutter made it all viable again. This version is once again the most popular list with the format's favorite Insect Mutant.

UWx Control (Azorius/Esper/Jeskai/Bant/4C/5C) – 5.91%

Theoretically, this is precisely the type of deck WotC wanted to promote when they banned Sowing Mycospawn. It also became more viable as Eldrazi and Cloudpost Ramp became less popular.

Separating this many archetypes is relatively difficult, as some sources combine them all together and others separate them into Bant, Esper, and Jeskai. In the grand scheme of things, the UW Control base is still quite strong and can be considered a viable option.

Show and Tell – 4.93%

Show and Tell lists became more powerful when Stompy lists grew, as they can easily obliterate them.

Fans of this archetype also hoped Reanimator would become less powerful because it is a very complicated opponent for them, but that didn't happen as much as they wanted.

Nadu Breakfast – 4,36%

Nadu allied to combo shell of Cephalid Breakfast is one of the most resilient decks in the format, able to go off as early as turn 2 as it can play a Control game, using Nadu to choke the opponent on card advantage.

It is the deck that makes us think if the bird time in Legacy is about to come to an end.

Red Stompy – 3.82%

Many decks that focus on putting creatures on the board as fast as possible and are, to a certain degree, quite resilient to Blood Moon grew lately, and that was somewhat of a shock to the main Stompy list in the format. It became a bit less relevant compared to the last time we reviewed the Legacy meta.

Forge Combo – 3.19%

After struggling with the Vexing Bauble ban, Forge gathered some strength and has been returning to the format. When it works, it is really nice to watch.

When it's out of the spotlight and stuff like Null Rod no longer pops up in sideboards, Forge is really great.

Death and Taxes – 3.11%

The very traditional deck of critters and lock pieces has almost entirely migrated to the Orzhov shell, where its Flicker effects (Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd, for example) are devastating with Overlord ofthe Balemurk, and thats not even counting the access to Orcish Bowmasters and Thoughtseize.

Grixis Delver – 3.05%

Between Dimir and Izzet, we have Grixis Delver. Though it has the best of both worlds, it is much more vulnerable than both.

Lands – 2.90%

This is the always present option if you want to destroy aggressive decks, but it struggles against combos.

Doomsday – 2.78%

Doomsday is still the most complicated combo in Legacy. It is not for the weak.

Nadu Midrange – 2.32%

This deck, which focuses on destroying the opponent with the cards Nadu creates, lost some space because of the version that simply prefers to end the game with Cephalid Illusionist.

Temur Delver – 2.31%

While Izzet soared, Temur fell. Life goes on for the multiple Delver lists in Legacy.

Painter – 2.15%

The changes Legacy went through recently made it more hostile for Painter. It was once the second most popular combo in the format, and now it is nearly at the bottom of the tiers.

Stiflenought – 1.73%

A 12/12 for just one mana is irresistible to many. Ironically, most lists actually no longer play Stifle!

Artifact Blue – 1.47%

The core of what was an aggressive deck, 8-Cast, was taken by an entirely different archetype: a combo centered around Paradoxical Outcome. This deck is still rising, so we'll probably have more and better data in the next few months.

Cradle Control – 1.46%

This deck has the honor of being the best Control list without blue in the format, whatever that means. Scythecat Cub lets you be more aggressive with it if you have to.

Storm – 1.39%

The most traditional combo in Legacy still has its fans, but it has lived better days.

Eldrazi – 1.36%

This deck couldn't go on without Sowing Mycospawn.

Sultai Control – 1.32%

Also known as BUG Beans, this deck got a breath of fresh air with Rakshasa's Bargain, but it still hasn't taken off properly.

Depths – 1.32%

This is another old friend who has seen better days. However, we can definitely say it prefers a world without Mycospawn.

Cloudpost Ramp – 1.07%

Speaking of Sowing Mycospawn, this archetype also can't go on without it.

The second to last ban update made this format more equal, and the last ban update only reaffirmed that.

We can see a wide variety of archetypes spread throughout the tiers, instead of stacking up at the top. Overall, Legacy seems relatively healthy in terms of power level.

However, game patterns are still a concern because of two decks in particular: Oops and anything that plays Nadu, Winged Wisdom. The first one consistently plays its combo on turn 1, even if the opponent plays Force of Will, and Nadu is in many banlists for a reason - it is extremely complicated to deal with in terms of logistics, as it promotes a single player playing the game while the other simply observes.

Considering what Wizards of the Coast has done so far, I don't think they'll do something about Nadu, but Oops might be nearing its final days.

That's it for today! I hope you enjoyed this article - now, let's move on to Final Fantasy!

What did you think of these decks? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!