A Historic Primer

Brief History of Historic 

Historic was recently hit by massive bans, unbans, and rebalances that reshaped what was likely the most stale and stagnant 60-card format on Arena. Historic suffered from what I now like to call the “Pioneer conundrum.” Pioneer, currently, sits in an uncomfortable limbo, largely ignored by Wizards of the Coast, with a larger Standard and higher power-level Modern eating at the format’s very justification for existing. Historic has occupied a similar position between the queues for Standard and Timeless: a graveyard for cards too powerful to be seen in Pioneer but too easily answered or outpaced by the extreme speed of Timeless. What resulted was an extremely stale, “two ships passing” format dominated by extremely efficient and non-negotiable packages or threats with disproportionately less powerful answers. 

Historic was created in 2019, slightly before Pioneer, for the same reason: a card that rotated out of Standard or was too powerful for the format. What it lacked was the deep card pool that Pioneer later boasted. To solve this issue, the Arena team injected the format with Historic Anthologies, offering brewers new tools that distinguished the format from the fledgling Pioneer. The final boon to the format was Jumpstart, launching several new archetypes such as Auras, Spirits, and Elves. What resulted from the mingling of these cards from different eras of this game was a healthy, interaction-filled format–a format that even saw paper play as a foil to the lower power level format (at the time) of Pioneer. 

Of course, Alchemy was a change that many players disliked, especially rebalances as a way to deepen and alter the course of the format. I was also in this crowd, typically in regard to digital-only mechanics, which only needlessly complicate the format. However, I eventually came around to simple rebalances that pushed cards that would previously have been swept under the rug. Cards such as Symmetry Sage would push aggro in the format, forcing brewers to adapt and cultivating a healthy ecosystem. This is the era of Historic I am most fond of, and it’s an ecosystem that I am eager to return to after these monumental bans and rebalances. 

But Why Should You Care? 

That’s the same question I asked myself when I saw these changes. To me, they were footnotes to formats that mattered more. At the time, I was preparing for Standard and grinding RCQs–playing Historic was behind me, and I had greener pastures ahead. However, it continued to itch. I wanted to explore, experiment, and revisit archetypes I had previously enjoyed and helped define. It was almost like I had something to prove. So, I updated Arena, was greeted by the bans and unbans screen, and immediately clicked the decks tab. 

When I started queuing games of Bo3 Historic, I didn’t find the format that I fell out of love with; I found innovation and a healthy ecosystem where there is a healthy push and pull. Skill in deckbuilding is rewarded. In short, it is a brewer’s paradise. It is a format where you can test your deckbuilding skills and be able to close the gap between you and the top decks in the format, contributing to this evolving, healthy ecosystem that reacts and adapts. Most will write off this format as non-competitive, and at least in part, this is true, but I believe competition is not the goal of this format. I believe it’s to test limits and innovate, and I do believe this format can help players improve deckbuilding and metagaming. 

The community for Historic is also vibrant, with most of Arena’s top-placing and most skillful players playing this format. While it is easy to farm, the competition between the top echelon is fierce and not confined to the Arena ladder. Community-run events and leagues occur monthly and often with hefty cash prizes, much like Timeless. There is a competitive ecosystem to this format and real incentive to play, improve, and innovate. 

Winners and Losers of the BNR 

The losers of this recent announcement seem obvious. The previously dominant archetypes of Val Combo and the various flavors of Eldrazi now find themselves on the fringes of the metagame. The truth is, these decks were far too consistent in this format, operating on axes that Historic simply did not have the means to combat with its suite of interaction. However, with the introduction of Force of Negation, many decks are now armed to police these previously elusive archetypes. 

Dimir Midrange, bolstered by Force of Negation and Harbinger of the Seas, now likely enjoys a seat at the top of the format. It’s a fair deck, powered by creatures such as Psychic Frog and Hydroponics Architect to maintain card advantage while addressing threats either on the stack or on the field, cashing in its trades for tempo and advantage the longer the game endures. The power of Hydroponics Architect can be harnessed through Lorien Revealed and Prismatic Vista, but is tempered by the lack of more powerful fetches. 

Jund Midrange, a previously dominant deck fueled by the engine of Crucias, Titan of the Waves, and Jarsyl, Dark Age Scion, now enjoys the powerful synergy of Pyrogoyf and Barrowgoyf as methods to close out the game. With decks like Eldrazi and Val now out of the format, archetypes that the Goyfs had a difficult time interacting with, the Goyfs and their friends can leverage their consistency to prey on decks seeking to goldfish and win unfairly. It shares a pedestal with Dimir Midrange–important gatekeepers of the format that are setting the tempo of this post-BNR format to a slower and interactable pace. 

Other decks hit by the bans, such as Boros Energy and Lotus Field Storm, seek to rebuild themselves, with dedicated pilots scrambling to adjust to how this metagame is stabilizing. While Boros Energy may need an extra piece or a more favorable metagame to utilize its powerful package, Lotus Field Storm endures with lists adopting similar cores before the introduction of Crop Rotation to the format. The combo still enjoys consistency through Sylvan Scrying and Expedition Map, but the deck is nowhere near as fast as it was before the ban of Crop Rotation. While the deck struggles with the disruptive black decks at the top of the format (Dimir in particular), it seeks to prey on archetypes outpacing or going over Dimir and Jund with less space dedicated to interaction in their 75 cards. 

Several other archetypes, some previously major players of the format but have since been pushed out, have emerged to fill the position left by Eldrazi, Val Combo, and Boros Energy. Various flavors of aggro have been revitalized with Boros Auras maintaining its position as a meta-definer and the return of Izzet Wizards. Fairer combo decks take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding interaction packages. Yawgmoth and Reanimator, fueled by Aquatic Subtlety, have begun to force the rest of the format to adapt to their different plans. Other archetypes, mostly backed by powerful synergies, have also been enjoying success, such as Ninjas, Merfolk, Phoenix, and Azorius High Noon. The format is wide right now, but beginning to settle, which only means it will reward more innovation to attack where players haven’t prepared. 

The Future of Historic 

I have a positive outlook for this format. Despite its controversies surrounding Alchemy and rebalancing, and its later stagnating metagame, the recent BNR has shocked the format back to life and brought back many players, including myself, who are eager to take a stab at their own innovations and plays to define the metagame. The Lorwyn Historic League, run by the MTGA: Eternal community, continues to pour in results and show us how the BNR has begun to warp the format. I highly recommend checking out the MTGA: Eternal Discord community, which holds several Historic and Timeless events with their TMNT tournament on the horizon in April, just before the start of the Strixhaven League. Also, check out the Meta Confluence Discord community soon to hold more Historic and Timeless events!