This week is a flood of elements to analyze. Let's read together the latest eight most relevant paper competitive tournaments, from America to Japan and from China to Australia. We'll travel the world in seven days and see how different scenes interpret the format. Afterwards, we'll analyze the most played TMNT cards, first under a microscope and then through a telescope.

1 | All Tournaments from Richmond to Changsha

The week of March 16-22, 2026, represents a moment of consolidation. We now have enough data from major competitive tournaments to identify the fixed points of Standard until the release of Secret of Strixhaven.

On one hand, we have tournaments like MIT Championship, RC Turin, Magic Spotlight TMNT, and RC Mexico City (Central America Magic Series). In these events, the most played deck was {U}{R} Prowess with an overall presence percentage (PP) of 13.9% and a win rate (WR) of 53.5%.

Immediately behind, among decks with over 3% prevalence, we find:

  • {U}{R} Lessons (PP: 12.1%; WR: 50.2%), 
  • Mono {G} Landfall (PP: 11.1%; WR: 55%),
  • {U}{B} Midrange (PP: 7.3%; WR: 48.5%),
  • {U}{R} Spellementals (PP: 5.4%; WR: 53.4%),
  • {U}{B} Excruciator (PP: 5%; WR: 45.5%),
  • {U}{G}/x Rhythm (PP: 3.8%; WR: 49.2%),
  • {U}{W} Tempo (PP: 3%; WR: 49.4%).

On the other hand, we have the four RCs of Australia/New Zealand, Japan/Korea, Southeast Asia, and China, played the following week. Here the most played deck was still {U}{R} Prowess, with a PP of 16.1% and a WR of 57.4%.

Immediately behind:

  • Mono {G} Landfall (PP: 13.7%; WR: 52.5%),
  • {U}{R} Lessons (PP: 8%; WR: 49.7%),
  • {U}{B} Midrange (PP: 7%; WR: 41.9%),
  • {U}{R} Spellementals (PP: 6.3%; WR: 50.5%),
  • {U}{B} Excruciator (PP: 5%; WR: 51.5%),
  •  Momo White (PP: 4.3%; WR: 48.7%),
  • {U}{G}/x Rhythm (PP: 3.9%; WR: 54.8%).

So we have a constantly growing {U}{R} Prowess, probably thanks to the inclusion of Eddymurk Crab. This creature, borrowed from {U}{R} Spellementals, has found an effective place: it's easy to discount and has an effect capable of turning games around.

Conversely, {U}{R} Lessons seems to be struggling more and more, also due to new artifact hate and the rise of Momo White.

2 | “Who beats whom?”

Based on the data and previous analyses, we can outline some clear dynamics.

{U}{R} Prowess is favored against {U}{B} Excruciator and {U}{B} Midrange, but struggles against {U}{R} Spellementals and Momo White. Mono {G} Landfall is favored against {U}{B} Excruciator and {U}{W} Tempo, but struggles against {U}{G}/x Rhythm. {U}{R} Lessons shares many matchups with {U}{R} Prowess, but is weaker against {U}{W} Tempo and also struggles against Momo White.

This explains the evolution of the meta. Momo White grows not so much due to intrinsic strength, but because it dominates two-thirds of the Tier1 decks. It still struggles against Mono {G} Landfall, but its impact on other top decks is enough to ensure its prevalence.

For the same reason, it is eroding space from {U}{W} Tempo, which is well-positioned against {U}{R} Lessons but ineffective against the rest of the Tier1 decks.

The result is a metagame with a statistically dominant deck ({U}{R} Prowess), but without a true technical dominator. The Tier1 decks have several negative matchups against lower tiers, and this generates the current variety in Standard.

3 | Top 10 TMNT Cards Entering Standard

From the analysis of 2887 decklists from the eight tournaments mentioned, the most played TMNT cards are:

  1. Leatherhead, Swamp Stalker
  2. Cool but Rude
  3. Dream Beavers
  4. Mikey & Leo, Chaos & Order
  5. Michelangelo’s Technique
  6. Tokka & Rahzar, Terrible Twos
  7. Casey Jones, Vigilante
  8. The Last Ronin’s Technique
  9. Michelangelo, Weirdness to 11
  10. Super Shredder

4 | Considerations on New TMNT Cards

Despite what was reported in the previous point (strongly supported by statistical analysis), I don't think everything that glitters in the data is gold. So I would like to offer a brief comment on the list, card by card. Perhaps there are some shooting stars with no future among these new adventurers.

Leatherhead, Swamp Stalker is a good card for green bases, both maindeck and sideboard. A clean answer against enchantments and artifacts (e.g. Monument to Endurance, Artist's Talent, Seam Rip, Sapling Nursery). Furthermore, it has very strong synergies in Landfall strategies. In fact, it can remove any type of counter to activate its removal effect. We have found an additional utility for the +1/+1 counters from Earthbender Ascension. Moreover, its intrinsic protection makes it an excellent target for the interaction that develops between the ability of Mightform Harmonizer and lands like Fabled Passage. However, it costs a whopping 4 mana. In fact, some players, like the great Simon Linabury (who came first at the ANZ Super Series), preferred to include more agile cards in their brews like Webstrike Elite (which, moreover, also provide a certain advantage in the race against Slickshot Show-Off).

Cool but Rude is an excellent card in {B}{R}/x Monument-Discard, but it could also have its say in a hypothetical new configuration of {U}{R}Lessons; it seems to have a strong synergy with Artist’s Talent. Anyway, the card in black-red bases can replace or accompany Monument and seems to be a better payoff for discard. It can well be the only enabler for {B} and {R} bases that rely on rummaging, or similar mechanics. It gives any attacker a discard effect, drains Life Points autonomously, allows Marauding Mako and Moonshadow to pump themselves in the attack phase, and at the same time, fills the graveyard with cards that often return to the battlefield (Bloodghast and Flamewake Phoenix). With Bloodthorn Flail, moreover, this talent easily inflicts lethal damage.

Dream Beavers is the beaver of all our dreams. A 1-mana addition capable of competing with Spyglass Siren in {U}{B} decks, even surpassing it. It ensures consistency for the entire deck and top-of-deck management, which implies excellent resource redundancy for tempo strategies and beyond. It's a perfect bounce for the ninjutsu of Kaito, Bane of Nightmares, and the life points it gains/drains often shorten the fundamental turn of the decks it's included in by one turn.

Mikey & Leo, Chaos & Order finds its place in Landfall decks. It is generally paired with the other card present in the list, Michelangelo, Weirdness to 11, forming almost a twin partnership. This set of cards aims to give Landfall decks a more midrange face, rather than having them bet everything on the explosiveness of the Mightform Harmonizer, Icetill Explorer, and Sapling Nursery package. Furthermore, these new cards revitalize the old Bristly Bill, Spine Sower, Snakeskin Veil, Innkeeper's Talent, as well as the ever-present Earthbender Ascension. An excellent draw engine, moreover.

Michelangelo’s Technique tries to make its mark in {U}{G}{W}Airbending, because it quickly searches for Appa, Steadfast Guardian or Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius, which are the keys to the deck. However, I find it only a 1x spell to include in a marginal deck.

Tokka & Rahzar, Terrible Two, in my opinion, has not yet found a stable home. It has been seen in {B}{R} bases, in {U}{B} and in Mono R. Let's say it's a cheap, evasive card that deals damage quickly. Being uncounterable, we also have good dominance against response-oriented strategies. I really like how it punishes "mana cheating", which is very present in the format. With every Warp of Quantum Riddler, every discount of Gran-Gran or Momo, Friendly Flier, for every Sunderflock played at a ridiculous price, that rascal casts his Lightning Bolt. I like it. Perhaps situational, but I like it.

Casey Jones, Vigilante is a late-game card. In that phase, it can give you 3 cards. However, it seems to get a bit of hype if inserted into {B}{R}/x Monument-Discard decks, where it also constitutes a good play on curve. I don't particularly like it, but in those specific lines, it might have some relevance.

Last Ronin’s Technique is a card that could make an impact if the format winks at decks that generate many tokens like Boros Mobilize. Let's just say there's not much to say here and now. It can be cast easily by bouncing an almost always unblocked Voice of Victory token to hand. It triggers all cards that deal damage based on creatures entering the battlefield like Shocking Sharpshooter and Raphael, Tough Turtle.

Super Shredder has been included in {U}{B} based decks, but I must confess that I find it an expensive and quite useless card in the current meta. I understand that it grows quickly when a Siren's map is sacrificed, or threats are shuffled for the ability of Floodpits Drowner, or when Kaito, Bane of Nightmares makes you return an unblocked attacker to hand. I understand that, in addition to all that has already been said, the normal waltz of board removals further inflates it. But I find it only a slow, two-for-one resource that does not respect the main pragmatic action useful to the type of deck it is inserted into. This action can be described as: "I want creatures on the field that I would be happy to have back in my hand." We are never happy to have Super Shredder back in hand if we are forced to ninjutsu it for Kaito, Bane of Nightmares, for example.

“See You Space Cowboy”

Francesco