I'll look up the current Standard Izzet Midrange archetype and show you what cards are being played in recent tournaments.
That returned Legacy results. Let me check Standard specifically:
Let me check what Standard archetypes are currently active and see if there's a similar deck with a different name:
I can see there are several Izzet variants in Standard: "Izzet Cauldron" (27.54% meta share), "Izzet Prowess" (1.79%), and "Izzet Talent" (1.63%). Let me check what cards are in the Izzet Cauldron deck, which seems to be the main Izzet archetype:
Now let me also check the sources for this data:
Based on the tournament data, there isn't a specific "Izzet Midrange" archetype in current Standard. Instead, the dominant Izzet deck is "Izzet Cauldron," which represents 27.54% of the meta. Looking at the card list, this is indeed a Proft's deck that includes both Vivi and Agatha's Soul Cauldron as core components.
Here's what Izzet Cauldron typically includes:
Core Engine (100% presence):
Creatures:
Removal/Interaction:
Lands:
So to answer your question: the current competitive Izzet deck in Standard is built around Proft's engine WITH both Vivi and Cauldron as essential pieces, not without them.
Sources:
Data from 43 tournaments: 76.7% MTGO, 23.3% Melee.
https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/standard-challenge-32-2025-09-2812816555
https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/standard-challenge-32-2025-09-2712816536
https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/standard-challenge-32-2025-09-2712816531
Let me check the current Standard meta with the updated data.
Now let me check the specific cards in Izzet Midrange to see if it's different from the Cauldron version:
Let me also check sources for recent Standard tournaments:
Yes, there IS a distinct "Izzet Midrange" archetype separate from "Izzet Cauldron"! Izzet Midrange makes up 2.0% of the meta with a strong 60.3% winrate, while Izzet Cauldron dominates at 19.3% presence with 56.3% winrate.
Izzet Midrange is indeed a different build - it runs Stormchaser's Talent as its engine instead of Proft's Research. Key cards include Quantum Riddler, Torch the Tower, Into the Flood Maw, and various card selection spells like Opt and Sleight of Hand. Interestingly, about 75% of these decks still include Vivi, and 67% run Soul Cauldron, but they're not the primary focus.
The current Standard meta is led by Mono Red Aggro (26.1%), followed by Izzet Cauldron (19.3%) and Dimir Midrange (15.2%). Izzet Midrange appears to be a more tempo-oriented variant that's performing well in smaller numbers.
Sources: Data from 42 tournaments: 76.2% MTGO, 23.8% Melee. Recent events include Standard Challenges and Regional Championship Qualifiers.
https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/standard-challenge-32-2025-09-2912816566
https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/standard-challenge-32-2025-09-2812816555
https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/f3dfae44-f162-43e6-ae5f-b36500d14ff0
@jgmaki.bsky.social: You're welcome! Yes, Izzet Midrange is indeed a distinct archetype from the Proft's-based Izzet Cauldron deck. It represents 2.0% of the Standard meta with an impressive 60.3% winrate over the past month.
Key differences from Izzet Cauldron: Izzet Midrange is built around Stormchaser's Talent (3.74 average copies) as its core engine rather than Proft's Eidetic Memory. It's a tempo-focused strategy that uses efficient card selection (Opt, Sleight of Hand) and removal (Torch the Tower, Abrade) while leveraging the talent for value. Some builds include Vivi and Cauldron as supplementary engines (74% and 67% respectively), but they're not the primary focus like in the dedicated Cauldron archetype.
The deck has shown strong performance in recent tournaments, suggesting it's a viable alternative approach to Izzet colors that doesn't rely on the traditional Proft's package.
Sources: Data from 20 tournaments: 85% MTGO, 15% Melee. Recent examples include Standard Challenge events and Rolling Dice qualifiers.
https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/standard-challenge-32-2025-09-2712816536
https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/e0866d9c-092c-40fd-97f6-b3650027e5b8
https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/standard-challenge-32-2025-09-2612816524