Top 10 Most Played Cards in Pioneer (Last 30 Days)
Here's the performance analysis of the most popular mainboard cards:
1. Fatal Push - 33.6% presence
- Winrate: 50.03% (8,666-8,656)
- Found in 4,422 decks averaging 3.88 copies
- The most-played card shows perfectly balanced performance
2. Thoughtseize - 28.3% presence
- Winrate: 49.71% (7,144-7,226)
- Found in 3,724 decks averaging 3.96 copies
- Slightly below 50%, but ubiquitous in black decks
3. Monstrous Rage - 24.9% presence
- Winrate: 49.09% (6,499-6,741)
- Found in 3,270 decks averaging 3.80 copies
- Red aggro staple with near-even performance
4. Emberheart Challenger - 24.2% presence
- Winrate: 49.33% (6,302-6,473)
- Found in 3,188 decks averaging 3.98 copies
- Core red creature, nearly always played as a 4-of
5. Burst Lightning - 20.7% presence
- Winrate: 48.97% (5,325-5,548)
- Found in 2,725 decks averaging 3.75 copies
- Flexible removal/reach spell
6. Kumano Faces Kakkazan - 20.0% presence
- Winrate: 48.93% (5,164-5,389)
- Found in 2,632 decks averaging 3.99 copies
- Red aggro enchantment
7. Reckless Rage - 19.6% presence
- Winrate: 49.00% (4,958-5,160)
- Found in 2,580 decks averaging 3.02 copies
- Efficient removal for creature decks
8. Go for the Throat - 18.7% presence
- Winrate: 50.12% (4,898-4,875)
- Found in 2,457 decks averaging 1.80 copies
- Best performing removal spell
9. Screaming Nemesis - 18.2% presence
- Winrate: 49.20% (4,775-4,931)
- Found in 2,387 decks averaging 3.67 copies
- Red midrange threat
10. Heartfire Hero - 18.1% presence
- Winrate: 49.08% (4,738-4,915)
- Found in 2,375 decks averaging 3.99 copies
- Red aggro one-drop
Key Insights:
- All top 10 cards cluster around 49-50% winrate, indicating a balanced meta
- Fatal Push and Go for the Throat slightly edge out at 50%+
- Red aggro cards dominate 7 of the top 10 slots
- Black removal (Push, Thoughtseize, Go for the Throat) rounds out the staples
Sources:
Data from 458 tournaments: 82.8% MTGO, 17.2% Melee. Recent events: Pioneer Challenge 02/01