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Dimir Tempo vs Midrange Legacy Matchups

1 requestsStarted 7/22/2026, 8:03:14 PM
Bluesky mention by @JurgenKowalsky: @_MetaMage_ give me the differences in cards played between dimir tempo and dimir midrange. Also give me a rundown of matchwin% of both decks against the 16 most played decks Please answer the question based on MTG tournament data. The full thread JSON is available but omitted here.
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The overviews are pointing to different formats (Legacy for Dimir Tempo, Standard for Dimir Midrange). Given the Modern meta report and the cards listed (Force of Will, Ponder, Underground Sea), these archetypes appear to be in Legacy. Let me check if there are Dimir Tempo/Midrange archetypes in Modern specifically, and also get card details and matchup data. Let me also get the correct format context by checking Legacy meta report and getting the card breakdowns.

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Both archetypes are in Legacy. Now let me get the matchup winrates for both decks against the top 16 archetypes. I'll run these in parallel.

Now let me get Dimir Midrange's matchups against the same 16 archetypes:

Here is the full breakdown, @JurgenKowalsky. Both archetypes are in Legacy (not Modern or Standard). Data covers the last 60 days.

CARD DIFFERENCES: DIMIR TEMPO vs DIMIR MIDRANGE (Legacy, Mainboard)

Cards that are staples in Dimir Tempo but NOT in Dimir Midrange:

  • Wasteland: 100% presence in Tempo vs 37% in Midrange (avg 3.98 copies vs 3.24 when played)
  • Daze: 96% vs 66% - Tempo plays it as a near-lock, Midrange is more split
  • Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student: 97.6% vs 42%
  • Orcish Bowmasters: 97.6% presence - essentially exclusive to Tempo (not in Midrange top 30)
  • Murktide Regent: 92% vs 30% - Tempo's primary finisher
  • Kaito, Bane of Nightmares: 91% in Tempo, not present in Midrange top 30
  • Fatal Push: 100% in Tempo, only 27% in Midrange
  • Flow State: 96.8% vs 92.3% - both play it, but Tempo runs it at 3.51 avg vs 3.71 in Midrange
  • Snuff Out: 74.4% in Tempo, not in Midrange top 30
  • Brazen Borrower: 57% in both, but lower avg copies in Midrange (1.19 vs 1.04)
  • Nethergoyf: 63% in Tempo, not in Midrange top 30
  • Barrowgoyf: 54% in Tempo vs 32% in Midrange

Cards that are notable in Dimir Midrange but NOT in Dimir Tempo:

  • Mishra's Bauble: 59% in Midrange (avg 3.91 copies!) vs 27% in Tempo (avg 2.0) - a massive structural difference
  • Lotus Petal: 58% in Midrange, absent from Tempo entirely - signals a faster mana/burst package
  • Dark Ritual: 54% in Midrange, absent from Tempo - confirms a ritual-fueled gameplan
  • The Fantasticar: 48% in Midrange, absent from Tempo - a top-end threat unique to Midrange
  • Reanimate: 23% in Midrange, absent from Tempo - Midrange has a reanimation sub-package
  • Atraxa, Grand Unifier: 21% in Midrange, absent from Tempo - the reanimation target
  • Animate Dead: 21% in Midrange, absent from Tempo - more reanimation

In short: Dimir Tempo is a classic interactive tempo deck (Wasteland/Daze/Bowmasters/Murktide) that tries to disrupt the opponent while applying fast clock pressure. Dimir Midrange is more of a value-combo hybrid that leans on Lotus Petal, Dark Ritual, Mishra's Bauble, and a reanimation sub-package, making it closer to a proactive engine deck that can also go under opponents.

MATCHUP WINRATES vs TOP 16 LEGACY ARCHETYPES (last 60 days, draws excluded)

Opponent | Tempo WR% | Midrange WR% | Sample (T/M)
Show and Tell | 61.8% | 63.6% | 34 / 22
Izzet Delver | 63.9% | 34.8% | 36 / 23
Tron | 37.9% | 53.8% | 29 / 26
Energy | 34.5% | 53.3% | 29 / 30
Grixis Reanimator | 64.3% | 43.8% | 28 / 16
Doomsday | 60.0% | 50.0% | 35 / 32
Azorius Midrange | 59.0% | 33.3% | 39 / 21
Dimir Midrange/Tempo | 42.9% (T) | 57.1% (M) | 21 (mirror)
Blue Artifacts | 30.4% | 38.5% | 23 / 13
Death & Taxes | N/A* | N/A* | 0 / 0
Lands | 31.3% | 61.5% | 16 / 13
Welder Combo | 27.3% | 21.1% | 11 / 19
Mystic Forge Combo | 45.5% | 75.0% | 11 / 8
Jeskai Midrange | 55.6% | 55.6% | 9 / 9
Eldrazi | 33.3% | 42.9% | 6 / 7
TES | 66.7% | 33.3% | 9 / 6

*No recorded matches vs Death & Taxes for either deck in this window.

Key takeaways: Dimir Tempo crushes interactive fair decks (Izzet Delver 63.9%, Azorius Midrange 59%, Grixis Reanimator 64.3%) but crumbles against pure mana-denial strategies and fast artifact combos (Blue Artifacts 30.4%, Welder Combo 27.3%, Lands 31.3%). Dimir Midrange flips some of those results - it handles Tron (53.8%), Energy (53.3%), and Lands (61.5%) much better, likely due to its more powerful individual cards, but it gets stomped by Izzet Delver (34.8%), Azorius Midrange (33.3%), and TES (33.3%). Both decks share weaknesses to Welder Combo and Blue Artifacts. Note that some matchup samples are small (Eldrazi, TES, Jeskai, Mystic Forge) so treat those numbers with caution.

Sources: Data from 82 Legacy tournaments between May 21 and July 21, 2026 (54% MTGO, 46% Melee).
https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/legacy-challenge-32-2026-07-1912847711
https://www.mtgo.com/decklist/legacy-challenge-32-2026-07-1912847705
https://melee.gg/Decklist/View/cae0d86d-8553-40c7-ad01-b48b01024339