An update on the route we are taking for organizing the forums is found here. Please read it and comment if you feel the need too.
As you may have noticed by now, the Modern subforum has been slow to update deck tiers and have a consistent method of categorizing each tier month-to-month. Ever since ktkenshinx stepped down from maintaining his (exceptionally good) personal tierlist we have been using external tierlists to maintain the forums.
When Wizards changed how they release MTGO data any site that collected this data (sites like MTGGoldfish, mtgtop8, etc...) begun using 'bad' data. We have tried using other tierlists, but they have all seemingly fallen off either due to the MTGO data change or lack of upkeep. The current tierlist that we were following is done by Lejoon, but that also hasn't been updated in a little while. As we become more and more out of date users being to ask about the forums tiering system. Now that Wizards is yet again changing how they release data, we are looking to implement a new structuring system to the fourms.
What we are looking to do is emulate the structuring system of the Legacy subforum. If you haven't seen it before, they group decks as either Established, Developing, or Budget. With such a deep card pool, there are many decks that are viable in a competitive setting. This allows the Established section to be broken down further into Aggro & Tempo, Midrange, Control, and Combo.
As the Pro Tour and GP Toronto have shown, Modern boasts some of the most diverse gameplay in Magic. There is an argument for no longer grouping decks into tiers since so many different decks are viable at the highest level of competitive play (and even more so at FNM's). Decks like Lantern Control or Boggles which are powerful enough to take down a PT/GP in the right metagame, spend most of their time sitting in the Tier 2/3 sections because they are not played much even though they are clearly established decks in the format.
Following this logic there are a few routes to take with restructuring the forums:
1) Change to Proven, Established, Developing, and Budget sections. Proven includes all decks with PT/GP results and still receive a good amount of play in the format (ie: Jund Loam even though it has a GP win, would not get to be Proven). This category includes pretty much all Tier 1-2 decks and select decks in Developing Competitive. Established will be for decks without PT/GP results, but are often seen at a FNM and could still win it. This would mean not as many decks from Developing Competitive make it into Established as the cutoff will be more strict, but some decks from Deck Creation will make it into Established. Established also includes decks that have been crippled by bans and have yet to make a comeback (ie: Bloom Titan). Developing (or Deck Creation) will stay as-is for all new brews to be posted there before they can move up to a new section. Current stickied decks will become unstickied. Budget will stay the same.
2) Emulate Legacy and change to Established, Developing, and Budget sections. Established includes all decks with PT/GP results and a good amount of play in the format. This includes pretty much all Tier 1-2 decks and a broader range of decks in Developing Competitive. Developing will be for everything else that isn't budget.
3) "Don't touch the structure of the forums and keep updating them according to X tierlist."
4) "How about you try [insert completely different system here]."
With options 1 and 2 we could also create a stickied thread in the main forums that is updated each month with the play percentages of each deck in the Proven/Established sections. This would still give players an idea of what decks to expect at tournaments in the current meta and would allow for a broader deck classification system. These percentages would probably come from a consistent source like MTGGoldfish or mtgtop8, so wouldn't be super accurate. We can also look into sorting decks by Aggro & Tempo, Midrange, Control, and Combo the same way that Legacy does... but there is also the problem with decks such as Tron and Lantern. They should really be called Big Mana and Prison respectively, but could also be considered Combo and Control decks depending on how we classify them... If Lantern is the only prison deck in Proven, does it really make sense to have a sub-forum only for it? I will edit this later with an example classification of decks for each section. EDIT: Look at this and this post, or find them in the thread below.
The mod team would love to hear the communities feedback on this proposed change. We want to see if there is anything we missed, and be transparent about these changes nothing gets changed out of the blue. What do you like about this? What do you not like about this? We're going to leave this up for ~1 week before starting the trial run.
I'm with Group 2 as well. The line between Proven and Established is too blurry. I'm still not convinced that UWR (pre Jace that is) is Tier 1. Never have been.
My biggest qualm with the "split Established into Aggro & Tempo, Midrange, Control, and Combo" system is that several Modern decks blend aspects from 2 or more of those camps. For example, Abzan Company is Midrange-Combo, and Gx Tron is Ramp-Midrange-Control (where would Ramp fit in that split, anyway?) I suppose there's looking at where Legacy classifies Post Ramp, Food Chain, Aluren, and Imperial Painter as inspiration, but classification can still get messy.
I'm not a fan of supporting archetype classification because decks blend. I remember back when we had them, we had this weird issue with Tron. Right now there are four main Tron variants: Mono Blue, UW, Gx, and Eldrazi. Each of them is different, but each of them similar. U and UW are more similar to each other than others, and Gx and Eldrazi are more similar to each other than others. Yet, at the same time, there are plenty of cards that fit into all four decks (Map, for example), that make splitting them a bad idea. And of course, Mono Blue or UW are going to share cards with typical blue control decks. So without a clear way to handle this discrepancy, the best way is to not create a situation where we have this problem to solve.
Anyway, I'm in favour of 1. Anything that's reasonably good in the field is in a "tier 1" status, anything that has some tournament results (infrequent, outdated, etc.) is "tier 2", and everything else is "tier 3" (budget notwithstanding). Decks can move whenever data suggests they should (Lantern winning that GP could move it from tier 3 to tier 2, Lantern winning the PT and having a few notable pilots could move it to tier 1).
I definitely like the idea of just emulating the Legacy subforum at this point and going with option 2.
As for the subcategories, would it be good just to have an "other" category to include strategies that don't operate like traditional aggro/midrange/control decks but aren't really combo decks? Just from reading the State of Modern thread, it seems like for every player that would consider Prison tactics a subsection of Control, there's another that treats Prison as a distinct category. "Big Mana" can also be a bit vague given the differently methods that it can be done as well as the different end goals of those decks. It just seems like it'd be much easier to create a new category that encompasses all the non-traditional style decks than arguing semantics.
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Decks
Modern: UWUW Control UBRGrixis Shadow URIzzet Phoenix
I don't think there is much choice but to go with option 2, so that has my own vote. Going to save my rantings for WoTC and their information embargo another day.
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1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Option 2 with no deck sorting. We get to see more decks potentially since there is only 3 sections now.
Any decks that had won a GP/PT in the past 6 months get a sticky for Established. Any new/rough decks that top 8 (or top 32) in a GP/PT or wins a RPTQ stickied for Developing.
With options 1 and 2 we could also create a stickied thread in the main forums that is updated each month with the play percentages of each deck in the Proven/Established sections. This would still give players an idea of what decks to expect at tournaments in the current meta and would allow for a broader deck classification system.
This can be merged with the state of modern thread to at least have a "fresh" topic to discuss.
There's no particular reason to arbitrarily create a "best deck club" when the format is so changeable by location and metagame. Having a general large pool of the competitive options will allow more variation of interest and visibility for decks on the rise or the fringes of top results. It's fairer to everyone.
That said, option two would be well served to be complimented by an additional locked-for-discussion thread where mods or someone helpful posts top-32 and day-2 results in a blog style, just as they are released. This would enable the community to make more informed decisions about what decks to play instead of an arbitrary tier system.
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Modern: G Tron, Vannifar, Jund, Druid/Vizier combo, Humans, Eldrazi Stompy (Serum Powder), Amulet, Grishoalbrand, Breach Titan, Turns, Eternal Command, As Foretold Living End, Elves, Cheerios, RUG Scapeshift
Option 2 is fine, as long as we are okay with the "established" section being gigantic.
I strongly advise against sub-dividing any sections by archetype. There is too much bleed and too much controversy, especially on this forum, about what constitutes midrange/control/aggro/etc.
I'm with Group 2 as well. The line between Proven and Established is too blurry. I'm still not convinced that UWR (pre Jace that is) is Tier 1. Never have been.
I definitely like the idea of just emulating the Legacy subforum at this point and going with option 2.
As for the subcategories, would it be good just to have an "other" category to include strategies that don't operate like traditional aggro/midrange/control decks but aren't really combo decks? Just from reading the State of Modern thread, it seems like for every player that would consider Prison tactics a subsection of Control, there's another that treats Prison as a distinct category. "Big Mana" can also be a bit vague given the differently methods that it can be done as well as the different end goals of those decks. It just seems like it'd be much easier to create a new category that encompasses all the non-traditional style decks than arguing semantics.
I don't think there is much choice but to go with option 2, so that has my own vote. Going to save my rantings for WoTC and their information embargo another day.
Option 2 with no deck sorting. We get to see more decks potentially since there is only 3 sections now.
Any decks that had won a GP/PT in the past 6 months get a sticky for Established. Any new/rough decks that top 8 (or top 32) in a GP/PT or wins a RPTQ stickied for Developing.
With options 1 and 2 we could also create a stickied thread in the main forums that is updated each month with the play percentages of each deck in the Proven/Established sections. This would still give players an idea of what decks to expect at tournaments in the current meta and would allow for a broader deck classification system.
This can be merged with the state of modern thread to at least have a "fresh" topic to discuss.
There's no particular reason to arbitrarily create a "best deck club" when the format is so changeable by location and metagame. Having a general large pool of the competitive options will allow more variation of interest and visibility for decks on the rise or the fringes of top results. It's fairer to everyone.
That said, option two would be well served to be complimented by an additional locked-for-discussion thread where mods or someone helpful posts top-32 and day-2 results in a blog style, just as they are released. This would enable the community to make more informed decisions about what decks to play instead of an arbitrary tier system.
Option 2 is fine, as long as we are okay with the "established" section being gigantic.
I strongly advise against sub-dividing any sections by archetype. There is too much bleed and too much controversy, especially on this forum, about what constitutes midrange/control/aggro/etc.
option 2, no archetype boards. theyre the biggest reason a few threads on the legacy boards are dead, i feel.
Alright, so the majority of people are suggesting Option 2. I personally agree that trying to sort decks by archtype would be a pain without having 5+ sections, and even then I can guarantee there would be some backlash about it.
If we go ahead and lump all of the decks into one 'Established' section then it will look something like this:
Burn
Jeskai Control
Humans
Vizier Company
Gx Tron
Grixis Death's Shadow
UR Storm
RG Titanshift
Eldrazi Tron
Affinity
Mardu
Jund Death's Shadow
Living End
Jund
Elves
Lantern Control
Knightfall
Blue Moon/UR Breach
UW Control
Abzan
Dredge
Boggles
Death and Taxes
Merfolk
Infect
Hollow One
Groshoalbrand
Ponza
*Amulet Titan
*8Rack
Ad Nauseam
Bant Eldrazi
*RW Prison
*UB Mill
BW Tokens
Taking Turns
*Tezzerator
*Esper Control
KCI Combo
Grixis Contorl
*Faeries
Mono U Tron
*Stompy
Cheeri0s
*G Devotion
*Goblins
BW Eldrazi Processor
RUG
*BUG Control
RUG Scapeshift
Zoo
Restore Balance
*BW Midrange
*Dredgevine
*Emeria Control
*Grixis Delver
*4C Gifts
*UR Delver
GW Hatebears
Bant Spirits
*Assault Loam
*MartyrProc
Skred Red
*Eternal Command
*UW Tron
*Esper Midrange
*Cruel Control
*Soul Sisters
Kiki-Chord
BW Smallpox
Jeskai Midrange
*Ascendency Storm
*Abzan Liege
*Jeskai Delver
*Bubble Hulk
*Loam Pox
*UR Ascension Storm
*Sultai Delirium
That's a possible total of 79 decks for the Established section. At the default 25 decks per page, you'll possibly need to scroll for 3 pages just to find a specific thread. Also, all of the decks in that list with a * besides them could be in contention to get moved to the Developing section. Before you tell me that "X deck doesn't belong there", the requirements aren't set in stone yet and I just put them down on the more obvious decks that have fallen out of playablility as I made the list. If the intention is "Any deck that is FNM viable or better" gets to be in Established, then basically all of Deck Creation should be moved over. The cutoff would probably be "Able to Day 2 at a GP (or better) with the deck" at it's lowest requirements. Some decks like Delver variants, Ascendency Storm, Cruel Control, etc.. just don't exist out of FNM anymore so is it really fair to say that they should be in Established?
This is simply to give an idea of what the Established section could look like with Option 2. Nothing is set in stone yet.
That definitely seems like way too many lists for established. I don't think it would be a huge deal for veteran users on the site, but for newer players looking to get into Modern, I really question if they're even going to be willing to go through 3 whole pages of primers. Seems more likely that they'll only read the first two pages at most. I think being stricter on the Established requirements and moving most of those asterisked decks to Developing would actually give those decks more exposure than if we kept in Established only for them to be stuck on the last page collecting dust.
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Decks
Modern: UWUW Control UBRGrixis Shadow URIzzet Phoenix
That definitely seems like way too many lists for established. I don't think it would be a huge deal for veteran users on the site, but for newer players looking to get into Modern, I really question if they're even going to be willing to go through 3 whole pages of primers. Seems more likely that they'll only read the first two pages at most. I think being stricter on the Established requirements and moving most of those asterisked decks to Developing would actually give those decks more exposure than if we kept in Established only for them to be stuck on the last page collecting dust.
And this is why I also had Option 1 as a way to sort the forums. If you look at that list of 79 decks which are playable from a FNM+ level, there are a handful of deck that have won or been in the top 32 of a semi-recent GP/PT. 'Proven' decks in the format could include these 30 decks: Burn, Jeskai Control, UW Control, Jund, Abzan, Mardu, Humans, Vizier Company, Gx Tron, Eldrazi Tron, Bant Eldrazi, Grixis Death's Shadow, Jund Death's Shadow, UR Storm, RG Titanshift, Affinity, Living End, Elves, Lantern Control, Knightfall, Blue Moon/UR Breach, Dredge, Boggles, Death & Taxes, GW Hatebears, Merfolk, Infect, Hollow One, Grishoalbrand, Ad Nauseam
Competitive fringe decks that we have seen be 9-0 at a GP before losing, or top 8 a SCG event, or won a PPTQ, or been competitively almost there for a while, etc... can fit into 'Established' as these decks: Skred Red(won a GP but has been absent ever sine), Taking Turns, Ponza, 8Rack, RW Prison, Amulet Titan, UB Mill, KCI Combo, Grixis Contorl, BW Tokens, Mono U Tron, Cheeri0s, BW Eldrazi Processor, RUG Scapeshift, Bant Spirits, UW Tron, Soul Sisters, Zoo, Restore Balance, Bubble Hulk, BW Smallpox, Kiki-Chord, Jeskai Midrange
Then there has to be a choice made about putting every other remotely FNM viable deck into Established, or leaving it all in Developing (Deck Creation). A cutoff system could be something like Proven = GP/PT top 32 or better in the last 6-9 months. Established is everything else that isn't a new deck creation deck that has or had some relevance in the past, and Developing is the rest of it.
OR
Proven is still those 30 decks mentioned above and everything else goes into Developing (Deck Creation). That will basically be a free for all for whatever is below the cutoff. I see the impact of this being that more traffic will be in that subforum meaning new decks will get pushed down faster. This is going to be one of the cons of this route but would make the forums cleaner in the long run.
Again the cutoffs and number of decks are just being thrown around right now, but it can give an idea of what the forums may look like post-move.
I will take 30 decks for Proven since 79 is too much. Or unless the default page of 25 threads be increased for the modern sub forums. Another option may be adding the top X decks (via forum posts) into the proven/established section.
I'm a fan of option 2. Established helps to not pigeon hole players into Tier 1 (proven) decks, especially considering the power level is very similar in most established decks (including what would be defined as proven).
I'm a fan of option 2. Established helps to not pigeon hole players into Tier 1 (proven) decks, especially considering the power level is very similar in most established decks (including what would be defined as proven).
You vote for 2 even with it consisting of about 80 decks over a few pages? Isn't that really ungainly for navigation?
I vote for #1 because the pool would otherwise be far too large. However, I'd like there to be rules about the Proven tier. What's the cutoff for "Proven"? A GP/PT win? Top 8? Top 16? Do we consider SCG events? Large MODO events? When do we rotate that list - after a year of a deck not seeing another showing in whatever the cutoff is? Less time?
The problem is, nearly any deck out of the dozens that are 'good' can Top 8. You would need something like 4 Top 8's inside a year, to be 'Proven' or the list becomes huge no?
To add to what idSurge said, I've been going through old top 8s via TCGPlayer, and not including Team events or MOCS, there's over 30 decks that have top 8'd at least once just between December 2017 and now, including a BW Zombie deck, a Grixis As Foretold Goryo's Deck, and a Mono-Red Prison deck (not Skred).
I think multiple Top 8s within a year or even 6 months would definitely have to be a minimum requirement if you want to keep the Proven subsection under 25 primers.
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Modern: UWUW Control UBRGrixis Shadow URIzzet Phoenix
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As you may have noticed by now, the Modern subforum has been slow to update deck tiers and have a consistent method of categorizing each tier month-to-month. Ever since ktkenshinx stepped down from maintaining his (exceptionally good) personal tierlist we have been using external tierlists to maintain the forums.
When Wizards changed how they release MTGO data any site that collected this data (sites like MTGGoldfish, mtgtop8, etc...) begun using 'bad' data. We have tried using other tierlists, but they have all seemingly fallen off either due to the MTGO data change or lack of upkeep. The current tierlist that we were following is done by Lejoon, but that also hasn't been updated in a little while. As we become more and more out of date users being to ask about the forums tiering system. Now that Wizards is yet again changing how they release data, we are looking to implement a new structuring system to the fourms.
What we are looking to do is emulate the structuring system of the Legacy subforum. If you haven't seen it before, they group decks as either Established, Developing, or Budget. With such a deep card pool, there are many decks that are viable in a competitive setting. This allows the Established section to be broken down further into Aggro & Tempo, Midrange, Control, and Combo.
As the Pro Tour and GP Toronto have shown, Modern boasts some of the most diverse gameplay in Magic. There is an argument for no longer grouping decks into tiers since so many different decks are viable at the highest level of competitive play (and even more so at FNM's). Decks like Lantern Control or Boggles which are powerful enough to take down a PT/GP in the right metagame, spend most of their time sitting in the Tier 2/3 sections because they are not played much even though they are clearly established decks in the format.
Following this logic there are a few routes to take with restructuring the forums:
1) Change to Proven, Established, Developing, and Budget sections. Proven includes all decks with PT/GP results and still receive a good amount of play in the format (ie: Jund Loam even though it has a GP win, would not get to be Proven). This category includes pretty much all Tier 1-2 decks and select decks in Developing Competitive. Established will be for decks without PT/GP results, but are often seen at a FNM and could still win it. This would mean not as many decks from Developing Competitive make it into Established as the cutoff will be more strict, but some decks from Deck Creation will make it into Established. Established also includes decks that have been crippled by bans and have yet to make a comeback (ie: Bloom Titan). Developing (or Deck Creation) will stay as-is for all new brews to be posted there before they can move up to a new section. Current stickied decks will become unstickied. Budget will stay the same.
2) Emulate Legacy and change to Established, Developing, and Budget sections. Established includes all decks with PT/GP results and a good amount of play in the format. This includes pretty much all Tier 1-2 decks and a broader range of decks in Developing Competitive. Developing will be for everything else that isn't budget.
3) "Don't touch the structure of the forums and keep updating them according to X tierlist."
4) "How about you try [insert completely different system here]."
With options 1 and 2 we could also create a stickied thread in the main forums that is updated each month with the play percentages of each deck in the Proven/Established sections. This would still give players an idea of what decks to expect at tournaments in the current meta and would allow for a broader deck classification system. These percentages would probably come from a consistent source like MTGGoldfish or mtgtop8, so wouldn't be super accurate. We can also look into sorting decks by Aggro & Tempo, Midrange, Control, and Combo the same way that Legacy does... but there is also the problem with decks such as Tron and Lantern. They should really be called Big Mana and Prison respectively, but could also be considered Combo and Control decks depending on how we classify them... If Lantern is the only prison deck in Proven, does it really make sense to have a sub-forum only for it?
I will edit this later with an example classification of decks for each section.EDIT: Look at this and this post, or find them in the thread below.The mod team would love to hear the communities feedback on this proposed change. We want to see if there is anything we missed, and be transparent about these changes nothing gets changed out of the blue. What do you like about this? What do you not like about this? We're going to leave this up for ~1 week before starting the trial run.
MTGO/MTGA: Tyclone
My Primers ~ GWx Vizier Company ~ Knightfall ~ RG Eldrazi ~ Green's Sun's Zenith
More Brews ~ Modern Four Horsemen ~ Gitrog Dredge
Spirits
My biggest concern with a three part system is fringe decks that occasionally have good tournament finishes.
Twitter: twitter.com/axmanonline
Stream: twitch.tv/axman
Current Decks
Modern: Affinity
Standard: BW Control
Legacy: Death and Taxes :symw::symr:
Vintage: NA
Anyway, I'm in favour of 1. Anything that's reasonably good in the field is in a "tier 1" status, anything that has some tournament results (infrequent, outdated, etc.) is "tier 2", and everything else is "tier 3" (budget notwithstanding). Decks can move whenever data suggests they should (Lantern winning that GP could move it from tier 3 to tier 2, Lantern winning the PT and having a few notable pilots could move it to tier 1).
Grixis Death's Shadow, Jund, UW Tron, Jeskai Control, Storm, Counters Company, Eldrazi Tron, Affinity, Living End, Infect, Merfolk, Dredge, Ad Nauseam, Amulet, Bogles, Eldrazi Tron, Mono U Tron, Lantern, Mardu Pyromancer
As for the subcategories, would it be good just to have an "other" category to include strategies that don't operate like traditional aggro/midrange/control decks but aren't really combo decks? Just from reading the State of Modern thread, it seems like for every player that would consider Prison tactics a subsection of Control, there's another that treats Prison as a distinct category. "Big Mana" can also be a bit vague given the differently methods that it can be done as well as the different end goals of those decks. It just seems like it'd be much easier to create a new category that encompasses all the non-traditional style decks than arguing semantics.
Modern:
UWUW Control
UBRGrixis Shadow
URIzzet Phoenix
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Any decks that had won a GP/PT in the past 6 months get a sticky for Established. Any new/rough decks that top 8 (or top 32) in a GP/PT or wins a RPTQ stickied for Developing.
This can be merged with the state of modern thread to at least have a "fresh" topic to discuss.
I suggested this a couple times and I`m happy to see there is something being done about the whole Tier system.
Modern - Burn
EDH - Neheb the Eternal
There's no particular reason to arbitrarily create a "best deck club" when the format is so changeable by location and metagame. Having a general large pool of the competitive options will allow more variation of interest and visibility for decks on the rise or the fringes of top results. It's fairer to everyone.
That said, option two would be well served to be complimented by an additional locked-for-discussion thread where mods or someone helpful posts top-32 and day-2 results in a blog style, just as they are released. This would enable the community to make more informed decisions about what decks to play instead of an arbitrary tier system.
I strongly advise against sub-dividing any sections by archetype. There is too much bleed and too much controversy, especially on this forum, about what constitutes midrange/control/aggro/etc.
Modern - Cheeri0s (building), Belcher (building), Lantern (building), UW Control (building)
RIP Magic Duels. Wizards will regret what they did to you.
If we go ahead and lump all of the decks into one 'Established' section then it will look something like this:
Jeskai Control
Humans
Vizier Company
Gx Tron
Grixis Death's Shadow
UR Storm
RG Titanshift
Eldrazi Tron
Affinity
Mardu
Jund Death's Shadow
Living End
Jund
Elves
Lantern Control
Knightfall
Blue Moon/UR Breach
UW Control
Abzan
Dredge
Boggles
Death and Taxes
Merfolk
Infect
Hollow One
Groshoalbrand
Ponza
*Amulet Titan
*8Rack
Ad Nauseam
Bant Eldrazi
*RW Prison
*UB Mill
BW Tokens
Taking Turns
*Tezzerator
*Esper Control
KCI Combo
Grixis Contorl
*Faeries
Mono U Tron
*Stompy
Cheeri0s
*G Devotion
*Goblins
BW Eldrazi Processor
RUG
*BUG Control
RUG Scapeshift
Zoo
Restore Balance
*BW Midrange
*Dredgevine
*Emeria Control
*Grixis Delver
*4C Gifts
*UR Delver
GW Hatebears
Bant Spirits
*Assault Loam
*MartyrProc
Skred Red
*Eternal Command
*UW Tron
*Esper Midrange
*Cruel Control
*Soul Sisters
Kiki-Chord
BW Smallpox
Jeskai Midrange
*Ascendency Storm
*Abzan Liege
*Jeskai Delver
*Bubble Hulk
*Loam Pox
*UR Ascension Storm
*Sultai Delirium
This is simply to give an idea of what the Established section could look like with Option 2. Nothing is set in stone yet.
MTGO/MTGA: Tyclone
My Primers ~ GWx Vizier Company ~ Knightfall ~ RG Eldrazi ~ Green's Sun's Zenith
More Brews ~ Modern Four Horsemen ~ Gitrog Dredge
Modern:
UWUW Control
UBRGrixis Shadow
URIzzet Phoenix
Burn, Jeskai Control, UW Control, Jund, Abzan, Mardu, Humans, Vizier Company, Gx Tron, Eldrazi Tron, Bant Eldrazi, Grixis Death's Shadow, Jund Death's Shadow, UR Storm, RG Titanshift, Affinity, Living End, Elves, Lantern Control, Knightfall, Blue Moon/UR Breach, Dredge, Boggles, Death & Taxes, GW Hatebears, Merfolk, Infect, Hollow One, Grishoalbrand, Ad Nauseam
Competitive fringe decks that we have seen be 9-0 at a GP before losing, or top 8 a SCG event, or won a PPTQ, or been competitively almost there for a while, etc... can fit into 'Established' as these decks:
Skred Red(won a GP but has been absent ever sine), Taking Turns, Ponza, 8Rack, RW Prison, Amulet Titan, UB Mill, KCI Combo, Grixis Contorl, BW Tokens, Mono U Tron, Cheeri0s, BW Eldrazi Processor, RUG Scapeshift, Bant Spirits, UW Tron, Soul Sisters, Zoo, Restore Balance, Bubble Hulk, BW Smallpox, Kiki-Chord, Jeskai Midrange
Then there has to be a choice made about putting every other remotely FNM viable deck into Established, or leaving it all in Developing (Deck Creation). A cutoff system could be something like Proven = GP/PT top 32 or better in the last 6-9 months. Established is everything else that isn't a new deck creation deck that has or had some relevance in the past, and Developing is the rest of it.
OR
Proven is still those 30 decks mentioned above and everything else goes into Developing (Deck Creation). That will basically be a free for all for whatever is below the cutoff. I see the impact of this being that more traffic will be in that subforum meaning new decks will get pushed down faster. This is going to be one of the cons of this route but would make the forums cleaner in the long run.
Again the cutoffs and number of decks are just being thrown around right now, but it can give an idea of what the forums may look like post-move.
MTGO/MTGA: Tyclone
My Primers ~ GWx Vizier Company ~ Knightfall ~ RG Eldrazi ~ Green's Sun's Zenith
More Brews ~ Modern Four Horsemen ~ Gitrog Dredge
You vote for 2 even with it consisting of about 80 decks over a few pages? Isn't that really ungainly for navigation?
Standard: lol no
Modern: BG/x, UR/x, Burn, Merfolk, Zoo, Storm
Legacy: Shardless BUG, Delver (BUG, RUG, Grixis), Landstill, Depths Combo, Merfolk
Vintage: Dark Times, BUG Fish, Merfolk
EDH: Teysa, Orzhov Scion / Krenko, Mob Boss / Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
Spirits
I think multiple Top 8s within a year or even 6 months would definitely have to be a minimum requirement if you want to keep the Proven subsection under 25 primers.
Modern:
UWUW Control
UBRGrixis Shadow
URIzzet Phoenix