Stybs has played Magic the world over, writing and drafting as part of the event coverage team and slinging Commander everywhere his decks will fit.

The Day 1 metagame breakdown at Pro Tour Kaladesh revealed a field led by Aetherworks Marvel decks and a wide selection of aggressive strategies. After eight rounds of play, the field cut from 466 to 293 players.

Here's where Constructed stands:

Archetype Count % Field Change in % Field Temur Aetherworks 55 18.77% 1.17% Black-Green Delirium 30 10.24% -1.56% Black-Red Aggro 23 7.85% -0.30% Red-White Vehicles 20 6.83% 0.60% Red-Green Energy 19 6.48% -0.17% Black-Red Madness 15 5.12% 0.61% Jeskai Control 11 3.75% -0.11% Bant Midrange 9 3.07% 0.28% Jund Delirium 8 2.73% 1.01% Mardu Vehicles 7 2.39% -0.40% Temur Colossus 7 2.39% 0.89% Temur Emerge 7 2.39% 0.03% Blue-Red Spells 6 2.05% -0.31% Grixis Emerge 6 2.05% -0.53% Red-White Humans 6 2.05% 0.55% Green-White Midrange 5 1.71% -0.22% Bant Aetherworks 4 1.37% 0.08% Temur Energy 4 1.37% 0.51% White-Blue Control 4 1.37% -0.14% White-BlueFlash 4 1.37% 0.08% White-Blue Midrange 4 1.37% 0.51% Blue-Red Emerge 3 1.02% 0.17% Mardu Midrange 3 1.02% 0.38% Sultai Midrange 3 1.02% 0.17% White-Black Control 3 1.02% -0.26% Blue-Red Control 2 0.68% -0.60% Four-Color Aetherworks 2 0.68% 0.25% Grixis Colossus 2 0.68% 0.25% Grixis Control 2 0.68% 0.04% Blue-Black Control 1 0.34% -0.09% Blue-Black Emerge 1 0.34% 0.13% Four-Color Emerge 1 0.34% 0.13% Four-Color Vehicles 1 0.34% 0.13% Green-Blue Aetherworks 1 0.34% -1.16% Green-White Humans 1 0.34% -0.30% Grixis Devoid 1 0.34% 0.13% Grixis Madness 1 0.34% 0.13% Jeskai Colossus 1 0.34% 0.13% Mono-White Aggro 1 0.34% 0.13% Mono-White Humans 1 0.34% 0.13% Naya Humans 1 0.34% 0.13% Red-Green Aetherworks 1 0.34% -0.30% Red-White Equipment 1 0.34% 0.13% Red-White Tokens 1 0.34% 0.13% Temur Control 1 0.34% 0.13% White-Black Aggro 1 0.34% -0.30% White-Blue Emerge 1 0.34% -0.09% White-Colorless Midrange 1 0.34% -0.09% Total 293 100.00%

Again, rolling things up into higher levels:

Archetype Total % Field Change in % Field Aetherworks 63 21.50% 0.04% Delirium 38 12.97% -0.76% Midrange 29 9.90% 0.03% Vehicles 28 9.56% 0.33% Aggro 27 9.22% -0.23% Control 24 8.19% -1.25% Energy 23 7.85% 0.34% Emerge 19 6.48% -0.17% Madness 16 5.46% 0.53% Colossus 10 3.41% 1.27% Humans 9 3.07% 0.50% Spells 6 2.05% -0.31% Devoid 1 0.34% 0.13% Total 293 100.00%

Archetype Total % Field Change in % Field Aggro 104 35.49% 1.59% Aetherworks 63 21.50% 0.04% Delirium 38 12.97% -0.76% Midrange 29 9.90% 0.03% Control 24 8.19% -1.25% Emerge 19 6.48% -0.17% Colossus 10 3.41% 1.27% Spells 6 2.05% -0.31% Total 293 100.00%

The real story here is the lack of representative change across decks. The difference (change) in the percent of the field for archetypes from Day 1 to Day 2 is, overall, small. No one deck was a runaway success, and while Aetherworks Marvel was clearly among the favored choices for collaborating players, it doesn't appear to have overwhelmed everything else.

If anything, being aggressive was still the best plan…by a sliver of overall percentage.

The two Day 1 undefeated players, seventh-ranked Shota Yasooka and Eric Froehlich, each made their mark with different decks. Froehlich's Black-Green Delirium was the second most popular archetype on Day 1, holding its spot for Day 2. It played between aggro and midrange, which gave it play against fast and slow decks alike.

The real talk of the tournament so far is what Yasooka went undefeated with: Grixis Control. With Vehicles playing a key part of the known decks leading up, the decision to play control at the Pro Tour wasn't one most players made. As one of the least represented overall archetypes, the tuning and toolset Yasooka brought spoke to his preparation. Packed with removal and countermagic, leading up to Thing in the Ice and Torrential Gearhulk, Yasooka's calm dispatched aggressive opponents as easily as Aetherworks Marvel combo decks.

With the field relatively stable for Day 2, there's little reason to believe either Yasooka or Froehlich would slow down their pace, or that Aetherworks Marvel won't find it's way into the Top 8.