Wan Shi Tong, Kaito and a wall of flash creatures — the blue-black tempo-midrange list to beat this week
Overview
Dimir Midrange sits near the top of the Standard metagame at roughly 9% of the field, and it earns the spot by being the most flexible blue-black shell in the format. The list leans on cheap flash and flying creatures — Spyglass Siren, Dream Beavers, Floodpits Drowner and The Wondrous Wasp — that let you hold up interaction on your opponent's turn and still develop a board.
Kaito, Bane of Nightmares is the payoff: ninjutsu him in off an unblocked flyer, then use his stun counters and surveil to run away with the game. Wan Shi Tong, Librarian is the flexible top end — a flash flyer that draws cards and scales with your mana — while a thin, efficient suite of removal and counters keeps opposing plans in check.
The 60 cards cost roughly $238 in paper (Scryfall prices, so treat it as a ballpark). Most of that is Kaito, The Theorist and the Verge land, which is why the budget section below has plenty of ways to trim.
Full Decklist
Creatures (21)
4 Dream Beavers 4 Enduring Curiosity 4 Floodpits Drowner 4 Spyglass Siren 2 The Wondrous Wasp 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian
Planeswalkers (5)
4 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 1 The Theorist, Jace Beleren
Instants & Sorceries (11)
1 Bitter Triumph 3 Requiting Hex 1 Shoot the Sheriff 1 Spell Pierce 1 Spell Snare 2 Strategic Betrayal 2 We Say Thee Nay!
Lands (23)
4 Gloomlake Verge 3 Hidden Lair 4 Island 2 Restless Reef 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 4 Swamp 4 Watery Grave
Sideboard (15)
1 Annul 2 Day of Black Sun 1 Disdainful Stroke 3 Duress 2 Flashfreeze 1 Negate 1 Nowhere to Run 1 Qarsi Revenant 2 Strategic Betrayal 1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian
MTG Arena Import
Copy and paste into Arena’s deck import:
Deck 1 Bitter Triumph 4 Dream Beavers 4 Enduring Curiosity 4 Floodpits Drowner 4 Gloomlake Verge 3 Hidden Lair 4 Island 4 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 3 Requiting Hex 2 Restless Reef 1 Shoot the Sheriff 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 1 Spell Pierce 1 Spell Snare 4 Spyglass Siren 2 Strategic Betrayal 4 Swamp 1 The Theorist, Jace Beleren 2 The Wondrous Wasp 2 Tishana's Tidebinder 1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian 4 Watery Grave 2 We Say Thee Nay! Sideboard 1 Annul 2 Day of Black Sun 1 Disdainful Stroke 3 Duress 2 Flashfreeze 1 Negate 1 Nowhere to Run 1 Qarsi Revenant 2 Strategic Betrayal 1 Wan Shi Tong, Librarian
Strategy Guide
Early Game
Turns 1–2 are about getting evasive bodies down and keeping mana up. Lead with Spyglass Siren or Dream Beavers (the Beaver pings and scries on entry), and hold Floodpits Drowner or The Wondrous Wasp as a flash play at the end of your opponent's turn. Duress-style disruption lives in the sideboard, so in game 1 your early interaction is Spell Snare, Spell Pierce and Requiting Hex.
Mulligan decisions are simple: you want two lands that make both colors (Watery Grave, Hidden Lair, Gloomlake Verge and Restless Reef all help) plus a one- or two-drop flyer. A hand with a flyer and Kaito mana is a great keep.
Mid Game
Turns 3–4 are where you pick your spot. Enduring Curiosity at instant speed turns every connecting flyer into a card, and Tishana's Tidebinder answers activated and triggered abilities. Use Floodpits Drowner's stun counter on a blocker, swing with a flyer, and ninjutsu Kaito in for {1}{U}{B} — he arrives tapped and attacking, then you pick +1 for a Ninja emblem, 0 to surveil and draw, or −2 to lock down a threat.
Don't overextend into sweepers. The deck wins by card quality and tempo, so it is fine to keep a creature or two in hand and let your opponent make the awkward turn.
Late Game
In the late game Wan Shi Tong can come down for a big X at end of turn, drawing cards and growing whenever your opponent searches their library. The Theorist, Jace Beleren gives you a card every opposing draw step and an Illusion every turn. Restless Reef and Soulstone Sanctuary give you manlands so flood is never dead.
Close the game with evasive damage plus Kaito's emblem. Keep Strategic Betrayal and removal for the one or two threats that actually matter.
Win Conditions & Combos
Primary win condition: flyers plus Kaito. Dream Beavers, Spyglass Siren and The Wondrous Wasp connect, Kaito ninjutsus in and the emblem makes every Ninja bigger.
Value engine: Enduring Curiosity and The Theorist draw extra cards every turn, while Wan Shi Tong scales into a must-answer flyer.
Backup plan: Restless Reef (a 4/4 for {2}{U}{B}) and Soulstone Sanctuary attack on turns your spells are blanked.
Sideboard Guide
Versus control / reactive decks: +3 Duress, +1 Negate, +1 Annul, +1 Disdainful Stroke, −2 Requiting Hex, −2 Spell Snare, −1 Bitter Triumph, −1 Shoot the Sheriff
Versus red/green and creature decks: +2 Flashfreeze, +2 Day of Black Sun, +1 Nowhere to Run, +1 Qarsi Revenant, −2 We Say Thee Nay!, −2 Spell Pierce, −1 Strategic Betrayal, −1 Kaito
Versus midrange and planeswalker decks: +2 Strategic Betrayal, +1 Disdainful Stroke, +1 Negate, −2 Requiting Hex, −1 Spell Snare, −1 Dream Beavers
Budget Notes
Premium estimate: about $238 for the main deck (Scryfall paper prices — a ballpark). Ways to trim:
The Theorist, Jace Beleren (~$69): Cut to 0 and add a 3rd The Wondrous Wasp; you lose the card-advantage engine but keep the tempo plan.
Wan Shi Tong, Librarian (~$34): Swap for a 3rd Tishana's Tidebinder; a cheaper flash body that still protects Kaito.
Gloomlake Verge (~$10): Replace with Swamp/Island; the deck runs enough dual lands that mana stays fine.
Kaito, Bane of Nightmares (~$11 each): Drop to 2 copies and add Qarsi Revenant from the sideboard as a flexible lifelink flyer.
Enduring Curiosity (~$6): Swap for Tishana's Tidebinder or another flash creature if you want to save a few dollars.
That’s the list. Follow Mana Riot Games for weekly deck tech — a new Deck Tech Tuesday lands every week at manariotgames.com.