Four of the five best-performing color pairs in Magic: The Gathering Star Trek Premier Draft contain red, while Dimir has fallen to a sub 50% win rate.
The first wave of Limited data, covering 38,328 games as of today, puts Gruul firmly in first place at 59.3%. Rakdos isn’t far behind at 58.5%, and every red color pair currently sits above the field’s 54.9% average win rate.
Dimir, meanwhile, trails Gruul by a staggering ten percentage points. That’s a worrying start for players hoping to make the set’s blue/black dilemma strategy work.
Red Dominates the Early Star Trek Draft Rankings
A breakdown of the early 17Lands numbers brought attention to just how consistently red is performing across different archetypes.
Here are the current two-color win rates:
| Color Pair | Win Rate | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Gruul (RG) | 59.3% | 3,449 |
| Rakdos (BR) | 58.5% | 3,757 |
| Golgari (BG) | 57.8% | 3,080 |
| Boros (RW) | 57.0% | 2,539 |
| Izzet (UR) | 56.9% | 2,646 |
| Simic (UG) | 54.2% | 3,554 |
| Selesnya (GW) | 53.6% | 2,163 |
| Azorius (WU) | 53.1% | 2,517 |
| Orzhov (WB) | 53.0% | 4,366 |
| Dimir (UB) | 49.3% | 3,658 |
Source: MTGMeta, November 12 snapshot, using game data supplied by 17Lands.
The results are particularly interesting because red isn’t relying on a single overpowered archetype. Gruul’s landfall strategy, Rakdos’s Klingon sacrifice synergies, Boros’s aggressive Officer decks, and Izzet’s noncreature-spell payoffs are all winning at impressive rates.
Golgari is the lone exception near the top, suggesting that green is also off to a strong start.
Red’s Commons and Uncommons Are Doing the Heavy Lifting
Among the 23 highest-performing commons and uncommons highlighted in the early analysis, 12 contain red in their color identity. Green appears on nine, while only one white card makes the list.
The standout cards include:
- The Duras Sisters (Rakdos): 63.2% games-in-hand win rate
- Munitions Enthusiast (Red): 63.1%
- Hologram Stalker (Green): 62.4%
- Cloak and Phaser (Blue): 62.2%
- Cantankerous Captain (Red): 62.2%
- Transporter Malfunction (Red): 62.1%
- L’Rell, Fierce Visionary (Rakdos): 62.0%
These are games in hand win rates, measuring how often players win games in which they draw the card. They’re different from overall deck win rates, and they don’t necessarily prove a card is powerful in every archetype.
Still, having multiple strong commons and uncommons is a major advantage in Draft. Red’s impressive showing suggests players can build effective decks without needing to open premium rares.
Cantankerous Captain stands out as a common, while Transporter Malfunction gives red a three damage removal spell that can be recast from the graveyard using beam me up. That kind of reusable interaction is valuable in a format where creatures and Spacecraft can quickly take over games.
Dimir’s Dilemma Strategy Is Having a Rough Start
The biggest disappointment so far is Dimir.
Wizards designed blue/black around dilemma control, using modal spells and cards such as Seven of Nine and Lore, Positronic Provocateur to generate incremental advantages.
That strategy hasn’t translated into wins yet. At 49.3%, Dimir is the only two-color combination below 50%, despite having more than 3,600 recorded games.
One possible explanation is that Dimir’s slower, value oriented game plan is struggling against the efficient threats and removal available to red decks.
That doesn’t mean Dimir isn’t playable. This is early data from tracked players rather than the entire Arena population. Stronger drafters tend to be overrepresented, which helps explain why the overall win rate is above 50%. Individual card samples are also smaller than the total dataset, and the format will continue evolving as players adjust their pick orders.
For now, red looks like the safest place to start when two draft lanes offer comparable card quality. Gruul and Rakdos are especially promising, while Dimir players may need stronger signposts and a better supported control plan before committing.
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