Vibes TCG's biggest US stop on the calendar is almost here. Next weekend, SCGCON Baltimore plays host to the Championship of the Americas, with a $20,000 prize pool on the line and every competitor walking away with an exclusive promo and playmat just for showing up. If the last two 10Ks are any indication, the format is shifting fast and the metagame heading into Baltimore looks to have a variety of interesting decks.

SCGCON Dallas was the first tournament with the recent Good Vibes Only ban. Because of this, we're Mono Red lose some slight prevalence. Let's break down what we're seeing, and what you might be up against heading into Baltimore.

Yellow is having a moment

Half of the SCGCON Dallas top 8 — EvanTheGinger's 1st-place Yellow Yum Yum, wabba's Modified Yellow Starter Deck, and Yellow Aggro lists from both wblos and Eccleston, and Javier — all were built around the Yellow Starter Deck core.

Expect Baltimore to be crawling with Yellow. This fast and aggressive deck has been a staple in the format since Enter the Huddle, and Birb & Pengu added some new tricks with cards like Lumin Who Sees All.

For an in-depth look at a Yellow Aggro Deck, check out Loffee's Youtube video below.

EvanTheGinger's 1st Place Yellow Yum Yum

Copy Deck Code

4xCheck the Yellow Pages

4xExtrovert Penguin

4xFlying Penguin

4xNot Your Keys

4xPenguin That Doesn't Mind Goodbyes

4xPenguin Who Might Bring a Plus One

4xPenguin Who Zooms

3xDaydreaming Penguin

3xPenguin Who's Late to the Party

3xPot-Stirring Penguin

3xYum Yum

2xBuddy Up

2xLumin Who Sees All

2xMysterious Penguin

2xPenguin Who Rakes

2xPoppin' Pete

2xPut Your Flippers in the Air

Colosseum decks are still a foundation

Don't sleep on the Blue "Patient Colo" shell, either. It made finals is the last two tournaments running an interesting list built around Colosseum, Green Mega Penguin, and Patient Birb.

This deck was built to compete against Mono Red, racing to slam down Colosseum before the Mono Red deck can utilize its draw-engine. Players are calling this new variant, Patient Colo.

Deuce's Patient Colo

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4xColosseum

4xGreen Mega Penguin

4xInspiring Story

4xLil Frosty

4xLil Milkmaid

4xOrb of Hopium

4xPopcorn Penguin

4xToo Much Caffeine

3xLil With Balloon

3xPenguin With Hoops

3xVictorious Penguin

2xBinkus, Who Eats the Stars

2xHammer Rod

2xLil Moonlight

2xPatient Birb

1xBunkus, Who Is the Stars

1xIs This a Rod

1xMiss Place, Forgetter of Things

Mono Red is still the format's control favorite

In Dallas, Mono Red shells were piloted by two players in the top 8. Yojurmyy (3rd) and Awesome_uNKy (6th) both ran a near-identical package of Toasting Birb, Chaos Birb, Unidentified Flying Birb, and Peace Out Penguin.

The objective: grind the aggressive decks out and stabilize before closing with bigger threats. With Yellow expected to be everywhere in Baltimore, don't be surprised if this style of deck sees a resurgence specifically to prey on it.

yojurmy's Mono Red

Copy Deck Code

4xChaos Birb

4xHammer Rod

4xMount Fuji

4xOn Thin Ice

4xPeace Out Penguin

4xRelaxing Birb

4xRide the Train

4xStudy All Day

4xToasting Birb

4xUnidentified Flying Birb

2xGoodnight, Pengs

2xHypnotized Penguin

2xSerene Penguin

2xSunburn a Penguin

2xThe Rodromancer

1xBinkus, Who Eats the Stars

1xBunkus, Who Is the Stars

Who prevails in Baltimore?

If the trend lines hold, expect the top of the standings to come down these solid achetypes.

• Yellow Aggro variants, looking to close games before the format's slower decks stabilize.

• Colosseum/Patient Colo shells, the most consistently top-8ing archetype across both recent tournaments.

• A Mono Red deck, built specifically to stabilize and control the game before faster decks can win.

• Or will it be a Surprise Deck, something that we haven't seen before taking the crown?

See you in Baltimore

The Championship of the Americas kicks off next weekend at SCGCON Baltimore. Every competitor takes home an exclusive promo and playmat, and $20,000 is on the line for the players who navigate the metagame best. Good luck to all our competitors next weekend!