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Metagame-This is defined as the decks that are the "best" in your format of choice. For this particular example, we will use modern, because the Metagame is very consistent in this format.
So now that we have established the definition of the popular, but yet somehow, unpopular term, the goal of this discussion is to bring this idea to the new or uneducated players of magic. This term is often overlooked by new players, while they spend months, some times years trying to build "The best deck". In fact, there is no such thing. There is only the Metagame, which consists of the very best decks that are know about. Now, since we are talking about modern, let me tell you a few of these decks. I will list them below in no particular order.
1) Delver of Secrets
As a card, and a rogue deck (something we will talk about later) that is now part of the metagame, this deck uses the ever so popular Delver of Secrets, along with controlling cards such as cryptic command and Snapcaster Mage to control you while the transformed Delver slowly cripples your life down to 0.
2) RG UrzaTron
This deck is the god of all ramp decks, and owning one, is also very fun to play. This consists of putting together Tron, The three Urza lands above, to produce 7 mana on turn 3 or 4. Using this mana people can drop cards like Wurmcoil Engine, or Karn Liberated, Usually ending in a not so happy ending for the opponent.
3) Enchantment/Bogle Deck
This deck uses 1 drop hexproof creatures, then beefs them up in to 10/10 flyers that will destroy you, and this can be one of the most hardest things to get rid of in the game of magic. If you like beefy dudes, this deck is definitely for you.
4) Jund
These are probably the most expensive deck of all the metagame, as it often uses a card called Tarmogoyf to destroy opponents. Well, this and many other many mean creatures and plainswalkers. Often these decks are consisted of 4 colors, green, black, and white.
Many, and all of these decks can and will show up at Friday night magic. This goes for all formats, not just modern. However, modern is the most consistent, off the top of my head I can think of 8 decks that I see almost every time I go to one of these events. So, how do you beat these decks? Well, keep reading, and I will tell you.
Have you ever heard the phrase, if you can't beat em, join em? Well, this phrase applies in the Metagame. Almost every combination of cards out there has been tried, and until new sets come out, the Metagame is most likely not going to change. Earlier, I mentioned "rogue decks". These are decks that people enter tournaments with that are not part of the Metagame. They are an independent deck that no one else has ever used before. While this sounds like a good idea, and you want to enter then next Pro Tour with your new Elderazi control deck using It That Betrays, think about this, it has been tried, and it had been beaten. There is no way that something like that could stand up to something like American Control, or Jund. However, there are a few rogue decks such as the Delver Deck that did come through and now it is popular. The point there is don't stop trying, you may hit the jackpot with something.
It took me 3.5 years before i figured out one of the Metagame decks, Tron. I have always been a huge fan of Ramp decks, so naturally I build a ton of them. So after 60 decks here on MTG vault, and a few elsewhere, i finally found Tron, but not the actual deck you know as RG UrzaTron. I just found the Tron combo, but never thought anything of it. Until I saw somebody using at one of the finals that I was watching on YouTube.
Point is, if you are a control person, and you spend 50 decks builds on building a better control deck, eventually you are going to wind up at one of the Metagame decks.
So, there are 2 things you can do with this information. You can figure out that Metagame deck for yourself, or, you can look up the top decks, and see what is out there.
However, is the #1 deck at a pro tour the best Metagame deck? The answer to that, is no, it is not. There is no such thing as the best Jund deck, affinity deck, or anything like it. There is always room for improvement, substitution. So, you can look up the deck, you can copy it exactly and still be beaten. That is because you have to make the deck yours. If you want to participate in the Metagame, if you want to win first prize at a Friday Night Magic, you have to make the deck your own. If you can not change the basic structure, and make beneficial edits to the deck, then you now have a better deck then the person before you.
Then what happens when a new set comes out? Often times the new sets will not have good enough cards to where they can be used in modern, extended, legacy or vintage, but they may have 1 or 2, which can make all the difference in a match.
But remember, Magic is not all about winning, you should take up Magic as a hobby, a way to have fun. If I have educated you about the Metagame and how to be successful at Friday Night Magic, my work is done here. So stay tuned to my "forum" because there might be more useful things coming your way!
Thanks for reading,
-Vanguard487