Although I should definitely specify that if you're looking for a deck that can beat Faeries, then you probably want to be reading someone else's articles =)
Isn't it strictly worse than basic Islands for MUC? 23 lands is way too few for this deck which tries to hit every landdrop until turn 6-7, preferrably drawing actual cards at the time and not spending EOT steps to cycle Traumatic Visions. Also, most MUC builds (including this one as I don't see any Dazes) can't afford to tap out for Mulldrifter, and evoking it is much less exciting than playing a morphed Fathom Seer. Finally, I strongly believe that Faerie Trickery is a must in the maindeck considering all those various Teachings builds running around. Plus, it's very good against MBC and generally decent against most decks.
Stronghold will introduce new cards to the pool that enable Breakfast, Aggro Loam, and my fav Counterslivers to be online . I would like to ask what impact if any, those decks will have ?
I tried to give some context for the article at the beginning:
"These decks are not likely to win you a premier event or PTQ, but should be right at home in any casually competitive setting. My hope is that these decks will give you (and me) a glimpse into the casually competitive side of Conflux."
I don't usually test these decks against the Standard tournament metagame, but it's definitely something that I will keep in mind for the future.
Kinda seems like these are all casual decks? If the intention is to make competitive decks then it might be good to talk about how they play versus some of them...something simple like "this deck, while fun, actually has game versus fairies", etc.
I guess I'm really a spike with timmy tendancies though. I cant justify playing a deck thats purely fun and gets trounced by competitive decks so I like to see stuff like that investigated.
You are definitely correct that the Demigod/Thunderblust comments were weird, and I should have been more clear. Those comments were more of an attempted justification of running Thunderblust (over the super-powerful and super-similar Demigod) than a budget consideration.
Note that these deck sketches are not made to be particularly budget friendly, I just add pretty much whichever cards I want. When I do a full article on a deck, I always include a budget version.
Might I suggest okiba-gang shinobi. Combines with unearth for uncounterable discard against MUC and also teachings if they don't have immediate removal.
I like these explorations, nice job :)
I am usualy an "only classic" player, but i must admitt that ALA & CON are changing my mind about limited & standard; i am enjoying to play these sets a lot. So i am not aware enough to debate about the Standard Meta, but my experience in limited allowed me to discover the grixis slavedriver : it was an impressively good card in limited and maybe there is something to build around it even if it is really expansive in mana (the unearth cost could help a lot).
About Nyxathid, i am trying to put it into competitive decks in classic. My first tests seem to show a relative effiency : in a pure black deck, with a lot of discard, it is a good card. Often, it comes into play with less power than i expected before, it upgrades itself more & more. I recently tried a deck (a test, not so competitive but to evaluate potential) like this : 15 discard cards, 4 tombstalker, 4 goyf & 4 nyxathid as threat supported by 2 berserck => it was a very very strong creature basis !!!! I even killed a furious dreadnought with them without loose all my creature ...
In standard/extend, i think it could be interesting to test it with Tar fiend (great synergy) or even in a fast & furious discarding rats decks with a liliana vess support :)
interesting article, pauper is a really nice format and your explaination are clear. I was playing only classic format but a buddy encouraged me to try pauper ... and i enjoyed it a lot ! There a lots of interesting game to build, and so much possibilities in this format to build new decks, a lots of strategies available.
The only negative aspect i saw in the format is the mono blue deck you explained : this deck is strong for sure, and it is popular (played a lot). But,it is to me as boring to run it as to play against... and i am bored to play against this deck again, and again, and again... In my decklist, it is called "absolutNOfun.dek" ^^
I have to say, I find it a bit weird to see Demigod of Revenge as a "if you have them they're probably better" inclusion in a deck that's already worth over a hundred tix. I'm not saying you should budget your decks, just that that was a strange comment. I think Thunderblust is fine in the deck anyway, since it interacts better with Makeshift Mannequin and makes the deck Standard Tribal legal.
This is stil an early list, but Repeal helps to deal with non-creature permanents and yes, gives a discount on one mana Slivers. I fully understand, however, if one wants to swamp them out for other bounce.
-ALex
Actually running 4 spire golems is enough threats for MUC, you have plenty of counterspell protection.
Atog isn't legal because it just needs to be a common online to be legal.
There are pauper PEs, so far there has been one PE and it had a great turnout of 132 people, the next PE will be 29th March
What is the point of running any repeal over repulse? It's only better for one-mana creatures. This might be okay against slivers... but I don't see how it's worth it, overall.
Hi guys all looks amazing seen it played but never got around to getting the cards jus to much effort with cards lying around now that they have a PC version yoh im keen but the only problem is that i dont have loads of cash to spend but want to! 1) If i purchase will i keep my purchases if a new client comes out? 2)Do u get the actual cards u purchase posted to u? 3)Do u have to keep buying decks?
There aren't any WotC-supported tournaments where there is no entry cap? For example, if 30 people show up, it fires. If there's 50 or 100, it goes. Or, if there are, are these more uncommon?
The numbers for something like this was what I was really interested in (not to say the info you gave isn't appreciated. If I do enter the format, it'll certainly be worth knowing).
EDIT: Also, I was doing a search of what's legal in MTGO and I noticed that Atog wasn't legal. What gives? He isn't banned right? And he was printed as a common twice (Antiques and Revised), or does the system only count what the card is online? If that's the case, then Atog may never be legal.
General ideas behind this deck design, yet to keep it casual and fun.
Damage redirection is accomplished by the en-Kors and the en-Vec, along with buyback on Anoint and dumping on creatures like Honor Guard, Samite Blessing, and Conviction. Furthermore, Mounted Archers provide some flier defense until removal arrives.
Removal comes in damage dealing and pure removal spells, such as Aftershock and Smite.
Game winners are accomplished with Seething Anger and buyback, as well as late gaming the Rolling Thunder. Delaying tactics with the en-Kor's and the Master Decoys should be able to get you there.
I really wanted to get 2x Squee's Toy in here as well, but just can't seem to fit it in. Probably overkill anyways, so best left out.
As far as prize support, Wizards provides one pack for a 2-man queue win and 6 (I believer) for a 4 man queue win. Most PDC events have donated prizes ranging from common sets to bulk rares to unopened boosters.
As for the MUC deck, yes, 8 win conditions is enough ,as you will often be able to protect with counters or bounce.
I'm brand new to pauper, but I have been reading up a bit about some of the better decks. Thanks for the great lists and explanations!
I did have a question about the Mono-Blue Control Deck though. Are just the eight creatures enough to win? I guess all the counters are there to protect your threats, but it just seems a little light on win condition to me. I've never tried a deck like this though, so I'm not sure. Maybe I'll do some shopping and try it out.
Regarding the tutors, I guess I didn't really explain how to find them but if you search for the term "search your library for a" in the MTGO deck builder and uncheck the "my cards" tab, you'll be able to see a good number of those and work towards using them.
An interesting one would be Dwarven recruiter that I was introduced to which could get the miner pair, duergar hedgemage and tauren mauler but I never really caught on to it because of my inherent dislike of the miners.
Regarding EDH, I think that I would not be going into it in the near future as commander and singleton 100 are really quite far apart. Even so, tips and ideas can be translated over just like how T2, ext and classic techs can be translated over into Singleton 100.
Although I should definitely specify that if you're looking for a deck that can beat Faeries, then you probably want to be reading someone else's articles =)
Isn't it strictly worse than basic Islands for MUC? 23 lands is way too few for this deck which tries to hit every landdrop until turn 6-7, preferrably drawing actual cards at the time and not spending EOT steps to cycle Traumatic Visions. Also, most MUC builds (including this one as I don't see any Dazes) can't afford to tap out for Mulldrifter, and evoking it is much less exciting than playing a morphed Fathom Seer. Finally, I strongly believe that Faerie Trickery is a must in the maindeck considering all those various Teachings builds running around. Plus, it's very good against MBC and generally decent against most decks.
Stronghold will introduce new cards to the pool that enable Breakfast, Aggro Loam, and my fav Counterslivers to be online . I would like to ask what impact if any, those decks will have ?
I tried to give some context for the article at the beginning:
"These decks are not likely to win you a premier event or PTQ, but should be right at home in any casually competitive setting. My hope is that these decks will give you (and me) a glimpse into the casually competitive side of Conflux."
I don't usually test these decks against the Standard tournament metagame, but it's definitely something that I will keep in mind for the future.
Kinda seems like these are all casual decks? If the intention is to make competitive decks then it might be good to talk about how they play versus some of them...something simple like "this deck, while fun, actually has game versus fairies", etc.
I guess I'm really a spike with timmy tendancies though. I cant justify playing a deck thats purely fun and gets trounced by competitive decks so I like to see stuff like that investigated.
Fun analysis though.
-M
Please see the first post in the thread for the missing sideboard cards. They are 1 Rotting Rats, 1 Raven's Crime.
-Alex
You are definitely correct that the Demigod/Thunderblust comments were weird, and I should have been more clear. Those comments were more of an attempted justification of running Thunderblust (over the super-powerful and super-similar Demigod) than a budget consideration.
Note that these deck sketches are not made to be particularly budget friendly, I just add pretty much whichever cards I want. When I do a full article on a deck, I always include a budget version.
13 card sideboard in aggro crime?
Might I suggest okiba-gang shinobi. Combines with unearth for uncounterable discard against MUC and also teachings if they don't have immediate removal.
I like these explorations, nice job :)
I am usualy an "only classic" player, but i must admitt that ALA & CON are changing my mind about limited & standard; i am enjoying to play these sets a lot. So i am not aware enough to debate about the Standard Meta, but my experience in limited allowed me to discover the grixis slavedriver : it was an impressively good card in limited and maybe there is something to build around it even if it is really expansive in mana (the unearth cost could help a lot).
About Nyxathid, i am trying to put it into competitive decks in classic. My first tests seem to show a relative effiency : in a pure black deck, with a lot of discard, it is a good card. Often, it comes into play with less power than i expected before, it upgrades itself more & more. I recently tried a deck (a test, not so competitive but to evaluate potential) like this : 15 discard cards, 4 tombstalker, 4 goyf & 4 nyxathid as threat supported by 2 berserck => it was a very very strong creature basis !!!! I even killed a furious dreadnought with them without loose all my creature ...
In standard/extend, i think it could be interesting to test it with Tar fiend (great synergy) or even in a fast & furious discarding rats decks with a liliana vess support :)
interesting article, pauper is a really nice format and your explaination are clear. I was playing only classic format but a buddy encouraged me to try pauper ... and i enjoyed it a lot ! There a lots of interesting game to build, and so much possibilities in this format to build new decks, a lots of strategies available.
The only negative aspect i saw in the format is the mono blue deck you explained : this deck is strong for sure, and it is popular (played a lot). But,it is to me as boring to run it as to play against... and i am bored to play against this deck again, and again, and again... In my decklist, it is called "absolutNOfun.dek" ^^
I have to say, I find it a bit weird to see Demigod of Revenge as a "if you have them they're probably better" inclusion in a deck that's already worth over a hundred tix. I'm not saying you should budget your decks, just that that was a strange comment. I think Thunderblust is fine in the deck anyway, since it interacts better with Makeshift Mannequin and makes the deck Standard Tribal legal.
Looks like the Conflux card pics are working now.
This is stil an early list, but Repeal helps to deal with non-creature permanents and yes, gives a discount on one mana Slivers. I fully understand, however, if one wants to swamp them out for other bounce.
-ALex
Actually running 4 spire golems is enough threats for MUC, you have plenty of counterspell protection.
Atog isn't legal because it just needs to be a common online to be legal.
There are pauper PEs, so far there has been one PE and it had a great turnout of 132 people, the next PE will be 29th March
What is the point of running any repeal over repulse? It's only better for one-mana creatures. This might be okay against slivers... but I don't see how it's worth it, overall.
Hi guys all looks amazing seen it played but never got around to getting the cards jus to much effort with cards lying around now that they have a PC version yoh im keen but the only problem is that i dont have loads of cash to spend but want to! 1) If i purchase will i keep my purchases if a new client comes out? 2)Do u get the actual cards u purchase posted to u? 3)Do u have to keep buying decks?
MTGO name bjbrains2002
There aren't any WotC-supported tournaments where there is no entry cap? For example, if 30 people show up, it fires. If there's 50 or 100, it goes. Or, if there are, are these more uncommon?
The numbers for something like this was what I was really interested in (not to say the info you gave isn't appreciated. If I do enter the format, it'll certainly be worth knowing).
EDIT: Also, I was doing a search of what's legal in MTGO and I noticed that Atog wasn't legal. What gives? He isn't banned right? And he was printed as a common twice (Antiques and Revised), or does the system only count what the card is online? If that's the case, then Atog may never be legal.
MTGO: MechtaK
Deck Color: W/R
Deck Name: For the En-Kor.
Lands (24)
- 12x Mountain [Tempest]
- 12x Plains [Tempest]
Creatures (21)
- 2x Clergy en-Vec [Tempest]
- 2x Fireslinger [Tempest]
- 2x Honor Guard [Stronghold]
- 2x Master Decoy [Tempest]
- 1x Mogg Bombers [Stronghold]
- 2x Mogg Fanatic [Tempest]
- 2x Mogg Flunkies [Stronghold]
- 2x Mounted Archers [Tempest]
- 3x Nomad en-Kor [Stronghold]
- 3x Spirit en-Kor [Stronghold]
Spells (15)
- 2x Aftershock [Tempest]
- 1x Anoint [Stronghold]
- 2x Conviction [Stronghold]
- 1x Lightning Blast [Tempest]
- 1x Rolling Thunder [Tempest]
- 2x Samite Blessing [Stronghold]
- 1x Seething Anger [Stronghold]
- 2x Shock [Stronghold]
- 3x Smite [Stronghold]
General ideas behind this deck design, yet to keep it casual and fun.
Damage redirection is accomplished by the en-Kors and the en-Vec, along with buyback on Anoint and dumping on creatures like Honor Guard, Samite Blessing, and Conviction. Furthermore, Mounted Archers provide some flier defense until removal arrives.
Removal comes in damage dealing and pure removal spells, such as Aftershock and Smite.
Game winners are accomplished with Seething Anger and buyback, as well as late gaming the Rolling Thunder. Delaying tactics with the en-Kor's and the Master Decoys should be able to get you there.
I really wanted to get 2x Squee's Toy in here as well, but just can't seem to fit it in. Probably overkill anyways, so best left out.
As far as prize support, Wizards provides one pack for a 2-man queue win and 6 (I believer) for a 4 man queue win. Most PDC events have donated prizes ranging from common sets to bulk rares to unopened boosters.
As for the MUC deck, yes, 8 win conditions is enough ,as you will often be able to protect with counters or bounce.
-Alex
Sorry for the spam comment. The browser said there was an error and it didn't save, but I guess it did . . .
I'm brand new to pauper, but I have been reading up a bit about some of the better decks. Thanks for the great lists and explanations!
I did have a question about the Mono-Blue Control Deck though. Are just the eight creatures enough to win? I guess all the counters are there to protect your threats, but it just seems a little light on win condition to me. I've never tried a deck like this though, so I'm not sure. Maybe I'll do some shopping and try it out.
Thanks!
What is the prize support for an average Pauper tourney? Roughly how many people can you expect at such an event?
The missing sideboard cards from Aggro Crime are one Raven's Crime and one Rotting Rats.
-Alex
Thanks for the comments =)
Regarding the tutors, I guess I didn't really explain how to find them but if you search for the term "search your library for a" in the MTGO deck builder and uncheck the "my cards" tab, you'll be able to see a good number of those and work towards using them.
An interesting one would be Dwarven recruiter that I was introduced to which could get the miner pair, duergar hedgemage and tauren mauler but I never really caught on to it because of my inherent dislike of the miners.
Regarding EDH, I think that I would not be going into it in the near future as commander and singleton 100 are really quite far apart. Even so, tips and ideas can be translated over just like how T2, ext and classic techs can be translated over into Singleton 100.