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TO SKIP MY BLABBING (explanation of Pauper Magic and this deck)
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I play online matches via MWS (Magic Work Station), and I occasionally see people asking to play "Pauper Decks". I looked it up on the Wizards of the Coast Website and found:
"Pauper is a Magic format in which all cards used must have been printed at the common rarity in a Magic set or product. Other than that, the usual rules for Constructed decks apply (a minimum deck size of 60 cards in the main deck, an optional 15-card sideboard, and so on). If a common version of a particular card was ever released in Magic, any versions of that card printed at other rarities are also legal in this format.
Example: Counterspell was a common card in the Seventh Edition core set. Counterspell was reprinted in Masters Edition II with an uncommon expansion symbol. Both versions of the card can be used in the Pauper format.
Pauper banned list: Your deck cannot contain any of the following cards:
* Cranial Plating"
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So I decided to make the best possible pauper deck I could think of by using some of my favorite broken commons: Blastoderm and Horned Kavu.
Blastoderm by itself is a monster. A 5/5 for 4 mana is awesome. With shroud it's unbelievable. It can bring the beats for 3 turns for a total of 15 damage. Pairs well with burn spells and...
Horned Kavu is a 3/4 for 2 mana (RG), but it requires you to return a red or green creature to your hand when it enters play. Normally this is a bad thing. However, if you notice, it says "a creature" and not "target creature," so you can actually fetch Blastoderm back to your hand to recycle him. Add a few more creatures with come-into-play (CiP) abilities, and the deck is broken.
I decided to try and break the come-into-play mechanic with other common cards: Keldon Maurauders (3/3 for 2 mana that deals 2 damage to a player if he resolves and can attack once) and and Borderland Ranger (2/2 for 3, fetches any basic land to your hand). I considered Elvish Visionary, but he seemed too weak/slow/there were better alternatives. I wouldn't want him in an aggro matchup, and I want to beat control in the face. FAST and HARD. But Visionary still deserves an Honorable Mention. (If you really want it in the deck, cut Wild Mongrel, but the deck only wants to use KAvu to bounce GOOD creatures for extra damage.)
I initially splashed white for Wild Nacatl, Whitemane Lion, and Aven Riftwatcher... but the manabase for 3 colors (without uncommon or rare lands) sucks, and Aven Riftwatcher can only be bounced by Whitemane Lion. It just didn't do it for me, so I cut white.
Werebear and Wild Mongrel Finally found spots once the white was cut. Both are sick cards, which seem nutty as the worst-creatures in the deck. I initially was going to include Scab-Clan Mauler as a 2 mana 3/3 trampler, but decided last minute to cut him. Wild Mongrel is just much harder to kill, is a brilliant finisher, and feeds Werebear.
And Krosan Tusker is the sickest way to draw a card AND search for a land at instant speed. AND it's uncounterable. (Technically it is Stifle-able, but Stifle is a rare.) AND if you ever cast him (5GG), he can be a 6/5 dude. If you want.
The lands work well to curve out with selective color-fetching and feeding the Werebear threshold. They are slower than I'd want, but probably near-optimal for a "commons only" format.
The 10 cards of burn are pretty self-explanatory:
Bolt - win
Incinerate - nice
Kaervek's Torch - the only X damage burn spell that is a common. Amazing way to finish off your opponent on turn ~6. It is so good, I put 2 more in the sideboard for matchups against control, or with REALLLLY big, dumb creatures.
Sideboard Notes:
The default for all weenie decks is white. I assume I'll see a fair amount of mono white decks, so I put in Mountain Yeti - a pro-white Hill Giant that, oh yeah, mountain walks. Why not.
Tin Street Hooligans is for artifacts, and because he brings the beats, and because his CIP ability works with Horned Kavu, I think he's better than Ancient Grudge.
Elvish Skysweeper would be the first card that I would possible cut... or bump to 4, depending on the meta... or if I find better alternatives. Initially, this card was Magma Rift, and was to deal with big (common?) fliers. But things like BSA aren't commons.
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Most expensive cards are: Lightning Bolt, Incinerate, and Terremorphic Expanse
Total deck price (on StarCityGames): $25.00
My biggest concern are token generating decks with fast pro-red guys.
If this deck wasn't common, it would run cards like Tarmagoyf, Fires of Yavimaya, Uzemawa's Jitte, Shivan Wurm, Flametounge Kavu, and better land. Even so, it is still a pretty "damn good" deck, if I can say so myself.
:)