Dime a Dozen #38: 14 Pauper Cards to Brew with This Year (Part I)

Hello everyone!

Happy New Year! It’s been a real treat writing for MTGO Academy since July of 2012, and I’m looking forward to another year of Pauper pandemonium. It will be incredibly hard to top last year in terms of format impact (what with all the bans, content evolution, and the removal of Pauper Dailies), but here’s hoping that Pauper will be making some very positive strides in 2014.

To ring in the new year, I’d like us to put on our brewer hats and hit the ground running. Today we’re going to look at 14 Pauper cards to incorporate into our upcoming brews! Some of these cards will be receiving a brief overview, while others will come complete with example decks.

I have to warn you guys that the vast majority of my picks are creature cards. This doesn’t mean that they’re all meant to be used in aggressive decks, however. My 14 selections for this year will span all of the major archetypes, from aggro to midrange to control to combo. It just so happens that there are a lot of interesting creatures printed at common, so why not spotlight them?

Well that’s about enough introduction for one article. Oh wait, there’s one more thing: the following selections will be presented in no particular order. Okay, I think that’s all. Let’s do this!

Akroan Crusader

Of all the cards I’ll be discussing today, this guy is the newest. He’s already seen some play (check out this Pauper Event from last week), as well as a bit of attention from SCG’s Alex Ullman.

The fact that his tokens enter the battlefield with haste makes him pretty aggressive. There may be some combo implications for him at some point, and I think Goblin Bushwhacker might buddy up with him in the future.

In order to really test out Akroan Crusader, here is a straightforward maindeck I’ve drawn up.

The idea here is to pair Akroan Crusader with other creatures that like to be pumped up. Kiln Fiend can hit for 7 with any of our +3/+X spells, Two-Headed Cerberus can hit for 8, and Vault Skirge can generate 8 point life swings.

What results is a red deck that plays a bit like Stompy, meaning there are a lot of decisions to be contemplated, but also a lot of tricky stuff for the opponent to play around.

While we’re not boasting an egregious level of creature saturation, Foundry Street Denizen still gets pumped by all of Crusader’s token generating.

Apostle’s Blessing makes it easier to go all-in on a guy, and works as a combat trick or as a way to punch through defenders. It has the added benefit of triggering Crusaders and Fiends (not to mention stealing games if the opponent doesn’t expect it).

What do you think of the Crusader and my deck Heroic Red? Your thoughts are always welcome.

Zhur-Taa Druid

Next up we’ve got this Gruul druid from Dragon’s Maze. Like Crusader, Zhur-Taa Druid is a dynamic card with some combo implications (though an infinite Pauper combo using him would be incredibly fragile). I like that he accelerates while providing reach, and I think that he synergizes well with a few other cards.

Brew Buddies:

I’d try out any of the better bloodthirst creatures (perhaps Scab-Clan Mauler?). I really like that Druid not only powers out Gorehorn Minotaurs on Turn 3, but also puts two +1/+1 counters on them. Just make sure you have plenty of red sources to pull that off! Additionally, Druid could fit into some variant of the Ahhh!! Gruul Monsters deck, accelerating early and then accumulating damage later in the game.

Does Zhur-Taa Druid have what it takes to make it in Pauper? Perhaps!

Axebane Guardian

I tried really hard to build a deck with this card, but there are just so many options that I don’t know what would work best. In Pauper matches, I’ve seen Guardian generate infinite mana, untap itself infinite times with Freed from the Real, and ping for the win with Viridian Longbow. While that is one (arduous) avenue, here are some other ideas that might prove viable.

Brew Buddies:

Drift of Phantasms. This card has defender, can tutor up Guardian, or it can find items for Guardian to cast (Capsize comes to mind). We can also obviously tutor up Freed from the Real if we’d like to go that route.

Doorkeeper and Vent Sentinel also synergize with Guardian, and as was illustrated in this article by Michael Radzwilla, so does Wall of Kelp.

Splashy cards that can be cast with Guardian include: Kaervek’s Torch or Rolling Thunder, Skyreach Manta, Train of Thought and Ulamog’s Crusher.

There are certainly a lot of routes for an Axebane Guardian deck to take, but are any of them good enough?

Sporemound

I remember having fun with Emeria Angel, and Sporemound reminds me of her (if only slightly). In all likelihood it’s probably too slow for Classic Pauper, but we can always do some brewing just to find out! Here’s what I’ve got:

This deck is trying to do a lot of things, and I’m not sure it’s doing any of them all that well. Turn 1 tapped land, Adventuring Gear or Wild Nacatl, Turn 2 accelerator. I chose Nest Invader because early on it can ramp, and later on its token can wear equipment or Rancor. Scorned Villager may be better as something else (though Werebear seems weak if we’re not intentionally filling our graveyard) but fits our curve nicely.

Turn 3 our plays really open up, from dropping Gladehart and gaining life to equipping guys to ramping into our biggest baddy of all: Blastoderm! I opted for a pair of Kaervek’s Torches since we are playing a lot of lands and guys that produce mana. We will no doubt be needing something to spend all of that mana on.

At 5-cmc, Sporemound could likely be too slow for the format. With a bit of acceleration, however, the Magic 2014 newcomer just might have what it takes.

Blighted Agent

Infect decks in Pauper are typically associated with the color green. With a whole host of pump spells, and the best 1-drop that poisons (Glistener Elf, not Vector Asp or Virulent Sliver), this certainly makes a lot of sense.

What is appealing about Blighted Agent is the fact that it doesn’t need trample or Apostle’s Blessing to consistently get through blockers. In this way, Agent operates as a sort of Invisible Stalker for the format (albeit hugely vulnerable), and has blue to back it up with tempo and countermagic.

I don’t think I’ve seen many people sleeve up Agent in the Classic Pauper format, but for the sake of consideration, let’s look at some cards we could pair it with.

Obviously this deck will play out slower than the typical Infect decks will. Perhaps that already invalidates it as a strategy. However, the built-in evasion (Blighted Agent and Plague Stinger), added resilience (Corpse Cur), disruption suite, and Trinket Mage package make for an enticing deck concept.

The assortment of removal spells and countermagic is a bit on the iffy side. For one thing, I considered playing Apostle’s Blessing (which might be better than what I’m using currently). At the moment I like the prospect of Mizzium Skin protecting our guys and Spell Pierce doing the same, but also setting opponents back or winning counter wars. Pierce might be a bad choice since it’s intended more for the short game while Cur, Mage, Longbow, etc., are geared for longer contests.

As far as removal goes, Executioner’s Capsule is tutor-able, but it’s soft as can be against MBC. Victim of Night is the toughest spell in the deck to cast, so I’m open to suggestions for a replacement (I’m considering Curse of Chains and Vapor Snag on the blue end of things). Viridian Longbow is pretty sweet with infect creatures, since it withers down other guys and acts as a (slow) win condition.

I’m not in love with Vector Asp, but I like that he’s tutor-able later on. You know, when our other guys are dead…

And guess what? Zvi Mowshowitz played him in a freaking Pro Tour.

Overall I like the concept of this deck, but don’t know how it’ll do in practice. Regardless, Blighted Agent is an unsung infect beater that has never really seen the spotlight.

Nightshade Peddler

This guy! This guy is my favorite of the soulbond cards for Classic Pauper. You can tell just by the art that he’s up to no good, and I’d like to one day get him to pull off some annoying deathtouch shenanigans in the commons format.

Peddler and Izzet Staticaster spent some time together in Standard, and for good reason. The green druid is essentially a Basilisk Collar that blocks, turning any first striker or pinger into a serious problem for the enemy’s board.

So what BFFs could Nightshade Peddler have in Pauper? Let’s think…

Brew Buddies:

I like that Peddler curves nicely into the pingers Vithian Stinger and Vulshok Sorcerer. Stinger even gets haste the second time around, though it can only be used for one shot at that point.

Trinket Mage can search up a Viridian Longbow, and Prodigal Sorcerer just so happens to be on-color with that plan. A bonded Silkbind Faerie with a Longbow is also powerful, but would be moderately clunky to put together.

In green, Scattershot Archer is the most devastating option. When bonded with Peddler, he can completely clear the skies. A few notches down is Matsu-Tribe Sniper, who can keep aerial threats at bay even without a Peddler on the table.

I really want to see some Pauper peddling! Here’s hoping that someone can figure out the proper ingredients for a Nighstade Peddler strategy.

Clout of the Dominus

And that brings us to our last card (at least for Part One), and it just so happens to be our first noncreature card. Clout of the Dominus is not the sturdiest of auras (the new bestow guys at least get some value, as does Rancor), but it does have some powerful creatures to enchant. Let’s take a look at our options.

Brew Buddies:

Frostburn Weird wouldn’t do so bad, since a 3/6 can be pumped a good deal more than a 1/4 can. There are also the instant and sorcery siblings Nivix Cyclops and Wee Dragonauts. These don’t work perfectly (since Clout doesn’t trigger their abilities and keeps us from pumping them with Artful Dodges, Assault Strobes and Distortion Strikes), but just might be worth trying.

It could very well be the case that there aren’t enough juicy targets for Clout of the Dominus. Additionally, another strong Izzet creature might not be printed for some time. If you guys have any ideas for incorporating Clout into a Pauper deck, however, I’m all ears!

End Step

Well that wraps up the first seven of our 14 Pauper cards to brew with this year! Here is a quick summary:

1. Akroan Crusader – the latest Pauper card to see a degree of Constructed Event play.

2. Zhur-Taa Druid – An early accelerant that triggers bloodthirst and provides reach.

3. Axebane Guardian – A combo piece that can be used to accomplish a number of game-winning feats.

4. Sporemound – An expensive Emeria Angel of sorts that plays well with landfall.

5. Blighted Agent – (Perhaps) The flag bearer for a new breed of infect.

6. Nightshade Peddler – My favorite Pauper soulbonder, with potential for a “machine gun” combo.

7. Clout of the Dominus – An aura with some nasty Izzet threats to land on.

I’ll have seven more Pauper cards to brew with in our next installment! Please continue to have a safe and satisfying 2014. As always, thanks for reading, and please comment!

You can find me
on MTGO as BambooRush,
on Twitter @dimecollectorsc,
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