Want to learn more about the metrics I use in tracking the metagame? You can find an explainer here.
Technically we have entered a new Pauper cycle. The release of Spider-Man/Through the Omenpaths has added a number of cards to the format. None of these have had a massive impact at the time of writing and as a result the top of the format looks largely unchanged from where it was just a week ago.
Stability is not a foreign concept in Pauper, but one has to go back several years to find a time when a year would go by without a high power release injecting new life into the format. This year this phenomena was replace with the trial unban of High Tide which shook things up. While Tarkir Dragonstorm, FINAL FANTASY, and Edge of Eternities brought new cards to the table, none of these had the impact of a single Modern Horizons set. Would the current crop of Spy Combo decks exist without Sagu Wildling? Probably not. Would Pauper have any resemblance to the current format if Sneak Snacker had never been printed? Highly unlikely.
Back to the topic at hand. Pauper is stable to some and stagnant to others. Whether the status quo will remain long term remains to be seen. Instead the current moment asks for innovation on current lists to try and find the small edges which can lead more wins.
The big three remain the same – Jund Wildfire, Blue Terror, and High Tide. While not dissimilar from the antiquated Aggro-Combo-Control triumvirate the current dynamic has a midrange deck and an aggro-control archetype. This amounts to splitting hairs as these three have been well known entities for months at this point and have already started to adapt and adjust to each other. Even beneath the surface things are largely the same, with various aggressive red decks trying to find their footing around a field of Dread Return combo, Elves, and Faeries.
And herein resides the rub. Things are stable, but without an infusion of sufficiently powerful cards the texture of the format is not likely to change dramatically in the immediate future. Now would be a perfect time to try and hone one’s skills with a particular deck in an effort to gain expertise. Beyond that, just about everything I wrote about last week here remains true. If anything there’s a chance for Darval/Spider-Man to make waves but they are best suited to winning white midrange mirrors, which do not seem to be a popular matchup these days. We’ll just have to see if anything evolves in the coming weeks or if we can expect more of the same.
Power Rankings
10. Spy Walls (-3)
9. Madness Burn (-4)
8. Gruul Ponza (Not Ranked)
7. Aristocrats (+1)
6. Rally Red (NR)
5. Grixis Affinity (+1)
4. Elves (+5)
3. High Tide (-1)
2. Blue Terror (-1)
1. Jund Wildfire (+2)
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