Want to learn more about the metrics I use in tracking the metagame? You can find an explainer here.
Last weekend saw five tournaments take place on Magic Online. In addition to the four regularly scheduled Challenges there was also a Showcase Challenge. Showcases tend to be larger tournaments and unlike the regular offerings one has to qualify for entry. These tournaments tend to be a few rounds longer than a typical Challenge and attract a wider audience than the Pauper faithful. The data provided by these tournaments provide a different look at the format and the insight they provide can be invaluable for understanding larger trends. Today I want to look at two of the better decks from this weekend as they relate to the Pauper meta at large.
This chart represents the four regular Challenges from last weekend. While it wasn’t the most popular deck on the weekend, it did secure the most Top 8 finishes with five.It also had the best average Swiss finish, the best adjusted Swiss finish, the best average overall finish and the best adjusted overall finish. Simply put, Blue Terror was the best deck on weekend.
Despite it’s status as a format staple, Blue Terror pilots continue to innovate. Some builds have adopted Abandon Attachments and Sneaky Snacker for additional pressure. Murmuring Mystic occasionally shows up in the main deck as another angle of attack. No matter what the game plan remains the same – stick a threat and do just enough to win the game.
While there are plenty of decks full of redundant effects, Pauper games can often revolve around a key spell. As such any deck that can best leverage Counterspell can find lanes to victory. Blue Terror is adept at doing this because there are so few cards that it actually cares about. Its creatures are some of the biggest available at their point on the curve and do a great job at holding the line. As a result the countermagic available to Blue Terror can be easily saved for the things that matter; they can be used as a proactive element of the game plan.
The way around Terror is to overwhelm their defenses. Yes they can stop a blocker, but can they stop several? Yes they can handle a removal spell,but what about two? What happens when the answer to Cryptic Serpent is Accursed Marauder and you’re left holding Spell Pierce? And what happens when the deck on the other side of the table can present uncounterable threats?
The other big winner from the weekend placed two decks into the finals of the Showcase Challenge: Selesnya Gates. The strategy is not new but has picked up quite a bit of steam as of late. Similar to Caw Gates, the green-white build wants to commit a sticky threat to the board and go directly after life totals with Basilisk Gate. Guardian of the Guildpact continues to do good work in Pauper, bypassing a wide range of blockers and removal spells on the way to reducing a life total to zero.
Why Selesnya over the traditional Azorius builds? While Sacred Cat and Outlaw Medic are both good at buffing your own life total, slapping an Armadillo Cloak on Guardian of the Guildpact has been winning games of Pauper since Dissension was released. The deck does not need to overwhelm the opponent with cards if it can just find the correct attacker for a given board state.
Going after Gates can be challenging. They are adept at waiting until they have an overwhelming advantage before going for the win. While lands can be vulnerable, trying to Stone Rain them into oblivion doesn’t help you win, it just delays the loss a little longer. It is possible to exhaust their threats but that doesn’t actively win you the game. You can go around their blockers and if you can present a large enough blocker that doesn’t get blanked by Guardian, you can engage in combat. Pinnacle Kill Ship comes to mind, but that may be because I am Tron pilled.
Going into this weekend I would stay Tron pilled. The deck has a reasonable matchup against both Gates and Terror decks. The key, of course, is stymieing red decks and dodging Cleansing Wildfire long enough to stick a game winning threat.
Power Rankings
Last Power Rankings: May 5
Dropped from rankings: Boros Snacker, Red Synth
10. Grixis Affinity (Not Ranked)
9. Elves (-2)
8. Dimir Faeries (Not Ranked)
7. Boros Eidolons (-2)
6. Rally Red
5. Golgari Gardens (-3)
4. Selesnya Gates (+4)
3. Madness Burn (+1)
2. Jund Wildfire (-1)
1. Blue Terror (+2)
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