I haven't played a lot of Pauper, but from what I understand, one of the biggest sources of grief from it is how slow and awful the mana is, especially when you're trying to make a multicolor aggro deck, and I'm wondering what could be done to remedy this. And I just assume that Wizards is never, ever going to print a set of dual lands that can come into play untapped at common, because they're cowards and they might make slightly less money from card shops cracking packs to sate the demands of the secondary market.
But maaaybe a they could print a fetchland? Not a Flooded Strand-level fetch, or even a Flood Plain-level fetch, but Evolving Wilds was reprinted again in Rivals of Ixalan, so it might be possible, right? Admittedly, it still enters play tapped, but that can search for all five land types. Could there be a fetch that searches for only a few of them, but has the possibility of putting them into play untapped? Here's the idea I've been thinking of:
Flood Basalts Land (C)
:symtap:, Sacrifice Flood Basalts: Search your library for a basic Swamp or Mountain card and put it onto the battlefield. If you control another land of that type, it enters the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle your library.
So you can fish up one Swamp and one Mountain and get them untapped, but after that, it's just a worse Terramorphic Expanse. So it can get you a turn 2 Terminate, but not Sinkhole or Fireblast. Is that balanced? Too good? And most importantly, could it be printed at common? If not, maybe they could do the old cheat of printing it at uncommon, and then reprinting it at common in a supplemental set.
Ash Barrens might be actually the card that you are looking for since it allows you to have to untapped basic lands in turn 2. Turn 1 play the first basic land and cycle for the second one you want. Turn 2 play that basic land and to whatever you want to do with 2 mana.
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Too complex and too good for a common. If you think this is worse than terramorphic expanse, you are wrong. The only advantage terramorphic has is in 3 or more color decks, but then this looks like it's going to be a cycle, so no, it's not.
So it can get you a turn 2 Terminate, but not Sinkhole or Fireblast.
Why on earth would you keep an opening hand with only two of these and no basic swamp if you plan to cast a sinkhole on turn 2? Also, you can still cast fireblast even if the lands are tapped, not that fireblast turn 2 is a good play.
Discovered Country
Land - (C)
As Discovered Country enters the battlefield, choose a basic land type. Discovered Country enters the battlefield tapped as a basic land of the chosen type.
Opinions on this vary in Pauper. To many people, it's a feature, not a bug. The weaker mana-fixing makes adding a color a legitimate cost, and makes 3-4 color goodstuff decks like in Legacy/Modern less of a thing.
IMHO the biggest real complain is that there aren't good color-fixing for multi-colored aggro decks, whereas control can deal with the tap restriction easier. If there were fast duals in Pauper, I feel like they should specifically be aimed towards aggro decks. Something like:
Scorched Mire
Land
When ~ enters the battlefield, you lose 3 life.
T: Add B or R.
As someone who does play Pauper a lot, it's also very important to make these lands not fetch basics or have basic subtypes, to avoid making Gush/Foil/Daze even more powerful.
If this is a legit problem for Pauper, I would take a different approach at solving the issue and just make some rare land cycle Pauper legal (like Checklands or something). I know a card technically has to be printed with the common symbol to be legal, but an exception can be made to any rule for good enough reason.
That said, I have never played Pauper, so I have no idea what effect this would have on the format. It'd probably make it more expensive, which feels like it's against the spirit of the format.
Bestial Wilderness
Land (C)
: add R.
, sacrifice Bestial Wilderness: Add RG.
A cycle like this would be a boon to aggressive decks and less attractive in control decks.
I also think that simply changing "you gain 1 life" of the Khans lands to "your opponents lose 1 life" would help aggro decks. This might not be the biggest bump imaginable, but it is something that helps aggro decks make up for the tempo loss of taplands.
Mosquito Bogland
Land (C)
: add B or G.
Mosquito Bogland enters the battlefield tapped.
When Mosquito Bogland enters the battlefield, each opponent loses one life.
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@mondu_the_fat: True. I do like my "reverse of the KTK lands" idea though. I think that one would genuinely be a good thing to add to the pauper format.
I. Do we like any of these designs?
A. Taiga Hills
Land - Mountain (C)
: add G. Activate this ability only if your opponent has more cards in hand.
B. Taiga Hills
Land - Mountain (C)
: add G. Activate this ability only if you have more life than each of your opponents.
C. Taiga Hills
Land - Mountain (C)
: add G. Activate this ability only if you control two or more lands.
D. Taiga Hills
Land - Mountain (C)
: add G. Activate this ability only if you control a red permanent.
II.
A. Arid Knoll
Land - Mountain (C)
Arid Knoll enters the battlefield tapped.
When Arid Knoll enters the battlefield, add G.
B. Arid Knoll
Land - Mountain (C)
Arid Knoll enters the battlefield with one fertility counter.
, remove a fertility counter: add G.
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Remove the land type then? I'm partial to the inverse KTK lands, 1D, 2A, and 2B.
2A is pretty elegant in the abstract, yea. It might be too clunky to solve the problem we're trying to solve --> making multicolored aggro better in Pauper.
How about this weird design (name needs to be improved, but it should connote land that can be formed into something better)?
Ground Clay
Land (C)
Ground Clay enters the battlefield as a forest if you control a mountain.
Ground Clay enters the battlefield as a mountain if you don't control a mountain.
I like the above for digital, but think it's tedious to track in paper.
Maybe:
Shimmering Taiga
Land -- Mountain Forest (C)
Vanishing 3
My problem with this design is that it's powerful enough to be a rare land cycle (BUT, it is pretty bad for slower decks in Pauper since Pauper is so grindy, so it would accomplish the goal we're striving to achieve).
EDIT: Wording for Ground Clay that could be less tedious in paper.
Ground Clay
Land (C)
Ground Clay enters the battlefield with a grass counter if you control a mountain.
Ground Clay is a forest as long as it has a grass counter. Ground Clay is a mountain if it has no grass counters.
Frontline Encampment Land T: Add Raid - T: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a creature spell. Activate this ability only if you attacked with a creature this turn.
Or if that is still too strong something like this: , : Add .
But as I pointed out before: Lotus Petal is available in the format and a very good aggro card. So I am not even sure if that is a problem which needs to be fixed.
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The vast majority of those who have played Pauper extensively do not share that opinion @Yandere Silver. And most who have played Pauper know that Lotus Petal is not a consideration for aggro decks in the format (or in any format. Across all formats it's utilized in exactly one aggro deck -- Steel Stompy in Legacy. The rest are combo decks. NONE are Pauper decks.).
The OP of this thread -- WickedSouls -- has an opinion that is widely shared about Pauper. And from my experience with the format, I agree with him. The dual lands of Pauper are slow and clunky, leading multicolor decks to be predominantly controlling and leaving aggro decks at a huge tempo disadvantage if they utilize them. This is fine, and broadly speaking a feature that makes Pauper feel unique, but it would be nice to create a land cycle that at least gave aggressive Pauper decks the ability to splash.
It's not an easy task to do, which is why I've been spitballing and hoping something works.
Gibbon Canopy
Land (C)
Gibbon Canopy enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add G.
When Gibbon Canopy enters the battlefield, if you control a mountain, target creature you control explores.
Gibbon Canopy
Land (C)
Gibbon Canopy enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add G or R.
When Gibbon Canopy enters the battlefield, target creature you control explores.
This design is just as clunky as the other Pauper dual lands, but it does give aggro decks a bit of compensation for that clunkiness. Maybe this is a more plausible path to take.
Anywho, I'll continue to read this thread to see others' ideas. I've probably contributed enough ideas. Maybe they'll inspire someone else to create a better one.
Maybe a cycle of colored mana Crumbling Vestiges that look for a creature of the matching color?
Jungle Encampment Land (C)
Jungle Encampment enters the battlefield tapped.
When Jungle Encampment enters the battlefield, if you control a green creature, add one mana of any color. T: Add G
Basic Check Land
Land
~ enters the battlefield tapped if you control an untapped mountain or forest. (double negative unless you don't is confusing) T: Add G or R.
Basic Check Land
Land
~ enters the battlefield tapped if you control an untapped mountain or forest. (double negative unless you don't is confusing) T: Add G or R.
So it's always untapped if you run only non basics? The only downside is you can't have this land if you need 2 mana open for an instant on the opponent's turn. That makes it one of the best lands.
Frontline Encampment Land T: Add Raid - T: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a creature spell. Activate this ability only if you attacked with a creature this turn.
Is this common-able? Not sure if it actually needed the word raid on it, but it IS raid, so...
This is a neat card. It's also reminiscent of Survivors' Encampment (which sees play in some Fringe pauper decks).
I'd just make it simpler by taking out the "spend this mana only to cast a creature spell" requirement. Power level would probably still be fine with making rainbow mana then, but you could also make it a 3 or 4 color.
Frontline Encampment Land T: Add Raid - T: Add B, R, or W. Activate this ability only if you attacked with a creature this turn.
Extra Mardu flavor. A 5 clan cycle could be cool, although not all of them might be able to use their keywords.
Temur Land
Land (C) T: Add Ferocious - T: Add R, G, or U. Activate this ability only if you control a creature with power 4 or greater.
Abzan Land
Land (C) T: Add GWB, T, sacrifice Abzan Land: Bolster 3 (Choose a creature with the least toughness or tied with the least toughness among creatures you control and put three +1/+1 counters on it.)
Shimmering Taiga
Land -- Mountain Forest (C)
Vanishing 3
My problem with this design is that it's powerful enough to be a rare land cycle (BUT, it is pretty bad for slower decks in Pauper since Pauper is so grindy, so it would accomplish the goal we're striving to achieve).
Rather than this, what Pauper could really use is a downshift of Gemstone Mine to common.
Bicolor only dual A
Land T: Add W or G. Spend this mana only to cast spells that are white and green or activate abilities of green or white permanents.
I think it's too complex for a common.
Bicolor only dual B
Land T: Add W or G. Spend this mana only to cast permanent spells or activate abilities of permanents.
Bicolor only dual C
Land T: Add W or G. Spend this mana only to cast non-permanent spells.
Frontline Encampment Land T: Add . If you attacked with a creature this turn, add one mana of any color instead.
Simplified version of my earlier post.
Explorers' Guild Land T: Add . If a basic land entered the battlefield under your control this turn, add one mana of any color instead.
Another idea.
Third idea: Just print Ancient Ziggurat at common in some supplemental product. It was only uncommon to begin with, so I don't see how bumping it down one rarity in a side product would hurt.
Gate Sweeper0
Artifact Creature - Construct (C)
Whenever a Gate enters the battlefield tapped and under your control, untap it.
0/3
Wouldn't control decks play this just as much as aggro decks? It's a free blocker that makes it easier to run Gates, and is also an artifact which might matter somewhere.
But maaaybe a they could print a fetchland? Not a Flooded Strand-level fetch, or even a Flood Plain-level fetch, but Evolving Wilds was reprinted again in Rivals of Ixalan, so it might be possible, right? Admittedly, it still enters play tapped, but that can search for all five land types. Could there be a fetch that searches for only a few of them, but has the possibility of putting them into play untapped? Here's the idea I've been thinking of:
Flood Basalts
Land (C)
:symtap:, Sacrifice Flood Basalts: Search your library for a basic Swamp or Mountain card and put it onto the battlefield. If you control another land of that type, it enters the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle your library.
So you can fish up one Swamp and one Mountain and get them untapped, but after that, it's just a worse Terramorphic Expanse. So it can get you a turn 2 Terminate, but not Sinkhole or Fireblast. Is that balanced? Too good? And most importantly, could it be printed at common? If not, maybe they could do the old cheat of printing it at uncommon, and then reprinting it at common in a supplemental set.
However I don't necessarily think mana is slow and aweful in pauper. Lotus Petal, Seat of the Synod and Ash Barrens can make the game quite fast.
Ash Barrens might be actually the card that you are looking for since it allows you to have to untapped basic lands in turn 2. Turn 1 play the first basic land and cycle for the second one you want. Turn 2 play that basic land and to whatever you want to do with 2 mana.
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Why on earth would you keep an opening hand with only two of these and no basic swamp if you plan to cast a sinkhole on turn 2? Also, you can still cast fireblast even if the lands are tapped, not that fireblast turn 2 is a good play.
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
Discovered Country
Land - (C)
As Discovered Country enters the battlefield, choose a basic land type. Discovered Country enters the battlefield tapped as a basic land of the chosen type.
IMHO the biggest real complain is that there aren't good color-fixing for multi-colored aggro decks, whereas control can deal with the tap restriction easier. If there were fast duals in Pauper, I feel like they should specifically be aimed towards aggro decks. Something like:
Scorched Mire
Land
When ~ enters the battlefield, you lose 3 life.
T: Add B or R.
As someone who does play Pauper a lot, it's also very important to make these lands not fetch basics or have basic subtypes, to avoid making Gush/Foil/Daze even more powerful.
Corrupt Control B | Burn R | UG Turbofog UG | White Weenie W | GW Tethmos WG | BG Cycling Combo BG
Enchantress GBW | Colorless Tron C | Red Deck Wins R | UG Madness UG | Mono-G Tron G | UR Puzzlehorns UR
Rhystic Tron WU| WU Prowess WU | BR Reanimator BR | Mono-R Control R | Stompy G | Temur Tron URG
Mardu Infinite Priest WBR | 85-Card Dredge BRG | Elves GU | Boros Bully RW | Jeskai Familiars RWU
That said, I have never played Pauper, so I have no idea what effect this would have on the format. It'd probably make it more expensive, which feels like it's against the spirit of the format.
Land (C)
: add R.
, sacrifice Bestial Wilderness: Add RG.
A cycle like this would be a boon to aggressive decks and less attractive in control decks.
I also think that simply changing "you gain 1 life" of the Khans lands to "your opponents lose 1 life" would help aggro decks. This might not be the biggest bump imaginable, but it is something that helps aggro decks make up for the tempo loss of taplands.
Mosquito Bogland
Land (C)
: add B or G.
Mosquito Bogland enters the battlefield tapped.
When Mosquito Bogland enters the battlefield, each opponent loses one life.
Land
T: Add C.
T: Add W or U. Activate this ability only if you control a permanent of any color.
And it makes combo decks cream in their pants.
Strictly (and ridiculously) better than a basic, so this is unprintable,
"Sometimes, the situation is outracing a threat, sometimes it's ignoring it, and sometimes it involves sideboarding in 4x Hope//Pray." --Doug Linn
I. Do we like any of these designs?
A. Taiga Hills
Land - Mountain (C)
: add G. Activate this ability only if your opponent has more cards in hand.
B. Taiga Hills
Land - Mountain (C)
: add G. Activate this ability only if you have more life than each of your opponents.
C. Taiga Hills
Land - Mountain (C)
: add G. Activate this ability only if you control two or more lands.
D. Taiga Hills
Land - Mountain (C)
: add G. Activate this ability only if you control a red permanent.
II.
A. Arid Knoll
Land - Mountain (C)
Arid Knoll enters the battlefield tapped.
When Arid Knoll enters the battlefield, add G.
B. Arid Knoll
Land - Mountain (C)
Arid Knoll enters the battlefield with one fertility counter.
, remove a fertility counter: add G.
IIA is pretty similar to Crumbling Vestige.
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
2A is pretty elegant in the abstract, yea. It might be too clunky to solve the problem we're trying to solve --> making multicolored aggro better in Pauper.
How about this weird design (name needs to be improved, but it should connote land that can be formed into something better)?
Land (C)
Ground Clay enters the battlefield as a forest if you control a mountain.
Ground Clay enters the battlefield as a mountain if you don't control a mountain.
I like the above for digital, but think it's tedious to track in paper.
Maybe:
Land -- Mountain Forest (C)
Vanishing 3
My problem with this design is that it's powerful enough to be a rare land cycle (BUT, it is pretty bad for slower decks in Pauper since Pauper is so grindy, so it would accomplish the goal we're striving to achieve).
EDIT: Wording for Ground Clay that could be less tedious in paper.
Land (C)
Ground Clay enters the battlefield with a grass counter if you control a mountain.
Ground Clay is a forest as long as it has a grass counter. Ground Clay is a mountain if it has no grass counters.
Land
T: Add
Raid - T: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a creature spell. Activate this ability only if you attacked with a creature this turn.
A variant of Ancient Ziggurat.
Is this common-able? Not sure if it actually needed the word raid on it, but it IS raid, so...
Or if that is still too strong something like this: , : Add .
But as I pointed out before: Lotus Petal is available in the format and a very good aggro card. So I am not even sure if that is a problem which needs to be fixed.
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
The OP of this thread -- WickedSouls -- has an opinion that is widely shared about Pauper. And from my experience with the format, I agree with him. The dual lands of Pauper are slow and clunky, leading multicolor decks to be predominantly controlling and leaving aggro decks at a huge tempo disadvantage if they utilize them. This is fine, and broadly speaking a feature that makes Pauper feel unique, but it would be nice to create a land cycle that at least gave aggressive Pauper decks the ability to splash.
It's not an easy task to do, which is why I've been spitballing and hoping something works.
Land (C)
Gibbon Canopy enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add G.
When Gibbon Canopy enters the battlefield, if you control a mountain, target creature you control explores.
Land (C)
Gibbon Canopy enters the battlefield tapped.
: Add G or R.
When Gibbon Canopy enters the battlefield, target creature you control explores.
This design is just as clunky as the other Pauper dual lands, but it does give aggro decks a bit of compensation for that clunkiness. Maybe this is a more plausible path to take.
Anywho, I'll continue to read this thread to see others' ideas. I've probably contributed enough ideas. Maybe they'll inspire someone else to create a better one.
Jungle Encampment
Land (C)
Jungle Encampment enters the battlefield tapped.
When Jungle Encampment enters the battlefield, if you control a green creature, add one mana of any color.
T: Add G
Basic Check Land
Land
~ enters the battlefield tapped if you control an untapped mountain or forest. (double negative unless you don't is confusing)
T: Add G or R.
This is a neat card. It's also reminiscent of Survivors' Encampment (which sees play in some Fringe pauper decks).
I'd just make it simpler by taking out the "spend this mana only to cast a creature spell" requirement. Power level would probably still be fine with making rainbow mana then, but you could also make it a 3 or 4 color.
Frontline Encampment
Land
T: Add
Raid - T: Add B, R, or W. Activate this ability only if you attacked with a creature this turn.
Extra Mardu flavor. A 5 clan cycle could be cool, although not all of them might be able to use their keywords.
Temur Land
Land (C)
T: Add
Ferocious - T: Add R, G, or U. Activate this ability only if you control a creature with power 4 or greater.
Abzan Land
Land (C)
T: Add
GWB, T, sacrifice Abzan Land: Bolster 3 (Choose a creature with the least toughness or tied with the least toughness among creatures you control and put three +1/+1 counters on it.)
Rather than this, what Pauper could really use is a downshift of Gemstone Mine to common.
Corrupt Control B | Burn R | UG Turbofog UG | White Weenie W | GW Tethmos WG | BG Cycling Combo BG
Enchantress GBW | Colorless Tron C | Red Deck Wins R | UG Madness UG | Mono-G Tron G | UR Puzzlehorns UR
Rhystic Tron WU| WU Prowess WU | BR Reanimator BR | Mono-R Control R | Stompy G | Temur Tron URG
Mardu Infinite Priest WBR | 85-Card Dredge BRG | Elves GU | Boros Bully RW | Jeskai Familiars RWU
Land
T: Add W or G. Spend this mana only to cast spells that are white and green or activate abilities of green or white permanents.
I think it's too complex for a common.
Bicolor only dual B
Land
T: Add W or G. Spend this mana only to cast permanent spells or activate abilities of permanents.
Bicolor only dual C
Land
T: Add W or G. Spend this mana only to cast non-permanent spells.
Land
T: Add . If you attacked with a creature this turn, add one mana of any color instead.
Simplified version of my earlier post.
Explorers' Guild
Land
T: Add . If a basic land entered the battlefield under your control this turn, add one mana of any color instead.
Another idea.
Third idea: Just print Ancient Ziggurat at common in some supplemental product. It was only uncommon to begin with, so I don't see how bumping it down one rarity in a side product would hurt.
Apparently Ziggurat's now a $9 card, though. Hm.
Pain Desert
Land - Desert
: Add or :symb:. ~ deals 1 damage to you for each Desert you control.
Or shifted to common Vec Townships, however that does not really feel aggro.
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Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
Hands to the sky
Give a round of applause
For the great Miss Y!
Wouldn't control decks play this just as much as aggro decks? It's a free blocker that makes it easier to run Gates, and is also an artifact which might matter somewhere.
A Phyrexian Walker that Amulet of Vigors your Gates is pretty value.
Not Blood Crypt
Land (C)
When Not Blood Crypt enters the battlefield, you lose 2 life.
T: Add B or R.