It has been a want of mine for a while to make a causal crate of decks for playing with inexperienced friends and to use as teaching tools for friends looking to learn the game. I would always dabble with what decks to put in and such but never really put much effort into getting this project off the ground. Well I feel it is time now. I have my modern decks where I want them and as much as I would like to play more I just don’t have the time to be at many FMN or modern events. I have a few buddies that want to learn but my modern decks are not very good teaching tools.
I saw a recent post in /r/pauper of someone’s pauper Battle Box and I think that’s the best way to go. (My bank account will be happy… sorta… haha). This said I have a hard time gauging if decks are in the same power level and if they will be good teaching tools. I think the teaching part of this is a big focus for me.
My idea is this. I want to make 25-27 decks representing all the combos of the MTG color pie. I would exclude 4-color combinations and I’m still not sure of including a 5-color deck or a totally colorless deck, but I can always decide that as I get into the project.
For each deck it will focus on that color or color combos main attributes. So far my list is this:
-Jund (GRB): Graveyard / Sacrifice / Direct Damage
-Naya (RGW): Zoo / Pump Spells
-Abzan (GWB): Endurance / Outlast?
-Jeski (RUW): Fast / Protection / Counters
-Sulti (BUG): Tricky / Delve / Graveyard as a Resource
-Mardu (BWR): Fast / Combat Tricks
-Temur (GUR): Big Creatures / Ramp / Direct Damage
Undecided
-Domain (GUWBR): Not Sure
-Colorless: Not Sure
I’m not very well versed in what all Bant, Esper, Grixis, Jund, and Naya want to do so help here is much appreciated.
If you have any deck lists I would love to look at them. Even if their not pauper I would be interested in looking and see how I could tweak them to be pauper.
Random Thoughts
- Has anyone else tried something like this? Is this a good way to approach it?
- I’m not sure I want to go true pauper. Might build them as such initially and then add uncommons as I tweak things. Would this just get too complicated or could it work?
Thanks for taking the time to look read this and offer advise. If this gets some good traction (and even if not) I will be trying to update my progress as I go.
Having a box of decks lends itself well to Pauper, mostly because of the modest price tag. I have my own Paper Pauper Battle Bag that features 16 Pauper decks, and it came at the price of approximately $500.
I meant it to reflect the competitive aspect of Pauper as much as possible, while still representing all the single colour and dual colour combinations.
What I've come to realize is that most people expect Pauper to be noob-friendly. In fact, because the cards come from the entire span of Magic's history, there is such a large amount of mechanics (sometimes very complex), that to show someone how to play using Pauper is not the best idea.
I can see from your description of decks that you don't know anything about established Pauper decks. I invite you to look at these links to get a better idea of what the Pauper metagame is comprised of.
Pauper is very competitive, like other eternal formats. Of course, that all depends on what you want from Pauper. My Battle Bag's intention was to show off this competitive edge. If you want to build 27 decks showing off all the colours combinations, you're going to have to think about toning down the power level, or else you'll find that the 3-colour decks will be extremely underpowered.
I would still go with the main strategies, but try and include more learning-friendly cards, which will also likely fix the problem of overpowering multi-colour decks.
Dimir will be either Angler-Delver or Teachings Control
Izzet could be either Eye-Candy (combo) or Control.
Simic can be Turbo Fog or Wall Combo
Golgari is often some graveyard shenanigan, usually involving Tortured Existence.
Tron is often 3 or 4 colours, usually Temur.
Bant could be Turbo Fog.
5 colour is most likely the 5-colour deck. I can try and find a decklist for you later.
There aren't really any solid archetypes for most of the 3-colour combinations. You can probably brew something decent or look up someone else's brew (I've seen plenty of Grixis ones, for example).
I hope this helps. You will probably need to do a good deal of research before you even start to build, but you're off to a good start.
If there is no interest in displaying the traditional pauper metagame, and some interest in 3-color decks, I suggest forgetting about Delver and MBC for blue and black respectively, because even with half-decent "learning friendly" cards (Hymn to Tourach is quite easy to grasp after all), these will still easily dominate the field. I suggest delver-less MUC and suicide black (no hymn) instead. These are still good decks but more on par with white weenie/tokens and burn and not so oppressive.
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I saw a recent post in /r/pauper of someone’s pauper Battle Box and I think that’s the best way to go. (My bank account will be happy… sorta… haha). This said I have a hard time gauging if decks are in the same power level and if they will be good teaching tools. I think the teaching part of this is a big focus for me.
My idea is this. I want to make 25-27 decks representing all the combos of the MTG color pie. I would exclude 4-color combinations and I’m still not sure of including a 5-color deck or a totally colorless deck, but I can always decide that as I get into the project.
For each deck it will focus on that color or color combos main attributes. So far my list is this:
Mono Color
-Blue (U): Tap-Untap / Counters
-Black (B): Discard / Removal
-Red (R): Burn / Fast
-Green (G): Ramp / Stompy
-White (W): Tokens / Protection
Guilds
-Azorius (WB): Control / Defense
-Dimir (UB): Sneaky / Tricks
-Rakdos (BR): Fast / Direct Damage
-Gruul (GR): Burn / Stompy / Bloodrush?
-Selensya (GW): Tokens / Populate / Ramp
-Simic (UG): Evolve? / Counters / Flying
-Orzhov (WB): Control / Buff-Debuff
-Izzet (UR): Explosive / Tricks
-Golgori (GB): Graveyard / Sacrifice / Delve? – Dredge?
-Boros (RW): Protection / Strong Creatures / Battalion?
Clans
-Bant (GWU): Creature based Control /
-Esper (WUB): Spell based Control /
-Grixis (BUR): Resource Denial /
-Jund (GRB): Graveyard / Sacrifice / Direct Damage
-Naya (RGW): Zoo / Pump Spells
-Abzan (GWB): Endurance / Outlast?
-Jeski (RUW): Fast / Protection / Counters
-Sulti (BUG): Tricky / Delve / Graveyard as a Resource
-Mardu (BWR): Fast / Combat Tricks
-Temur (GUR): Big Creatures / Ramp / Direct Damage
Undecided
-Domain (GUWBR): Not Sure
-Colorless: Not Sure
I’m not very well versed in what all Bant, Esper, Grixis, Jund, and Naya want to do so help here is much appreciated.
If you have any deck lists I would love to look at them. Even if their not pauper I would be interested in looking and see how I could tweak them to be pauper.
Random Thoughts
- Has anyone else tried something like this? Is this a good way to approach it?
- I’m not sure I want to go true pauper. Might build them as such initially and then add uncommons as I tweak things. Would this just get too complicated or could it work?
Thanks for taking the time to look read this and offer advise. If this gets some good traction (and even if not) I will be trying to update my progress as I go.
All the best!
Having a box of decks lends itself well to Pauper, mostly because of the modest price tag. I have my own Paper Pauper Battle Bag that features 16 Pauper decks, and it came at the price of approximately $500.
Here is the link to my set: Paper Pauper Battle Bag
I meant it to reflect the competitive aspect of Pauper as much as possible, while still representing all the single colour and dual colour combinations.
What I've come to realize is that most people expect Pauper to be noob-friendly. In fact, because the cards come from the entire span of Magic's history, there is such a large amount of mechanics (sometimes very complex), that to show someone how to play using Pauper is not the best idea.
I can see from your description of decks that you don't know anything about established Pauper decks. I invite you to look at these links to get a better idea of what the Pauper metagame is comprised of.
Online Forum Established Section
Paper Pauper Primer Section
MTGGoldfish online metagame analysis
Pauper is very competitive, like other eternal formats. Of course, that all depends on what you want from Pauper. My Battle Bag's intention was to show off this competitive edge. If you want to build 27 decks showing off all the colours combinations, you're going to have to think about toning down the power level, or else you'll find that the 3-colour decks will be extremely underpowered.
I would still go with the main strategies, but try and include more learning-friendly cards, which will also likely fix the problem of overpowering multi-colour decks.
White- Tokens or White Weenie
Blue- Delver (it's a Faerie deck with Delver of Secrets)
Black- Black Control
Red- Burn or Goblins
Green- Stompy
Selesnya should probably be Hexproof.
Dimir will be either Angler-Delver or Teachings Control
Izzet could be either Eye-Candy (combo) or Control.
Simic can be Turbo Fog or Wall Combo
Golgari is often some graveyard shenanigan, usually involving Tortured Existence.
Tron is often 3 or 4 colours, usually Temur.
Bant could be Turbo Fog.
5 colour is most likely the 5-colour deck. I can try and find a decklist for you later.
There aren't really any solid archetypes for most of the 3-colour combinations. You can probably brew something decent or look up someone else's brew (I've seen plenty of Grixis ones, for example).
I hope this helps. You will probably need to do a good deal of research before you even start to build, but you're off to a good start.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
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[Click here for the articles!]
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My box plans to have the following decks...
Stompy
Burn
Affinity
Tron
Tribe Combo
Dimir Delver or Control
...and will later be expanded to...
Faeries (Ninja Delver)
Elves
Slivers
Metalcraft Boros
Black Control
Bogles
This should represent a large chunk of the best possible pauper decks. Let me know if I missed an important deck from the pauper meta game.
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/other-formats/mtgo-pauper/developing/647850-primer-angler-delver
Modern: Sultai Death's Shadow
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/modern/deck-creation-modern/773885-sultai-deaths-shadow-bug-aggro]
Legacy: Snake&Show
http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?27217-Deck-Sneak-and-Show
Discuss my Cube @ MTGsalvation:
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=207309