Merciless Resolve is a nice instant. Costs 2B and you need to sac a creature or land but you get to draw two cards. Maybe aggro decks or some B/x token decks might want it as a less color intensive (though more costly) Sign in Blood.
Twins of Maurer Estate is a 3/5 vampire for 4B but it's got a madness cost of 2B. A vanilla 3/5 probably isn't what madness decks are after, but it's a new option. And 5 toughness makes it hard to kill and a good blocker.
and last we have Stromkirk Mentor. A 4/2 vampire soldier for 3B that gives another vampire you control a +1/+1 counter. Too slow and weak but if you like vampires then here's another option for ya!
There's already a Merciless Resolve at 2 mana with Altar's Reap. This one costs 1 more, but lets you sacrifice a land as well. I don't think the tradeoff is worth it. The best way to use this card is to sacrifice a creature that's about to die to removal or in combat, so lands will rarely matter. Then again, It could be a decent way to draw cards in the lategame by sacrificing lands.
The rest is crap, I think. a vanilla 3/5 just isn't enough to make it in most decks.
You know, my mind completely blanked on Altar's Reap. I thought it was a sorcery, not an instant. A fault on my part there. But yeah, only upside to Merciless Resolve being 3 mana is it can sac lands too. So not really worth it.
Vessel of Volatility!Pretty cool ritual! What kind of decks will want this card? Any combo decks out there that this could help?
Seems horrible. Yes, it nets you 2 mana on turn 3 if you invest in it on turn 2, but mid combo it has 0 mana gain. There are already plenty of better rituals at common and many formats ban the storm win cons anyway so...
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So...Angelic Purge (Card text: 2W, Sorcery. As an additional cost, sac a permanent. Exile target creature, enchantment, or artifact) Is this going to be pauper's Vindicate or is it being overrated? I think it could do well in token decks or in Kuldotha decks that don't mind cashing in those Ichor Wellspring to handle pretty much anything for good.
Oblivion Ring will likely be better in almost every deck except the RWu Kuldotha deck. I could see it seeing some sideboard play instead of the usual enchantment.
Then again, you could return the O-Ring to your hand to re-cast it on another target...
We have all the Vessels now, and they all suck, I find. Again with the theme of paying too much because you can do it over multiple turns. The only one that was ever good was Font of Return. I think Vessel of Maligny and Vessel of Nascency are maybe the best...? It'll certainly be good at enabling Delirium in limited though.
Vessel of Malignity seems like it could be good with the eldrazi processor cards. Previously it had to run ingest, but this and mindswords might be enough to give the deck some gas.
But I agree with your analysis, none of them are very good.
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Pauper: UB Wight Phantasm RB Burn UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
Full spoiler is up and there's a few interesting, pretty solid and playable cards:
Moldgraf Scavenger - This might be my favourite card of the set. This might be our true pauper Tarmogoyf. Recently we have been getting a lot of undercostedbeaters, and although this doesn't measure up to them, it has something they lack: it can be always cast for two no matter what, and multiples aren't dead to boot. It's +1/+1 short of being a true Tarmogoyf and a beast, but at least it has 4 butt, which makes it escape Lightning Bolt.
Dual Shot - This will become a pauper staple in Red decks, probably even mainboards. Do I really need to say everything it hits? From Delver of Secrets and it's fairy buddies to stuff like Squadron Hawk, Goblins, Elves and Spirit tokens. It's a 2-for-1 at instant speed for just R, for Pete's sake.
Rush of Adrenaline - Seems playable in Cyclops / Prowess decks, evasion on top of a power boost for just R is pretty solid.
Pyre Hound - A really, really solid UR Control finisher. With just 1 spell, it survives Lightning Bolt and it brings it's own evasion too. Also it's not prowess, so it keeps growing and growing. I really like this card, there's a lot of potential here. Wish it costed 2R
but then it probably wouldn't have had Trample.
Ghoulcaller's Accomplice, Dauntless Cathar - Two bodies in one card. Although pricy, the token can be used from the grave and it's uncountereable, so there's that. Sorcery speed kills them though, so I doubt they'll see play.
That pretty much covers my thoughts on it too. Scavenger has potential to be yet another undercosted beater, but this format has quite a few 4/4s for 2. In Golgari I could see it running along side Angler but it doesn't feel super powerful when you do that since Delve eats Delirium. The R instants are the ones I think I have the best chance of seeing play. Pyre Hound is solid, but 4 mana is a lot... trample and evading burn does help a lot though.
Not too excited about this as a Pauper set, but I also see the potential for some of the cards working their way into more thematic decks, so that's cool.
I do like Moldgraf Scavenger, but I think it might be best utilized in a Zoo build. I was originally thinking of using it in a u/g mill, but as Galspanic said, it doesn't work too well with Delve.
While Dual Shot is pretty neat, I feel Twin Bolt is the better option for Pauper since it has more versatility. Dual Shot can only hit creatures and can only ever kill x/1's. For the one extra mana Twin Bolt hits players, two x/1's or one x/2.
Chaplain's Blessing is a very large sum of life for just one mana. I like it! Probably not too playable.
Moldgraf Scavenger indeed looks promising. Is there a current deck that would want Green in order to use this guy?
Sanitarium Skeleton seems efficient enough. 3 mana is maybe a bit too much to be abused with discard outlets and things.
Murderous Compulsion: WOW. Talk about efficient. It makes cards like Vengeance seem like garbage, and it's a common. Not to mention you can Madness it out at instant speed before damage is dealt in order to just kill it outright. I see this card getting some play.
Alms of the Vein also has a very efficient Madness cost. Could be a very powerful burn spell in the right deck. One would usually have to pay 4 for such an effect.
I do like Moldgraf Scavenger, but I think it might be best utilized in a Zoo build. I was originally thinking of using it in a u/g mill, but as Galspanic said, it doesn't work too well with Delve.
While Dual Shot is pretty neat, I feel Twin Bolt is the better option for Pauper since it has more versatility. Dual Shot can only hit creatures and can only ever kill x/1's. For the one extra mana Twin Bolt hits players, two x/1's or one x/2.
1 mana vs. 2 mana is huge for burn spells and I can't imagine either seeing play when Forked Bolt is legal. Except, that instant speed "kill 2" for 1 seems solid enough against a ton of decks, and the "kill a Delver" is great against a lot of other decks.
Merciless Resolve is a nice instant. Costs 2B and you need to sac a creature or land but you get to draw two cards. Maybe aggro decks or some B/x token decks might want it as a less color intensive (though more costly) Sign in Blood.
Twins of Maurer Estate is a 3/5 vampire for 4B but it's got a madness cost of 2B. A vanilla 3/5 probably isn't what madness decks are after, but it's a new option. And 5 toughness makes it hard to kill and a good blocker.
and last we have Stromkirk Mentor. A 4/2 vampire soldier for 3B that gives another vampire you control a +1/+1 counter. Too slow and weak but if you like vampires then here's another option for ya!
The rest is crap, I think. a vanilla 3/5 just isn't enough to make it in most decks.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
Vessel of Volatility!Pretty cool ritual! What kind of decks will want this card? Any combo decks out there that this could help?
Seems horrible. Yes, it nets you 2 mana on turn 3 if you invest in it on turn 2, but mid combo it has 0 mana gain. There are already plenty of better rituals at common and many formats ban the storm win cons anyway so...
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Then again, you could return the O-Ring to your hand to re-cast it on another target...
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
We have all the Vessels now, and they all suck, I find. Again with the theme of paying too much because you can do it over multiple turns. The only one that was ever good was Font of Return. I think Vessel of Maligny and Vessel of Nascency are maybe the best...? It'll certainly be good at enabling Delirium in limited though.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
But I agree with your analysis, none of them are very good.
UB Wight Phantasm
RB Burn
UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
Legacy:
R Burn
CG-Post
Moldgraf Scavenger - This might be my favourite card of the set. This might be our true pauper Tarmogoyf. Recently we have been getting a lot of undercosted beaters, and although this doesn't measure up to them, it has something they lack: it can be always cast for two no matter what, and multiples aren't dead to boot. It's +1/+1 short of being a true Tarmogoyf and a beast, but at least it has 4 butt, which makes it escape Lightning Bolt.
Dual Shot - This will become a pauper staple in Red decks, probably even mainboards. Do I really need to say everything it hits? From Delver of Secrets and it's fairy buddies to stuff like Squadron Hawk, Goblins, Elves and Spirit tokens. It's a 2-for-1 at instant speed for just R, for Pete's sake.
Rush of Adrenaline - Seems playable in Cyclops / Prowess decks, evasion on top of a power boost for just R is pretty solid.
Pyre Hound - A really, really solid UR Control finisher. With just 1 spell, it survives Lightning Bolt and it brings it's own evasion too. Also it's not prowess, so it keeps growing and growing. I really like this card, there's a lot of potential here. Wish it costed 2R
but then it probably wouldn't have had Trample.
Murderous Compulsion - OK for TortEx / GB Madness decks I guess.
Ghoulcaller's Accomplice, Dauntless Cathar - Two bodies in one card. Although pricy, the token can be used from the grave and it's uncountereable, so there's that. Sorcery speed kills them though, so I doubt they'll see play.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
Not too excited about this as a Pauper set, but I also see the potential for some of the cards working their way into more thematic decks, so that's cool.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.
While Dual Shot is pretty neat, I feel Twin Bolt is the better option for Pauper since it has more versatility. Dual Shot can only hit creatures and can only ever kill x/1's. For the one extra mana Twin Bolt hits players, two x/1's or one x/2.
Moldgraf Scavenger indeed looks promising. Is there a current deck that would want Green in order to use this guy?
Sanitarium Skeleton seems efficient enough. 3 mana is maybe a bit too much to be abused with discard outlets and things.
Murderous Compulsion: WOW. Talk about efficient. It makes cards like Vengeance seem like garbage, and it's a common. Not to mention you can Madness it out at instant speed before damage is dealt in order to just kill it outright. I see this card getting some play.
Alms of the Vein also has a very efficient Madness cost. Could be a very powerful burn spell in the right deck. One would usually have to pay 4 for such an effect.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
1 mana vs. 2 mana is huge for burn spells and I can't imagine either seeing play when Forked Bolt is legal. Except, that instant speed "kill 2" for 1 seems solid enough against a ton of decks, and the "kill a Delver" is great against a lot of other decks.
WUBRGPauper Battle BoxWUBRG ... and why I am not a fan of Wayne Reynolds' Illustrations.