I've been playing Magic for some time, but never pauper. I'm hoping to start playing some pauper over the holidays. I'm really excited! I've been looking for an eternal format, and I'm strongly drawn to one where I can purchase several decks and play whichever I feel like at the time. I don't see myself leaving the Tournament Prep room for some time. I'm looking for something fairly easy to pilot for the first 100 or so matches, so that I can familiarize myself with the format and the metagame.
I really like the look of stompy, but I've read that it is difficult to play so perhaps I'd be better off with slivers or hexproof. But really, I'm wide open at this point.
With that in mind, which deck would you recommend I start with?
Slivers, play your hand and turn cards sideways. As easy as pauper gets.
Urza-Tron, my personal favorite. Easy to learn, some what skill intensive. Acts as a ramp/control deck. As you get better the ceiling for your win% to go up rises with your skill, IMO a card or 2 away from being the best deck in the format. Control is an uphill fight, if we get something to battle that I really believe this will be "THE" deck in pauper.
I think if I was starting out again right now I would be all over affinity, I am debating playing it myself. It is competitive, we all know it is around and pack hate for it but yet it still makes top 4's and top 8's in the premier events. Even with artifact hate it has games where you lose no matter what, although I will admit the deck loses to its self with bad draws back when I played it (pre Perilous Research). It is now a much better deck and less reliant on the Atog and Fling combo with disciple of the vault on the board.
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ANT, Legacy (75% Foiled) Over all record 21-5-4. RIP
U/R Splinter Twin, Standard 39-10-15 TWINNING!
I would recommend White Weenie (mid-range) since you will play the control deck against the faster decks and the aggro against the heavy control ones.
It will really give you a pretty good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of the metagame out there, and how to tweak your deck to be more controlling or more aggro.
All the other established decks are generally tilted pretty far in the control or aggro directions, so you won't get as many varied experiences in my opinion.
White Weenie is very middle of the road: it rarely has an unwinnable matchup, but it also rarely has an overly easy one. Pilot experience is key, which will maximize your skill development in both playing and deck creation.
Nope, Goblins is not straightforward. The strategy (pump out a horde of goblins, attack until dead) surely is, but since there are a lot of decisions to make and very many interactions, playing it is not.
Delver is a strong deck with even more interactions and decisions to make than Goblins. It's also the most expensive option.
A deck for a beginner should be cheap and interactive, so you get a feel for the metagame. Also, a linear aggressive strategy seems better than tempo or control decks which are better for players who already know the meta.
So, I'd advise for White Weenie or Stompy which meet those criteria. There are also less decisions to make than goblins in most cases. Burn is also cheap, but the interaction is minimal.
The OP specifically stated they aren't new to magic, only pauper meta. The fact is the format is easy to slip into, especially if you have played other eternal formats(given we don't know which formats the OP is coming from). Providing them with the strongest options is the correct thing to do. If the OP was brand new to the game I'd totally recommend other decks other than delver.
I really like the look of stompy, but I've read that it is difficult to play so perhaps I'd be better off with slivers or hexproof. But really, I'm wide open at this point.
With that in mind, which deck would you recommend I start with?
Thanks in advance,
Urza-Tron, my personal favorite. Easy to learn, some what skill intensive. Acts as a ramp/control deck. As you get better the ceiling for your win% to go up rises with your skill, IMO a card or 2 away from being the best deck in the format. Control is an uphill fight, if we get something to battle that I really believe this will be "THE" deck in pauper.
I think if I was starting out again right now I would be all over affinity, I am debating playing it myself. It is competitive, we all know it is around and pack hate for it but yet it still makes top 4's and top 8's in the premier events. Even with artifact hate it has games where you lose no matter what, although I will admit the deck loses to its self with bad draws back when I played it (pre Perilous Research). It is now a much better deck and less reliant on the Atog and Fling combo with disciple of the vault on the board.
ANT, Legacy (75% Foiled) Over all record 21-5-4. RIP
U/R Splinter Twin, Standard 39-10-15 TWINNING!
It will really give you a pretty good grasp of the strengths and weaknesses of the metagame out there, and how to tweak your deck to be more controlling or more aggro.
All the other established decks are generally tilted pretty far in the control or aggro directions, so you won't get as many varied experiences in my opinion.
White Weenie is very middle of the road: it rarely has an unwinnable matchup, but it also rarely has an overly easy one. Pilot experience is key, which will maximize your skill development in both playing and deck creation.
If you've played tempo before mono U delver is really fun and good and quite a powerful deck.
The OP specifically stated they aren't new to magic, only pauper meta. The fact is the format is easy to slip into, especially if you have played other eternal formats(given we don't know which formats the OP is coming from). Providing them with the strongest options is the correct thing to do. If the OP was brand new to the game I'd totally recommend other decks other than delver.
Abzan Midrange
Modern:
Scapeshift