Hi all I've been reading on this forum for a few years and finally decided to post a deck idea.
I'm really into white and blue and with several of the cards that are getting downgraded in Iconic Masters I have a 2/3's of the way there idea that I wanted to bounce off anyone willing to take a look.
The idea is to use cards with recursion to keep activating prowess.
I think my interactions with the opponents play/board are kinda weak with just counterspell & vapor snag but I'm not sure what to run or if I should just focus on all in on aggro and forget hindering the opponent.
Welcome to MTGS and the Pauper forums! I hope to see you around more!
Elusive Spellfist is one of the best Prowess creatures in Pauper. I think it's definitely worth some slots here. I would replace the thief with it.
What makes these creatures powerful is cantrips. We see this in Modern all the time. Cantrips are even better in Pauper, with Ponder, Preordain and Brainstorm. Gitaxian Probe might not be a bad call, either.
I would take out Survival Cache, as it's too expensive and Blue has better and cheaper draw anyways.
Your other Rebound spells are good, but I would still cut down and make room for cantrips.
Archaeomancer seems expensive for what you're doing.
Strategy-wise, I think you're aiming to be a tempo deck. Play a cheap threat, make sure it connects with your spells and disrupt your opponent just long enough to win. I get the feeling Red might be a better secondary colour for that, but this also seems fine. I think Seeker of the Way is good enough to justify the White splash.
I agree that red, with not only all the sorcery and instants, but also kiln fiend and nivix cyclops is better but its already an archetype (and I've already got that deck sitting around). I'm really trying to get something out of seeker of the way.
I had think twice in there but switched it for gitaxian probe for something to do on turn 1 or an extra "free" card on turn 3-4. I went over the other flashback cards but I just couldn't figure a way to replace anything that was already in.
The only one I could see dropping is vapor snag for maby a tap effect like feeling of dread but I'm not sure which one has more payoff.
I'm excited to put Seeker of the Way into use when Iconic Masters drops as well. I'm wondering why you're not including Delver in your list. Any prowess deck is going to be very tempo-oriented, and Delver itself is essentially a one-time prowess creature that you can cast T1 and create a ton of pressure with. I'd cut the Augurs, which are essentially spells on a defensive creature to make room for them. We don't really want defensive creatures, and we want our spells to be actual spells for prowess. Not to mention that we're already going to be running at least 10-12 cantrips.
On the topic of cantrips, without a ton of fetches I like Ponder/Preordain more than Brainstorm because they let you get rid of dead cards (usually lands). Brainstorm is nice because it's instant, so it might be worth hanging on to some copies, but I'd test out the other ones first to see if you like them more.
Rezzahan and stompstompstomp definitely have the right idea here! Delver of Secrets is definitely worth including. It will naturally win games all by itself.
Couldn't stop thinking about this deck. I think Seeker of the Way has a lot of potential, the more I think about it. The Lifelink really sets it apart from other Prowess creatures, and it's aggressively costed. This puts it in a position where racing it is difficult and will make even aggressive decks feel like they need to chump it. I think it's a powerful card that will see play.
This is my version of the deck. I'd like to find room for 2 Cho-Manno's Blessing (1-time prowess trigger that makes a creatures permanently immune to removal or unblockable). We have to leverage our advantage of being white and I think the best way to do it is through protection spells.
Mana Tithe and its ilk are at their best in this deck, since they can be cast on a spell just for their prowess trigger at worst. No one ever expects the Tithe!
Couldn't stop thinking about this deck. I think Seeker of the Way has a lot of potential, the more I think about it. The Lifelink really sets it apart from other Prowess creatures, and it's aggressively costed. This puts it in a position where racing it is difficult and will make even aggressive decks feel like they need to chump it. I think it's a powerful card that will see play.
This is my version of the deck. I'd like to find room for 2 Cho-Manno's Blessing (1-time prowess trigger that makes a creatures permanently immune to removal or unblockable). We have to leverage our advantage of being white and I think the best way to do it is through protection spells.
Mana Tithe and its ilk are at their best in this deck, since they can be cast on a spell just for their prowess trigger at worst. No one ever expects the Tithe!
Looks good. I think you should find room for gitaxian probe though.
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Pauper: UB Wight Phantasm RB Burn UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
Thanks! Why do you think Gitaxian Probe is essential for the deck? I feel like there are so many other card that would have a greater impact that I can't seem to make room for it!
I copied a good part of the shell from typical Skred Delver lists. Most of the numbers are more or less the same. Obviously I run less creatures to increase the spell-count for Prowess.
I suppose it isn't really necessary, but I feel like it combos well with prowess and allows you to peek the opponents hand which is nice when you are protecting a small number of creatures. It also works well with gush, letting you combo off of a gush for extra prowess damage. Brainstorm also tends to be bad in none-draw go pauper due to the lack of 15 fetches ala legacy.
You are also running an extremely low land count, which is good for tempo but requires a lot of cantrips. As for what to replace, I don't know other than maybe brainstorm.
Edit: to clarify my point, stompy is so dominant that it has made pauper into the spot removal format. No other format runs nearly the level of removal pauper does, and you are running less creatures than your opponent is goimg to be running kill spells (unless they are affinity or stompy). My attempts at midrange decks have tended to do very well against aggro but the sheer amount of removal control decks are running make them hard to win with. Probe is essentially a 0 cost self replacing cantrip that let's you know exactly how much removal the opponent is packing.
I run as many cantrips as most UR Delver decks and exactly as many lands in almost the same split of basics and fetches. I think this configuration is tested and proven to be effective.
As for the removal-heavy side of things, this is where White tends to be a good colour. Emerge Unscathed is excellent at protecting creatures and I really want to fit main deck Cho-Manno's Blessing, even if WW might be difficult to achieve. Coupled with the high amount of countermagic and bounce spells that can target our own creatures, I think we can have a good handle on removal-heavy decks.
Don't get me wrong, I love Gitaxian Probe. I just feel like the tactical advantage of peeking at someone's hand is gravy and feels like a filler ability, even as a free cantrip. It's great in all-in combo decks like Eye Candy, but not necessarily here.
Take all this with a grain of salt; I honestly have no idea what's good or bad here because I haven't even begun to test the deck out! I'm hoping to get some done in the next couple of days, but we'll see...
I'm really into white and blue and with several of the cards that are getting downgraded in Iconic Masters I have a 2/3's of the way there idea that I wanted to bounce off anyone willing to take a look.
4 seeker of the way
4 spellweaver eternal
4 augur of bolas
4 elusive spellfist
Instant/Sorcery
4 brainstorm
4 emerge unscathed
4 artful maneuver
4 gitaxian probe
4 memory lapse
4 vapor snag
7 plains
9 island
4 tranquil cove
4 negate
3 journey to nowhere
2 relic of progenitus
3 fragmentize
3 lumithread field
The idea is to use cards with recursion to keep activating prowess.
I think my interactions with the opponents play/board are kinda weak with just counterspell & vapor snag but I'm not sure what to run or if I should just focus on all in on aggro and forget hindering the opponent.
Elusive Spellfist is one of the best Prowess creatures in Pauper. I think it's definitely worth some slots here. I would replace the thief with it.
What makes these creatures powerful is cantrips. We see this in Modern all the time. Cantrips are even better in Pauper, with Ponder, Preordain and Brainstorm. Gitaxian Probe might not be a bad call, either.
I would take out Survival Cache, as it's too expensive and Blue has better and cheaper draw anyways.
Your other Rebound spells are good, but I would still cut down and make room for cantrips.
Archaeomancer seems expensive for what you're doing.
Strategy-wise, I think you're aiming to be a tempo deck. Play a cheap threat, make sure it connects with your spells and disrupt your opponent just long enough to win. I get the feeling Red might be a better secondary colour for that, but this also seems fine. I think Seeker of the Way is good enough to justify the White splash.
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
I agree that red, with not only all the sorcery and instants, but also kiln fiend and nivix cyclops is better but its already an archetype (and I've already got that deck sitting around). I'm really trying to get something out of seeker of the way.
I cant believe I missed elusive spellfist.
I took out Archaeomancer and the thief and added brainstorm and gitaxian probe.
I also, added a sideboard of general counters/hate, tried to keep it as wide as possible.
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The only one I could see dropping is vapor snag for maby a tap effect like feeling of dread but I'm not sure which one has more payoff.
On the topic of cantrips, without a ton of fetches I like Ponder/Preordain more than Brainstorm because they let you get rid of dead cards (usually lands). Brainstorm is nice because it's instant, so it might be worth hanging on to some copies, but I'd test out the other ones first to see if you like them more.
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
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Seeker of the Way
4 Elusive Spellfist
Spells (30)
3 Preordain
3 Ponder
2 Brainstorm
3 Vapor Snag
3 Snap
3 Emerge Unscathed
3 Memory Lapse
4 Mana Tithe
4 Mana Leak
2 Gush
4 Ash Barrens
3 Evolving Wilds
4 Plains
7 Island
4 Jace's Phantasm
4 Curse of the Bloody Tome
2 Relic of Progenitus
4 Dispel
1 Cho-Manno's Blessing
Couldn't stop thinking about this deck. I think Seeker of the Way has a lot of potential, the more I think about it. The Lifelink really sets it apart from other Prowess creatures, and it's aggressively costed. This puts it in a position where racing it is difficult and will make even aggressive decks feel like they need to chump it. I think it's a powerful card that will see play.
This is my version of the deck. I'd like to find room for 2 Cho-Manno's Blessing (1-time prowess trigger that makes a creatures permanently immune to removal or unblockable). We have to leverage our advantage of being white and I think the best way to do it is through protection spells.
Mana Tithe and its ilk are at their best in this deck, since they can be cast on a spell just for their prowess trigger at worst. No one ever expects the Tithe!
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
Looks good. I think you should find room for gitaxian probe though.
UB Wight Phantasm
RB Burn
UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
Legacy:
R Burn
CG-Post
I copied a good part of the shell from typical Skred Delver lists. Most of the numbers are more or less the same. Obviously I run less creatures to increase the spell-count for Prowess.
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
You are also running an extremely low land count, which is good for tempo but requires a lot of cantrips. As for what to replace, I don't know other than maybe brainstorm.
Edit: to clarify my point, stompy is so dominant that it has made pauper into the spot removal format. No other format runs nearly the level of removal pauper does, and you are running less creatures than your opponent is goimg to be running kill spells (unless they are affinity or stompy). My attempts at midrange decks have tended to do very well against aggro but the sheer amount of removal control decks are running make them hard to win with. Probe is essentially a 0 cost self replacing cantrip that let's you know exactly how much removal the opponent is packing.
UB Wight Phantasm
RB Burn
UR Faerie Rites of Initiation
Legacy:
R Burn
CG-Post
I run as many cantrips as most UR Delver decks and exactly as many lands in almost the same split of basics and fetches. I think this configuration is tested and proven to be effective.
As for the removal-heavy side of things, this is where White tends to be a good colour. Emerge Unscathed is excellent at protecting creatures and I really want to fit main deck Cho-Manno's Blessing, even if WW might be difficult to achieve. Coupled with the high amount of countermagic and bounce spells that can target our own creatures, I think we can have a good handle on removal-heavy decks.
Don't get me wrong, I love Gitaxian Probe. I just feel like the tactical advantage of peeking at someone's hand is gravy and feels like a filler ability, even as a free cantrip. It's great in all-in combo decks like Eye Candy, but not necessarily here.
Take all this with a grain of salt; I honestly have no idea what's good or bad here because I haven't even begun to test the deck out! I'm hoping to get some done in the next couple of days, but we'll see...
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
I really like Memory Lapse being in the deck! That card is insane tempo!