There is actually a fairly lively Planeswalker Format community, and I rarely have trouble getting games.
As you mentioned, it really is the best way to play on the cheap. The problem with Pauper is that I find the gameplay gets pretty stake after a while because in general, common cards are fairly simple. This is especially true with Standard Pauper which tends to get solved quickly.
However, the problem with playing PW Format 'seriously' is that you are running against the intentions for the format. A lot of players only have a few packs and are new to magic, so playing them with your tuned PW format deck that is culled from 4 of every PW pack can be a waste of everyone's time. That being said, I only play top decks (Tier 1 and Tier 2), and I usually find suitable opponents for most of my games.
For serious 1v1, the biggest problem with the format is RDW. I have tried as hard as I could for over a year to find a deck that has game vs. fast RDW and yet still plays comparatively well versus the field. After a lot of frustration, I have given up. The format is defined by (1) horrible mana, (2) no sideboard, and (3) no real metagame and a wide-open field. These are the perfect conditions for fast RDW. And the kicker is that the RDW card pool is somewhere between Modern and Legacy level. The deck frequently kills on Turn 3, and is capable of winning on turn 4 through disruption with alarming frequency. Fast RDW (mostly burn, with enough goblins for grenades) is simply the best deck as far as I can tell. A slower, more Goblin-oriented deck centered around Krenko is also one of the best decks in the field.
For non-Red decks, I'd round out the top 5 with Green Combo (centered around Momentous fall shenanigans) and mono-white tokens. Mono Black vampires is also strong. Basically, mono-colored, proactive decks are hard to beat in a format with such bad mana, no sideboard, but a very deep card pool with high quality for most colors.
There is a lively multiplayer scene as well as some 2HG games. Golgari dominates 2HG, and multiplayer. Black has many cards that take advantage of having multiple opponents, and Green has very good multiplayer cards for the free-for-alls, and Golgari Gold cards are excellent support for the black cards in 2HG.
Still, my favorite deck in 1v1 is a version of Caw-Blade that I put together. It sometimes hiccups on colored mana, but is relatively smooth for a two-color deck. More importantly, it creates very intersting game states and makes for fun games. But it is also very strong, and can play against anything--it is a top 10 deck in power level, and can even win games versus RDW (though it is definitely a dog overall). It does well vs. Green Combo and decently vs. White Tokens and Vamps.
Curious if anyone here has or does play this format 'seriously'? I find that despite it's limitations (bad mana and no sideboard) it makes for more intersting games than other budget formats (Pauaper and standard pauper).
I'll post more about it if anyone is interested in talking about it, but I don't want to make a longer post if nobody plays it.
I have played caw-blade mirrors as well. The reason I am finding this so weird is that I have 3 cancels main-that is all my counter magic.
So when I am facing another control deck, I suspect they have more counters--but I don't know. And so judging my role and what I am supposed to be doing is very tough. If I play the kind of game you are talking about with just 3 counters it will SEEM to go okay, and then after 30 turns you will just lose often on their last play. Since I'm aware of that, it gets very confusing to me knowing what to do each turn.
I find the post-board games a lot easier, decison-wise.
I'm very new to RTR--my second day. I just dropped nearly $300 on MTGO for the Azorius control deck that is currently doing well on MTGO because it was being played by a 'ringer' I have always followed: Zwischenzug [url]https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Digital
I really enjoyed the deck until I played the control mirror--and the mirror has become more popular. It doesn't even have to be a pure mirror--any deck that is light on pressure and plays ~ four Jace and Revelations does the trick.
I have played a lot of magic, but this mirror is unlike anything I have played before. You can easily lose due to time, decking, or life loss. It is also very unclear who has inevitability when you don't know their deck list. I have had an early uncontested Jace out for 4 turns and thought I was dominating only to lose the game due to being decked--and then not had enough time to win the match after SB.
I don't really understand what the path to victory is. And it seems to depend entirely on who has more counter magic. As far as I can tell, having more counters is a HUGE edge. The deck I am playing only plays three counters MB and has a huge control mirror SB counter magic package. But the loss in game 1 often takes so much time off the clock that it is hard to win Games two and three after SB, even if you are heavily favored. Lately, if it SEEMS clear my opponent has a lot more counters G1, then I play it as aggressively as I can and if by turn 5 or 6 I am not dominating, I just concede. This helps, but then even if I win G2, getting the win in G3 and not a draw is tough with the clock. Plus, often when I think I am dominating I actually am not and lose due to decking or something much later on.
I'm wondering if you simply need to play more counters main to win control matches and have to suck up the G1 losses doing so will result in vs. non-control decks.
Any tips or advice on this match-up is appreciated.
I would like some advice on how you play the control mirror vs. another deck with light pressure, 4 Jace, and 4 Sphinx.
It seems like a totally different game--if you don't know what you are doing, you can think that you are way ahead in a traditional sort of way, then find out you were losing all along. You have to manage clock, library, and life. You can easily lose by either of them.
One thing I am finding is that due to the clock--you can't afford to board into a heavy counter package. If you have little pressure and are facing a similar deck, then whichever deck has more counters main tends to win the first game. And if you lose the first, there is not enough time to win the second and third with your SB counter magic package.
Is the increasing popularity of U/W Revelation-based control, and the mirror, the reason you are all starting to main deck more counters? With so much control out there, and the mirror being so insane, should we be boarding psychic spiral and playing for the deck win?
I just started playing RTR Block today, after playing Pauper and Planeswalker formats for a year for budgetary reasons. Then I noticed I had about $250 in old MTGO cards, sold them all, and went all-in on a RTR Block deck.
So I bought the deck on MTGO—lock, stock, and barrel. It was NOT a cheap deck! And I have been playing non-stop for the last day.
This is not an easy deck to play—it seems easy (and is versus some match-ups), but the control mirrors and the Jund battle are very tough.
One thing I didn’t understand was the massive commitment to counter magic (and mediocre counter magic, at that) in the SB. Then I played my fist control mirror—eye-opener! All that typically matters are counters, Jace, Revelations, and any milling or graveyard recycling cards. In fact, my first three control mirrors were aborted when they just quit as soon as they saw I was on control as well (playing in the TP room). I couldn’t fathom why—control mirrors can be fun. Then I actually played one in RTR block; now I understand.
U/W is particularly vulnerable to three- and four-color control decks as we can’t usually punish them for their clunky mana. So they get their superior card quality for free. But now I understand Zwischenzug’s SB plan. We even things up because due to their slower mana, the three- and four-color control decks have to devote more SB room to dealing with faster decks. We can afford the ‘total control’ SB package that they can’t.
However, I’m still pretty unclear on SBing—even vs. control, I’m not sure what comes out. In fact, I’d appreciate SB advice vs. most matchups.
I'm avoiding creatures that die easily to 1 damage spells. The only ones that do are the Javelineers--but they are needed. And all of the armorers tend to get the toughness out of danger range pretty quickly.
In any event, I'm new to pauper and this deck is probably going in entirely the wrong direction. But part of the fun with Pauper is you can brew--new decks cost very little! I've been mostly playing in the TP, but I know good decks and players when I face them and am doing my best to only factor in results from those matches in my observations.
Land Count
I'm not sure if I have it right yet--but I have noticed that I can recover from slight mana screw, but that flood always kills me. So my current land count is keeping that in mind.
Match-Ups
UR Post:
I am actually in the game. In fact, I have been winning more than I lose--but that may just be luck and sample size. That being said, I feel that I have made this match-up at least winnable. The resilient creatures and all the toughness pumps really help to avoid their sweepers
Blue Delver
I think my list is a little weaker in this MU than traditional ones--but I still win my fair share. I'd appreciate any advice for improving this one including some sideboard slots. Currently I'm testing mana tithe and it is at least promising so far--but it is too soon to tell.
Affinity
This is a tough one if they come out fast in the first game. Post board it is better. But I could probably use some help here. What do most people side vs. Affinity aside from more journeys and the Dust to Dusts?
Storm
I seem to be winning more than I lose. But that could be a function of the TP as I feel storm is a special case--many players have good decks, but it is hard to know if they are good at playing them. 4 maindeck strands helps a lot vs. grapeshot (and to some degree ETW). But perhaps I need more SB hate before I hit the DEs. How good are unicorns?
Green Stompy
I have been doing very well here. The fact that they can't kill my 'lords' and I have 4 MD strands seems to make me do better than your average WW.
In any event, I'm sure this has all been done before--but I'm still enjoying it. I thought I'd share. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.
EDIT: well mono-blue post is definitely a problem as my toughness pumps do little against them--and mono-blue seems to be gaining in popularity over Izzet. But I'm working on that matchup and would appreciate any suggestions for cards against them.
Also, the Azorius Arrester has turned out to be a fantastic soldier and I am now maining 4 of them.
I have played various versions of this deck in an ongoing attempt to not get crushed by UR Cloudpost. What can I do to have a decent chance against them? I feel like it is nearly unwinnable.
I just started playing around with this format. I bought 4 of each deck pack and I'm wondering what other people have come up with as the most broken decks?
I find the Beta client horrible and really slow when making decks etc.
Maybe it is my 2 GB only of ram, don't know. In any event, how can I revert to the old client without essentially uninstalling and reinstalling all of MTGO including my decks etc.?
I think the primary reason people play Block is because it is cheap on MTGO. Therefore, it seems unlikely you will get many Cockatrice Block players. If you are going to have free cards, many would opt for standard.
There is a subset that plays Block because you get a bit more chance to brew though (though often it is brewing in vain because the format is solved - you just don't think it is) so maybe you can find some of them. Good luck.
This had to be done. Virtue was the more important ban to classic tokens. But Hellrider tokens had been coming on strong and might not have needed Virtues nearly so much as classic tokens did.
As when they banned Jace AND Stoneforge, they wanted to make sure they didn't have to ban again. Good on them.
As you mentioned, it really is the best way to play on the cheap. The problem with Pauper is that I find the gameplay gets pretty stake after a while because in general, common cards are fairly simple. This is especially true with Standard Pauper which tends to get solved quickly.
However, the problem with playing PW Format 'seriously' is that you are running against the intentions for the format. A lot of players only have a few packs and are new to magic, so playing them with your tuned PW format deck that is culled from 4 of every PW pack can be a waste of everyone's time. That being said, I only play top decks (Tier 1 and Tier 2), and I usually find suitable opponents for most of my games.
For serious 1v1, the biggest problem with the format is RDW. I have tried as hard as I could for over a year to find a deck that has game vs. fast RDW and yet still plays comparatively well versus the field. After a lot of frustration, I have given up. The format is defined by (1) horrible mana, (2) no sideboard, and (3) no real metagame and a wide-open field. These are the perfect conditions for fast RDW. And the kicker is that the RDW card pool is somewhere between Modern and Legacy level. The deck frequently kills on Turn 3, and is capable of winning on turn 4 through disruption with alarming frequency. Fast RDW (mostly burn, with enough goblins for grenades) is simply the best deck as far as I can tell. A slower, more Goblin-oriented deck centered around Krenko is also one of the best decks in the field.
For non-Red decks, I'd round out the top 5 with Green Combo (centered around Momentous fall shenanigans) and mono-white tokens. Mono Black vampires is also strong. Basically, mono-colored, proactive decks are hard to beat in a format with such bad mana, no sideboard, but a very deep card pool with high quality for most colors.
There is a lively multiplayer scene as well as some 2HG games. Golgari dominates 2HG, and multiplayer. Black has many cards that take advantage of having multiple opponents, and Green has very good multiplayer cards for the free-for-alls, and Golgari Gold cards are excellent support for the black cards in 2HG.
Still, my favorite deck in 1v1 is a version of Caw-Blade that I put together. It sometimes hiccups on colored mana, but is relatively smooth for a two-color deck. More importantly, it creates very intersting game states and makes for fun games. But it is also very strong, and can play against anything--it is a top 10 deck in power level, and can even win games versus RDW (though it is definitely a dog overall). It does well vs. Green Combo and decently vs. White Tokens and Vamps.
I'll post more about it if anyone is interested in talking about it, but I don't want to make a longer post if nobody plays it.
So when I am facing another control deck, I suspect they have more counters--but I don't know. And so judging my role and what I am supposed to be doing is very tough. If I play the kind of game you are talking about with just 3 counters it will SEEM to go okay, and then after 30 turns you will just lose often on their last play. Since I'm aware of that, it gets very confusing to me knowing what to do each turn.
I find the post-board games a lot easier, decison-wise.
I really enjoyed the deck until I played the control mirror--and the mirror has become more popular. It doesn't even have to be a pure mirror--any deck that is light on pressure and plays ~ four Jace and Revelations does the trick.
I have played a lot of magic, but this mirror is unlike anything I have played before. You can easily lose due to time, decking, or life loss. It is also very unclear who has inevitability when you don't know their deck list. I have had an early uncontested Jace out for 4 turns and thought I was dominating only to lose the game due to being decked--and then not had enough time to win the match after SB.
I don't really understand what the path to victory is. And it seems to depend entirely on who has more counter magic. As far as I can tell, having more counters is a HUGE edge. The deck I am playing only plays three counters MB and has a huge control mirror SB counter magic package. But the loss in game 1 often takes so much time off the clock that it is hard to win Games two and three after SB, even if you are heavily favored. Lately, if it SEEMS clear my opponent has a lot more counters G1, then I play it as aggressively as I can and if by turn 5 or 6 I am not dominating, I just concede. This helps, but then even if I win G2, getting the win in G3 and not a draw is tough with the clock. Plus, often when I think I am dominating I actually am not and lose due to decking or something much later on.
I'm wondering if you simply need to play more counters main to win control matches and have to suck up the G1 losses doing so will result in vs. non-control decks.
Any tips or advice on this match-up is appreciated.
It seems like a totally different game--if you don't know what you are doing, you can think that you are way ahead in a traditional sort of way, then find out you were losing all along. You have to manage clock, library, and life. You can easily lose by either of them.
One thing I am finding is that due to the clock--you can't afford to board into a heavy counter package. If you have little pressure and are facing a similar deck, then whichever deck has more counters main tends to win the first game. And if you lose the first, there is not enough time to win the second and third with your SB counter magic package.
Is the increasing popularity of U/W Revelation-based control, and the mirror, the reason you are all starting to main deck more counters? With so much control out there, and the mirror being so insane, should we be boarding psychic spiral and playing for the deck win?
I have played SOM and ISD Block--and a guy I always followed was Zwischenzug (https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Digital/MagicOnlineTourn.aspx?x=mtg/digital/magiconline/tourn/4557159). This guy is a merciless MTGO grinder who is focused on winning and EV. He grinds Block for MOCS points, and has since SOM. You want to know what is winning, you look him up.
So I found that, yes, he was grinding RTR block too. And he had just 4-0ed a DE with:
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Azorius Guildgate
7 Plains
4 Lyev Skyknight
4 Angel of Serenity
4 Azorius Keyrune
4 Azorius Charm
4 Sphinx's Revelation
4 Detention Sphere
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Cyclonic Rift
4 Supreme Verdict
1 Sundering Growth
4 Dispel
1 Cancel
4 Syncopate
1 Keening Apparition
So I bought the deck on MTGO—lock, stock, and barrel. It was NOT a cheap deck! And I have been playing non-stop for the last day.
This is not an easy deck to play—it seems easy (and is versus some match-ups), but the control mirrors and the Jund battle are very tough.
One thing I didn’t understand was the massive commitment to counter magic (and mediocre counter magic, at that) in the SB. Then I played my fist control mirror—eye-opener! All that typically matters are counters, Jace, Revelations, and any milling or graveyard recycling cards. In fact, my first three control mirrors were aborted when they just quit as soon as they saw I was on control as well (playing in the TP room). I couldn’t fathom why—control mirrors can be fun. Then I actually played one in RTR block; now I understand.
U/W is particularly vulnerable to three- and four-color control decks as we can’t usually punish them for their clunky mana. So they get their superior card quality for free. But now I understand Zwischenzug’s SB plan. We even things up because due to their slower mana, the three- and four-color control decks have to devote more SB room to dealing with faster decks. We can afford the ‘total control’ SB package that they can’t.
However, I’m still pretty unclear on SBing—even vs. control, I’m not sure what comes out. In fact, I’d appreciate SB advice vs. most matchups.
This is what I have come up with:
White Weenie Soldiers
4x Secluded Steppe
16x Plains
4x Icatian Javelineers
4x Veteran Armorsmith
4x Veteran Swordsmith
4x Veteran Armorer
4x Kor Skyfisher
4x Loyal Cathar
4x Doomed Traveler
2x Ballynock Cohort
2x Journey to Nowhere
2x Bonesplitter
4x Dust to Dust
3x Mana Tithe
2x Crimson Acolyte
2x Journey to Nowhere
I'm avoiding creatures that die easily to 1 damage spells. The only ones that do are the Javelineers--but they are needed. And all of the armorers tend to get the toughness out of danger range pretty quickly.
In any event, I'm new to pauper and this deck is probably going in entirely the wrong direction. But part of the fun with Pauper is you can brew--new decks cost very little! I've been mostly playing in the TP, but I know good decks and players when I face them and am doing my best to only factor in results from those matches in my observations.
Land Count
I'm not sure if I have it right yet--but I have noticed that I can recover from slight mana screw, but that flood always kills me. So my current land count is keeping that in mind.
Match-Ups
UR Post:
I am actually in the game. In fact, I have been winning more than I lose--but that may just be luck and sample size. That being said, I feel that I have made this match-up at least winnable. The resilient creatures and all the toughness pumps really help to avoid their sweepers
Blue Delver
I think my list is a little weaker in this MU than traditional ones--but I still win my fair share. I'd appreciate any advice for improving this one including some sideboard slots. Currently I'm testing mana tithe and it is at least promising so far--but it is too soon to tell.
Affinity
This is a tough one if they come out fast in the first game. Post board it is better. But I could probably use some help here. What do most people side vs. Affinity aside from more journeys and the Dust to Dusts?
Storm
I seem to be winning more than I lose. But that could be a function of the TP as I feel storm is a special case--many players have good decks, but it is hard to know if they are good at playing them. 4 maindeck strands helps a lot vs. grapeshot (and to some degree ETW). But perhaps I need more SB hate before I hit the DEs. How good are unicorns?
Green Stompy
I have been doing very well here. The fact that they can't kill my 'lords' and I have 4 MD strands seems to make me do better than your average WW.
In any event, I'm sure this has all been done before--but I'm still enjoying it. I thought I'd share. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them.
EDIT: well mono-blue post is definitely a problem as my toughness pumps do little against them--and mono-blue seems to be gaining in popularity over Izzet. But I'm working on that matchup and would appreciate any suggestions for cards against them.
Also, the Azorius Arrester has turned out to be a fantastic soldier and I am now maining 4 of them.
Maybe it is my 2 GB only of ram, don't know. In any event, how can I revert to the old client without essentially uninstalling and reinstalling all of MTGO including my decks etc.?
There is a subset that plays Block because you get a bit more chance to brew though (though often it is brewing in vain because the format is solved - you just don't think it is) so maybe you can find some of them. Good luck.
As when they banned Jace AND Stoneforge, they wanted to make sure they didn't have to ban again. Good on them.