What exactly is Pauper Soldiers? In essence it is exactly the same thing as regular Soldiers but the only exception being you can only use common cards. The Soldier archtype has been around for quite awhile and has evolved over the years into a semi-serious deck that deserves respect. Even though it is not currently competitive like its White Weenie counterpart it is still very fun to play in casual and a very easy beginner deck or just something to have plain straight forward fun with. This primer will be discussing the archtype as it is related to the paper form of the game not the online version. For a more equipment based soldier deck I have provided a link below in the relevant information section to Rinin's primer. Some cards and strategies are transferable from Magic Online to paper and vice versus, but the general outline will be focused on paper Magic.
Basics of Pauper Soldiers
The main idea is to play cheap, fast and usually first strike creatures such as Porcelain Legionnaire and Mosquito Guard to create a strong early board presence and then eventually lay down your pumps such as Veteran Armorsmith and Veteran Swordsmith to work down your opponent. You will need to use support cards such as Unmake or Glorious Charge to help out so that your creatures can punch through to give you that victory since the soldier archtype is inherently weaker then others.
All of the sideboards in each decklist within Pauper have been designed for a broad meta, it is completely up to the builder to decide what works and what does not work within each sideboard as this can serve as a starting point.
So in short your general rule of play should be,
#1 Play lots and lots of creatures
#2 Use the creature lords and support spells to pump and clear the way
#3 ??????
#4 Profit
What you will need to win
1 mana drops
Mosquito Guard This little guy should be a BnB creature for your soldier decks. One mana for a 1/1 first striker with the ability to pump another creature is pretty nice.
Soltari Foot Soldier Very effective one drop, the evasion on this guy is amazing in this format. Pair him with Soltari Trooper for maximum results.
Deftblade Elite One of the all time best soldier creatures printed, provoke a lord to his death or simply pick the field off. Pair this guy up with Catapult Squad in Peasant and you have a force to be reckoned with.
Serra Zealot Strictly worse than Mosquito Guard, obviously if it is a choice between the two you would run the latter, but if you run them together this creature is very nice.
Doomed Traveler A solid one drop because it replaces itself, the only draw back being you will lose any pump from your lords unless using Veteran Armorer.
Icatian Javelineers Normally this guy is amazing, but he gets over shadowed by all of the first strike options within the Pauper soldier card pool. You could pair him with Kor Skyfisher as you would in White Weenie but that is dedicating roughly eight cards to one strategy.
Infantry Veteran Pump on a stick, he could be pretty solid since we don't have use of things like Honor of the Pure, but then again you need to tap a creature to pump so it may also not be good because you won't have a blocker.
Auriok Glaivemaster If you are running an equipment deck, you need this creature as it is your BnB Pauper equipment creature.
Ardent Recruit If you choose to run equipment this guy is decent though he lacks any combat ability such as first strike or shadow.
Kitesail Apprentice If you are running an equipment deck, you need this creature as it is your BnB Pauper equipment creature.
War Falcon Though not a soldier itself, this little bird is a nice 2/1 body with evasion if run in the correct deck. Worth looking into simply for the evasion.
Honorable Scout Strictly a sideboard creature for obvious reasons.
Akrasan Squire Honestly one of the worst soldiers in the Pauper format, and I personally think not good in any capacity. The soldier archtype thrives on swarming, and swarming quickly so he is quite counter intuitive.
2 mana drops
Soltari Trooper An amazing card, fantastic evasion and pump from attacking. I highly suggest the use of this card and its little brother Soltari Foot Soldier.
Veteran Armorsmith Strictly better then the below since we are running tribal, this is your basic BnB pump lord.
Veteran Armorer Normally this guy is better then the above, but since we are running a tribal archtype, the above is better do to his 2/3 body.
Loyal Cathar A great returning creature, the best part is he returns as a soldier so your pump still works!
Ballyrush Banneret If you are playing this guy, I would suggest he be included in a Peasant form of this deck as he can get things out faster such as Daru Warchief. Usually Pauper is fast enough on its own.
Auriok Sunchaser An excellent equipment deck creature as it gets a +2+2 and evasion.
Sunspear Shikari This creature is completely amazing in an equipment deck. BnB equipment 2 drop creature!
Kor Skyfisher Use this if using Icatian Javelineers, normally good in White Weenie it lacks effectiveness in a pure tribal deck.
Raise the Alarm The biggest problem with this card is it only drops basic no ability creatures. Great to block but useless otherwise unless your idea is to mass pump something like Crusader of Odric in Peasant.
Ballynock Cohort A 3/3 for three with first strike, pretty straight forward and effective.
Elder Cathar This is a good reason to not run Kithkin, if you run soldiers and humans, you get stronger.
Kithkin Zephyrnaut Very solid creature if you run a Kithkin based deck, also good in a more traditional soldier deck, though you need to find a slot for him.
Combat Medic If playing a defensive game against Burn, this card can save your life in tribal.
Basilica Guards A nice blocker and the extort mechanic is good, but he gets overshadowed easily.
Ballynock Trapper If you choose to go with Kithkins I highly advise this card as it can just annoy the hell out of your opponent and make it much easier to swing for lethal.
Support
Unmake The best creature removal for Pauper soldiers, it is cast at instant speed, and completely removes the creature without leaving a card behind like Journey to Nowhere.
Lotus Petal You need this card for Turbo-Soldiers!
Oblivion Ring If you need anything to be removed from the game, this is the ticket right here!
Bone Saw Free, effective simple pump card for your equipment deck.
Repel the Darkness With this card you get to tap some annoying creatures for an attack and also card draw which is pretty rare in a White Weenie deck More of a sideboard option card then main deck though.
Sejiri Steppe This card has been seeing more and more play in my meta, the evasion it offers can really make the difference late game with a creature who has a few Bonesplitters attached.
Kabira Crossroads Pretty good life gain since soldiers has a lack of it.
Sample deck lists
XBM Yosho's Pauper Traditional Soldiers
The main focus of this deck is to pump your first strikers, provoke any problematic creatures and remove any major threat be it creature, enchantment or artifact. If you cannot afford Turbo-Soldiers this is a great option.
XBM Yosho's Pauper Equipment Soldiers
Pretty straight forward, slap down your creatures and rely on your equipment to activate the abilities. Use your fetch lands to double proc your Adventuring Gear for a deadly strike or massive life gain.
XBM Yosho's Pauper Kithkin Soldiers
This deck doesn't use traditional soldier pump, it instead relies on the reinforce ability, Surge of Thoughtweft, and the combined number of Kithkin to pump up Cenn's Heir. Remove what is in your way and pummel your opponent. Thin your deck slightly with Squadron Hawk and Secluded Steppe for better draw.
XBM Yosho's Pauper Turbo-Soldiers
The basic idea behind this is to flood the field on turn 2 with several creatures by using Lotus Petal, by turn 2 you should have 3-4 creatures on the field which in most cases is plenty to overwhelm an opponent early game especially because this deck uses first strike and shadow so well. Slap a Bonesplitter on a creature with shadow for free damage or on a first striker to remove any annoying blockers. This deck can have a very strong early game, a well setup mid game but a very very mediocre late game.
Aggro:
These are usually always our best match ups. Soldier decks employ very fast creatures, though weaker then most they have great abilities such as first strike or shadow to pummel other aggro critters down to victory. To do well we need to race our opponents within the first 2-3 turns to kill them faster than they can kill us. Spot removal will be our best friend in these games to take out key threats so that our creatures handle the lesser guys and push through to victory.
Control:
The soldier archtype in this format really doesn't have many options unlike White Weenie to be overly competitive to answer certain threats. Soldier decks normally rely on quick creatures to get the job done, take away any of that competitive quickness and you will lose your ability to win. Our only hope is to use protection cards such as Prismatic Strands and hope we aren't forced to discard.
Combo:
The name of the game here is to simply kill them before the combo goes off, if you cannot do lethal damage before Affinity floods the field with free and powerful evasive creatures your going to have an uphill battle. It isn't impossible but since soldiers lack end game punch through power it will be a struggle and you will have to utilize cards such as Dust to Dust to aid your cause.
What exactly is Peasant Soldiers? Well just as stated above it is the same as regular Soldiers but your deck must be constructed of only common cards, but you are allowed to use up to 5 uncommon cards as-well. When you jump into Peasant Magic you open up a larger selection of cards to use, but you just need to narrow them down to a choice of five cards for your deck.
Basics of Peasant Soldiers
The main idea is exactly the same as the above for the Peasant version of Soldiers, but you get to play creatures such as Daru Warchief as your pump creature over something like Veteran Swordsmith. Your support cards can change with such removal spells as Path to Exile and protective spells like Brave the Elements. The core of the deck will remain almost unchanged though since you are only allowed five uncommons.
All of the sideboards in each decklist within Peasant have been designed for a broad meta, it is completely up to the builder to decide what works and what does not work within each sideboard as this can serve as a starting point.
So in short your general rule of play should be,
#1 Play lots and lots of creatures
#2 Use the creature abilities and removal spells to clear the way
#3 ??????
#4 Profit
What you will need to win
1 mana drops
Alaborn Zealot This creature is the Peasant version of Loyal Sentry, it forces your opponent to consider not attacking. I honestly don't understand the price difference because they are the same thing but that aside I don't really see a reason to not consider this creature.
Cenn's Tactician I really like this creature and depending on your strategy in Peasant this may be a solid choice to play both offensive and defensive.
Boros Elite A very simplistic 1/1 for 1 mana that can easily become a 3/3 on turn 2. The only drawback being it has no evasion or combat ability such as first strike or shadow.
Kor Duelist If you are running Peasant equipment, you may want to consider this creature over some other uncommon equipment cards.
Hada Freeblade Normally a fantastic creature outside of the 5 uncommon restriction, in Peasant it flops.
2 mana drops
Kazandu Blademaster A 2/2 first strike and vigilance creature for only 2 mana? Yes please!
Catapult Squad BnB soldier creature right here, if you run Deftblade Elite you strongly need to consider this creature in your deck as they work together like peas in a pod.
Longbow Archer At one time this creature was an auto include, he is still very good and still in consideration because of his reach.
Jötun Grunt Strictly a sideboard creature if going against anything that utilizes the graveyard.
Daru Encampment If you fancy a land that pumps soldiers, this is your only choice although I wouldn't really suggest it as card draw or life gain is normally more important.
Sample deck lists
XBM Yosho's Peasant Turbo-Soldiers
The basic idea behind this is to flood the field on turn 2 with several creatures by using Lotus Petal and Aether Vial, by turn 2 you should have 3-4 creatures on the field which is most cases is plenty to overwhelm an opponent early game especially because this deck uses first strike and shadow so well. By turn 3 you should have emptied your hand and you can slap a Bonesplitter on a creature with shadow for free damage or on a first striker to remove any annoying blockers. I went with Veteran Armorer over Veteran Armorsmith because Ballyrush banneret can make him cheaper while he cannot do that with the latter. This deck can have a very strong early game, a well setup mid game but a very very mediocre late game.
XBM Yosho's Peasant Equipment Soldiers
Pretty straight forward, slap down your creatures and rely on your equipment to activate the abilities. Use your fetch lands to double proc your Adventuring Gear for a deadly strike or massive life gain. This Peasant version uses both Kor Duelist and Swords to Plowshares
XBM Yosho's Peasant Traditional Soldiers
The main focus of this deck is to get down your Daru Warchiefs and Veteran Armorsmiths as quickly as possibly. That is why I have outfitted this deck with both Lotus Petal and Ballyrush banneret. Pump, remove and win! If you cannot afford Peasant Turbo-Soldiers this is a great second choice.
Aggro:
These are usually always our best match ups. Soldier decks employ very fast creatures, though weaker then most they have great abilities such as first strike or shadow to pummel other aggro critters down to victory. To do well we need to race our opponents within the first 2-3 turns to kill them faster than they can kill us. Spot removal will be our best friend in these games to take out key threats so that our creatures handle the lesser guys and push through to victory.
Control:
The soldier archtype in this format really doesn't have many options unlike White Weenie to be overly competitive to answer certain threats. Soldier decks normally rely on quick creatures to get the job done, take away any of that competitive quickness and you will lose your ability to win. Our only hope is to use protection cards such as Prismatic Strands and hope we aren't forced to discard.
Combo:
The name of the game here is to simply kill them before the combo goes off, if you cannot do lethal damage before Affinity floods the field with free and powerful evasive creatures your going to have an uphill battle. It isn't impossible but since soldiers lack end game punch through power it will be a struggle and you will have to utilize cards such as Dust to Dust to aid your cause.
Enjoyed the Primer, I might look into brewing up my own Pauper Soldier deck.
Just a thought/question: You said that Kithkin Zephyrnaut was "Very solid creature if you run a Kithkin based deck." but Kinship can trigger off of Soldiers too for him. Is he still solid in a straight Soldier deck then?
Enjoyed the Primer, I might look into brewing up my own Pauper Soldier deck.
Just a thought/question: You said that Kithkin Zephyrnaut was "Very solid creature if you run a Kithkin based deck." but Kinship can trigger off of Soldiers too for him. Is he still solid in a straight Soldier deck then?
Actually he would be pretty good, that was an oversight on my part. Although I don't know how exactly I would include him into a non-Kithkin deck seeing as I am very partial to other creatures in the slot he would take up. I just had figured he would be best in something that used not only himself but also Cenn's Heir.
I normally don't run that many 3CMC creatures so I wouldn't want to give up the Veteran Swordsmith slot or add another 3CMC to the list because I prefer and think that the only way to effectively win as Soldiers in the Pauper format is the swarming of the board very early on, unless you splashed the deck out of pure tribal and added things like Guardian of the Guildpact and other traditional White Weenie cards. All that being said I haven't done testing with him in a Pauper tournament in a more traditional soldier deck so I may have to do that to see if his self pump ability helps that much in the mid game.
I figured it was an oversight, but I do also agree with having better cards for the slot or not running many guys at that slot. Just wanted to make sure the info was kosher for future readers.
I figured it was an oversight, but I do also agree with having better cards for the slot or not running many guys at that slot. Just wanted to make sure the info was kosher for future readers.
Definitely enjoy seeing a Tribal deck Primer!
Yup yup, I would also welcome a new soldier deck idea if you wanted to make one that could be viable.
Reading this I just thought of Cloudshift in that style deck too. Blink Javelineers too reset it, but it could also be used for a surprise block from a First Striker or even dodge removal. Wouldn't be great in a regular Soldier deck though, but one tailored to a certain style.
Reading this I just thought of Cloudshift in that style deck too. Blink Javelineers too reset it, but it could also be used for a surprise block from a First Striker or even dodge removal. Wouldn't be great in a regular Soldier deck though, but one tailored to a certain style.
I wonder if actually building a soldier deck like that would be viable with both Cloudshift and Kor Skyfisher to keep up the ping from Icatian Javelineers. You would need some sufficient back up from some more heavy hitting soldiers or just go all out aggro with shadow creatures to get through and just ping off anything or remove it via a spell.
I wonder if actually building a soldier deck like that would be viable with both Cloudshift and Kor Skyfisher to keep up the ping from Icatian Javelineers. You would need some sufficient back up from some more heavy hitting soldiers or just go all out aggro with shadow creatures to get through and just ping off anything or remove it via a spell.
Thinking on it more, I figure it would be better for just a mono white deck and not base it around Soldiers to optimize your options, but I'll look into it more and decide how I feel about it.
Well if it leans toward a White Weenie(ish) build we can add it to that primer if it seems noteworthy. Either way a shenanigans/control type deck sounds fun and normally I wouldn't expect a mono white deck like that to do well.
What do you guys think of Court Street Denizen? Maybe its too slow but maybe its worth it...
I have never actually given that creature any thought, but in looking at him I am kind of wondering where I would put him.
If I were to slap him into the Turbo-Soldiers deck I could get him out on turn 2, then I can unload my hand on turn 3 and MAYBE run through the deck with 2-3 unblocked creatures which can give me an advantage. The only downside would be that my hand would then be empty which means I would be hard pressed to proc his ability again after that.
I could try and put him into a regular speed deck, but that would slow down my turn 3 drop which would normally be a Veteran Swordsmith.
Hmm, I dunno. I sort of like him but then sort of don't.
His biggest problem is his 3 CMC. If only he had been printed as a 1/1 for :symw::1mana:...
I think that Turbo Soldiers would benefit greatly though, because it dumps a handful of stuff onto the field, and if the opponent had only tapped dudes, imagine the room for activities.
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My lame attempt at humor...
Why does everyone in Bant hate the Lord of Riots? 'Cause they're all, Rakdos-intolerant! Awwww, yeah...
His biggest problem is his 3 CMC. If only he had been printed as a 1/1 for :symw::1mana:...
I think that Turbo Soldiers would benefit greatly though, because it dumps a handful of stuff onto the field, and if the opponent had only tapped dudes, imagine the room for activities.
Yea his 3CMC is a bit much, but I will have to try him out in Turbo-Soldiers. Actually, what the hell I don't know why I didn't think of this before. What if he was put into a soldier deck that utilized tokens, because it procs when a white creature comes into play not a played spell, so things like Raise the Alarm, Captain's Call and maybe Attended Knight would proc the crap out of him.
Do I smell a token soldiers list? You could throw in the Soul Sisters too as another thing if you wanted. Utilize other whenever a creature ETB effects white has in pauper.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
My lame attempt at humor...
Why does everyone in Bant hate the Lord of Riots? 'Cause they're all, Rakdos-intolerant! Awwww, yeah...
Yea his 3CMC is a bit much, but I will have to try him out in Turbo-Soldiers. Actually, what the hell I don't know why I didn't think of this before. What if he was put into a soldier deck that utilized tokens, because it procs when a white creature comes into play not a played spell, so things like Raise the Alarm, Captain's Call and maybe Attended Knight would proc the crap out of him.
And using any instant speed token producers, like Raise the Alarm, can give you options to tap down any threats that will attack you pre-combat during your opponents turn. Then those creatures will be tapped through your turn so you can play more creatures and tap down any other blockers.
Do I smell a token soldiers list? You could throw in the Soul Sisters too as another thing if you wanted. Utilize other whenever a creature ETB effects white has in pauper.
Those are pretty sweet, I've never given much consideration to a token deck before but this might turn out to be a beater with the right list.
EDIT:
I am sort of at a loss as to how to make this deck and give it some punch through power, below are the cards I figured would work well but not sure how to really give it the power. I don't think adding Veteran Swordsmith would work. Maybe giving the entire field protection from a set color so I could walk through them.
While looking through commons for a Boros pauper I came across Boros Recruit. I've seen him before, but forgot he was a soldier. Functionally, he's the same a Serra Zealot in this primer, but I thought he might deserve a mention since he fits the bill. What do you think XBM Yosho?
While looking through commons for a Boros pauper I came across Boros Recruit. I've seen him before, but forgot he was a soldier. Functionally, he's the same a Serra Zealot in this primer, but I thought he might deserve a mention since he fits the bill. What do you think XBM Yosho?
Yea, I will throw him into the primer. I too have seen him before but also forgot he was a soldier so that is a good find. If you fancy having 12 first strike 1/1 creatures for only 1CMC you have some options lol.
I see this is a aggro based deck from the looks of it. However could Palace guards have a place in the deck? If you slipped in a ghostly procession into the SB for the aggro match-ups you could completely shutdown their combat phase. Seems a little Timmy, however a 2 card combo that is basically "Answer or lose" is always a good thing to have in my opinion.
I see this is a aggro based deck from the looks of it. However could Palace guards have a place in the deck? If you slipped in a ghostly procession into the SB for the aggro match-ups you could completely shutdown their combat phase. Seems a little Timmy, however a 2 card combo that is basically "Answer or lose" is always a good thing to have in my opinion.
I use this combo in my Casual Soldier deck and it just stops a lot of decks completely. My deck has a good balance of control and aggro though and it uses Catapult Squad for more control. That being said, I believe it's a bit much to try and get a combo going that requires 6 mana to pull off in an aggro list. I'd rather focus on dropping more creatures with those resources.
I see this is a aggro based deck from the looks of it. However could Palace guards have a place in the deck? If you slipped in a ghostly procession into the SB for the aggro match-ups you could completely shutdown their combat phase. Seems a little Timmy, however a 2 card combo that is basically "Answer or lose" is always a good thing to have in my opinion.
I like the combo a lot, but I would say it wouldn't fit into an aggro version of the deck. I would feel more comfortable with a slower pump heavy deck.
Introduction to Pauper Soldiers
What exactly is Pauper Soldiers? In essence it is exactly the same thing as regular Soldiers but the only exception being you can only use common cards. The Soldier archtype has been around for quite awhile and has evolved over the years into a semi-serious deck that deserves respect. Even though it is not currently competitive like its White Weenie counterpart it is still very fun to play in casual and a very easy beginner deck or just something to have plain straight forward fun with. This primer will be discussing the archtype as it is related to the paper form of the game not the online version. For a more equipment based soldier deck I have provided a link below in the relevant information section to Rinin's primer. Some cards and strategies are transferable from Magic Online to paper and vice versus, but the general outline will be focused on paper Magic.
Basics of Pauper Soldiers
The main idea is to play cheap, fast and usually first strike creatures such as Porcelain Legionnaire and Mosquito Guard to create a strong early board presence and then eventually lay down your pumps such as Veteran Armorsmith and Veteran Swordsmith to work down your opponent. You will need to use support cards such as Unmake or Glorious Charge to help out so that your creatures can punch through to give you that victory since the soldier archtype is inherently weaker then others.
All of the sideboards in each decklist within Pauper have been designed for a broad meta, it is completely up to the builder to decide what works and what does not work within each sideboard as this can serve as a starting point.
So in short your general rule of play should be,
#1 Play lots and lots of creatures
#2 Use the creature lords and support spells to pump and clear the way
#3 ??????
#4 Profit
What you will need to win
1 mana drops
Mosquito Guard This little guy should be a BnB creature for your soldier decks. One mana for a 1/1 first striker with the ability to pump another creature is pretty nice.
Soltari Foot Soldier Very effective one drop, the evasion on this guy is amazing in this format. Pair him with Soltari Trooper for maximum results.
Deftblade Elite One of the all time best soldier creatures printed, provoke a lord to his death or simply pick the field off. Pair this guy up with Catapult Squad in Peasant and you have a force to be reckoned with.
Serra Zealot Strictly worse than Mosquito Guard, obviously if it is a choice between the two you would run the latter, but if you run them together this creature is very nice.
Boros Recruit Exactly the same as Serra Zealot with the added benefit of being useful in a R deck.
Doomed Traveler A solid one drop because it replaces itself, the only draw back being you will lose any pump from your lords unless using Veteran Armorer.
Gideon's Lawkeeper Identical to Goldmeadow Harrier, use IF NOT running Kithkins.
Goldmeadow Harrier Identical to Gideon's Lawkeeper, use IF running Kithkins.
Icatian Javelineers Normally this guy is amazing, but he gets over shadowed by all of the first strike options within the Pauper soldier card pool. You could pair him with Kor Skyfisher as you would in White Weenie but that is dedicating roughly eight cards to one strategy.
Infantry Veteran Pump on a stick, he could be pretty solid since we don't have use of things like Honor of the Pure, but then again you need to tap a creature to pump so it may also not be good because you won't have a blocker.
Auriok Glaivemaster If you are running an equipment deck, you need this creature as it is your BnB Pauper equipment creature.
Ardent Recruit If you choose to run equipment this guy is decent though he lacks any combat ability such as first strike or shadow.
Kitesail Apprentice If you are running an equipment deck, you need this creature as it is your BnB Pauper equipment creature.
War Falcon Though not a soldier itself, this little bird is a nice 2/1 body with evasion if run in the correct deck. Worth looking into simply for the evasion.
Honorable Scout Strictly a sideboard creature for obvious reasons.
Akrasan Squire Honestly one of the worst soldiers in the Pauper format, and I personally think not good in any capacity. The soldier archtype thrives on swarming, and swarming quickly so he is quite counter intuitive.
Soltari Trooper An amazing card, fantastic evasion and pump from attacking. I highly suggest the use of this card and its little brother Soltari Foot Soldier.
Veteran Armorsmith Strictly better then the below since we are running tribal, this is your basic BnB pump lord.
Veteran Armorer Normally this guy is better then the above, but since we are running a tribal archtype, the above is better do to his 2/3 body.
Loyal Cathar A great returning creature, the best part is he returns as a soldier so your pump still works!
Crossbow Infantry A slightly more expensive but more effective version of Icatian Javelineers.
Ballyrush Banneret If you are playing this guy, I would suggest he be included in a Peasant form of this deck as he can get things out faster such as Daru Warchief. Usually Pauper is fast enough on its own.
Benalish Trapper A more expensive but a little more defense body version of Goldmeadow Harrier and Gideon's lawkeeper. Personally I feel the others are more effective.
Cenn's Heir If you are running primarily Kithkin this guy should be an auto include, if not he is very mediocre.
Expendable Troops A great card if facing down something like Tormented Soul.
Auriok Sunchaser An excellent equipment deck creature as it gets a +2+2 and evasion.
Sunspear Shikari This creature is completely amazing in an equipment deck. BnB equipment 2 drop creature!
Kor Skyfisher Use this if using Icatian Javelineers, normally good in White Weenie it lacks effectiveness in a pure tribal deck.
Raise the Alarm The biggest problem with this card is it only drops basic no ability creatures. Great to block but useless otherwise unless your idea is to mass pump something like Crusader of Odric in Peasant.
Veteran Swordsmith Your BnB offensive pump lord.
Ballynock Cohort A 3/3 for three with first strike, pretty straight forward and effective.
Elder Cathar This is a good reason to not run Kithkin, if you run soldiers and humans, you get stronger.
Kithkin Zephyrnaut Very solid creature if you run a Kithkin based deck, also good in a more traditional soldier deck, though you need to find a slot for him.
Combat Medic If playing a defensive game against Burn, this card can save your life in tribal.
Basilica Guards A nice blocker and the extort mechanic is good, but he gets overshadowed easily.
Benalish Veteran Nowhere near as good as Ballynock Cohort
Ballynock Trapper If you choose to go with Kithkins I highly advise this card as it can just annoy the hell out of your opponent and make it much easier to swing for lethal.
Unmake The best creature removal for Pauper soldiers, it is cast at instant speed, and completely removes the creature without leaving a card behind like Journey to Nowhere.
Lotus Petal You need this card for Turbo-Soldiers!
Oblivion Ring If you need anything to be removed from the game, this is the ticket right here!
Prismatic Strands THE protection card for soldiers.
Bonesplitter The best pump card in the Pauper format outside of Affinities own Cranial Plating.
Unified Strike Only worthwhile if you are running a soldier version of White Weenie.
Journey to Nowhere If you cannot afford Unmake for some reason, this is a good backup.
Dust to Dust Excellent artifact hate!
Serrated Arrows A great card, simply an all star and even better when you use Kor Skyfisher on it!
Adventuring Gear This card is absolutely amazing when running fetch lands in an equipment deck!
Guardians' Pledge Slightly better then Glorious Charge but at a more expensive casting cost.
Vulshok Morningstar If you want additional pump, this is a good choice.
Holy Light Mass creature damage to clear the field if needed.
Glorious Charge Not the greatest pump, but it does work on all of your creatures so attacking in a swarm can be quite deadly.
Inviolability By itself it's an ok card, pair it with Standard Bearer and it becomes a god send.
Bone Saw Free, effective simple pump card for your equipment deck.
Repel the Darkness With this card you get to tap some annoying creatures for an attack and also card draw which is pretty rare in a White Weenie deck More of a sideboard option card then main deck though.
Origin Spellbomb Along with Repel the Darkness this card also grants card draw, but it also drops a creature.
Sunlance Dedicated creature nuke, really just a sideboard option.
Flickering Ward Pretty solid protection, and it is movable.
Empyrial Armor Pretty nice pump if you can keep the cards in your hand.
Disenchant Strictly worse then Oblivion Ring, almost no reason to use this card.
Arrest Never use this card, Journey to Nowhere and Unmake are waaaaaay better.
Pacifism For the same reason as above never use this card.
Plains Duh
Secluded Steppe Nice and simple card draw if needed.
Sejiri Steppe This card has been seeing more and more play in my meta, the evasion it offers can really make the difference late game with a creature who has a few Bonesplitters attached.
Kabira Crossroads Pretty good life gain since soldiers has a lack of it.
XBM Yosho's Pauper Traditional Soldiers
The main focus of this deck is to pump your first strikers, provoke any problematic creatures and remove any major threat be it creature, enchantment or artifact. If you cannot afford Turbo-Soldiers this is a great option.
4 Deftblade Elite
4 Serra Zealot
4 Soltari Trooper
4 Mosquito Guard
4 Porcelain Legionnaire
4 Veteran Armorsmith
4 Veteran Swordsmith
4 Bonesplitter
2 Journey to Nowhere
2 Oblivion Ring
4 Glorious Charge
Lands 20
17 Plains
3 Secluded Steppe
2 Dust to Dust
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Circle of Protection: Black
4 Standard Bearer
2 Unmake
3 Sunlance
XBM Yosho's Pauper Equipment Soldiers
Pretty straight forward, slap down your creatures and rely on your equipment to activate the abilities. Use your fetch lands to double proc your Adventuring Gear for a deadly strike or massive life gain.
4 Auriok Glaivemaster
4 Deftblade Elite
4 Kitesail Apprentice
4 Sunspear Shikari
4 Veteran Armorsmith
4 Veteran Swordsmith
4 Bonesplitter
4 Adventuring Gear
4 Bone Saw
Instants
4 Unified Strike
Lands
4 Evolving Wilds
16 Plains
2 Dust to Dust
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Circle of Protection: Black
4 Standard Bearer
2 Unmake
3 Sunlance
XBM Yosho's Pauper Kithkin Soldiers
This deck doesn't use traditional soldier pump, it instead relies on the reinforce ability, Surge of Thoughtweft, and the combined number of Kithkin to pump up Cenn's Heir. Remove what is in your way and pummel your opponent. Thin your deck slightly with Squadron Hawk and Secluded Steppe for better draw.
4 Mosquito Guard
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Ballynock Cohort
4 Ballyrush Banneret
4 Burrenton Bombardier
4 Cenn's Heir
2 Ballynock Trapper
2 Kithkin Zephyrnaut
1 Cenn's Enlistment
2 Fire at Will
2 Journey to Nowhere
3 Oblivion Ring
4 Surge of Thoughtweft
Lands 20
17 Plains
3 Secluded Steppe
2 Dust to Dust
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Circle of Protection: Black
4 Standard Bearer
2 Unmake
3 Sunlance
XBM Yosho's Pauper Turbo-Soldiers
The basic idea behind this is to flood the field on turn 2 with several creatures by using Lotus Petal, by turn 2 you should have 3-4 creatures on the field which in most cases is plenty to overwhelm an opponent early game especially because this deck uses first strike and shadow so well. Slap a Bonesplitter on a creature with shadow for free damage or on a first striker to remove any annoying blockers. This deck can have a very strong early game, a well setup mid game but a very very mediocre late game.
4 Soltari Foot Soldier
4 Ballyrush Banneret
4 Soltari Trooper
4 Mosquito Guard
4 Porcelain Legionnaire
4 Veteran Armorer
4 Veteran Swordsmith
4 Bonesplitter
2 Journey to Nowhere
2 Oblivion Ring
4 Lotus Petal
Lands 18
18 Plains
2 Dust to Dust
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Circle of Protection: Black
4 Standard Bearer
2 Unmake
3 Sunlance
These are usually always our best match ups. Soldier decks employ very fast creatures, though weaker then most they have great abilities such as first strike or shadow to pummel other aggro critters down to victory. To do well we need to race our opponents within the first 2-3 turns to kill them faster than they can kill us. Spot removal will be our best friend in these games to take out key threats so that our creatures handle the lesser guys and push through to victory.
Control:
The soldier archtype in this format really doesn't have many options unlike White Weenie to be overly competitive to answer certain threats. Soldier decks normally rely on quick creatures to get the job done, take away any of that competitive quickness and you will lose your ability to win. Our only hope is to use protection cards such as Prismatic Strands and hope we aren't forced to discard.
Combo:
The name of the game here is to simply kill them before the combo goes off, if you cannot do lethal damage before Affinity floods the field with free and powerful evasive creatures your going to have an uphill battle. It isn't impossible but since soldiers lack end game punch through power it will be a struggle and you will have to utilize cards such as Dust to Dust to aid your cause.
XBM Yosho's Pauper/Peasant White Weenie Primer.
Rinin's Pauper/Peasant Equipment Soldier Primer (AKA Steel Soldiers)
Introduction to Peasant Soldiers
What exactly is Peasant Soldiers? Well just as stated above it is the same as regular Soldiers but your deck must be constructed of only common cards, but you are allowed to use up to 5 uncommon cards as-well. When you jump into Peasant Magic you open up a larger selection of cards to use, but you just need to narrow them down to a choice of five cards for your deck.
Basics of Peasant Soldiers
The main idea is exactly the same as the above for the Peasant version of Soldiers, but you get to play creatures such as Daru Warchief as your pump creature over something like Veteran Swordsmith. Your support cards can change with such removal spells as Path to Exile and protective spells like Brave the Elements. The core of the deck will remain almost unchanged though since you are only allowed five uncommons.
All of the sideboards in each decklist within Peasant have been designed for a broad meta, it is completely up to the builder to decide what works and what does not work within each sideboard as this can serve as a starting point.
So in short your general rule of play should be,
#1 Play lots and lots of creatures
#2 Use the creature abilities and removal spells to clear the way
#3 ??????
#4 Profit
What you will need to win
1 mana drops
Alaborn Zealot This creature is the Peasant version of Loyal Sentry, it forces your opponent to consider not attacking. I honestly don't understand the price difference because they are the same thing but that aside I don't really see a reason to not consider this creature.
Cenn's Tactician I really like this creature and depending on your strategy in Peasant this may be a solid choice to play both offensive and defensive.
Boros Elite A very simplistic 1/1 for 1 mana that can easily become a 3/3 on turn 2. The only drawback being it has no evasion or combat ability such as first strike or shadow.
Dryad Militant A strictly better version of Elite Vanguard because of the added graveyard hate.
Kor Duelist If you are running Peasant equipment, you may want to consider this creature over some other uncommon equipment cards.
Hada Freeblade Normally a fantastic creature outside of the 5 uncommon restriction, in Peasant it flops.
Kazandu Blademaster A 2/2 first strike and vigilance creature for only 2 mana? Yes please!
Catapult Squad BnB soldier creature right here, if you run Deftblade Elite you strongly need to consider this creature in your deck as they work together like peas in a pod.
Longbow Archer At one time this creature was an auto include, he is still very good and still in consideration because of his reach.
Jötun Grunt Strictly a sideboard creature if going against anything that utilizes the graveyard.
Crusader of Odric Similar to an Ajani's Pridemate, if you want a big tough creature to scare the crap outa an opponent this will do it!
Daru Warchief The best soldier lord in Peasant hands down.
Enlistment Officer If playing Peasant Turbo-Soldiers this might be a good choice, more creatures I say! MORE!
Rhox Pikemaster If you fancy first strike, this creature is ok, though most soldier creatures either come with it already or something comparable.
Swords to Plowshares Along with the below, it is the best white removal spell in the game.
Path to Exile Along with the above, it is the best white removal spell in the game.
Brave the Elements You have an army and can deal enough damage to win? Cast this and they can't block you anymore, GG.
Skullclamp A nice pump aside from the -1 toughness, worst case scenario you get to draw a card from it.
Aether Vial Excellent for Peasant Turbo-Soldiers!
Daru Encampment If you fancy a land that pumps soldiers, this is your only choice although I wouldn't really suggest it as card draw or life gain is normally more important.
XBM Yosho's Peasant Turbo-Soldiers
The basic idea behind this is to flood the field on turn 2 with several creatures by using Lotus Petal and Aether Vial, by turn 2 you should have 3-4 creatures on the field which is most cases is plenty to overwhelm an opponent early game especially because this deck uses first strike and shadow so well. By turn 3 you should have emptied your hand and you can slap a Bonesplitter on a creature with shadow for free damage or on a first striker to remove any annoying blockers. I went with Veteran Armorer over Veteran Armorsmith because Ballyrush banneret can make him cheaper while he cannot do that with the latter. This deck can have a very strong early game, a well setup mid game but a very very mediocre late game.
4 Soltari Foot Soldier
4 Ballyrush Banneret
4 Soltari Trooper
4 Mosquito Guard
4 Porcelain Legionnaire
4 Veteran Armorer
4 Veteran Swordsmith
3 Bonesplitter
2 Swords to Plowshares
3 Aether Vial
4 Lotus Petal
Lands 18
18 Plains
2 Dust to Dust
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Circle of Protection: Black
4 Standard Bearer
2 Unmake
3 Sunlance
XBM Yosho's Peasant Equipment Soldiers
Pretty straight forward, slap down your creatures and rely on your equipment to activate the abilities. Use your fetch lands to double proc your Adventuring Gear for a deadly strike or massive life gain. This Peasant version uses both Kor Duelist and Swords to Plowshares
4 Auriok Glaivemaster
3 Kor Duelist
4 Kitesail Apprentice
4 Sunspear Shikari
4 Veteran Armorsmith
4 Veteran Swordsmith
4 Bonesplitter
4 Adventuring Gear
4 Bone Saw
Instants 5
3 Unified Strike
2 Swords to Plowshares
Lands 20
4 Evolving Wilds
16 Plains
2 Dust to Dust
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Circle of Protection: Black
4 Standard Bearer
2 Unmake
3 Sunlance
XBM Yosho's Peasant Traditional Soldiers
The main focus of this deck is to get down your Daru Warchiefs and Veteran Armorsmiths as quickly as possibly. That is why I have outfitted this deck with both Lotus Petal and Ballyrush banneret. Pump, remove and win! If you cannot afford Peasant Turbo-Soldiers this is a great second choice.
4 Deftblade Elite
4 Ballyrush banneret
4 Serra Zealot
4 Soltari Trooper
4 Mosquito Guard
4 Porcelain Legionnaire
4 Veteran Armorsmith
4 Daru Warchief
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Journey to Nowhere
2 Oblivion Ring
4 Lotus Petal
Lands 20
17 Plains
3 Secluded Steppe
2 Dust to Dust
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Circle of Protection: Black
4 Standard Bearer
2 Unmake
3 Sunlance
These are usually always our best match ups. Soldier decks employ very fast creatures, though weaker then most they have great abilities such as first strike or shadow to pummel other aggro critters down to victory. To do well we need to race our opponents within the first 2-3 turns to kill them faster than they can kill us. Spot removal will be our best friend in these games to take out key threats so that our creatures handle the lesser guys and push through to victory.
Control:
The soldier archtype in this format really doesn't have many options unlike White Weenie to be overly competitive to answer certain threats. Soldier decks normally rely on quick creatures to get the job done, take away any of that competitive quickness and you will lose your ability to win. Our only hope is to use protection cards such as Prismatic Strands and hope we aren't forced to discard.
Combo:
The name of the game here is to simply kill them before the combo goes off, if you cannot do lethal damage before Affinity floods the field with free and powerful evasive creatures your going to have an uphill battle. It isn't impossible but since soldiers lack end game punch through power it will be a struggle and you will have to utilize cards such as Dust to Dust to aid your cause.
XBM Yosho's Pauper/Peasant White Weenie Primer.
Rinin's Pauper/Peasant Equipment Soldier Primer (AKA Steel Soldiers)
W White Weenie
Enjoyed the Primer, I might look into brewing up my own Pauper Soldier deck.
Just a thought/question: You said that Kithkin Zephyrnaut was "Very solid creature if you run a Kithkin based deck." but Kinship can trigger off of Soldiers too for him. Is he still solid in a straight Soldier deck then?
Actually he would be pretty good, that was an oversight on my part. Although I don't know how exactly I would include him into a non-Kithkin deck seeing as I am very partial to other creatures in the slot he would take up. I just had figured he would be best in something that used not only himself but also Cenn's Heir.
I normally don't run that many 3CMC creatures so I wouldn't want to give up the Veteran Swordsmith slot or add another 3CMC to the list because I prefer and think that the only way to effectively win as Soldiers in the Pauper format is the swarming of the board very early on, unless you splashed the deck out of pure tribal and added things like Guardian of the Guildpact and other traditional White Weenie cards. All that being said I haven't done testing with him in a Pauper tournament in a more traditional soldier deck so I may have to do that to see if his self pump ability helps that much in the mid game.
W White Weenie
Definitely enjoy seeing a Tribal deck Primer!
Yup yup, I would also welcome a new soldier deck idea if you wanted to make one that could be viable.
I had always thought of running both Icatian Javelineers and Expendable Troops as those two just scream board control. Throw in Kor Skyfisher to redrop Icatian Javelineers and it's all good. Maybe if we used Breath of Life from one of the Portal sets to return Expendable Troops from the graveyard it may work.
W White Weenie
Reading this I just thought of Cloudshift in that style deck too. Blink Javelineers too reset it, but it could also be used for a surprise block from a First Striker or even dodge removal. Wouldn't be great in a regular Soldier deck though, but one tailored to a certain style.
GWUBRDraft my Old Border Nostalgia Cube! and/or The Little Pauper Cube That Could!RBUWG
Modern:WDeath & TaxesW | RUGRUG DelverRUG
Shoelaces can be tricky sometimes!
I wonder if actually building a soldier deck like that would be viable with both Cloudshift and Kor Skyfisher to keep up the ping from Icatian Javelineers. You would need some sufficient back up from some more heavy hitting soldiers or just go all out aggro with shadow creatures to get through and just ping off anything or remove it via a spell.
W White Weenie
I was looking at Aven Riftwatcher, Kor Hookmaster, Azorius Arrester and Court Street Denizen along with Javelineers but that would be more of a sheenanigans/control deck than aggro.
Thinking on it more, I figure it would be better for just a mono white deck and not base it around Soldiers to optimize your options, but I'll look into it more and decide how I feel about it.
W White Weenie
My lame attempt at humor...
Why does everyone in Bant hate the Lord of Riots? 'Cause they're all, Rakdos-intolerant! Awwww, yeah...
I have never actually given that creature any thought, but in looking at him I am kind of wondering where I would put him.
If I were to slap him into the Turbo-Soldiers deck I could get him out on turn 2, then I can unload my hand on turn 3 and MAYBE run through the deck with 2-3 unblocked creatures which can give me an advantage. The only downside would be that my hand would then be empty which means I would be hard pressed to proc his ability again after that.
I could try and put him into a regular speed deck, but that would slow down my turn 3 drop which would normally be a Veteran Swordsmith.
Hmm, I dunno. I sort of like him but then sort of don't.
W White Weenie
I think that Turbo Soldiers would benefit greatly though, because it dumps a handful of stuff onto the field, and if the opponent had only tapped dudes, imagine the room for activities.
My lame attempt at humor...
Why does everyone in Bant hate the Lord of Riots? 'Cause they're all, Rakdos-intolerant! Awwww, yeah...
Yea his 3CMC is a bit much, but I will have to try him out in Turbo-Soldiers. Actually, what the hell I don't know why I didn't think of this before. What if he was put into a soldier deck that utilized tokens, because it procs when a white creature comes into play not a played spell, so things like Raise the Alarm, Captain's Call and maybe Attended Knight would proc the crap out of him.
W White Weenie
My lame attempt at humor...
Why does everyone in Bant hate the Lord of Riots? 'Cause they're all, Rakdos-intolerant! Awwww, yeah...
And using any instant speed token producers, like Raise the Alarm, can give you options to tap down any threats that will attack you pre-combat during your opponents turn. Then those creatures will be tapped through your turn so you can play more creatures and tap down any other blockers.
Wake the Reflections and Rootborn Defenses would work well with those tokens too.
Those are pretty sweet, I've never given much consideration to a token deck before but this might turn out to be a beater with the right list.
EDIT:
I am sort of at a loss as to how to make this deck and give it some punch through power, below are the cards I figured would work well but not sure how to really give it the power. I don't think adding Veteran Swordsmith would work. Maybe giving the entire field protection from a set color so I could walk through them.
I figured these should be auto includes but for the first time I am at a loss with a white deck lol.
W White Weenie
Yea, I will throw him into the primer. I too have seen him before but also forgot he was a soldier so that is a good find. If you fancy having 12 first strike 1/1 creatures for only 1CMC you have some options lol.
W White Weenie
I use this combo in my Casual Soldier deck and it just stops a lot of decks completely. My deck has a good balance of control and aggro though and it uses Catapult Squad for more control. That being said, I believe it's a bit much to try and get a combo going that requires 6 mana to pull off in an aggro list. I'd rather focus on dropping more creatures with those resources.
I like the combo a lot, but I would say it wouldn't fit into an aggro version of the deck. I would feel more comfortable with a slower pump heavy deck.
W White Weenie
I do like that card, it can get rid of something much easier then Unified Strike can. Though the latter does remove it from the game however.
Does it matter whether it is removed the game though? Maybe not, so in most situations then I think Coordinated Barrage may be better.
W White Weenie