Commander: Ramirez DePietro
Best pauper commander - it is common online. Why do I think it is the best: White and red does not have many good cards (white alot more than red though) and all the common legendary creatures are friendly colors, so if you want the best it should be blue/black. There are two options, Ramirez and Sivitri Scarzam. Since I am playing ninjas and Cranial plating, first strike is a very strong ability (cranial plating because you can move it in first strike damage step, which is also the time to exchange Ramirez for Ninja of the deep hours so you get both to hit).
Short description of the deck:
The deck is a blue/black strict-pauper control deck (thus: all cards incl. commander (which is legendary) are commons and hence it is a MTGO only deck). I post it here instead of in the variant subcategory, because I use it as my multiplayer commander deck (against anyone and anything) and it is a legal commander deck.
The deck got a lot of recursions, some card draw and some amount of ramp and a small amount of other stuff (because of recursion the fact that we have few cards dedicated to a task does not mean that we can't keep on playing it).
The deck is very well tested by me over the last few years (as in a game a day or more average over 2-3 years).
Can it win?
Yes, it can. I win around 50% or more of the 4 player games I play with it. Some of this is experience, so if you try it and lose a few games in a row remember that I have played it a l o t more than a few times.
How does it win?
Politics really. You fly under the radar because you got commons and everybody else seems to be playing stuff which is more scary on their own. But alot of weaker stuff can easily overpower a small amount of stronger things. Thus, by flying long enough there is only one oppeont left and then it is blue black control vs. some other deck in late game... That is not a position in which you want to be playing "some other deck". Seriously, the hard part is getting down to 1v1.
While, the deck does not really have any large beaters, it got Cranial plating and enough artifacts to make that work and corrupt and enough swamps and recursions to make that work, so even if everybody else are not doing much you can often kill players alone (it is also how you end up killing people in 1v1). Also, if someone is playing combo you can dedicated yourself to stopping them (they will often whine over you doing so, but hey! They are playing a strong strategy to which you got the - sometimes only - counter) - by using counters, bounce and discard. Also, we got our own mini-combos, but read on for those.
Wait, the deck runs 30 lands? How can that be enough?
Tutors and card draw, but mainly tutors. The deck can easily drop a land every turn for the first 20 turns. Also, it is often correct to tutor for lands (e.g. Perplex ->Trinket mage->Expedition Map->Dimir Aqueduct is not too uncommon choice. The most extreme one I have done mulitiple times is Dimir House Guard->Mystical Teachings->Perplex ->Trinket mage->Expedition Map->Bojuka Bog - each time I won me the game within 2 turns. But still 16 mana for a land is a bit extrem.). Also, the deck is running every common 2 mana mana-accel and a few 3 mana dittos and the 2 4 manas.
What are the mini-combos? Ghostly Flicker+(Archaeomancer or Mnemonic Wall or Scrivener) + some comes into play creature/land/extort card. Nightscape Familiar can make it cheaper. There are some really nasty comes into play effects here and there (Liliana's Specter and duplicated return spell card (for counters) are good examples - Liliana's Specter in every draw step sort of hurts everybody else). Also Cavern Harpy can work as stand in for for the 2 first parts of the combo (but makes it much more expensive manawise.
Also, capsize and Okiba-Gang Shinobi can really hurt (ohh you got no cards in hand and two blockers? Here, two creatures for your hand! Ohh, and discard 2 cards).
Ramirez DePietro
Best pauper commander - it is common online. Why do I think it is the best: White and red does not have many good cards (white alot more than red though) and all the common legendary creatures are friendly colors, so if you want the best it should be blue/black. There are two options, Ramirez and Sivitri Scarzam. Since I am playing ninjas and Cranial plating, first strike is a very strong ability (cranial plating because you can move it in first strike damage step, which is also the time to exchange Ramirez for Ninja of the deep hours so you get both to hit).
Short description of the deck:
The deck is a blue/black strict-pauper control deck (thus: all cards incl. commander (which is legendary) are commons and hence it is a MTGO only deck). I post it here instead of in the variant subcategory, because I use it as my multiplayer commander deck (against anyone and anything) and it is a legal commander deck.
The deck got a lot of recursions, some card draw and some amount of ramp and a small amount of other stuff (because of recursion the fact that we have few cards dedicated to a task does not mean that we can't keep on playing it).
The deck is very well tested by me over the last few years (as in a game a day or more average over 2-3 years).
Can it win?
Yes, it can. I win around 50% or more of the 4 player games I play with it. Some of this is experience, so if you try it and lose a few games in a row remember that I have played it a l o t more than a few times.
How does it win?
Politics really. You fly under the radar because you got commons and everybody else seems to be playing stuff which is more scary on their own. But alot of weaker stuff can easily overpower a small amount of stronger things. Thus, by flying long enough there is only one oppeont left and then it is blue black control vs. some other deck in late game... That is not a position in which you want to be playing "some other deck". Seriously, the hard part is getting down to 1v1.
While, the deck does not really have any large beaters, it got Cranial plating and enough artifacts to make that work and corrupt and enough swamps and recursions to make that work, so even if everybody else are not doing much you can often kill players alone (it is also how you end up killing people in 1v1). Also, if someone is playing combo you can dedicated yourself to stopping them (they will often whine over you doing so, but hey! They are playing a strong strategy to which you got the - sometimes only - counter) - by using counters, bounce and discard. Also, we got our own mini-combos, but read on for those.
The deck list:
1 Ramirez DePietro
Basic lands:
3 Island
7 Swamp
4 Snow-Covered Island
6 Snow-Covered Swamp
Non-basic lands:
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Command Tower
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Halimar Depths
1 Seat of the Synod
1 Soaring Seacliff
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Vault of Whispers
Artifacts:
1 Expedition Map
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
1 Executioner's Capsule
1 Armillary Sphere
1 Dimir Signet
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Mind Stone
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Darksteel Ingot
1 Pristine Talisman
1 Mistvein Borderpost
1 Sisay's Ring
1 Ur-Golem's Eye
1 Explorer's Scope
1 Cranial Plating
Artifact creature:
1 Pilgrim's Eye
Creatures:
1 Basilica Screecher
1 Nightscape Familiar
1 Dreamscape Artist
1 Cavern Harpy
1 Dimir Infiltrator
1 Crypt Rats
1 Stinkweed Imp
1 Drift of Phantasms
1 Man-o'-War
1 Sea Gate Oracle
1 Trinket Mage
1 Cadaver Imp
1 Liliana's Specter
1 Dimir House Guard
1 Gravedigger
1 Syndicate Enforcer
1 Ninja of the Deep Hours
1 Archaeomancer
1 Impaler Shrike
1 Mnemonic Wall
1 Mulldrifter
1 Scrivener
1 Okiba-Gang Shinobi
1 Twisted Abomination
1 Jhessian Zombies
1 Soul Stair Expedition
1 Tortured Existence
1 Rhystic Study
1 Pestilence
Auras:
1 Spreading Seas
1 Encrust
Instants:
1 Brainstorm
1 Grim Harvest
1 Arcane Denial
1 Echoing Truth
1 Counterspell
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Ghostly Flicker
1 Perplex
1 Recoil
1 Soul Manipulation
1 Capsize
1 Snuff Out
1 Tendrils of Corruption
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Death Denied
Sorceries:
1 Preordain
1 Disturbed Burial
1 Syphon Mind
1 Deep Analysis
1 Rush of Knowledge
1 Brainspoil
1 Corrupt
Wait, the deck runs 30 lands? How can that be enough?
Tutors and card draw, but mainly tutors. The deck can easily drop a land every turn for the first 20 turns. Also, it is often correct to tutor for lands (e.g. Perplex ->Trinket mage->Expedition Map->Dimir Aqueduct is not too uncommon choice. The most extreme one I have done mulitiple times is Dimir House Guard->Mystical Teachings->Perplex ->Trinket mage->Expedition Map->Bojuka Bog - each time I won me the game within 2 turns. But still 16 mana for a land is a bit extrem.). Also, the deck is running every common 2 mana mana-accel and a few 3 mana dittos and the 2 4 manas.
What are the mini-combos?
Ghostly Flicker+(Archaeomancer or Mnemonic Wall or Scrivener) + some comes into play creature/land/extort card. Nightscape Familiar can make it cheaper. There are some really nasty comes into play effects here and there (Liliana's Specter and duplicated return spell card (for counters) are good examples - Liliana's Specter in every draw step sort of hurts everybody else). Also Cavern Harpy can work as stand in for for the 2 first parts of the combo (but makes it much more expensive manawise.
Also, capsize and Okiba-Gang Shinobi can really hurt (ohh you got no cards in hand and two blockers? Here, two creatures for your hand! Ohh, and discard 2 cards).
Ramirez DePietro and Rush of Knowledge is a nice draw 6
Other MVPs?
Wraths (crypt rats and Pestilence) and Rhystic Study and Cranial Plating are all very good in this deck. Also, the tutors provides you with whatever you want. E.g. problem: all your creatures died