Any of the people who like Hypergeometric Distribution care to chime in about this fact?
Yes! You should ask yourself: what kinda hands am I keeping? If you want 2-3 land hands and throw back about as mana 1-landers as 4-landers, then 21 is the correct number. If exactly 2 lands is optimal and about as many 1-landers as 3-landers are keepable, then 17 is the correct number. If the truth is somewhere in between, adjust accordingly.
You should avoid going with less than 27 sourced total of lands+draw (1-2 cmc) if you care about making land drops 4-5 in a timely fashion. If you go with a higher land total (closer to 21), Preordain is better than Ponder to avoid redundant lands if you keep a land heavy hand. If you go with lower land (closer to 17), Ponder is better at finding you some damn land in the first few turns. Some suggested configurations:
First option is slower (less basics, 2 cmc cantrips) but has more digging power. I'd go with alt #2 and include 2-ofs for all your silver bullets rather than 1-ofs = better consistency. 1-ofs are only really reliable if you have tutors or functional overlap (like Oring/fetters in your list).
Both these alternatives save 4 md card slots compared to your (IMO) rather hefty 21 lands + 10 cantrips configuration.
Which 2-ofs to stick in the main and which to play in the side are of course meta dependent. I'd probably go with something catch-all like Oring in the main, but if you know Journey will suffice 90% of the time, then better to run more counters/threats/draw?
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With this I've found that having all these shuffle outlets I can safely use Ponder and shuffle away if I don't like what I see, but I will swap with Preordain just in case it works better. Now with your distribution I would trim yet another land (I tend to operate on the 4 to 6 CMC range, so I keep 3 landers or 2 landers with cantrips) for another card, probably a second Deep Analysis. The problem now would be including Cenn's Enlistment: how would I optimize the lands to feed it enough? Also since I feel that despite the inevitability it's problematic to recast it over and over again especially in a deck that likes it's land drops, I might as well just run 2-3 copies of Raise the Alarm, which costs half the mana and can be cast at instant speed if I don't counter anything relevant, and also provides me early chump blockers against aggro.
What do you think would be the minimum number of artifacts required to run Thoughtcast? Considering I'd probably still pay 2 mana for it, I'd need at least 3 artifacts in play to make it "good". With a full set of Artifact Lands, this seems very reasonable. I'm also considering upping the equipment count to 5 (2 splitter, 1 Staff, 1 Husk, 1 Bow).
I'm also looking at Guardian of the Guildpact as a candidate for cuts. I'm not liking it as much as before. I played the deck a good bit yesterday after a draft and he was just very slow and didn't provide me with enough of an advantage.
That's a fantastic idea right there. However, is the risk of being blown out by Gorilla Shaman, Gleeful Sabotage, Dust to Dust and Ancient Grudge worth a Draw-2 spell? I will be testing for certain, but maybe this increase in artifacts will probably make opponents more prone to boarding in artifact hate to screw with our manabase, since before it only had a few targets in the equipment and was dead otherwise. On the other hand, savvy players will board artifact removal anyways. But the prospect of getting 2-3 lands blown out by a 2-for-1 artifact removal is pretty scary.
About Guardian of the Guildpact, I find it an absolute necessity. It's our finisher of choice, and roughly 70% of the games I have won it has been on it's back. Since Hawks will start to get blown by Gut Shots, I find him more necessary than ever. The only answers to him are Edict efects which you can feed other creatures to, or counterspells, both of which you can outright counter. Plus, it's a roadblock for creatures like Fangren Marauder, Gurmag Angler, Atog, Wild Mongrel... Personally, I wouldn't leave without them in the 60. They're just the powerful, resilient and inevitable finisher a Control deck looks for. Maybe it doesn't hold any value when cast, but hey, you can't have it all, specially in Pauper.
Here's my MB right now, it's very similar to yours:
I'm a little bit worried about running 4 basics and 4 fetches because drawing a basic would make the 4th Fetch I draw dead, the second basic would make the 3rd one, and so on and so forth, although Cenn's Enlistment offsets this by having an outlet to give use to otherwise dead fetches. However, I don't know what else to take because I find the lifegain such a necessity against aggresive decks like Stompy and Burn and can't afford to devote creature slots to Aven Riftwatcher or Lone Missionary anymore. How does the deck work for you without the lifegain lands?
I would also take out the Enlistment and a Land for two Ponder if I knew what else to take out in order to fit the full playset. Raise Alarm is also a card I've been reconsidering for the last week since it can Twin Bolt two X/1 attacking creatures, Shock
a X/2 attacking one, or simply develop the board to out-attrition against MBC, but I want to test at least 2-3 as I think that just 1 doesn't have enough impact.
About the main differences, it seems like I opted for Prohibit instead of Mana Leak as my easy-to-cast counter and prioritized Counterspell over it because I run duals. Sadly I don't run Exclude but I wouldn't mind cutting maybe 1 Last Breath for it (adding another dead card to the Burn and Turbo Fog matchups, because at least Breath gains me life against Burn on a pinch). Speaking of which, I went back to Breath while you went to Judge Unworthy for the sole reason that sometimes I find myself needing to get rid of combo creatures like the ones in Esper Familiars while gaining life against Burn or Izzet Blitz, although I might find myself switching to Judges if I don't find them too often. Finally, I still relegate Viridian Longbow to the sideboard since it's only useful in Delver and Elves: previously I had it in the MB and gave it a resounding "meh" whenever I drew it against Affinity, MBC or Izzet Blitz. Also your deck has 61 cards.
The artifact-control deck seems like an interesting path to explore. Are there any other good Artifacts that warrant space MB? Currently I'm thinking in Serrated Arrows as a pseudo-wrath and the newly downgraded Rusted Relic as our 5/5 of choice (notice that the only way to turn it off is with dedicated artifact hate since all our other artifacts can't be killed with removal). Glint Hawk Idol is a threat that can't be dealt with sorcery speed removal, although it can't be grabbed with Mage, nor it can do anything on it's own. Had it cost 1 or added W like a Totem, it would have been a good candidate. And since I'm a huge fan of Living Weapon, I can't help but at least mention Sickleslicer, although it can't be tutored and it costs twice than a Vulshok Morningstar to equip with the same bonus.
From playing artifacts lands in Turbo Fog for a while now, I can tell you that it generally isn't a winning strategy to blow up lands when the opponent draws tons of cards. If they use up their spells to try to mana-screw me, they usually fail. I don't think it would be any different here. Rather, I'm sure they'd prefer to target the eventual equipment that comes down.
What really got me with Guardian was that he couldn't interact with Flyers. I'm probably going to keep in Aven Riftwatcher for now (same stats, evasive, blocks flyers, gains life, 1 mana less), as he seems to offer more in the short term.
I think we're coming to the point where we've more or less figured out the core of the deck and are just toying with numbers and card choices revolving around it. We pack the same 12 creatures, same number of trinkets, similar removal and counters. The rest is just tuning. There are 4 cards missing in your deck. Are they Journey to Nowheres?
I think 4 basics is just too few for 4 fetches. I think the deck needs at least 6 basics to really use them correctly (at least in the early-mid game).
I never stopped running Aven Riftwatcher because I like them so much. They offset the lack of life-gaining lands because they gain 4 life in one card. I don't think Burn is an easy matchup, but it's a hard one for them, too. We have counters and life gain backing up a decent clock. I think it's very fair.
I can definitely see Exclude in the place of Last Breath. I think I'll cut my own copy for now to get back down to 60 cards. I liked Mana Leak over Prohbit simply because the deck has a clock, so it forces the opponent into making decisions that can be punished with soft-counters.
Viridian Longbow is very "meh" in some matchups. I don't mind having a 1-of card like this in the maindeck, as it really turns other matchups around (Turbo Fog, WW, Delver).
I think Judge Unworthy is good! I've never been disappointed casting it yet. The scry is really what makes it a card. However, I think I'll be removing it for Serrated Arrows in order to test out the more artifact-heavy build. Arrows seems perfect in this setting. I think I'll try fitting in a second one somewhere.
I wouldn't play Rusted Relic. As soon as they have artifact removal, he'll be an easy target to turn off by destroying lands and things. We'll never run enough artifacts to make this card reliable. Glint Hawk Idol is bad, Sickle Slicer is bad... Doing a quick search, I saw Court Homunculus as a possibly efficient beater, but I'm not in love with it, either.
Barring that, I think something as obvious as Prophetic Prism would do a good job. Cantrips, counts as a artifact and fixes mana (this deck really needs it). You could add more basics to your mana base with this card helping you out.
Yes, I missed Journey to Nowhere, thanks. Most of the time I post the lists by heart so that's why I often leave cards out.
I will have to try the Prophetic Prism although I'm not quite sure I would like to pay 2 for a "filterland" that adds to the count when I could be casting Hawks or leaving up for a Counterspell.
However, I'm very tempted to test the Jeskai build again splashing Red for 4 Galvanic Blasts (and whichever other burn spells fit, mainly looking at Twin Bolt). Even without Metalcraft activated early game, Blast can still kill most of the creatures in the format since 2 is the average toughness. This one may want Prism though, although last time I was playing Jeskai (before Cruise ban was effective) I did just fine with 21 lands, two of them being Radiant Fountain. We likely need to overhaul the manabase to fit as many artifact lands as possible while also having some refuges and the fetches. With more artifact lands added to the mix, and the Prism if it fits, we have some more artifacts to work with. Will have to run some calcs with the manabase and colors though since I don't agree that Aven for Guardian are a correct swap (aven has no protection and even dies without a dedicated answer) and I simply can run the previous Jeskai manabase because it only had 3 Artifact lands.
I was also pondering going 3 colours with this. Maybe it's the way to go.
The fact that Prophetic Prism cantrips makes it so worth it, in my opinion. I think it might do enough for this deck to warrant an inclusion in some number. 4 is probably too many, but maybe 2-3 would be just right.
I like my Avens for now because of all the bases they cover. I can't say whether I'm right or wrong, but right now they feel pretty good, where Guardian has felt lackluster.
16 artifacts, with Mage that searches for more, +Brainstorm shenanigans, should be enough to support a good Thoughtcast. I'll try this out and see.
Okay, so this is currently sitting at 62 cards. I need to make at least 1 cut, the optimal being two (not a fan of 61-card decks unlike they're toolbox decks like Pod or Teachings), and one of them has to be a land. I've had a few games with Prophetic Prisms and I didn't like them as I anticipated: their only function is to swap an artifact land for it so I can run a few more basics, and even cantripping I don't feel comfortable in doing so when I can use Artifact lands that don't take up spell slots.
Well, nevermind, it's not worth to mess a lot with the manabase and cut the lifegain lands for just a burn spell, even if it's a "better" version of Bolt. I'm reverting back to this:
Going to run Rusted Relic for a few days for testing's sake. There were times when Cenn's Enlistment was nothing more than an overpriced sorcery Raise the Alarm even against MBC, so I took it out. It's at 61 cards, but I think I will remove one Thoughtcast.
Tested out the deck with Pristine Talisman a few times. It's pretty good, actually! You should try it and tell me what you think. Thoughtcast is working fine, too!
Also, always look over your deck lists. There seems to be something missing every time you post! :/
What did you take out for Pristine Talisman? I'm interested in it as well.
Rusted Relic has been working great: it's super easy to activate even on curve and can be cast off multiple Radiant Fountains. It's only flaw is it's weakness to Black's spot removal, but as long as you keep those Victim of Night at bay with Counterspells, it's a formidable, game winning threat that can even win the 1-vs-1 fight against domain Matca Rioters (I don't know why but I'm starting to see Zoo plenty often), Gurmag Angler and Fangren Marauder if equipped with a Flayer Husk. Thoughtcast also come off pretty easily with the equipment and the lands, and chaining multiples isn't too far-fetched.
Also you might want to look into Shimmering Glasskite. It patches up your problem against flyers, and if you are careful when cracking it's shield to equip it a weapon (have counterspell backup or wait for the opponent to be tapped out), it's more or less the same than Guardian of the Guildpact (except it can't block 3+ guys without a Husk on, but neither can Riftwatcher).
I made room for Pristine Talisman by taking out my 23rd land and another removal spell.
I'm happy to hear Rusted Relic is performing in some way! I suppose Flayer Husk becomes a much more valuable target for equipment when you are running him.
I think Thoughtcast is going to become a new staple in this deck. 3 feels like a great number, too. They're unplayable in the early game (much like Cruise was), but are bonkers in the mid/late-game. I'm liking them a lot!
I'll have to try out the Glasskite and see. It costing 4, with an ability that makes it hard to equip, doesn't quite make the cut in my eyes. But I will need to test further.
The Talisman plus Riftwatcher have been an excellent life gaining engine. Not to mention that since Riftwatcher dies to himself, equipping Sylvok Lifestaff onto him makes me gain even more life.
I have been testing with Pristine Talisman and Aven Riftwatcher, and, while the lifegain is quite ridiculous, Pristine Talisman doesn't impress me that much. If it costed 2 instead like a Signet or Mind Stone we would be talking about something really different here, but as is, I don't think that it makes the cut in an already crowded mainboard.
Riftwatcher has been an all-star and I've missed it a lot, but what I missed more has been Guardian of the Guildpact. The deck feels really naked against deck that pack a high removal suite, and the birds die more than ever thanks to Gut Shot being legal (not without at least taking a chunk out of their life and a card of their hand, so they're as good as ever). So sadly, I'll have to revert to Guardian as I feel it's the glue holding the deck together, and a really good inevitability engine. He's basically unanswarable in a meta without Edict effects, Counterspells and Spire Golem or Myr Enforcer, and even then, we can just counter / remove those. I'm looking forward to finding place for Riftwatchers, though. I didn't know how much I missed those 4 life on a 2/3 flyer until I tested them again.
How are Serrated Arrows working for you? I've been back and forth with them a lot but ultimately I always decide sleeving up faster removal. I'm now running 2 copies of Sunlance and I might go to 3 if I feel it's correct to take 1 land away for one more. About MBC, we already bury them in CA with our newly discovered toy Thoughtcast, but a singleton of Cenn's Enlistment, although slow, would round the matchup quite nicely. For future references, here's the MB:
I have been testing with Pristine Talisman and Aven Riftwatcher, and, while the lifegain is quite ridiculous, Pristine Talisman doesn't impress me that much. If it costed 2 instead like a Signet or Mind Stone we would be talking about something really different here, but as is, I don't think that it makes the cut in an already crowded mainboard.
I've being liking the Talisman, actually. It's been nice powering out Mulldrifters and using the extra mana to equip. This deck gets a lot of mileage out of a mana rock. It might not be the best choice, though. I'm going to keep testing with it for now.
Riftwatcher has been an all-star and I've missed it a lot, but what I missed more has been Guardian of the Guildpact. The deck feels really naked against deck that pack a high removal suite, and the birds die more than ever thanks to Gut Shot being legal (not without at least taking a chunk out of their life and a card of their hand, so they're as good as ever). So sadly, I'll have to revert to Guardian as I feel it's the glue holding the deck together, and a really good inevitability engine. He's basically unanswarable in a meta without Edict effects, Counterspells and Spire Golem or Myr Enforcer, and even then, we can just counter / remove those. I'm looking forward to finding place for Riftwatchers, though. I didn't know how much I missed those 4 life on a 2/3 flyer until I tested them again.
How many decks do you run into that use heavy removal? I'm still loving the riftwatchers. People actually really hesistate to use their removal on them, actually. They probably figure that it's going to die in a few turns anyways, and the life gain on death might be an additional deterrent. You can keep using Guardian, there's absolutely nothing really wrong with him. I'm loving my birds for the time being, as they fill the role I want to them to fill.
How are Serrated Arrows working for you? I've been back and forth with them a lot but ultimately I always decide sleeving up faster removal. I'm now running 2 copies of Sunlance and I might go to 3 if I feel it's correct to take 1 land away for one more. About MBC, we already bury them in CA with our newly discovered toy Thoughtcast, but a singleton of Cenn's Enlistment, although slow, would round the matchup quite nicely.
I originally had a 3:2 split between Arrows and Journey, but have since cut back to a single copy, which has performed very well. I think it's excellent as a singleton, and I still have 4 cheap removal spells.
In all honesty, I think this is the most streamlined list I've ever seen you post. I like it a lot! All the numbers are fine, there's enough threats, counters, removal, lands... everything works. The only thing that bugs me is that I don't find Sunlance is a very good card, but it still gets the job done at the end of the day.
I've being liking the Talisman, actually. It's been nice powering out Mulldrifters and using the extra mana to equip. This deck gets a lot of mileage out of a mana rock. It might not be the best choice, though. I'm going to keep testing with it for now.
Good! Feel free to share your results after you test some more. It's a card that really got me interested the first few matches, but easily got discouraged by its 3 CMC cost. Costing 2 would make it a lot better...
How many decks do you run into that use heavy removal? I'm still loving the riftwatchers. People actually really hesistate to use their removal on them, actually. They probably figure that it's going to die in a few turns anyways, and the life gain on death might be an additional deterrent. You can keep using Guardian, there's absolutely nothing really wrong with him. I'm loving my birds for the time being, as they fill the role I want to them to fill.
Practically all decks run removal except Mono-U Delver, even the typical homebrews you find some people playing with online. Mono-Black control is a really grindy and tough matchup for both sides, and since it's also the most popular deck, we need all the good cards we get our hands on to make it count. I would even run Doomed Traveler if I could. While excellent in all the aggro matchups, against heavy-removal decks Riftwatcher is just basically a 2/3 that doesn't require any removal. Plus there has been a spike on a Dimir control deck that uses both Delver, Gurmag Angler and Jeskai Sage, and Guardian stops the latter two quite nicely alongside some other equally big creatures.
I originally had a 3:2 split between Arrows and Journey, but have since cut back to a single copy, which has performed very well. I think it's excellent as a singleton, and I still have 4 cheap removal spells.
Do you survive long enough against aggro / swarm decks for the Arrows to matter? I worry a lot about casting Arrows when the table is already clogged, and since they only take out 1 creature per turn I always end up going for the cheap solution. On the flip side, permanently shrinking any creature just once is a pretty big difference in Pauper (something that Flayer Husk taught me since I started running it).
In all honesty, I think this is the most streamlined list I've ever seen you post. I like it a lot! All the numbers are fine, there's enough threats, counters, removal, lands... everything works. The only thing that bugs me is that I don't find Sunlance is a very good card, but it still gets the job done at the end of the day.
Good job on this!
Thanks! I also don't like Sunlance as it's practically dead against Affinity and White decks, but since I don't find Weenies so often and you can at least point it to Frogmite / non-metalcraft Carapace Forger or Atog and force them a sac, I started considering it. Basically, after Journey all our cheap removal are somewhat bad: Last Breath gives MBC life, Judge Unworthy, while not usual, blanked enough times in my testing to know how feel bad it is when your removal blanks, and Afterlife is good, but 1 too expensive, specially for having such a drawback (but it at least helps you keep tempo against MBC, cast it targeting your Hawk in response to removal to keep the 1/1 Flying body).
I'm mostly trying to find a place for Cenn's Enlistment and toying with the 5-6 removal spells slot until I find one I'm confortable with now, and guessing what to take out for the Riftwatchers, although that would be 3 cards to take out (one Enlistment, two aven)
I've played 6 games versus Stompy (2-4), 4 games versus Izzet Fiend (2-2), 3 versus Black Aggro (2-1) and 2 versus Delver (2-0). 8-7 total is a pretty good ratio.
The lifegain is pretty bonkers with Aven and Talisman. It kept me afloat versus Delver, there's no denying. Arrows are good against most everything except Fiend and Stompy (they run few to no 1-powered creatures). However, shrinking a creature is still often powerful.
Sometimes, I felt like keeping up countermagic was a bit difficult. I feel this deck like more of a "tap-out" control deck. It's difficult to have to make the choice between playing a creature or leaving up countermagic and taking a beating. The counters are awesome when you have mana to back up whatever it is you're doing, but it's admittedly awkward in the early game.
I've been pretty happy with this iteration so far, so I think I'm going to keep it as is and continue testing.
I've felt way different about counters. Overall, I've felt that they give me a lot of flexibility: either I can kill their 1st drop and play proactively from there on, or just take a point or two of damage that the landbase will offset and leave mana open to counter their T2 play. I've also felt that in the mid to late game the Counters just really shine, as they put on a lot of work in preventing game-swinging spells from being resolved like Mulldrifter, Gray Merchant of Asphodel or Ghostly Flicker, or protect our creatures from removal or combat tricks, while at the same time being removal and a way to interact with spells on the stacks. When you reach 4 mana it doesn't even matter anymore since you can drop a Journey or a Hawk and leave counter backup.
On a different note, the OP has been updated, and I think I've covered all matchups across the table, except maybe fringe ones like Domain Zoo, Azorius Kitty, or Turbo Angler, but I'll cover them whenever I can. I've added your latest iteration to the OP if you don't mind, but I can take it back if you don't want to.
Essentially, some decks (mostly Stompy) get most of their important spells out in the first two turns of the game, which means that if they went first, they get to play their game without being harassed by counters. Then even on turn 4, leaving up two mana and playing Hawks feels really underpowered compared to what they're doing. It's really easy to fall being when being reactive. I'm not saying Counters are bad, but they're hard to play when you also want to lay down permanents to protect yourself.
I am honored to have a place in your primer!
As for matchups, I'll look at them in more detail later. I think Goblins should really be in there. To a lesser extent so should Tortured Existence.
When you play against Stompy on the draw, you just have to adjust your playstyle accordingly. Prioritize removal in your hand-keeping decisions and while Brainstorming and play the proactive game by quickly removing their biggest threats. By the point you reach turn 3-4 with the help of your lifegain you should be able to cast removal + counter (turn 3 is if you run Sunlance) and drown them in CA from there on. Running an equal mix of both cheap and efficient removal and counters makes the deck a very adaptable animal: against a deck that doesn't make a play on the very turn 1 is doomed to fall behind counter after counter and using removal on what little they can resolve. Similarly, against a deck that plays it's curve 1 drop, then 2 drop, then more guys, all you have to do is play removal after removal and start countering their creatures on T3-4 onwards while establishing board presence little by little. Remember that your creatures act as removal too by trading with theirs, and you only need 1 creature + Bonesplitter in order to win, so don't hesitate to trade away, especially with all the card draw and tutoring we run!
About Goblins, it certainly can go in. I thought I already had it covered, but it seems like I didn't. TortEx was added on the latest update though. Since everything from here on is fringe played, what should I cover next? I was thinking Goblins, Azorius Kitty, and maybe Domain Zoo?
There's no way to know you're going to play against Stompy ahead of time in game 1 though. I can see Sunlance being really good against them. getting the Aven out was really important to survive and stabilize. Placing the counters and getting to the removal is all much easier said than done. This seems like a hard matchup.
I was thinking of adding Slivers to my primers. Other than the ones you mentioned, I think you have your bases pretty well covered.
What do you think of Artificer's Epiphany? I know Thoughtcast can have the potential of costing just U, but on the other hand Epiphany can be cast at instant speed and isn't that reliant on artifacts, needing just 1 land to not discard. Could this be the instant Blue card draw we longed for?
The epiphany definitely seems better in this deck if you want to stay reactive. It also doesn't care about the number of artifacts, making it easier to use. I like it a lot!
Yes, definitely. I'm already doing some numbers, and I will give it a go without Guardian of the Guildpact altogether and rely solely on Cenn's Enlistment and see how it does. Although True-Name Nemesis is a card in the Legacy scene in this very deck's big sister, so I might regret it quickly.
I'm toying with the numbers so I can slot at least 1 Guardian, but I'll test this for now. Is anyone playing 23 lands? I've been running smooth with only 22, but maybe Enlistment requires that I up the count which will definitely push that slot out for Guardian.
It might be worth to swap Epiphany and Mulldrifter's numbers and test it for a bit so the deck can play more on the reactive side on the spectrum, but I'm hesitant to do it as Drifter is a great card and I gave a cut to my already low creature count. I'm closely monitoring Sheer Drop and if both the "tapped creature" downside and the normal and Awaken costs aren't too prohibitive I'll sleeve some copies in my removal suite, as they give me additional creatures. Plus, if Mulldrifter serves a precedent, Shriekmaw has never been a bad card, so I doubt a slightly tweaked one to fit in White's color pie is.
Yes! You should ask yourself: what kinda hands am I keeping? If you want 2-3 land hands and throw back about as mana 1-landers as 4-landers, then 21 is the correct number. If exactly 2 lands is optimal and about as many 1-landers as 3-landers are keepable, then 17 is the correct number. If the truth is somewhere in between, adjust accordingly.
You should avoid going with less than 27 sourced total of lands+draw (1-2 cmc) if you care about making land drops 4-5 in a timely fashion. If you go with a higher land total (closer to 21), Preordain is better than Ponder to avoid redundant lands if you keep a land heavy hand. If you go with lower land (closer to 17), Ponder is better at finding you some damn land in the first few turns. Some suggested configurations:
18 land, 4 Brainstorm, 3 Ponder, 2 Intuition; or
20 land, 4 Brainstorm, 3 Preordain
First option is slower (less basics, 2 cmc cantrips) but has more digging power. I'd go with alt #2 and include 2-ofs for all your silver bullets rather than 1-ofs = better consistency. 1-ofs are only really reliable if you have tutors or functional overlap (like Oring/fetters in your list).
Both these alternatives save 4 md card slots compared to your (IMO) rather hefty 21 lands + 10 cantrips configuration.
Which 2-ofs to stick in the main and which to play in the side are of course meta dependent. I'd probably go with something catch-all like Oring in the main, but if you know Journey will suffice 90% of the time, then better to run more counters/threats/draw?
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"At least for those who can play cards, their present incarnation is not quite wasted."
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2 Bonesplitter
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
1 Flayer Husk
Creature (14)
2 Guardian of the Guildpact
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Trinket Mage
4 Mulldrifter
4 Brainstorm
4 Counterspell
3 Prohibit
Enchantment (5)
4 Journey to Nowhere
1 Oblivion Ring
Sorcery (5)
4 Ponder
1 Deep Analysis
1 Ancient Den
1 Seat of the Synod
4 Tranquil Cove
4 Evolving Wilds
3 Radiant Fountain
5 Island
3 Plains
With this I've found that having all these shuffle outlets I can safely use Ponder and shuffle away if I don't like what I see, but I will swap with Preordain just in case it works better. Now with your distribution I would trim yet another land (I tend to operate on the 4 to 6 CMC range, so I keep 3 landers or 2 landers with cantrips) for another card, probably a second Deep Analysis. The problem now would be including Cenn's Enlistment: how would I optimize the lands to feed it enough? Also since I feel that despite the inevitability it's problematic to recast it over and over again especially in a deck that likes it's land drops, I might as well just run 2-3 copies of Raise the Alarm, which costs half the mana and can be cast at instant speed if I don't counter anything relevant, and also provides me early chump blockers against aggro.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
I'm also looking at Guardian of the Guildpact as a candidate for cuts. I'm not liking it as much as before. I played the deck a good bit yesterday after a draft and he was just very slow and didn't provide me with enough of an advantage.
I'm thinking something like this for now:
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Trinket Mage
4 Mulldrifter
2 Aven Riftwatcher
1 Cenn's Enlistment
Removal (5)
4 Journey to Nowhere
1 Judge Unworthy
Counters (7)
4 Mana Leak
2 Counterspell
1 Exclude
Draw (7)
4 Brainstorm
3 Thoughtcast
2 Bonesplitter
1 Flayer Husk
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
1 Viridian Longbow
Lands (22)
3 Plains
5 Island
4 Ancient Den
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Terramorphic Expanse
2 Desert
1 Feldon's Cane
1 Tormod's Crypt
3 Circle of Protection: Green
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Curse of the Bloody Tome
2 Dispel
1 Hindering Light
2 Prismatic Strands
1 Dust to Dust
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
About Guardian of the Guildpact, I find it an absolute necessity. It's our finisher of choice, and roughly 70% of the games I have won it has been on it's back. Since Hawks will start to get blown by Gut Shots, I find him more necessary than ever. The only answers to him are Edict efects which you can feed other creatures to, or counterspells, both of which you can outright counter. Plus, it's a roadblock for creatures like Fangren Marauder, Gurmag Angler, Atog, Wild Mongrel... Personally, I wouldn't leave without them in the 60. They're just the powerful, resilient and inevitable finisher a Control deck looks for. Maybe it doesn't hold any value when cast, but hey, you can't have it all, specially in Pauper.
Here's my MB right now, it's very similar to yours:
2 Bonesplitter
1 Flayer Husk
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
Creature (14)
2 Guardian of the Guildpact
4 Trinket Mage
4 Mulldrifter
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Journey to Nowhere
Instant (13)
4 Counterspell
4 Brainstorm
3 Prohibit
2 Last Breath
Sorcery (3)
1 Cenn's Enlistment
2 Thoughtcast
4 Ancient Den
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Tranquil Cove
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Radiant Fountain
3 Island
1 Plains
I'm a little bit worried about running 4 basics and 4 fetches because drawing a basic would make the 4th Fetch I draw dead, the second basic would make the 3rd one, and so on and so forth, although Cenn's Enlistment offsets this by having an outlet to give use to otherwise dead fetches. However, I don't know what else to take because I find the lifegain such a necessity against aggresive decks like Stompy and Burn and can't afford to devote creature slots to Aven Riftwatcher or Lone Missionary anymore. How does the deck work for you without the lifegain lands?
I would also take out the Enlistment and a Land for two Ponder if I knew what else to take out in order to fit the full playset. Raise Alarm is also a card I've been reconsidering for the last week since it can Twin Bolt two X/1 attacking creatures, Shock
a X/2 attacking one, or simply develop the board to out-attrition against MBC, but I want to test at least 2-3 as I think that just 1 doesn't have enough impact.
About the main differences, it seems like I opted for Prohibit instead of Mana Leak as my easy-to-cast counter and prioritized Counterspell over it because I run duals. Sadly I don't run Exclude but I wouldn't mind cutting maybe 1 Last Breath for it (adding another dead card to the Burn and Turbo Fog matchups, because at least Breath gains me life against Burn on a pinch). Speaking of which, I went back to Breath while you went to Judge Unworthy for the sole reason that sometimes I find myself needing to get rid of combo creatures like the ones in Esper Familiars while gaining life against Burn or Izzet Blitz, although I might find myself switching to Judges if I don't find them too often. Finally, I still relegate Viridian Longbow to the sideboard since it's only useful in Delver and Elves: previously I had it in the MB and gave it a resounding "meh" whenever I drew it against Affinity, MBC or Izzet Blitz. Also your deck has 61 cards.
The artifact-control deck seems like an interesting path to explore. Are there any other good Artifacts that warrant space MB? Currently I'm thinking in Serrated Arrows as a pseudo-wrath and the newly downgraded Rusted Relic as our 5/5 of choice (notice that the only way to turn it off is with dedicated artifact hate since all our other artifacts can't be killed with removal). Glint Hawk Idol is a threat that can't be dealt with sorcery speed removal, although it can't be grabbed with Mage, nor it can do anything on it's own. Had it cost 1 or added W like a Totem, it would have been a good candidate. And since I'm a huge fan of Living Weapon, I can't help but at least mention Sickleslicer, although it can't be tutored and it costs twice than a Vulshok Morningstar to equip with the same bonus.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
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What really got me with Guardian was that he couldn't interact with Flyers. I'm probably going to keep in Aven Riftwatcher for now (same stats, evasive, blocks flyers, gains life, 1 mana less), as he seems to offer more in the short term.
I think we're coming to the point where we've more or less figured out the core of the deck and are just toying with numbers and card choices revolving around it. We pack the same 12 creatures, same number of trinkets, similar removal and counters. The rest is just tuning. There are 4 cards missing in your deck. Are they Journey to Nowheres?
I think 4 basics is just too few for 4 fetches. I think the deck needs at least 6 basics to really use them correctly (at least in the early-mid game).
I never stopped running Aven Riftwatcher because I like them so much. They offset the lack of life-gaining lands because they gain 4 life in one card. I don't think Burn is an easy matchup, but it's a hard one for them, too. We have counters and life gain backing up a decent clock. I think it's very fair.
I can definitely see Exclude in the place of Last Breath. I think I'll cut my own copy for now to get back down to 60 cards. I liked Mana Leak over Prohbit simply because the deck has a clock, so it forces the opponent into making decisions that can be punished with soft-counters.
Viridian Longbow is very "meh" in some matchups. I don't mind having a 1-of card like this in the maindeck, as it really turns other matchups around (Turbo Fog, WW, Delver).
I think Judge Unworthy is good! I've never been disappointed casting it yet. The scry is really what makes it a card. However, I think I'll be removing it for Serrated Arrows in order to test out the more artifact-heavy build. Arrows seems perfect in this setting. I think I'll try fitting in a second one somewhere.
I wouldn't play Rusted Relic. As soon as they have artifact removal, he'll be an easy target to turn off by destroying lands and things. We'll never run enough artifacts to make this card reliable. Glint Hawk Idol is bad, Sickle Slicer is bad... Doing a quick search, I saw Court Homunculus as a possibly efficient beater, but I'm not in love with it, either.
Barring that, I think something as obvious as Prophetic Prism would do a good job. Cantrips, counts as a artifact and fixes mana (this deck really needs it). You could add more basics to your mana base with this card helping you out.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
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BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
I will have to try the Prophetic Prism although I'm not quite sure I would like to pay 2 for a "filterland" that adds to the count when I could be casting Hawks or leaving up for a Counterspell.
However, I'm very tempted to test the Jeskai build again splashing Red for 4 Galvanic Blasts (and whichever other burn spells fit, mainly looking at Twin Bolt). Even without Metalcraft activated early game, Blast can still kill most of the creatures in the format since 2 is the average toughness. This one may want Prism though, although last time I was playing Jeskai (before Cruise ban was effective) I did just fine with 21 lands, two of them being Radiant Fountain. We likely need to overhaul the manabase to fit as many artifact lands as possible while also having some refuges and the fetches. With more artifact lands added to the mix, and the Prism if it fits, we have some more artifacts to work with. Will have to run some calcs with the manabase and colors though since I don't agree that Aven for Guardian are a correct swap (aven has no protection and even dies without a dedicated answer) and I simply can run the previous Jeskai manabase because it only had 3 Artifact lands.
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The fact that Prophetic Prism cantrips makes it so worth it, in my opinion. I think it might do enough for this deck to warrant an inclusion in some number. 4 is probably too many, but maybe 2-3 would be just right.
I like my Avens for now because of all the bases they cover. I can't say whether I'm right or wrong, but right now they feel pretty good, where Guardian has felt lackluster.
16 artifacts, with Mage that searches for more, +Brainstorm shenanigans, should be enough to support a good Thoughtcast. I'll try this out and see.
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Trinket Mage
4 Mulldrifter
2 Aven Riftwatcher
Removal (6)
3 Journey to Nowhere
2 Serrated Arrows
Counters (6)
4 Mana Leak
2 Counterspell
Draw (7)
4 Brainstorm
3 Thoughtcast
2 Bonesplitter
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
1 Viridian Longbow
2 Prophetic Prism
Lands (22)
3 Plains
5 Island
4 Ancient Den
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Terramorphic Expanse
2 Desert
1 Feldon's Cane
1 Tormod's Crypt
3 Circle of Protection: Green
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Curse of the Bloody Tome
2 Dispel
1 Hindering Light
2 Prismatic Strands
1 Dust to Dust
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
2 Bonesplitter
1 Flayer Husk
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
Creature (14)
2 Guardian of the Guildpact
4 Trinket Mage
4 Mulldrifter
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Brainstorm
4 Counterspell
4 Galvanic Blast
3 Prohibit
Enchantment (3)
3 Journey to Nowhere
Sorcery (3)
3 Thoughtcast
Land (23)
4 Ancient Den
4 Seat of the Synod
2 Great Furnace
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Tranquil Cove
Okay, so this is currently sitting at 62 cards. I need to make at least 1 cut, the optimal being two (not a fan of 61-card decks unlike they're toolbox decks like Pod or Teachings), and one of them has to be a land. I've had a few games with Prophetic Prisms and I didn't like them as I anticipated: their only function is to swap an artifact land for it so I can run a few more basics, and even cantripping I don't feel comfortable in doing so when I can use Artifact lands that don't take up spell slots.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
I'm going to try Pristine Talisman instead. Life gain will be very welcome, and being able to ramp up to Mulldrifter is pretty good.
I would take out a Tranquil Cove and 1 counter, I think.
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
2 Bonesplitter
1 Flayer Husk
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
1 Rusted Relic
Enchantment (4)
4 Journey to Nowhere
Creature (14)
2 Guardian of the Guildpact
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Trinket Mage
4 Mulldrifter
4 Counterspell
4 Brainstorm
3 Prohibit
2 Judge Unworthy
Sorcery (3)
3 Thoughtcast
Land (22)
4 Ancient Den
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Tranquil Cove
3 Island
2 Radiant Fountain
1 Plains
Going to run Rusted Relic for a few days for testing's sake. There were times when Cenn's Enlistment was nothing more than an overpriced sorcery Raise the Alarm even against MBC, so I took it out. It's at 61 cards, but I think I will remove one Thoughtcast.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
Also, always look over your deck lists. There seems to be something missing every time you post! :/
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
What did you take out for Pristine Talisman? I'm interested in it as well.
Rusted Relic has been working great: it's super easy to activate even on curve and can be cast off multiple Radiant Fountains. It's only flaw is it's weakness to Black's spot removal, but as long as you keep those Victim of Night at bay with Counterspells, it's a formidable, game winning threat that can even win the 1-vs-1 fight against domain Matca Rioters (I don't know why but I'm starting to see Zoo plenty often), Gurmag Angler and Fangren Marauder if equipped with a Flayer Husk. Thoughtcast also come off pretty easily with the equipment and the lands, and chaining multiples isn't too far-fetched.
Also you might want to look into Shimmering Glasskite. It patches up your problem against flyers, and if you are careful when cracking it's shield to equip it a weapon (have counterspell backup or wait for the opponent to be tapped out), it's more or less the same than Guardian of the Guildpact (except it can't block 3+ guys without a Husk on, but neither can Riftwatcher).
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
I'm happy to hear Rusted Relic is performing in some way! I suppose Flayer Husk becomes a much more valuable target for equipment when you are running him.
I think Thoughtcast is going to become a new staple in this deck. 3 feels like a great number, too. They're unplayable in the early game (much like Cruise was), but are bonkers in the mid/late-game. I'm liking them a lot!
I'll have to try out the Glasskite and see. It costing 4, with an ability that makes it hard to equip, doesn't quite make the cut in my eyes. But I will need to test further.
The Talisman plus Riftwatcher have been an excellent life gaining engine. Not to mention that since Riftwatcher dies to himself, equipping Sylvok Lifestaff onto him makes me gain even more life.
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
Riftwatcher has been an all-star and I've missed it a lot, but what I missed more has been Guardian of the Guildpact. The deck feels really naked against deck that pack a high removal suite, and the birds die more than ever thanks to Gut Shot being legal (not without at least taking a chunk out of their life and a card of their hand, so they're as good as ever). So sadly, I'll have to revert to Guardian as I feel it's the glue holding the deck together, and a really good inevitability engine. He's basically unanswarable in a meta without Edict effects, Counterspells and Spire Golem or Myr Enforcer, and even then, we can just counter / remove those. I'm looking forward to finding place for Riftwatchers, though. I didn't know how much I missed those 4 life on a 2/3 flyer until I tested them again.
How are Serrated Arrows working for you? I've been back and forth with them a lot but ultimately I always decide sleeving up faster removal. I'm now running 2 copies of Sunlance and I might go to 3 if I feel it's correct to take 1 land away for one more. About MBC, we already bury them in CA with our newly discovered toy Thoughtcast, but a singleton of Cenn's Enlistment, although slow, would round the matchup quite nicely. For future references, here's the MB:
2 Guardian of the Guildpact
4 Mulldrifter
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Trinket Mage
Artifact (4)
2 Bonesplitter
1 Flayer Husk
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
4 Journey to Nowhere
Instant (11)
4 Brainstorm
4 Counterspell
3 Prohibit
Sorcery (5)
3 Thoughtcast
2 Sunlance
4 Ancient Den
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Tranquil Cove
1 Plains
3 Island
2 Radiant Fountain
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
I've being liking the Talisman, actually. It's been nice powering out Mulldrifters and using the extra mana to equip. This deck gets a lot of mileage out of a mana rock. It might not be the best choice, though. I'm going to keep testing with it for now.
How many decks do you run into that use heavy removal? I'm still loving the riftwatchers. People actually really hesistate to use their removal on them, actually. They probably figure that it's going to die in a few turns anyways, and the life gain on death might be an additional deterrent. You can keep using Guardian, there's absolutely nothing really wrong with him. I'm loving my birds for the time being, as they fill the role I want to them to fill.
I originally had a 3:2 split between Arrows and Journey, but have since cut back to a single copy, which has performed very well. I think it's excellent as a singleton, and I still have 4 cheap removal spells.
In all honesty, I think this is the most streamlined list I've ever seen you post. I like it a lot! All the numbers are fine, there's enough threats, counters, removal, lands... everything works. The only thing that bugs me is that I don't find Sunlance is a very good card, but it still gets the job done at the end of the day.
Good job on this!
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
Good! Feel free to share your results after you test some more. It's a card that really got me interested the first few matches, but easily got discouraged by its 3 CMC cost. Costing 2 would make it a lot better...
Practically all decks run removal except Mono-U Delver, even the typical homebrews you find some people playing with online. Mono-Black control is a really grindy and tough matchup for both sides, and since it's also the most popular deck, we need all the good cards we get our hands on to make it count. I would even run Doomed Traveler if I could. While excellent in all the aggro matchups, against heavy-removal decks Riftwatcher is just basically a 2/3 that doesn't require any removal. Plus there has been a spike on a Dimir control deck that uses both Delver, Gurmag Angler and Jeskai Sage, and Guardian stops the latter two quite nicely alongside some other equally big creatures.
Do you survive long enough against aggro / swarm decks for the Arrows to matter? I worry a lot about casting Arrows when the table is already clogged, and since they only take out 1 creature per turn I always end up going for the cheap solution. On the flip side, permanently shrinking any creature just once is a pretty big difference in Pauper (something that Flayer Husk taught me since I started running it).
Thanks! I also don't like Sunlance as it's practically dead against Affinity and White decks, but since I don't find Weenies so often and you can at least point it to Frogmite / non-metalcraft Carapace Forger or Atog and force them a sac, I started considering it. Basically, after Journey all our cheap removal are somewhat bad: Last Breath gives MBC life, Judge Unworthy, while not usual, blanked enough times in my testing to know how feel bad it is when your removal blanks, and Afterlife is good, but 1 too expensive, specially for having such a drawback (but it at least helps you keep tempo against MBC, cast it targeting your Hawk in response to removal to keep the 1/1 Flying body).
I'm mostly trying to find a place for Cenn's Enlistment and toying with the 5-6 removal spells slot until I find one I'm confortable with now, and guessing what to take out for the Riftwatchers, although that would be 3 cards to take out (one Enlistment, two aven)
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
This is what I've been playing with:
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Trinket Mage
4 Mulldrifter
2 Aven Riftwatcher
Removal (5)
4 Journey to Nowhere
1 Serrated Arrows
Counters (6)
4 Mana Leak
2 Counterspell
Draw (7)
4 Brainstorm
3 Thoughtcast
2 Bonesplitter
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
1 Viridian Longbow
Mana (24)
3 Plains
5 Island
4 Ancient Den
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Terramorphic Expanse
2 Desert
2 Pristine Talisman
1 Feldon's Cane
1 Tormod's Crypt
3 Circle of Protection: Green
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Curse of the Bloody Tome
2 Dispel
1 Hindering Light
2 Prismatic Strands
1 Dust to Dust
The lifegain is pretty bonkers with Aven and Talisman. It kept me afloat versus Delver, there's no denying. Arrows are good against most everything except Fiend and Stompy (they run few to no 1-powered creatures). However, shrinking a creature is still often powerful.
Sometimes, I felt like keeping up countermagic was a bit difficult. I feel this deck like more of a "tap-out" control deck. It's difficult to have to make the choice between playing a creature or leaving up countermagic and taking a beating. The counters are awesome when you have mana to back up whatever it is you're doing, but it's admittedly awkward in the early game.
I've been pretty happy with this iteration so far, so I think I'm going to keep it as is and continue testing.
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
On a different note, the OP has been updated, and I think I've covered all matchups across the table, except maybe fringe ones like Domain Zoo, Azorius Kitty, or Turbo Angler, but I'll cover them whenever I can. I've added your latest iteration to the OP if you don't mind, but I can take it back if you don't want to.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
I am honored to have a place in your primer!
As for matchups, I'll look at them in more detail later. I think Goblins should really be in there. To a lesser extent so should Tortured Existence.
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
About Goblins, it certainly can go in. I thought I already had it covered, but it seems like I didn't. TortEx was added on the latest update though. Since everything from here on is fringe played, what should I cover next? I was thinking Goblins, Azorius Kitty, and maybe Domain Zoo?
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
I was thinking of adding Slivers to my primers. Other than the ones you mentioned, I think you have your bases pretty well covered.
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
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
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
Do you think you'll be running Gideon's Reproach in your deck, along with Journey to Nowhere?
UGTurboFogGU
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16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
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GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
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Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
Here's the list I plan on running:
4 Mulldrifter
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Trinket Mage
Equipment (4)
2 Bonesplitter
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
1 Flayer Husk
4 Brainstorm
4 Counterspell
3 Prohibit
3 Artificer's Epiphany
3 Gideon's Reproach
Enchantment (4)
4 Journey to Nowhere
1 Cenn's Enlistment
Land (22)
4 Tranquil Cove
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Radiant Fountain
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Island
2 Ancient Den
2 Plains
I'm toying with the numbers so I can slot at least 1 Guardian, but I'll test this for now. Is anyone playing 23 lands? I've been running smooth with only 22, but maybe Enlistment requires that I up the count which will definitely push that slot out for Guardian.
It might be worth to swap Epiphany and Mulldrifter's numbers and test it for a bit so the deck can play more on the reactive side on the spectrum, but I'm hesitant to do it as Drifter is a great card and I gave a cut to my already low creature count. I'm closely monitoring Sheer Drop and if both the "tapped creature" downside and the normal and Awaken costs aren't too prohibitive I'll sleeve some copies in my removal suite, as they give me additional creatures. Plus, if Mulldrifter serves a precedent, Shriekmaw has never been a bad card, so I doubt a slightly tweaked one to fit in White's color pie is.
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!