Yeah that sounds like a fun build, try it out and tell me how it goes. I tried the dork route myself in my abzan build and found that it hurt my top decks too much, was like I was running 29 lands, but with spells that replace themselves like assembler and squire I think that a dork build might do the trick. Do it up and post the list, would love to see other GW midrange builds.
- Hawk is a solid choice. I do run screech over hawk, I like being able to run just 3 screech and get potentially 12 flyers out of it and some people just scoop after you use both sides of prep on screech the turn after casting it and flashing it back. But hawk can be played out faster and you can't always flashback screech since tapping 3 creatures can be a bad choice in aggro depending on the board state.
- I really like hawk and assembler together
depends on the board state, making a 2/2 a 3/3 to get through a 3 tough blocker is pretty important, or being able to do a big swing and leave blockers back, just having the option of going wide or tall is sweet. You can also use it to tempt them into removing a Young Wolf,Safehold Elite or a bird token. Also works well with flying creatures when the ground board is bogged down. Watch some of the modern lkl and see how it works. This is also a midrange deck, just can have a very aggresive start. Card advantage is in resilient creatures rather than draw, virtual card advantage.
So after trying to make a little kid luck in pauper and having some success with it, I realized that I should just cut black and forgo Blind Hunter even though I loved that card as Siege Rhino. Would love to hear some suggestions for card options and different builds. Here's a link for the modern deck: http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/deck-guide-modern-gw-little-kid-luck/
The basic idea is gain card advantage by playing resilient creatures and getting around the drawback of their relative low p/t with pump effects. This deck almost deads edict effects, can play around counter well and is one of the most grindy deck in the meta. You'll win some matches by timing your opponent and one of the fun things is seeing your opponent on 20crds in library while you still have 40. It also mulls well, I've won on a lot of mull to 5's. Part of the power of this deck is in its redundancy, it doesn't need any one card to do well.
The deck is actually a lot harder to play than it looks, without card draw you have to make efficient choices but at the same time you have to know when to sacrifice efficiency for speed and boarding is also difficult since you can't take out too many creatures. Sequencing can be challenging too, depending on the hand, the match up and knowing when to commit more to the board state or hold stuff back to play around wipe. Here's a more in depth look:
On Exalted:
Exalted helps your early board state before you can go wide, effectively giving Akrasan Squire haste and half a haste to Qasali Pridemage.
When the ground is clogged it helps bird tokens, rancored creatures and Kor Skyfisher get through for some heavy dmg.
When both sky and ground are clogged, or if you don't see rancor or flying, it helps the wide strategy by chipping away your opponents blockers, after some swings you should be able to go wide and finish them.
You can tempt an opponent into using a removal spell inefficiently by swinging with a Young Wolf, Safehold Elite or a bird token
Helps to get through big blockers
Nice to be able to have a good swing while leaving back blockers against other aggro decks
Weakness- if you don't see a resilient creature you can be set up for bad swing into removal
Overall it's sweet to have the option of going wide or tall.
Match Ups-
Weak- About 40% win rate, give or take 5%- Burn, Delver, Slivers, Mono White Sisters, Tron
Even- Mono Red Creatures,Elves, Izzet Blitz, UB Alchemy, UB Delver, Stompy, Affinity
Strong- About 60% win rate give or take 5%- MBC, UB Teachings, Bogles,Soldiery, Boros
Terrible- Turbo Fog, GW Sisters
I'm including T-practice in this since I haven't played enough leagues to have reliable data, the analysis will likely change as I play more and I've only included the decks in the top 70% of the meta. I'm also going by game count now and not match count.
I'm finding that most matchups aren't too far off 50%, with the exception of Sisters, Slivers and Turbo Fog in the Weak mus and with the exception of UB Teachings in the Strong; MBC, Boros, Bogles and Soldiery may also be 60%+ but I haven't played them in league enough with the updated build to know reliably.
Allright after being soundly trounced many times in a row, I learned what I had originally thought, this kind of midrange deck isn't viable in the pauper format, which is a shame since it was so much fun. I found that I could have these amazing hands and draws that were competitive but I only drew it up that way about 60% of the time. Yesterday I had almost all great hands and draws but today I drew the other 40. Looks like I'm back to burn for competitive play, at least the games won't be 30min+ long
So you were right, I broke down and added a couple anthems and more creatures and it's working much better now, ty for the advice. I realized that the anthems could be a kind of replacement for Gavony Township Saddleback been working out great, I dind't realize how much archers was holding the deck back. I've replaced the above list.
I'd appreciate any further advice you have, I don't want to deviate too much from the Little Kid Luck Structure though
Yeah, I was doing well for a while in t practice which isn't as competitive as the pits or league but I've actually been on a losing streak now, could be I was just getting lucky but I've also been sequencing terribly, I think I'll take a break from mtgo and come back refreshed. I'm running Saddleback Lagac now. MBC has been good match up for me, I out card advantage them, delver's about 50-50, I'm ahead right now with affinity but I feel like it's a 50/50 but I haven't faced any yet with my strands though. Generally I'm trying to get people to do things like counter half a screech, edict a young wolf or doom blade a token. I want it to be like Little kid is in modern. I do appreciate any advice, I did end up cutting 2 archers and both my harsh from the main, I just want it to be it's own thing and not a tokens deck with anthems. Bant exalted looks interesting though, I may try all in exalted that if this doesn't work out. I may end up cutting court archers for penumbra bob cat but the reach and exalted has been super relevant
Exalted is what makes this deck work, you'd be surprised how awesome it is to swing in with a 2/2 or more bird token once muldrifters, glint hawk, that bounce kor etc land. It's even better once they start turning their removal on the tokens. It lets me go wide or tall/ Also if it's delver you're worried about it blocks all their other creatures. And it swings in as a 2/4 by itself. It's been sweet so far but not in all mus.
I agree it would be better to have something that helped my wide strategy in those slots but there is nothing better that I've found. If there was something like Wilt-Leaf Liege in pauper I'd run it instead, but the closest is Loxodon Partisan and that's been unplayable so far. I can't run any anthem spells that aren't a creature, there's just not enough value in until end of turn pump spells, unless its something like Consume Strength but that would be a board card for blowing people out. Also Harsh Sustenance usually gets used as removal unless the games on lock, it's a sweet tempo/value play.
This is a midrange deck the goal is to win through incremental gains. People have gone through 40+ cards in their library and still lost, while I'll still have 30+ cards, life for days and time for days
So I built a pauper Little Kid Luck and surprisingly it actually did well in tournament practice. It's also the most fun I've had playing pauper. I'd like to make the deck more competitive so I'll need help here please, here's where I'm at,
Well Drake's getting the ban hammer. I play burn so I'm not too happy about that, I got a feeling that burn might become unplayable again once the meta changes.
- Hawk is a solid choice. I do run screech over hawk, I like being able to run just 3 screech and get potentially 12 flyers out of it and some people just scoop after you use both sides of prep on screech the turn after casting it and flashing it back. But hawk can be played out faster and you can't always flashback screech since tapping 3 creatures can be a bad choice in aggro depending on the board state.
- I really like hawk and assembler together
3w and 2l: M1:(boros 2-0) M2:(mbc 2-1) M3: (gw sisters 1-2) M4: (affinity 2-1) M5: (goblins 0-2)
3w and 2l: M1:(affinity 0-2) M2:(ur blitz 2-1) M3:(affinity 2-0) M4:(affinity 2-1) M5: (ub alchemy 0-2)
2w and 3l: M1: (stompy 2-1) M2: (stompy 2-1) M3: (ur control 0-2) M4: (slivers 0-2) M5: (mbc 0-2)(Hungover for the last 3)
3w and 2l: M1: (stompy 0-2) M2: (ub teachings 2-1) M3: (ub teachings 2-1) M4: (boros 2-0) M5: (tron 0-2)
1w and 3l: M1: (ub flicker 0-2) M2: (mono red creatures 2-0) M3: (slivers 1-2) M4: (affinity 1-2) M5: dropped
The basic idea is gain card advantage by playing resilient creatures and getting around the drawback of their relative low p/t with pump effects. This deck almost deads edict effects, can play around counter well and is one of the most grindy deck in the meta. You'll win some matches by timing your opponent and one of the fun things is seeing your opponent on 20crds in library while you still have 40. It also mulls well, I've won on a lot of mull to 5's. Part of the power of this deck is in its redundancy, it doesn't need any one card to do well.
The deck is actually a lot harder to play than it looks, without card draw you have to make efficient choices but at the same time you have to know when to sacrifice efficiency for speed and boarding is also difficult since you can't take out too many creatures. Sequencing can be challenging too, depending on the hand, the match up and knowing when to commit more to the board state or hold stuff back to play around wipe. Here's a more in depth look:
Resilient Creature effects: Young Wolf, Safehold Elite, Battle Screech
Resilient Spells: Battle Screech Travel Preparations (for playing into counter, can't always with screech though) Rancor
Pump Effects: Qasali Pridemage, Akrasan Squire, Rancor, Travel Preparations
In a deck like this there needs to be some life gain, right now there's just 4 Centaur Healer in the main but they can be bounced with Kor SkyFisher for more life if necessary.
Removal- Qasali Pridemage Journey to Nowhere
Other Fisher Shenanigans: Re-setting Young Wolf/Safehold Elite/Blastoderm
Travel Preparations can also reset Elite.
This is a fair deck but it's done surprisingly well in the meta and I believe it will only get better as it evolves.
On Exalted:
Exalted helps your early board state before you can go wide, effectively giving Akrasan Squire haste and half a haste to Qasali Pridemage.
When the ground is clogged it helps bird tokens, rancored creatures and Kor Skyfisher get through for some heavy dmg.
When both sky and ground are clogged, or if you don't see rancor or flying, it helps the wide strategy by chipping away your opponents blockers, after some swings you should be able to go wide and finish them.
You can tempt an opponent into using a removal spell inefficiently by swinging with a Young Wolf, Safehold Elite or a bird token
Helps to get through big blockers
Nice to be able to have a good swing while leaving back blockers against other aggro decks
Weakness- if you don't see a resilient creature you can be set up for bad swing into removal
Overall it's sweet to have the option of going wide or tall.
Match Ups-
Weak- About 40% win rate, give or take 5%- Burn, Delver, Slivers, Mono White Sisters, Tron
Even- Mono Red Creatures,Elves, Izzet Blitz, UB Alchemy, UB Delver, Stompy, Affinity
Strong- About 60% win rate give or take 5%- MBC, UB Teachings, Bogles,Soldiery, Boros
Terrible- Turbo Fog, GW Sisters
I'm including T-practice in this since I haven't played enough leagues to have reliable data, the analysis will likely change as I play more and I've only included the decks in the top 70% of the meta. I'm also going by game count now and not match count.
I'm finding that most matchups aren't too far off 50%, with the exception of Sisters, Slivers and Turbo Fog in the Weak mus and with the exception of UB Teachings in the Strong; MBC, Boros, Bogles and Soldiery may also be 60%+ but I haven't played them in league enough with the updated build to know reliably.
A build:
Lands: 22
8 Forest
8 Plains
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Terramorphic Expanse
Creatures: 25
3 Blastoderm
4 Centaur Healer
3 Kor Skyfisher
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Safehold Elite
4 Young Wolf
3 Akrasan Squire
Enchantments: 7
4 Journey To Nowhere
3 Rancor
Soceries: 6
3 Battle Screech
3 Travel Preparations
Sideboard: 15
2 Gleeful Sabotage
2 Hallow
2 Holy Light
3 Lone Missionary
1 Obsidian Acolyte
3 Sunlance
2 Dawn Charm
I'd appreciate any further advice you have, I don't want to deviate too much from the Little Kid Luck Structure though
I agree it would be better to have something that helped my wide strategy in those slots but there is nothing better that I've found. If there was something like Wilt-Leaf Liege in pauper I'd run it instead, but the closest is Loxodon Partisan and that's been unplayable so far. I can't run any anthem spells that aren't a creature, there's just not enough value in until end of turn pump spells, unless its something like Consume Strength but that would be a board card for blowing people out. Also Harsh Sustenance usually gets used as removal unless the games on lock, it's a sweet tempo/value play.
This is a midrange deck the goal is to win through incremental gains. People have gone through 40+ cards in their library and still lost, while I'll still have 30+ cards, life for days and time for days
Lands: 21
12 Forest
4 Orzhov Basilica
1 Plains
4 Scoured Barrens
Enchantments: 8
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Utopia Sprawl
Instants: 2
2 Borrowed Grace
Sorceries: 4
4 Battle Screech
Creatures: 26
4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
4 Blind Hunter
4 Centaur Healer
3 Saddleback Lagac
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Young Wolf
3 Penumbra Bobcat
Sideboard: 15
4 Castigate
1 Consume Strength
1 Echoing Decay
1 Tranquility
2 Gleeful Sabotage
2 Prismatic Strands
1 Harsh Sustenance
3 Lone Missionary