In case you didn't already know, Magic: The Gathering's Standard format is a wreck. Izzet Cauldron decks make up at least 40% of the meta, and the broken combination of Final Fantasy's Vivi Ornitier and Agatha's Soul Cauldron has proven simply too powerful for any other deck to contain.
Despite what I felt were my very clear instructions, Wizards of the Coast doesn't seem inclined to pull out an emergency ban any time soon. And I don't fancy the Sisyphean chore of facing the exact same deck over and over and over, so it's time to jump ship for a bit and find a new two-player format to enjoy.
And, as I take stock and see that Boros energy is still number one in Modern and Rakdos midrange and mono red aggro have Pioneer sewn up, I'm thinking 2025 might finally be the year I get into Pauper.
Now, I've dipped my toe into this oddball format a little in the past, just to see what was happening, but for the most part I've been happy as a slightly bemused outsider. It's fun to see what random cards make the Pauper MTG banlist or watch this format's fans freak out about a spell that, in any other context, would be nothing special. But I've never properly checked it out until now.
I was trying to find something fresh, and Pauper certainly seems to have it in spades. As someone accustomed to the endless parade of aggro, midrange and (as a special treat, on Fridays, if we're lucky) control decks we get in Standard nowadays, the diversity on display here is startling.
There are burn decks, affinity decks, combo decks full of creatures and combo decks with absolutely no creatures at all. There are tribal decks reliant on fairies or elves and traditional midrange lists that just use efficient cards. Also, the most ridiculous interactions can fuel an entire tier 1 deck, like Cleansing Wildfire working as a busted ramp spell alongside indestructible artifact lands.
Obviously, I'm dazzled by the novelty. An experienced Pauper player might see nothing special about this array of strategies and could point out the flaws and irritations I'm not familiar with. And a fan discovering Modern for the first time could probably write a similar paragraph about that format's various archetypes.
But I do think there is something different and very appealing about Pauper. For one thing, all these incredibly diverse decks are somehow all about the same power level; none make up more than 10% of the meta. I don't think Standard has achieved that in years, yet this eternal format can do it?
Secondly, while the format seems high power, the complexity level is (relatively) low. It's so nice to be dealing with cards that just do one or two things, for a change, and not have to pause halfway through a decklist to take a breather.
Combos are a significant part of the Pauper meta, and they're obviously on the more complicated side of things. But these are combos I can at least understand simply by looking at all the cards in a deck, rather than having to search up a tutorial.
For instance, Spy Combo just mills itself out using Balustrade Spy and only four lands, then plays a free reanimate spell to kill the opponent with Lotleth Giant. High Tide Combo just looks to make your islands more effective, then untap them a bunch of times until you can make enough mana to mill your opponent with one card. They're no doubt hard to play (especially the blue deck) but they're pretty easy to understand.
And obviously there's a lot more to recommend Pauper. The affordability is nice; I feel like I could try out a bunch of these decks and experiment without breaking the bank. Not having to invest in expensive, boring land cards is also extremely appealing. Plus, barring bans, I'll never have to worry about rotation.
So Pauper it is! I've packed my bags, made my goodbyes. Now the only challenge is finding a game…
Tell me what Pauper deck I should try at the Wargamer Discord. And don't miss our guides to the MTG release schedule and best MTG commanders.