(Just here for Competitive Pauper Decklists? Find them here.)



So I suppose the title could refer to one of two great stories: either Return of the King, where Aragorn claims his rightful place as “human badass” and leads his humans to victory over Sauron’s hordes, or; Return of the Jedi, where Ewoks smash AT-STs with tree trunks. Pick your nerd flavor.

Whatever your choice, the result is the same: per the Magic Online announcement on August 13, starting after the downtime on August 20, Pauper “Daily Events” will return.

That’s right! Real, official, weekly Pauper events! Competitive Pauper play! Results lists! A real meta! All the stuff!

Having sanctioned Pauper events means a lot; hopefully they don’t mess it up by not posting ALL the results on their “What’s Happening” page or whatever the current equivalent is. I want to see competitive Pauper lists, and I want to see all of them.

So with that in mind, this article is devoted entirely to Pauper, and there will be A LOT of lists. The focus will be on highlighting more competitive lists so that readers will have some good options to choose from if they want to try and jump into one of these events. But before we get to that I have prizes to give away and a contest to announce.

Faithless Contest #2: Winner!

For his awesome [c]Pestilence[/c]-based, Cleric-themed Classic Pauper Orzhov deck, Aught3 takes home the grand prize. This deck was so awesome, in fact, that the MTGO client started the entire match over just so it could see it in action for a little while longer.

No seriously, check out the video, it happened. Either that or Sliver Cycling is way OP.

Weird stuff happens around 7:10.

Bugs aside, I didn’t even know there was the possibility of Cleric Tribal in Pauper, and it is by far the format I’m most familiar with. Thanks to Aught3 for submitting the deck, and here is the list if anyone wants to try it out.

[d title=”Pesky Clerics (Pauper)”]

Lands

1 Bojuka Bog

4 Kabira Crossroads

2 Orzhov Basilica

4 Orzhov Guildgate

4 Plains

9 Swamp

Creatures

4 Wall of Hope

1 Battlefield Medic

3 Obsidian Acolyte

2 Syndic of Tithes

2 Scholar of Athreos

1 Whipgrass Entangler

1 Teroh’s Faithful

3 Vile Deacon

3 Daunting Defender

Spells

2 Doom Blade

3 Unmake

4 Castigate

3 Read the Bones

4 Pestilence

Sideboard

3 Duress

2 Relic of Progenitus

2 Crimson Acolyte

1 Doom Blade

1 Suture Priest

1 Dust to Dust

3 Kor Sanctifiers

2 Soltari Visionary

[/d]

Faithless Contest #2: Runner-up!

I had a lot of fun playing Rremedio’s BW Tokens deck, and really enjoyed “going off” with [c]Twilight Drover[/c] and [c]Devouring Greed[/c]. Because of that, I’m awarding Rremedio the runner-up prize. Aught3 will win two items from my super-awesome Loot Crate stash and Rremedio will win one. Items will be chosen at random from the available collection and sent along soon.

Here is Rremedio’s list:

[d title=”The Spirit Always Dies (Modern)”]

Lands

4 Orzhov Basilica

4 Orzhov Guildgate

9 Plains

6 Swamp

Token Generation

4 Lingering Souls

4 Midnight Haunting

4 Triplicate Spirits

Creatures

4 Doomed Traveler

1 Celestial Crusader

Fragile Awesomeness

4 Twilight Drover

3 Devouring Greed

Support Spells

2 Zealous Persecution

3 Brave the Elements

Removal

4 Go for the Throat

4 Path to Exile

Sideboard

4 Castigate

3 Kor Firewalker

3 Tempest of Light

2 Rootborn Defenses

3 Rain of Tears

[/d]

I played this list against a GBw Deadbridge Chant / Phyrexian Rebirth graveyard recursion deck. Despite getting my tokens sweeped numerous times, the deck proved to be very resilient. Here is the video.

Way fun.

Congrats to both, and thanks to everyone who submitted decks! We had five submissions this week. Respectable, but we can do better.

Since this article series is about budget builds, it’s worth noting that I priced out Pesky Clerics at $4.34. That’s respectable even by Pauper standards. The Spirit Always Dies came out to $20.91, but you could save a lot if you exchange the set of [c]Path to Exile[/c] for some form of cheaper removal and bring the list under $10 easily. That’s amazing for Modern. Prices were pulled from MTGOTraders, so the lists could be even cheaper if you scrounged around for the right bots.

Faithless Contest #3: Rules

1. Design me a fun, innovative, or powerful Pauper deck.

2. Post it in the comments below.

3. Submissions due before Monday, August 25.

Clarifications

Decks must follow the official Pauper deck construction rules (including banned list) and be legal online.

If your list fits into an archetype I have posted below (MBC, Stompy, BorosKitty, etc) then please highlight why your deck is different / better than the version I have listed.

I will highlight the most interesting decks in next week’s article, and may play some on video for the YouTube channel. One lucky winner will get two items, randomly selected, from my current LootCrate stash. Check out the videos at the bottom of this post to see what’s available.

I’m still not getting a ton of submissions, so your chances of winning just for playing are still pretty high!

Faithless Deck(s) #3: Pauperpalooza

I’ll be posting one exemplary deck list for any of the strongest archetypes and will attempt to sort into Tier 1, Tier 2, and Rogue. Links to brewers / source articles will be provided where I can find them. If I miss a citation please feel free to let me know in the comments and I will add it.

Also worth noting, since these decks are (mostly) from old Premier Event lists, they don’t include cards from the newest sets. There may be some good M15 or late Theros block cards that could improve these decks moving forward. If you think of any, let me know. Now, without further ado!

Pauper Decks: Tier 1

These are the decks that placed most frequently in the last Pauper Premier Events.

[d title=”Mono Black Control (sneakattackkid)”]

Lands

4 Barren Moor

2 Polluted Mire

17 Swamp

Creatures

4 Chittering Rats

3 Cuombajj Witches

4 Crypt Rats

3 Okiba-Gang Shinobi

4 Phyrexian Rager

Spells

3 Dead Weight

1 Devour Flesh

2 Duress

4 Geth’s Verdict

4 Sign in Blood

3 Unearth

2 Victim of Night

Sideboard

4 Choking Sands

1 Cuombajj Witches

1 Echoing Decay

3 Gray Merchant of Asphodel

3 Tendrils of Corruption

3 Wrench Mind

[/d]

I don’t know if I’ve seen anyone place with MBC more often than James Beltz (sneakattackkid). CastingCommons has a good write-up on this list and an alternate list by Jason Sirichoke (jsiri) which you should check out if you would prefer your Merchants in the main. Chris Weaver also wrote a good article looking at Merchant and non-Merchant lists and ending up running a hybrid with [c]Pestilence[/c]. If you love Pestilence (like I do) be sure to check it out.

Two notes about MBC. 1: If you’re not running Witches, you’re wrong. They’re necessary against Delver (Faeries) and that deck is everywhere. 2: Don’t run Witches and 1-toughness creatures. The only exception is Crypt Rats and only because Crypt Rats is really used more as a sweeper in the deck than as a creature.

[d title=”Delver / Mono Blue Faeries (cweaver)”]

Land

17 Island

Creatures

4 Cloud of Faeries

4 Delver of Secrets

4 Ninja of the Deep Hours

4 Spellstutter Sprite

3 Spire Golem

1 Stormbound Geist

Spells

2 Bonesplitter

4 Counterspell

2 Daze

2 Exclude

2 Gush

4 Ponder

4 Preordain

3 Snap

Sideboard

3 Coral Net

2 Curse of Chains

3 Hydroblast

3 Serrated Arrows

2 Steel Sabotage

2 Stormbound Geist

[/d]

This deck was known as Mono Blue Fae(ries) before Delver came along, but now it’s just commonly known as “Delver.” This is the list that Chris Weaver (cweaver) went 5-0 with in the March 29 Premier event. I’m partial to Chris’s list because I know him best and I’ve watched him play it the most. Other notable Delver players include Mezzel and xMiMx and their lists are worth a look as well.

[d title=”Affinity (Vagar)”]

Land

4 Ancient Den

2 Darksteel Citadel

4 Great Furnace

4 Seat of the Synod

4 Tree of Tales

Creatures

4 Atog

4 Auriok Sunchaser

3 Carapace Forger

3 Frogmite

4 Myr Enforcer

Spells

2 Chromatic Sphere

4 Chromatic Star

1 Fling

4 Galvanic Blast

3 Perilous Research

4 Prophetic Prism

2 Springleaf Drum

4 Thoughtcast

Sideboard

3 Ancient Grudge

3 Hydroblast

4 Pyroblast

3 Raze

2 Standard Bearer

[/d]

This list from Vagar went 6-0 in the February 15 PE and is a good representation of Affinity after [c]Perilous Research[/c] became a thing. If you want [c]Disciple of the Vault[/c] in your list, try this winner from _SickDraw, and if you want more [c]Ardent Recruit[/c] style Affinity-aggro, try this list from badluckbandit. I’m highlighting Vagar’s list because [c]Perilous Research[/c] was responsible for a resurgence of Affinity decks in events. I also really like [c]Auriok Sunchaser[/c].

[d title=”Burn (jonyeh420)”]

Land

19 Mountain

Spells

4 Chain Lightning

4 Curse of the Pierced Heart

4 Fireblast

4 Flame Rift

4 Incinerate

4 Lava Spike

4 Lightning Bolt

3 Lightning Strike

4 Rift Bolt

4 Searing Spear

2 Shard Volley

Sideboard

3 Gorilla Shaman

2 Martyr of Ashes

2 Pyroblast

4 Searing Blaze

4 Smash to Smithereens

[/d]

Lightning Bolt to the face. Repeat 7 times. Win. This 5-0 list from jonyeh420 doesn’t fiddle with creatures. It is straight-up burn-to-the-face goodness, and that’s what we like. If you want a few creatures, [c]Keldon Marauders[/c] are usually the ones who make it in, e.g. this list from Zaripan94. [c]Kiln Fiend[/c] also makes the cut sometimes.

I recommend running no creatures, personally, or at most the 4 marauders. I also recommend reading Mike Flores’s recent re-iteration of the Philosophy of Fire, if you haven’t already. A must for all Magic players and especially Burn players.

[d title=”Esper Familiars (alfonso_666666)”]

Land

3 Azorius Chancery

3 Dimir Aqueduct

2 Evolving Wilds

7 Island

2 Plains

1 Seat of the Synod

2 Swamp

2 Terramorphic Expanse

Creatures

1 Archaeomancer

4 Cloud of Faeries

1 Lone Missionary

1 Mnemonic Wall

4 Mulldrifter

4 Nightscape Familiar

2 Sage’s Row Denizen

3 Sea Gate Oracle

4 Sunscape Familiar

Spells

3 Compulsive Research

2 Deep Analysis

2 Foresee

2 Ghostly Flicker

1 Reaping the Graves

4 Snap

Sideboard

1 Aether Tradewinds

1 Capsize

1 Deep Analysis

1 Divine Offering

2 Echoing Decay

2 Fade Away

1 Hoodwink

2 Lone Missionary

3 Prismatic Strands

1 Reaping the Graves

[/d]

Whatever evil was involved in [c]Temporal Fissure[/c] decks has been transported into Esper Familiars. This deck gives me a headache, but at least understand how it works with [c]Sage’s Row Denizen[/c]. The competing list from The_Raging_Flump doesn’t include the Denizen and I can’t fathom how you win except in the grindiest way imaginable. If that’s your kind of thing, go for it.

[d title=”Stompy (johan80)”]

Land

16 Forest

Creatures

4 Nettle Sentinel

4 Quirion Ranger

3 River Boa

2 Safehold Elite

4 Scattershot Archer

3 Silhana Ledgewalker

4 Skarrgan Pit-Skulk

4 Young Wolf

Spells

2 Gather Courage

4 Groundswell

2 Hunger of the Howlpack

4 Rancor

4 Vines of Vastwood

Sideboard

3 Fog

4 Gleeful Sabotage

4 Hornet Sting

1 Hunger of the Howlpack

1 River Boa

2 Viridian Longbow

[/d]

There are a lot of good Mono Green Stompy lists out there. I like this list from johan80 because it is built for a meta of MBC and Delver, and I think you are bound to see a lot of those decks in competitive play. There are similar lists from ThiagoAM and jsiri84 if you want some alternatives.

I could list Green One decks separately under Rogue, but they are really Stompy decks so I am going to put a couple lists here. Green One highlights one-CMC spells (almost exclusively) and have a number of ways to trick out a morbid [c]Hunger of the Howlpack[/c] onto something like [c]Silhana Ledgewalker[/c] and then just win. I personally prefer Green One to traditional Stompy. Check out a couple fun lists from deluxeicoff and Shaffawaffa5.

[d title=”UR Control (johan80)”]

Land

10 Island

4 Izzet Boilerworks

3 Izzet Guildgate

6 Mountain

Creatures

4 Delver of Secrets

4 Mulldrifter

3 Sea Gate Oracle

Spells

4 Compulsive Research

4 Counterspell

2 Electrostatic Bolt

3 Exclude

4 Firebolt

4 Flame Slash

1 Oona’s Grace

4 Preordain

Sideboard

1 Dispel

2 Electrickery

3 Gorilla Shaman

3 Hydroblast

3 Pyroblast

3 Spreading Seas

[/d]

I am pretty sure that johan80 came up with this list in the first place, but there are plenty of copycats. If I were to run a control deck in Pauper, this is the one I like. It is important to keep in mind, however, that savvy opponents know that if they kill your creatures you can only hit them for a max of 16 damage with [c]Firebolt[/c]. In the control mirror, casting Compulsive Research on your opponent can be the difference between who gets decked out first. Weird, but that’s how it goes. I could see a singleton [c]Curse of the Bloody Tome[/c] in the SB for just this purpose, too.

[d title=”BorosKitty / Kuldotha Boros (TGalbs)”]

Land

4 Ancient Den

4 Boros Garrison

4 Great Furnace

4 Kabira Crossroads

3 Mountain

1 Plains

Creatures

4 Glint Hawk

2 Guardian of the Guildpact

4 Kor Skyfisher

4 Squadron Hawk

Spells

2 Bonesplitter

2 Faithless Looting

1 Flame Slash

4 Galvanic Blast

4 Ichor Wellspring

4 Journey to Nowhere

1 Kuldotha Rebirth

4 Lightning Bolt

4 Prophetic Prism

Sideboard

4 Circle of Protection: Green

3 Circle of Protection: Red

4 Gorilla Shaman

4 Pyroblast

[/d]

This 6-0 list from TGalbs is a refined version of the original BorosKitty list named for player turbokitty3000. I like posting lists from the original brewer when I can, so here is one that turbokitty played, but I think TGalb’s version is more refined. This deck is grindy and resilient and, personally, I have never beat it. I’m also terrible at playing it, but I really like it, all the same.

[d title=”AzoriusKitty (Shaffawaffa5)”]

Lands

4 Azorius Chancery

2 Azorius Guildgate

4 Kabira Crossroads

8 Island

3 Plains

1 Lonely Sandbar

Creatures

4 Kor Skyfisher

4 Dream Stalker

4 Mulldrifter

2 Sea Gate Oracle

3 Lone Missionary

Spells

2 Reality Acid

4 Journey to Nowhere

2 Momentary Blink

4 Preordain

2 Serrated Arrows

4 Spreading Seas

3 Piracy Charm

Sideboard

1 Reality Acid

1 Piracy Charm

3 Kor Sanctifiers

2 Train of Thought

2 Holy Light

2 Circle of Protection: Black

2 Circle of Protection: Red

2 Hydroblast

[/d]

If you haven’t seen this decklist lately, you haven’t been reading our site. Dan is gearing up for Season 2 of the Pauper Gauntlet, and two versions of this deck will be competing. The one above is from David Shaffer (Shaffawaffa5) and is the one I prefer. The alternate version is from Power_T and utilizes [c]Sunscape Familiar[/c]. Definitely check out David’s article which explains how the deck works and contains a complete sideboard plan.

For kicks, also check out the list that turbokitty3000 used to win a Pauper 8-man yesterday.

[d title=”Goblins (deluxeicoff)”]

Land

18 Mountain

Creatures

4 Foundry Street Denizen

3 Goblin Arsonist

4 Goblin Bushwhacker

4 Goblin Cohort

4 Goblin Sledder

4 Mogg Conscripts

4 Mogg Raider

4 Mogg War Marshal

4 Sparksmith

Spells

3 Death Spark

4 Lightning Bolt

Sideboard

4 Flame Slash

2 Flaring Pain

2 Goblin Caves

4 Gorilla Shaman

3 Sylvok Lifestaff

[/d]

I like this deluxeicoff version of Goblins (it’s a pretty traditional list, really) because it runs all the things I find most troublesome when I play against Goblins. [c]Mogg Raider[/c] and [c]Goblin Sledder[/c] make blocks very difficult for your opponent and can null their removal. [c]Death Spark[/c] is an all-star, though it’s the card that most people have trouble playing well. Some lists were running [c]Goblin Matron[/c], but I honestly feel like she is too slow for the deck. If you want an alternate list, I like this one from Shredder34. The extra direct damage means all the Goblins have to do is get you started and then you can easily burn your opponent out.

[d title=”Mono Blue Control / MUC (Corrado)”]

Land

17 Island

3 Quicksand

Creatures

4 Delver of Secrets

2 Sea Gate Oracle

4 Spire Golem

Spells

4 Accumulated Knowledge

4 Counterspell

2 Deprive

2 Exclude

4 Miscalculation

1 Oona’s Grace

4 Piracy Charm

4 Preordain

2 Repeal

2 Repulse

1 Think Twice

Sideboard

2 Coast Watcher

3 Curse of Chains

1 Dispel

4 Hydroblast

1 Oona’s Grace

2 Serrated Arrows

2 Steel Sabotage

[/d]

Most MUC lists are pretty similar, and the goal is the same. Don’t let your opponent do anything. If that’s your kind of thing, this list from Corrado hits the right balance (for me) with its 2 Sea Gate Oracles. Check out these lists from ThiagoAM and oriver001 for a little variety.

Pauper Decks: Tier 1.5 and Tier 2

I actually don’t know what “Tier 1.5” means but I know it’s a thing. For me, these are decks that can win competitive events but they are less consistent. Usually decks are inconsistent in events because they need to avoid certain match-ups to win, or because they require good draws to go off. There are still a lot of fun, powerful decks here, though, so don’t be deterred. Play the deck you love.

[d title=”Domain Zoo (nathanp01)”]

Land

4 Evolving Wilds

9 Forest

1 Island

1 Mountain

1 Plains

4 Terramorphic Expanse

Creatures

2 Aura Gnarlid

4 Kor Skyfisher

2 Matca Rioters

2 Qasali Pridemage

4 Squadron Hawk

4 Wild Nacatl

Spells

4 Abundant Growth

2 Brainstorm

2 Lightning Bolt

4 Nylea’s Presence

2 Rancor

2 Staggershock

4 Tribal Flames

2 Unearth

Sideboard

2 Ancient Grudge

1 Armadillo Cloak

1 Electrickery

3 Gorilla Shaman

1 Hydroblast

2 Obsidian Acolyte

2 Pyroblast

2 Skyshroud Archer

1 Young Wolf

[/d]

In the past, lots of people tried to get Domain to work in Pauper. It wasn’t until we got [c]Nylea’s Presence[/c] that it really came together, though, and it was nathanp01 who first brought it into competitive play successfully. The version above is an earlier list, but still solid. Later lists from both nathanp01 and singer_from_sengir included [c]Skred[/c] which seems like it fits into this deck very well.

[d title=”GW Hexproof / Auras (Nyghtmare)”]

Land

14 Forest

4 Selesnya Guildgate

Creatures

4 Aura Gnarlid

4 Gladecover Scout

4 Silhana Ledgewalker

4 Slippery Bogle

Spells

4 Abundant Growth

3 Ancestral Mask

4 Armadillo Cloak

4 Ethereal Armor

3 Journey to Nowhere

4 Rancor

4 Utopia Sprawl

Sideboard

2 Circle of Protection: Red

3 Hornet Sting

1 Journey to Nowhere

3 Moment’s Peace

2 Ray of Revelation

4 Scattershot Archer

[/d]

A lot of the Hexproof lists were very similar in the last Premier Events. Maybe there is room for more innovation now with the Enchantment-heavy Theros block adding some cards to our pool. I chose to highlight this list from Nyghtmare because it doesn’t include the too-clunky Selesnya Sanctuary that some other lists ran, and because I liked the SB better than the other lists. Hexproof can just win, and sometimes it does, but it requires the right draws and it can be easy to hate out, which is why it doesn’t make it into Tier 1.

[d title=”Delver Fiend / One-Eyed Cyclops (surucucu)”]

Land

4 Great Furnace

4 Seat of the Synod

5 Island

2 Izzet Guildgate

2 Mountain

Creatures

4 Delver of Secrets

4 Kiln Fiend

4 Nivix Cyclops

Spells

3 Assault Strobe

4 Gitaxian Probe

4 Ponder

4 Preordain

4 Apostle’s Blessing

2 Dispel

1 Electrostatic Bolt

4 Lightning Bolt

2 Piracy Charm

3 Shadow Rift

Sideboard

2 Dispel

1 Piracy Charm

2 Electrickery

2 Flame Slash

1 Flaring Pain

3 Hydroblast

4 Pyroblast

[/d]

If Delver Fiend has had a constant champion, it’s surucucu, and his list has changed very little over time. This list is from just last month, and other than Guildgates over Terramorphic Expanse, it is unchanged from the list he ran in the last PEs. This list from motu_matukata is worth a look as well, though the two are very similar.

[d title=”Elves (Madhatted)”]

Land

12 Forest

1 Island

Creatures

4 Birchlore Rangers

1 Elvish Branchbender

4 Elvish Mystic

4 Elvish Visionary

3 Fyndhorn Elves

4 Llanowar Elves

4 Lys Alana Huntmaster

4 Nettle Sentinel

4 Priest of Titania

3 Quirion Ranger

3 Sylvan Ranger

4 Timberwatch Elf

Spells

4 Distant Melody

1 Mob Justice

Sideboard

3 Gleeful Sabotage

2 Scattershot Archer

2 Seedling Charm

2 Spidersilk Armor

2 Viridian Longbow

3 Wellwisher

1 Wrap in Vigor

[/d]

There were just two Elves lists in the PEs I looked at. I chose to highlight this one because it is somewhat less pre-sideboarded against Delver, but still has plenty of Delver hate for games 2 and 3. The other list is worth a look, and has Spidersilk Armor and Viridian Longbow in the main; good tech against Delver and stalled board states. I recommend either list if you want to play Elves.

[d title=”White Weenie (rickrolld)”]

Land

18 Plains

2 Secluded Steppe

Creatures

3 Benevolent Bodyguard

2 Doomed Traveler

2 Guardian of the Guildpact

1 Hopeful Eidolon

4 Icatian Javelineers

4 Kor Skyfisher

3 Leonin Skyhunter

4 Loyal Cathar

3 Razor Golem

4 Squadron Hawk

Spells

4 Bonesplitter

4 Journey to Nowhere

2 Last Breath

Sideboard

2 Celestial Flare

1 Cenn’s Enlistment

1 Disenchant

1 Divine Offering

1 Dust to Dust

1 Kor Sanctifiers

3 Obsidian Acolyte

2 Prismatic Strands

3 Standard Bearer

[/d]

This is a very traditional list from rickrolld, and it can be very strong depending on the meta. White Weenie is surprisingly good against Delver, for instance. If you want something a little different, check out this list from flascker.

[d title=”Slivers (TheBaartol)”]

Land

10 Forest

10 Plains

2 Selesnya Guildgate

Creatures

4 Muscle Sliver

4 Plated Sliver

4 Predatory Sliver

4 Sidewinder Sliver

4 Sinew Sliver

2 Spinneret Sliver

4 Talon Sliver

4 Virulent Sliver

Spells

4 Commune with Nature

4 Journey to Nowhere

Sideboard

4 Circle of Protection: Red

2 Gleeful Sabotage

3 Obsidian Acolyte

2 Spinneret Sliver

4 Standard Bearer

[/d]

Slivers are pretty strong against other creature-based decks, but they fold to well-timed removal and they don’t have any way to protect themselves. This list from TheBaartol is straight-forward in its approach: get out a lot of Slivers, beat face. What’s not to like?

[d title=”RUG Tron / Urza Tron (Avignon)”]

Land

1 Haunted Fengraf

1 Island

1 Khalni Garden

2 Mountain

1 Quicksand

1 Remote Isle

1 Shimmering Grotto

4 Urza’s Mine

4 Urza’s Power Plant

4 Urza’s Tower

Creatures

3 Fangren Marauder

4 Mulldrifter

4 Sea Gate Oracle

1 Ulamog’s Crusher

Spells

4 Ancient Stirrings

4 Chromatic Sphere

4 Chromatic Star

1 Compulsive Research

4 Expedition Map

4 Firebolt

1 Flame Slash

4 Prophetic Prism

2 Rolling Thunder

Sideboard

1 Ancient Grudge

2 Arc Lightning

2 Circle of Protection: Green

3 Circle of Protection: Red

1 Fangren Marauder

1 Flame Slash

2 Pyroblast

2 Ray of Revelation

1 Serrated Arrows

[/d]

If you’re going to play Tron, I think you should play RUG Tron, and if you’re going to play RUG Tron, I think you should play Avignon’s list. He has spent a lot of time tuning it, and I think it is pretty optimal. Let me know if you have lists you like more.

[d title=”UB Trinket Control (Power_T)”]

Land

4 Dimir Aqueduct

1 Island

1 Bojuka Bog

7 Swamp

3 Vault of Whispers

1 Barren Moor

4 Terramorphic Expanse

Creatures

4 Fume Spitter

4 Augur of Skulls

2 Chittering Rats

3 Crypt Rats

3 Trinket Mage

4 Mulldrifter

Spells

2 Executioner’s Capsule

1 Sylvok Lifestaff

3 Undying Evil

3 Tragic Slip

4 Sign in Blood

4 Diabolic Edict

2 Grim Harvest

Sideboard

4 Duress

1 Nihil Spellbomb

1 Sylvok Lifestaff

2 Deep Analysis

2 Chittering Rats

2 Chainer’s Edict

2 Spinning Darkness

1 Crypt Rats

[/d]

I love UB Trinket Control, and if there was ever an “official list” for the deck, this is it. Trinket is a toolbox control deck that is good at beating other control decks. I feel like MBC is the stronger deck since [c]Gray Merchant[/c] was printed, though, even if it isn’t quite as fun to play. UB Teachings is another viable control deck, played by veteran someoldguy.

[d title=”Illusory Tricks (bava)”]

Land

18 Island

1 Quicksand

Creatures

4 Krovikan Mist

4 Dream Stalker

4 Cloudfin Raptor

2 Phantasmal Bear

3 Fathom Seer

3 Spire Golem

2 Stormbound Geist

1 Mulldrifter

Spells

4 Counterspell

4 Vapor Snag

4 Preordain

2 Piracy Charm

2 Deprive

Artifacts

2 Bonesplitter

Sideboard

2 Stormbound Geist

4 Hydroblast

2 Coral Net

2 Curse of Chains

3 Mulldrifter

2 Serrated Arrows

[/d]

Illusory Tricks doesn’t show up often (ever) in PEs, but I maintain that’s because people don’t know about it or think it’s just a “worse Delver.” The fact is that Tricks is very well-tuned to beat both Delver and MBC, and should be considered for those reasons alone. This is my most recent list, built with help from Chris Weaver (cweaver) who played it for awhile before returning to Delver.

Pauper Decks: Rogue Lists

Really, you want more lists? The fact is, the Pauper format loves Rogue decks, and there are just too many to list. Follow Deluxeicoff on Facebook to see his fun lists. Otherwise, post your own lists in the comments below. I’d love to see them!

Thanks for reading and I hope that from all these lists you’ll be able to find a winning deck that you love playing.

Until next time, keep on looting.

-bava