



Welcome to Shadows over Innistrad, pauper style! Our Technical Administrator Feyd_Ruin has pored over every single common card in this upcoming set, giving his take on what cards for Pauper enthusiasts to look out for.



We return to the dark world of Innistrad, and once again it provides us new and exciting gifts for Pauper. Every set and every block grows the list of Pauper potential, but the first Innistrad block favored us with many format-defining staples. Delver of Secrets, Faithless Looting, Midnight Guard, Ghostly Flicker, and Cloudshift all came from Innistrad block. Many of us in the Pauper world have waited with bated breath to see if the revisiting will likewise be as rewarding. Now that Shadows of Innistrad is fully revealed, I can say that an impact will definitely be felt.

The Madness of Innistrad

From the infamous U/G Madness to the pervasive G/B Dead Dog, madness has long been a staple of Pauper. Madness had many of its icons and support cards printed in common, and this allowed the mechanic to translate into the Pauper world very well. A new round of potential additions is more then welcomed, and every card that says the word "madness" on it will be eyed with scrutiny. There are seven new madness cards for us to consider, and with such a small count, we should look at each of them.



We start with Alms of the Vein, a black rendition of Fiery Temper. Alms falls short of its red predecessor by not hitting creatures, but the life-gain involved is very interesting. The black variants of Madness tend to be much more grindy, with Grave Scrabbler and Tortured Existence pushing the mid-game. Life-gain is never to be dismissed in the grind, and I think Alms does have some potential there.



Bloodmad Vampire is a contender for red to show up in more madness builds. If you can land Putrid Imp or the new Insolent Neonate as first turn enablers, then Bloodmad Vampire coming down on the second turn can be a strong play. Red gives us plenty of removal, so Bloodmad can have a clear path to grow bigger. Its lower toughness is removal-weak, but most things are in Pauper. I will definitely try a red madness brew.



A majority of U/G Madness decks run some form of bounce to add tempo to their game, and Just the Wind gives them another option. Having madness always offers more possibilities, and I would choose this over Unsummon or Vapor Snag every time. Those that are more concerned with noncreature targets and run Echoing Truth may want to stick with what they have.

Murderous Compulsion raises my curiosity, but I am still skeptical of its power. This effect has cost BB and 2B in the past, so we are already ahead of the curve. Adding madness is pure benefit. That said, relying on your target being tapped to use your spell is very stifling. I would want something much less narrow.



Obsessive Search was strong for as simple as it was, so Nagging Thoughts is definitely worth some strong consideration. Deep Analysis is the go-to card for additional draws, and there are a lot of differences between the two to be weighed. I do not think that Nagging Thoughts is strong enough to replace Deep Analysis, but it is worth testing out.



Senseless Rage is fairly unexciting, but it might find a home in red Madness decks - if only to fill out Red's spot in the deck. With discard outlets giving it instant speed, Senseless Rage can be just as defensive as aggressive. It can save creatures from Lightning Bolts and bad trades. The aforementioned Bloodmad Vampire could definitely benefit from some extra toughness. It is not overly impressive, but if Red can push a Madness deck toward speedy beats, this definitely helps.



We saved the best for last: Twins of Maurer Estate. A generic 3/5 is not overly exciting, but when you can madness it in for three mana, it becomes something well worthy of note. Online Pauper has had Arrogant Wurm for a couple of years now, but paper Pauper has been lacking in a larger madness body. Its lack of abilities makes it feel fairly unexciting, but it is actually a rock-solid drop to madness in on the third turn. Its three power can kill almost anything it sees early on, and its five toughness means your opponent usually has to take the wrong end of a 2-for-1 to get rid of it. This is not quite the Arrogant Wurm paper Pauper has been wishing for, but it is a strong beater worthy of play.

Investigating the Horrors

Ichor Wellspring has become a mainstay of multiple decks. Reusing Wellspring to draw a card off of two mana over and over is something that has proven itself to be surprisingly strong in Pauper. While investigate will have a hard time replacing Wellspring itself, it is absolutely something worthy of use. Pumping out Clue tokens and then sacrificing them when you have the mana for it is a sound strategy, at least in theory. Looking at the commons that actually received this mechanic, however, is very disheartening. They all seem to be ineffective, overcosted, or just a little too narrow for consistent main deck use and abuse. They are not inherently bad, but the draw they can give you just does not make up for their lack of a meaningful impact on the game. One exception to this stands out: Thraben Inspector.



Thraben Inspector is only mediocre on its own. Combine it with some bounce for reuse, however, and that tune instantly changes. If you can start bouncing her, you can start racking up Clues and draws. The oft-used Kor Skyfisher can follow it on turn two for some strong tempo. Wellspring, Acid Trip, Boros Kitty - there are a myriad of decks that already abuse the "bounce my creature for benefit," and the Inspector can fit in nicely. As a one drop, it can bounce more easily than others and leave the actual drawing for when you have free mana.

Deep into Delirium

Delirium was definitely not made for pauper. Getting delirium in this format is not an easy task; it is something you have to specifically aim to do. You could dredge and self-mill your way there fairly well, however the common delirium cards are not worth the trouble. Most are simply outclassed, as is the case of Might Beyond Reason, which falls far short of Hunger of the Howlpack, or the benefits are just too little for the trouble. The only delirium card I find interesting is Moldgraf Scavenger. It fits a grindy midgame well, being an early defender and a late attacker. It might find a home, but only for a deck that already aims to fill its graveyard and can naturally support delirium.

Alone in the Dark

Now that we took a good look at all the cards with the set's main mechanics, we can delve into potential cards that stand apart. In Pauper, one should never write off a fringe card. I leave final judgment to the playtest, but these are the ones that seem most plausible. Shadows Over Innistrad gives us some gems that will likely see play, and quite a few more candidates that may or may not make the cut.



Let us start with the first one that caught many eyes: Pieces of the Puzzle. This card is pure value, and it already has a home. Many Teachings decks have evolved to run low creature counts, or even no creatures. Pieces fits in here perfectly. Four- and five-color Skred Teachings decks are often pure instants and sorceries, making Pieces a beautiful addition which always grabs two. This can easily replace Think Twice in their lists, making Teachings and Pieces a dual engine to run the deck.



Another card that could become the star of a deck is Pyre Hound. It is Kiln Fiend's slow but steady cousin. Four mana is not as harsh here in Pauper as in other places, and being able to grow it offers more protection. I do not expect Kiln Fiend lists to bother with Pyre Hound, but it is an alternative for a more control-oriented version of the concept. Kiln Fiend tries to sneak in quickly and walk away with a win out of nowhere. Pyre Hound wants to go slow and steady. One spell puts it out of Bolt range, which is something Kiln never gets out of. Instead of comboing a quick win, you can employ spellslinger control to stop your opponent, while growing a threat which leads to the inevitable. It is worth a brew.

One more to mention at length is Sanitarium Skeleton. It is another simple and elegant card that hides some real power. We have had a few recursive creatures before, such as Mortus Strider, but nothing that has held real power. Sanitarium Skeleton's quick and easy recurrence will most likely see play if only because of its strong synergy with Tortured Existence. Decks running it generally fill their graveyard and recur threats for a mid-to-late game kill. Sanitarium Skeleton fits this beautifully. On any mid-game turn, it ensures you get back whatever creature you want for only four mana. Its other synergies, such as with spellshaper-types, can also give it a nice home. I expect it to make lists, even if it takes a while to catch on.

The Honorable Few

We can get by with only brief mentions of the other cards, as they are less impactful and more apparent.

Angelic Purge - I am not sure how much better it could be than Oblivion Ring, but if you already run Ichor Wellspring, the sacrifice part seems less problematic.

Explosive Apparatus - This can fit well inside of some Trinket Mage packages. Although a little costly, it can kill things that Viridian Longbow is a little short on.

Deny Existence - I would generally choose Exclude over this, but recursion is growing in Pauper, and exiling can well be worth the trade. I could definitely see this in some sideboard lists.

Loam Dryad - Springleaf Drum is a stellar card, but putting it on a green creature defeats the purpose. Springleaf is usually played when there is a lack of green fixing, but the popularity of Springleaf keeps me from dismissing this variant.

Militant Inquisitor - With a few equipment out, it is a beast. Metalcraft lists almost all use equipment, and with some tweaking, Inquisitor could be a decent finisher.

Stoic Builder - Tilling Treefolk already sees some play, and we trade a land return for a more aggressive body. Returning Evolving Wilds or self-milled lands makes for some strong mid game plays.

Stromkirk Mentor - With this and Vampiric Fury, we now have two cards that give benefit to a Vampire tribe. While both are very decent cards, they may not be strong enough to merit limiting your creature selection to Vampires only. We are definitely close to the breaking point where Vampire Tribal becomes a legitimate deck beyond its flavor, but it will take some actual testing to see if we have gotten there yet.

Uncaged Fury - We have a few double strike spells now, and Uncaged Fury's simple +1/+1 gives it an edge in some decks. Temur Battle Rage will definitely stay the go-to card for Kiln Fiend-style kill shots, but Uncaged Fury can pack a slightly larger punch.

Dearly Departed

That rounds out the strong contenders from Shadows over Innistrad to see serious Pauper play. Perhaps there are hidden gems that I missed. Did you see a diamond in the rough that I overlooked? Let me know in the comments below.