Pauper is without a doubt my favorite format to play. The card interactions, the low-risk of brewing, the vast card pool and the large array of potential decks all exhibit elements of Magic I enjoy: Playing, brewing, and learning a deck in and out.

This is why the recent change with the Pauper dailies has me concerned, and thus, I’ve felt the need to do a bit of shameless Pauper plugging. With three-round dailies now the norm, we’ve seen less turnout for sanctioned Pauper events. The impact the changes in daily events can be seen in the types of decks we now see topping these events. A lot of the format’s grinder base has left for the time being, resulting in less “Tier-1” staples such as Stompy and Delver and fare more instances of "rogue" decks popping up into the 3-0 circle.

Inspired by Tom Scud and his former research into the dailies, I spent the weekend going over the daily results and put together a list of every deck played, the numbers played and records. Saturday and Sunday both featured two daily events providing a total of 90 decks over the weekend. It’s kind of sad how just a few months ago, four-round Pauper dailies were firing with 90 participants or more.

The 3-0 decklists from the weekend included: 3 UB Angler, 3 Nivix Blitz, 2 GW Hexproof, 1 Mono Blue Control, 1 Elves and 1 UB Angler Control, which is a slightly slower Angler build with Mystical Teachings.

It also should be noted that deluxiecoff piloted both of the 3-0 Hexproof lists, which seemed to be a great meta call for the weekend with every Hexproof list but one going 2-1 or better.

In the 2-1 bracket, Esper Combo was represented three times, Delver and Mono Black Control four times apiece and White Weenie three times. An interesting takeaway is that traditional White Weenie was featured far more than the tokens build, which had appearances, but did not enter the winner’s circle. Affinity seemed to be less popular as well, with only five decks appearing in four dailies, and only one going 2-1.

Nivix Blitz, Eye Candy Kiln Fiend Combo was the big winner of the weekend, representing 9 percent of the field during the weekend and putting three 3-0 lists at the top. While it may seem surprising with the number of black decks participating, it should be noted that the power of Gush really seems to put the deck at a new level of power. Refilling for free while adding a spell can be ridiculous and unless the removal is perfect, impossible to beat.

Back to my original point, you, yes, YOU, should check Pauper out. There is a deck for you.

We have aggro decks, tempo decks, control decks, combo decks, etc. Not to mention there is room for brewing. During this past weekend, half of the field were decks not classified in the traditional pillars of the Pauper format. Boros Kitty, Azorius Kitty, Burn and others are perfectly reasonable decks that simply were not popular this time around.

Pauper, as an eternal format, also rewards players for sticking with a deck and learning the matchups, variables and other elements. This is probably my biggest downfall with the format. I never fall in love with a deck for more than a few weeks. It’s okay. Pauper is affordable for folks like me who are fickle with their deck choices.

An example of this was a Mono Blue Control deck that went 2-1 or better in three of the four dailies. It’s a list that the pilot obviously has experience with and was thus rewarded for knowing the deck and the matchups. Kuldotha Mardu piloted by MadTricks also went 2-1 during one of the Sunday dailies.

Brew, people. Just brew.

If you want a prime example of diversity within a format, just look at the number of Mono Blue decks you can play right now. Delver is your obvious Tier-1 choice, but Illusory Tricks is a deck with actual game, the Mono Blue Faeries deck playing Faerie Miscreant is something a lot of people are brewing around, plus old-school Mono Blue Control with Accumulated Knowledge and Spire Golems.

Mono Green comes in similar flavors, with Stompy and Elves both very good, but with vastly different play styles. Pick one up. I dare you!

Coming back to tournament turnout, if we look at the last three PCT events, you’ll see attendance numbers at 37 for PCT 6.76, 31 for 6.75 and 28 for 6.74. These are sizeable turnouts for tournaments that don’t really offer insane prize support. People show up to these tournaments because of the format as well as the community that PCT has really created. The added appeal of a free tournament versus the dailies is the room for creativity, while still maintaining a high quality of decks and players frequenting the Top 8. Look. Another shameless plug for something I enjoy. Go play PCT!

Speaking of PCT, I wanted to discuss a bit about the latest PCT, 6.76 which was held Tuesday, Oct. 13. I am sorry to say that the Jund list modeled after the one in Alex Ullman’s latest article did not carry me to a top 8 appearance. I finished with a weak 3-1 record, including a bye and a grind-fest of a first-round that ended in my defeat. I am pleased to say I thoroughly enjoyed beating up on blue decks for the last two rounds. My list was almost identical to Ullman’s, with a few sideboard changes (sorry Gorilla Shaman, but I’m not shelling out for you anytime soon).

One of the perks of the format generally slowing down a tick is that it allows for decks like this Jund list to exist. A very similar list 3-0’d a recent daily and really shows how grindy, attrition-based strategies can flourish in a less-hostile environment. Playing a tapped land on turn one or not having all three colors until turns four or five never really impacted what I was doing throughout the tournament. In fact, the lifegain from the lands has been a big player in how the deck can slowly grind its way into the late game.

The reason to play this deck is the combination of efficient removal spells and creatures. Cards like Lightning Bolt, Firebolt and Chainer’s Edict provide the list with a wide array of answers while Putrid Leech, Shambling Shell and obviously Gurmag Angler put a legitimate clock on the opponent. Shambling Shell was exceptionally good in any long game, being able to block a larger threat while giving a permanent pump to another creature.

If I played the list again, I probably wouldn’t change much. I might increase Invasive Species to a two-of, as rebuying a Satyr Wayfinder or Phyrexian Rager is obviously useful. It also proved useful against Narcolepsy-style enchantments, freeing up a creature and providing three points of power to the board. Additionally, it was quite useful in conjunction with Bojuka Bog to keep opposing delve shenanigans at a minimum.

Overall, this is a list I like a lot and plan on testing further. Everyone who knows me knows about my love for terribly inconsistent three-color decks, but this one actually gains some power when it gives up consistency.

Alright, folks. I'm done making my pitch to come play with commons. Check out the format. Check out the community.

Thanks for reading!