On March 29^th the second Pauper Premier Event was held on MTGO. Just like the last time, MBC came out on top. Just like before, MBC was the most played deck in the top 8.

Let us look at the top 32.

Mono-Black Control seems to be the deck to gun for in the post-sanctioned Pauper world. This deck, one time relegated to second tier status during the era of PDC, is the force to reckon with if you want come out on top. Fully 18 MBC decks were played in the field of 107, and five made top 32, with three of those making the top 8.

However, this is not the same deck that SlashRus piloted to a win in the first PE. No, there are some subtle, but important differences:

MBC

1st Place By SlashRus, Pauper PE 1

Creatures 4 Chittering Rats 4 Crypt Rats 2 Okiba-Gang Shinobi 4 Phyrexian Rager 4 Twisted Abomination 4 Warren Pilferers 22 cards Other Spells 4 Corrupt 4 Diabolic Edict 3 Distress 3 Tendrils of Corruption 14 cards

Lands 24 Swamp 24 cards Sideboard 1 Death Denied 1 Distress 3 Dross Golem 4 Duress 4 Echoing Decay 1 Okiba-Gang Shinobi 1 Tendrils of Corruption 15 cards

MBC

1st Place By KoboldOverlord, Pauper PE 2

Creatures 4 Chittering Rats 4 Crypt Rats 2 Okiba-Gang Shinobi 3 Phyrexian Rager 4 Twisted Abomination 3 Warren Pilferers 20 cards Other Spells 4 Corrupt 2 Diabolic Edict 4 Distress 2 Echoing Decay 4 Tendrils of Corruption 16 cards

Lands 3 Barren Moor 21 Swamp 24 cards Sideboard 1 Augur of Skulls 1 Diabolic Edict 3 Dross Golem 4 Duress 3 Relic of Progenitus 1 Stinkweed Imp 2 Unmake 15 cards

Kobold's deck runs less removal and favors a more “in your face” discard option of Okiba-Gang Shinobi. This is a reaction to the skewing of the metagame. Shinobi is a key card against other control decks as well as in the mirror. A rise in MBC usually means a rise in Mono-Blue, where any one creature can often represent a true threat, since Shinobi is, in all likelihood, the single most dangerous creature to the Blue menace. Therefore, it makes sense to see a large portion of Black decks running the ninja as a foil to the other monoliths of the format.

The other big innovation is the Relic of Progenitus in the sideboard. It seems that this time around, people were afraid of MBC's recursive power and many sideboards packed this innocuous artifact that just so happens to have game against decks like Storm and Threshold as well.

Three Color Cloak

2nd Place by bobafett501st

Creatures 4 Armadillo Cloak 4 Basking Rootwalla 4 Guardian of the Guildpact 4 River Boa 4 Silhana Ledgewalker 4 Wild Mongrel 4 Wild Nacatl 28 cards Other Spells 2 Firebolt 4 Incinerate 4 Lightning Bolt 10 cards

Lands 5 Forest 7 Mountain 4 Plains 4 Terramorphic Expanse 2 Tranquil Thicket 22 cards Sideboard 1 Ancient Grudge 1 Circle of Protection: Black 4 Circle of Protection: Red 4 Obsidian Acolyte 4 Pyroblast 1 Ray of Revelation 15 cards

In second we have an old standby in three color Cloak. Those who know me will understand when I say that I am not a fan of this deck, regardless of its high placing, in that it seeks to build a deck that optimizes the namesake Aura rather than have the Aura optimize the deck. That being said, bobafett's deck was perfectly positioned to work through the field with strong sideboard options and the Tendril's proof Guardian of the Guildpact. If decks like this catch on, however, I expect MBC to move away from a full suite of Tendrils and move to Diabolic Edicts and start incorporating the full four Unmakes main.

GW Hate

3rd Place by YouJustGotStrunked

Creatures 4 Armadillo Cloak 4 Basking Rootwalla 4 Benevolent Bodyguard 4 Llanowar Knight 4 Safehold Elite 3 Steward of Valeron 4 Valeron Outlander 3 Wild Mongrel 30 cards Other Spells 4 Oblivion Ring 4 Shield of the Oversoul 8 cards

Lands 9 Forest 9 Plains 4 Terramorphic Expanse 22 cards Sideboard 3 Aven Riftwatcher 4 Circle of Protection: Red 4 Hallow 3 Naturalize 1 Ray of Revelation 15 cards

In third we have what can only be described as Pauper's version of GW Haterator. Another Cloak deck, this one ran the full eight Protection from Black bears. Combined with the incredibly strong Armadillo Cloak and Shield of the Oversoul, this deck was positioned for a run at the top and appears to have come ever so close. The great thing about this deck is that it can be easily modified and streamlined for a more diverse metagame taking the same on curve beats and resilient creature package into any field that does not pack Swirling Sandstorm.

Martyr Harvest

4th Place by BryTheFryGuy

Creatures 4 Children of Korlis 4 Guardian of the Guildpact 4 Martyr of Sands 2 Shrieking Grotesque 14 cards Other Spells 4 Castigate 1 Cenn's Enlistment 1 Disturbed Burial 2 Evincar's Justice 4 Faith's Fetters 4 Grim Harvest 4 Oblivion Ring 2 Shred Memory 15 cards

Lands 4 Barren Moor 4 Orzhov Basilica 4 Secluded Steppe 3 Snow-Covered Plains 5 Snow-Covered Swamp 4 Terramorphic Expanse 24 cards Sideboard 4 Exile 4 Kami of False Hope 3 Okiba-Gang Shinobi 4 Prismatic Strands 15 cards

Fourth brings something rather innovative. A Martyr Lock deck has long been discussed on the PDCMagic boards and was once the bane of the Euro events by “never ever netdecked nick#####.” Nick would often run a four color special that would lock you out with Grim Harvest and Kami of False Hope, and run a whole kitchen sink of cards that would make you go “buh?” Bry, however, streamlined that package, finding a whole slew of creatures that accomplish the same effect as the Kami lock while fitting in quite a few spicy win conditions. Both (Envicar's Justice) and Cenn's Enlistment are god long game choices, especailly when combined with the evasive beats of a Grotesque. Moving forward, I'm wondering if this deck would be better served with Blind Hunter on the flying slot and Twisted Abomination over Guardian.

The future, however, does not look great for this deck. Much like Storm, this is the type of deck that does incredibly well when people are not ready for it. Now that it made top four and is being paraded around Tournament Practice, people will have a plan.

Storm

5th Place by Ben Ani

Creatures 0 cards Other Spells 4 Cabal Ritual 4 Chromatic Sphere 2 Chromatic Star 3 Compulsive Research 4 Dark Ritual 1 Empty the Warrens 4 Grapeshot 4 Ideas Unbound 4 Lotus Petal 4 Manamorphose 4 Ponder 4 Rite of Flame 2 Seething Song 2 Shred Memory 46 cards

Lands 4 Ancient Spring 4 Irrigation Ditch 2 Snow-Covered Island 4 Sulfur Vent 14 cards Sideboard 4 Deep Analysis 3 Duress 2 Echoing Truth 1 Empty the Warrens 2 Flaring Pain 3 Pyroblast 15 cards

Speaking of Storm, Ben Ani took the deck to a fifth place finish, incorporating the current trend of both Grapeshot and Empty the Warrens main to help fight the hate that was present in most Sliver decks.

Affinity

7th Place by intherain

Creatures 4 Disciple of the Vault 4 Frogmite 2 Krark-Clan Shaman 4 Myr Enforcer 4 Somber Hoverguard 18 cards Other Spells 3 Chromatic Sphere 4 Chromatic Star 4 Lotus Petal 4 Pyrite Spellbomb 4 Rush of Knowledge 3 Springleaf Drum 4 Thoughtcast 26 cards

Lands 4 Ancient Den 4 Great Furnace 4 Seat of the Synod 4 Vault of Whispers 16 cards Sideboard 3 Circle of Protection: Black 2 Circle of Protection: Red 4 Gorilla Shaman 3 Hydroblast 3 Pyroblast 15 cards

Between the MBC captured sixth and eighth places, we have Affinity sitting comfortably in seventh. Our hero, intherain, has amalgamated three distinct builds- Rush of Knowledge, Disciple of the Vault/Krark-Clan Shaman, and Glaze Fiend- and tuned them into one impressive beast. This is an Affinity deck that can attack you from multiple angles, although gives up some of the top end attackers without Quicksilver Behemoth. This version plays a combo-control game, often clogging up the ground until it either has bigger creatures than you or has enough pieces to kill you outright with Disciple.

Not featured here is the rediscovered tech of Affinity running Storm. Back in the PDC Dark Ages, Affinity would often run a singleton Temporal Fissure so that after it emptied its hand, it would take out half the permanents on the opponents board, setting them back to turn three, and proceed to just win. While Fissure is far too expensive nowadays, many decks have taken to running Reaping the Graves as a way to refuel after a Crypt Rats activation. Tech.

RG Aggro

10th Place by gnomo

Creatures 4 Keldon Marauders 2 Nacatl Outlander 1 Pincher Beetles 1 Scab-Clan Mauler 2 Vithian Stinger 4 Wild Nacatl 14 cards Other Spells 4 Firebolt 2 Flame Jab 4 Incinerate 4 Jolrael\'s Centaur 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Rift Bolt 2 Shock 20 cards

Lands 7 Forest 1 Forgotten Cave 1 Gruul Turf 7 Mountain 1 Plains 4 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Tranquil Thicket 22 cards Sideboard 4 Ancient Grudge 2 Giant Growth 2 Giant Strength 2 Ray of Revelation 2 Vithian Stinger 3 Whitemane Lion 15 cards

Tenth place takes us to our next new archetype, and would you look at that- RG Aggro. I will not go into this deck in detail, except to say that gnomo made some changes that I do not agree with, but seem to have been spot on for the day, with more Shroud creatures and some dudes that cannot be stopped by Artifacts. I wonder if these changes were made for power purposes, or the expense of Mongrel and Fanatic. Out of the three people running an adaptation of the RG deck I proposed, gnomo was the only one to finish in the top 32.

Red Deck Wins

13th Place by BishCoddler

Creatures 4 Goblin Cohort 4 Heartlash Cinder 4 Inner-Flame Acolyte 4 Keldon Marauders 4 Mogg Conscripts 4 Mogg Fanatic 4 Mudbrawler Cohort 4 Spark Elemental 2 Sparksmith 34 cards Other Spells 4 Incinerate 4 Lightning Bolt 8 cards

Lands 18 Mountain 18 cards Sideboard 3 Flaring Pain 4 Gorilla Shaman 4 Pyroblast 2 Shock 2 Sparksmith 15 cards

After two more Affinity decks, we see hybrid Goblin/Burn deck. Lacking the true utility of Sligh or RDW, this deck tries to force through a ton of damage, but unlike Burn does so with creatures. This is an interesting turn of events for the Red deck as it seeks to improve the MBC pairing. One wonders if it can adopt the Reaping the Graves tech and perhaps move another step closer, a la Goblin Bidding of Block gone by. The deck in 16^th place takes another look at what the new face of Red might look like:

Red Deck Wins

16th Place by Murkkis

Creatures 4 Keldon Marauders 4 Mogg Fanatic 4 Mogg War Marshal 4 Oxidda Golem 16 cards Other Spells 4 Fireblast 3 Firebolt 4 Incinerate 4 Lava Spike 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Rift Bolt 22 cards

Lands 22 Snow-Covered Mountain 22 cards Sideboard 3 Flaring Pain 4 Martyr of Ashes 4 Skred 4 Smash to Smithereens 15 cards

20^th place holds the first “Burn” deck:

MUC

14th Place by Weta

Creatures 2 Errant Ephemeron 2 Fathom Seer 4 Spire Golem 8 cards Other Spells 4 Counterspell 1 Echoing Truth 4 Exclude 3 Force Spike 3 Impulse 2 Piracy Charm 3 Repulse 4 Rune Snag 4 Think Twice 28 cards

Lands 23 Island 1 Snow-Covered Island 24 cards Sideboard 4 Coral Net 3 Deep Analysis 3 Echoing Truth 1 Errant Ephemeron 4 Mana Chains 15 cards

GoblinStorm

15th Place by Vainis

Creatures 3 Dimir House Guard 3 cards Other Spells 2 Brightstone Ritual 4 Cabal Ritual 4 Chromatic Star 4 Dark Ritual 3 Distant Melody 4 Empty the Warrens 4 Impulse 3 Lotus Petal 4 Manamorphose 4 Rite of Flame 1 Roar of the Crowd 2 Seething Song 39 cards

Lands 3 Ancient Spring 1 Dimir Aqueduct 1 Geothermal Crevice 2 Island 2 Izzet Boilerworks 1 Mountain 4 Sulfur Vent 2 Swamp 2 Terramorphic Expanse 18 cards Sideboard 2 Circle of Protection: Black 2 Circle of Protection: Red 4 Duress 4 Ghastly Demise 3 Wail of the Nim 15 cards

In 14^th and15th respectively we see relatively standard builds of MUC and GoblinStorm. Well, it would be Standard if MUC was not running Impulse. This, however, is a fantastic choice. This allows Blue to run more effective answers, as it can just dig four deep and find exactly what it needs. I would not be surprised to see this change catch on.

Izzet

17th Place by ghweiss

Creatures 2 Izzet Chronarch 4 Mulldrifter 3 Razorfin Hunter 4 Riverfall Mimic 2 Steamcore Weird 4 Wee Dragonauts 19 cards Other Spells 3 Clout of the Dominus 4 Compulsive Research 2 Jilt 1 Kaervek\'s Torch 3 Lava Dart 4 Lightning Bolt 16 cards

Lands 4 Izzet Boilerworks 8 Snow-Covered Island 8 Snow-Covered Mountain 4 Terramorphic Expanse 24 cards Sideboard 4 Hydroblast 4 Martyr of Ashes 1 Negate 4 Pyroblast 2 Repeal 15 cards

To call the deck in 17^th odd is an understatement. A hybrid of Clout decks from PDC Standard and Dragonaut aggro from Classic seasons gone by, this deck is just chock full of good cards. There is gold to be found in this deck, but to me, there is work to be done. Could be I'm wrong, though.

UG Tempo

18th Place by uspdudes

Creatures 4 Basking Rootwalla 4 Essence Warden 3 Fathom Seer 4 Ninja of the Deep Hours 4 Wild Mongrel 19 cards Other Spells 4 Careful Study 4 Counterspell 4 Deep Analysis 4 Echoing Truth 4 Memory Lapse 20 cards

Lands 8 Forest 9 Island 4 Terramorphic Expanse 21 cards Sideboard 3 Annul 4 Gleeful Sabotage 4 Hydroblast 11 cards

The deck in 18^th is something near and dear to my heart in UG aggro-control, but calling this deck Deep Dog is an insult to the Savage [D]astard. This is much more a pure tempo deck, seeking to just keep the opponent off balance. However, some choices, like Essence Warden, just seem odd, where a card like Werebear or Springing Tiger just seems, well, stronger.

Fish

19th Place by Yakes604

Creatures 3 Faerie Squadron 3 Looter il-Kor 4 Mothdust Changeling 4 Ninja of the Deep Hours 2 Pestermite 3 Shrieking Drake 4 Spellstutter Sprite 4 Spire Golem 27 cards Other Spells 3 Brainstorm 4 Counterspell 3 Force Spike 3 Rushing River 13 cards

Lands 16 Island 4 Lonely Sandbar 20 cards Sideboard 2 Gigadrowse 3 Moonglove Extract 2 Negate 3 Remove Soul 3 Remove Soul 2 Silvergill Douser 12 cards

19^th place and another new archetype to the top tables of Pauper in Mono-Blue Aggro. This deck hybridizes the old Fish builds with some new Faerie technology and seeks to fix late game lulls with limited standout Rushing River and interesting choice Shrieking Drake, which can reset a Pestermite or Spellstutter Sprite. This is definitely a deck that warrants further investigation.

Slivers

22nd Place by vslo

Creatures 2 Gemhide Sliver 4 Muscle Sliver 4 Plated Sliver 4 Sidewinder Sliver 4 Sinew Sliver 2 Spinneret Sliver 4 Virulent Sliver 24 cards Other Spells 2 Oblivion Ring 3 Dawn Charm 3 Prismatic Strands 3 Temporal Isolation 3 Thrill of the Hunt 11 cards

Lands 10 Plains 8 Forest 1 Secluded Steppe 1 Snow-Covered Forest 2 Terramorphic Expanse 14 cards Sideboard 2 Avian Changeling 4 Circle of Protection: Red 3 Guardian of the Guildpact 2 Holy Light 4 Obsidian Acolyte 15 cards

After another MBC, we come to the first Sliver deck in 22^nd place and then another in 23^rd. I fear that with the rise of MBC, this deck has met its match for the time being. This drop off could be for a number of reasons: people got sick of attacking, the threat of MBC loomed too large, or perhaps the people who were attracted to Pauper that played Slivers simply moved to another pursuit. The Sliver menace in 31^st ran the interesting Shinen of Life's Roar, giving it a true advantage in the mirror. If only it appeared more often that day.

Elves!

24th Place by Dr. Greens

Creatures 4 Birchlore Rangers 4 Elvish Branchbender 4 Fyndhorn Elves 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Lys Alana Huntmaster 4 Quirion Ranger 4 Safehold Elite 4 Timberwatch Elf 4 Wellwisher 36 cards Other Spells 4 Distant Melody 4 Springleaf Drum 8 cards

Lands 16 Forest 16 cards Sideboard 3 Gleeful Sabotage 3 Oblivion Ring 3 Prismatic Strands 3 Relic of Progenitus 3 Wirewood Herald 15 cards

The 24^th spot gives us our first look at a competitive Pauper Elves! Deck. If the deck can ever find away to combat Crypt Rats on a regular basis (Wrap in Vigor anyone?), it might be able to crack the top 16. Note the Springleaf Drum fueled Melodies and sideboard tech.

28^th gives us another interesting look at Mono-Green aggro.

Mono-Green Aggro

28th Place by suckatog

Creatures 4 Basking Rootwalla 3 Fyndhorn Elves 4 Harvest Wurm 3 Llanowar Elves 2 Mire Boa 4 Quirion Ranger 2 River Boa 4 Rogue Elephant 4 Werebear 4 Wild Mongrel 34 cards Other Spells 4 Giantbaiting 4 Strength in Numbers 8 cards

Lands 16 Forest 2 Terramorphic Expanse 18 cards Sideboard 4 Essence Warden 4 Gleeful Sabotage 3 Snakeform 4 Sprout Swarm 15 cards

26^th place, and our first three color Blink deck. Could the bane of PDC have met its end in competitive Pauper?

Blink

26th Place by dmatthews

Creatures 4 Aven Riftwatcher 4 Blind Hunter 4 Leonin Squire 4 Mulldrifter 4 Sanctum Gargoyle 4 Trinket Mage 24 cards Other Spells 1 Æther Spellbomb 4 Executioner\'s Capsule 4 Momentary Blink 1 Pyrite Spellbomb 1 Sunbeam Spellbomb 6 cards

Lands 2 Ancient Den 2 Azorius Chancery 2 Dimir Aqueduct 1 Great Furnace 4 Island 6 Plains 2 Seat of the Synod 4 Swamp 2 Vault of Whispers 25 cards Sideboard 4 Holy Light 4 Ostracize 4 Prismatic Strands 3 Strangling Soot 15 cards

The top 32 was rounded out with more Slivers, Red, MUC, and Affinity. Nothing special. We do, however, see a truly evolving metagame. While MBC is still on top, the density of Blue control is down and Slivers is a shadow of its former self. Affinity is definitely a rising deck, and those rogue designers are coming out of their shells to have a say in the new format.

However, before the next step can be taken, the deck that dethrones MBC must be uncovered. Traditional MUC has the chops to take on the menace, but falls to aggro, which in turn tends to fall to MBC.

No matter what, the month of testing for the next PE should be an interesting one indeed.

A big thank you to Lee Sharpe and the folks over at Wizards for giving me access to the lists from the PE. You guys are awesome!

Keep slingin' commons-

-Alex