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I am a few days late, but here is the recap for the Premier Events (PEs) and Player Run Events (PREs) running from August 7, 2010 through August 19, 2010. During these two weeks, the Pauper environment has seen a full six events take place with the PE showing a diverse field of competitive decks and even more options showing up in the PREs.
I have updated the art used for a few of the graphics, so if that sort of thing interests you, make sure to check out the Recognition section at the end of the article to see what has changed and see what goes into my selection process.
There is a Grixis Teachings deck showing up in a couple events. In an effort not to expand the archetypes, I am lumping this in with Parlor Tricks. The decks have some similarities in that they are toolbox decks operating using    , but there are definitely some important differences. Without snow-covered lands, the Grixis Teachings variation no longer runs Skred, but still includes a variety of creature control elements in the form of Terminate, Firebolt, and Staggershock. Accordingly, the Parlor Tricks description below now includes the Grixis Teachings variation.
Read on for more details and insights into the current Pauper metagame.
Pauper, even by its own name, is a format that has its basis in its affordability. Many of the cards in Pauper, however, are rather expensive for common rarity. The relatively high price of a few Pauper cards definitely impacts the tournament scene. For example, before Urza's Legacy's release, the only copies of Rancor online came from the Garruk vs. Liliana Duel Decks. Rancor's were running $4.50 each as singles and the number available in the system were relatively low in comparison to other commons. While the Stompy archetype has not changed substantially since the release of Urza's Legacy, the presence of Stompy has skyrocketed in the Premier Events.
Cost, of course, is not the only factor, but it is one that cannot be discounted. Stompy's rise in popularity also coincides with the explosion of Mono-Blue Control which is a good match-up for the Stompy deck. In addition, many players will not move to a deck until its viability is proven by the rogue deck builders that champion it (and a cheaper cost point makes that more likely).
So, based on the prices on mtgotraders.com, there are currently twenty-eight commons where all versions exceed a price of $1.00. Below, I detail the cards with their prices, notes about future releases which will put more copies in the system, and what decks these cards are used in.
| |
Card |
Price |
Notes |
|
| 28. |
Daze |
$10.50 |
Currently released only via the Jace vs. Chandra Duel Deck, but will be included in Nemesis. Daze is not currently part of any Pauper archetype, and a broader availability of Daze is unlikely to change this as the environment speed of Pauper does not warrant Daze's inclusion in a deck over counterspells with broader application. |
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| 27. |
Rhystic Study |
$8.00 |
Published in the Theme Deck Set, a release which isn't even listed in Wizard's Gatherer,Rhystic Study will be more widely released in Prophecy. This card is very popular in multi-player, but a search of the premier events archive does not reveal a single instance of Rhystic Study in the top of 8 of any Pauper PE. |
| 26. |
Snuff Out |
$5.00 |
First released to MTGO through the Garruk vs. Liliana Duel Deck, Snuff Out is also in the forthcoming Mercadian Masques. This instant has been included in exactly one Pauper top 8 deck, Gosu's winning Parlor Tricks deck from the August 1, 2010 Premier Event. With a more affordable price tag, Snuff Out could easily be an inclusion for any deck running Swamps. |
| 25. |
Seal of Cleansing |
$4.00 |
Another card only available in the Theme Deck Set, Seal of Cleansing is just another variation on Disenchant. Seal of Cleansing will be released in Nemesis without a significant impact on Pauper. |
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| 24. |
Lotus Petal |
$3.50 |
As a staple of Storm and occasionally found in Stompy and Affinity decks, Lotus Petal is a staple of the Pauper format. This flexible artifact should remain a staple of Pauper for a long time to come. |
| 23. |
Diabolic Edict |
$3.00 |
Diabolic Edict is black's answer to protection from black creatures. As a compliment to other creature destruction options, Diabolic Edict can be found in Blue/Black Control, Mono-Black Control, and Parlor Tricks decks. |
| 22. |
Gush |
$2.75 |
Gush is a common from Mercadian Masques that made its way online early through the Jace vs. Chandra Duel Deck. Gush last made it to the top 8 of a Pauper Challenge on November 1, 2009 in a Blue/White control deck. With the change in MUC to Faeries which have rather low costs, I could see Gush as a viable option for some players in the future, especially in decks without X casting cost spells such as Condescend. |
| 21. |
Invigorate |
$2.50 |
Found in the Garruk vs. Liliana Duel Deck and Mercadian Masques, Invigorate is unlikely to fit into any existing Pauper archetypes because its alternate casting cost is in conflict with the aggressive of the few decks which use pump cards, such as Stompy, Zoo, and Slivers. |
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| 20. |
Crypt Rats |
$2.25 |
The one of only two true board sweepers in Pauper, Crypt Rats is commonly found in Mono-Black Control and occasionally in multi-color decks heavily tilting to black. The price of Crypt Rats has been falling for the past few months after years of $3.00 and higher. This tends to correspond with the downward trend of Mono-Black Control in the PREs (MBC has never been a strong contender in the PEs, but has historically dominated in the PREs). |
| 19. |
Fireblast |
$2.00 |
Fireblast is the irreplaceable card in the Red Deck Wins archetype. Released in Visions and the Jace vs. Chandra Duel Deck, Fireblast continues to thrive in Pauper as well as most eternal formats. |
| |
Quirion Ranger |
$2.00 |
Only released in Visions, Quirion Ranger is a staple of Elves and often found in Stompy. The relatively low quantity of Visions in the system keeps the Ranger on the high side, but even if included in a duel deck or Theme Deck Set, I would expect Quirion Ranger to stay above $1.00. |
| |
Serrated Arrows |
$2.00 |
A ubiquitous sideboard option, Serrated Arrows maintains a price two to three times higher than its paper counterpart because Homelands was never released online. This card pops up in the tournament scene on a weekly basis, typically in the sideboard, but a few decks such as Blue/Red Aggro-Control and White Weenie occasionally run it in the main deck. |
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| 16. |
Exclude |
$1.94 |
This stalwart of Mono-Blue Control was released in Invasion, one of the least sold sets online as the number of users in the early days of MTGO was rather small. Expect to see an Exclude coming out of virtually any deck running blue (requiring only a single ) because the tournament field includes only one archetype that is void of a single creature ( Storm). |
| 15. |
Innocent Blood |
$1.50 |
Originally printed in Odyssey, Innocent Blood is the poor substitute for Diabolic Edict, but it can be found in Top 8 performances in the Pauper PE on a regular basis, roughly half as often as Edict (based on hits when searching through the archives of decks of the week (307 hits for Diabolic Edict vs. 151 hits for Innocent Blood. With its low casting-cost, Innocent Blood can be found in a variety of decks (basically everything containing black mana except Storm), but it isn't necessarily a staple of any of these decks. |
| |
Muscle Sliver |
$1.50 |
This card is featured in exactly one, rather appropriately named, Pauper deck: Slivers. Slivers is a metagame choice that pops up on occasion in a PE or PRE. With a ton of the design space used for Slivers, it would take some significantly improved common Slivers to show up in a set to push up the cost of Muscle Sliver. The popularity of Slivers in the common room and in Classic Tribal Wars, however, should keep the current price pretty stable. |
| |
Deadly Insect |
$1.50 |
When searching Wizard's decks of the week archive, I could not find a single instance were Deadly Insect was included in a Top 8 deck for any event, much less a Pauper PE. In addition, while insects are popular in Classic Tribal Wars, I have never seen a Deadly Insect in a single deck in the Casual Room. The artificially high price (Deadly Insect is only online via a Coldsnap starter deck) is sure to plummet when it resurfaces in Mercadian Masques. |
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| |
Rancor |
$1.50 |
If you are looking for a shining example of what happens to the price of a card when it is re-released online, look no further than Rancor. The Garruk vs. Liliana Duel Deck version sold for $4.50. Even after Urza's Legacy released, the Rancor maintained a high price point as a staple in Stompy and a viable inclusion Zoo and Slivers. |
| 11. |
Armadillo Cloak |
$1.46 |
This enchantment spawned an entire archetype that was extremely successful before the Pauper PE was launched by Wizards. It continues to be one of the auras that is good enough to play even with the inherent risk of losing card advantage. It still pops up in Zoo decks and occasionally in the Sliver archetype. The price has dropped a notch after being released twice as a promo (July 2009 Pauper Weekend Challenge, March 2010 Player Rewards program) and its inclusion in the Phyrexia vs. The Coalition Duel Deck. |
| 10. |
Rite of Flame |
$1.25 |
A cog in the engine of the Storm, Rite of Flame is used to produce enough mana to power the card draw in the deck. Rite of Flame is the most expensive common in Coldsnap by a large margin (Rune Snag is second at $.20). |
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| 9. |
Obsidian Acolyte |
$1.21 |
With the release of Pestilence in Urza's Saga, this common white creature became a key component of the Black/White Control deck. While the Pestilence deck is not that popular, the low sales of Invasion helps propel Obsidian Acolyte's price above the normal levels. If this deck ever succeeds in transitioning from a PRE mainstay to true PE contender, expect the Acolyte's price to trend upward. |
| |
Sulfur Vent |
$1.21 |
Another building block for the mana required to run the Storm archetype. This is the land that provides any mana needed by the deck. In addition to Sulfur Vent, Invasion also includes other quintessential lands for Storm in the form of Ancient Spring ($.97), Irrigation Ditch ($.82), and Geothermal Crevice ($.34). |
| 7. |
Cloud of Faeries |
$1.00 |
Three weeks ago, Cloud of Faeries would not have made this list, but with the immense success of Twiddle Storm in the PE, this card has shot up in price as a linchpin of the deck. With Wizards method of selling legacy sets and the inherent lower interest from most players, the commons from Urza's Legacy are not as plentiful as those from standard legal sets. |
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Frantic Search |
$1.00 |
Frantic Search is another Urza's Legacy cog in the Twiddle Storm machine. Frantic Search, however, is a card draw spell with limited applicability across other Pauper decks unless someone finds a meaningful way to pair it with some madness spells. It is most likely to remain as a staple of Twiddle Storm and I would not be surprised to see it eventually drop in price a bit. |
| |
Rogue Elephant |
$1.00 |
A 3/3 for  is a bargain that Stompy decks cannot pass up. Most versions of Stompy, however, do not play full playsets of Weatherlight's Rogue Elephant because drawing one is good, but drawing two may result in holding a dead card in hand if you have not drawn enough land from Stompy's rather low count to afford sacrificing a second land. |
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Gorilla Shaman |
$1.00 |
Next to Benevolent Unicorn, Gorilla Shaman is one of the most plentiful sideboard options in Pauper tournaments due to its impact on the Affinity archetype. Originally available via a Coldsnap starter deck, it was reprinted in Master's Edition 2 to cut its price by 67%. |
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Cabal Ritual |
$1.00 |
Another cog in the engine of the Storm, Cabal Ritual is used to produce enough mana to power the card draw in the deck. Cabal Ritual is the only common in Torment to exceed the $1.00 threshold (Deep Analysis comes close at $.90). |
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Benevolent Unicorn |
$1.00 |
One of the preeminent sideboard cards in the Pauper environment, Mirage's Benevolent Unicorn can be found gracing the sideboard of almost any deck running white mana due to its ability to completely win a match against Storm deck that triggers twenty-plus copies of Grapeshot. |
| |
Thunderbolt |
$1.00 |
Before numerous other options (Searing Blaze, Shard Volley, etc.) were made available online, Thunderbolt was a staple of Red Deck Wins. It is still a decent option in an environment with Errant Ephemeron and Spire Golem running rampant, but overall this Weatherlight common has lost a bit of its luster. |
Looking through this list, quite a few archetypes in Pauper do not require a single listed card. Stompy and Twiddle Storm require a couple cards each, but Storm requires playsets of four cards from the list. Just something to give thought to if you are considering giving Pauper a try or you are interested in trying out something new.
The PE on August 14 encountered a glitch that prevented the finals being played out for the Top 8. I suspect that this is very disappointing for the bottom of the Top 8 and a relief for the players that finished in first or second place.
I have not seen any official word on why the glitch occurred, but hopefully this is a rare event.
In the Magic Online General forum a thread was started asking why Kird Ape and Blue Elemental Blast are not Pauper legal given that the promotional versions show a rarity of common. The usual gnashing of teeth, trolling, and interesting debate commenced and surprisingly (to me, at least) WotC_Vincent posted, "You bring up a good point and I am unsure of the answer. I will double check when I'm in the office tomorrow and see if it is just an oversight or it has been intentional."
The result came back from WotC_Lee, "The current rule is that pauper is not affected by common promos. We'll revisit this issue internally, but for the time being that is the rule." WotC_Lee later updated his post to indicate that the Pauper description had been updated to clarify the position of Wizards in relation to the original post.
Personally, I don't see the difference between common promos and common cards released in duel decks, theme deck sets, or Coldsnap starter decks. Each of these avenues of product delivery are onerous to players seeking to acquire "common" cards. In addition, the ability for players to acquire cards like Deadly Insect or Kird Ape are identically, the players must go to the secondary market.
While I know that the official position of Wizards is that they do not pay attention to the secondary market, they are aware of the sales of products like Xira Arien Theme Deck versus the distribution of Magic Online Player Rewards Tier 5/6 promo cards (i.e., the distribution method for Blue Elemental Blast). As long as Wizards keeps distribution of "common" promos to a level where the number of objects in the pool is similar between the promos and the harder to find commons of theme decks, duel decks, or Coldsnap starters, then let the players that own them, use them. Blue Elemental Blastis certainly allowed in Classic and Legacy environments following its release as a promo, and Pauper is simply a more restrictive eternal format and Wizards has the ability to control the relationship between promo rarity and Pauper legality without an arbitrary and potentially confusing stance.
Pauper is a straightforward environment. It allows for deck construction using only cards that have been printed as common on MTGO (note that this means that some cards printed as common in paper Magic are not legal in Pauper and that some cards have been printed as common Online, but never in paper, and these are legal). The banned list for Classic Pauper is very manageable and consists of exactly one card:
Each week there are three regular Classic Pauper events. Wizards of the Coast hosts a weekly Pauper Challenge Premier Event. The Pauper Challenge is currently paying prizes in Magic 2011 booster packs:
| Place |
Prizes |
QPs |
| 1st |
30 Magic 2011 booster packs |
3 |
| 2nd |
20 Magic 2011 booster packs |
3 |
| 3rd - 4th |
12 Magic 2011 booster packs |
3 |
| 5th - 8th |
6 Magic 2011 booster packs |
3 |
| 9th - 16th |
3 Magic 2011 booster packs |
0 |
The next Pauper Challenge Premier Event will be held:
- Sunday August 29, 2010 at 11AM EDT
- Sunday September 5, 2010 at 11AM EDT
In addition to the Pauper Challenge, there are currently two player run events using the Classic Pauper format. The first is the Tuesday Pauper Deck Challenge (or TPDC), which is held on Tuesdays with open registration beginning at 7:30 PM EST and matches starting approximately a half-hour later. The second is the European Pauper Deck Challenge (or EPDC), which is held on Thursdays with registration at 1:00 PM EST and the first round starting 30 minutes later.
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Before getting into a discussion of the metagame, here is a breakdown to the deck archetypes found in Classic Pauper. While some archetypes are perennial top performers in these tournaments, other archetypes are more sporadic in the performance. The list below identifies the most common archetypes in Pauper Classic. This list will be updated as new archetypes enter the collective consciousness of Pauper Classic. While many players will have a slightly different perspectives on why a deck fits into an archetype or not, these definitions will be used to breakdown the metagame for each week's tournaments.
The graphs provided indicate the number of decks of the archetype that reached the Top 8 of the week's Pauper Challenge PE.
To read a description of an archetype, click the archetype's link and the description will drop down between the title and graph.
Affinity
Using artifact lands and other low-cost artifacts, this deck casts Frogmite and Myr Enforcer cheaply and then uses Thoughtcast"> and Rush of Knowledge to keep a hand full of cards to build an insurmountable battlefield presence. Affinity can be a single or multiple colored deck, but is always centered around blue. With Springleaf Drum, the deck can easily support one or more splash colors providing it with the ability to use a handful of slots in the main deck and the entire sideboard to the best options to combat the field regardless of color requirements.
Black/White Control
This deck leverages these enemy colors to utilize powerful multicolored cards such as Castigate and Unmake to limit the opponents options. The variations among these decks ranges from heavy discard to heavy creature control with a wide range middle points. Most modern versions run Pestilence, Guardian of the Guildpact, and Wall of Hope, providing for extensive life gain to stymie many opposing decks.
Blue/Black Control
Starting with Agony Warp and including card draw, discard, counterspells, and creature control from these two colors, this deck typically attempts to control both spells cast and eliminate creatures that enter the battlefield. There are two sub-archetypes of Blue/Black Control. The first centers around Mystical Teachings and a large mana base to pull the most relevant instants from the deck at any time. The second eschews Mystical Teachings to include more raw card draw. The Mystical Teachings variation will occasionally include a third color, typically white but infrequently red, but still operates very similarly to the two-colored version.
Blue/Red Aggro-Control
This deck pulls in blue's card draw and Counterspell with red's direct damage (Lightning Bolt and Firebolt for example) to produce sufficient power to minimize the opponent's presence on the board and to keep a full hand. The key card in the deck is Steamcore Weird which provides for a 1/3 blocker while often eliminating an opposing creature when it comes into play (potentially multiple times with due to Dream Stalker or Ninja of the Deep Hours).
Blue/White Blink
Elves
Esper Control
This flexible archetype varies from build-to-build, but commonly includes Aven Riftwatcher, Mulldrifter, Disfigure, and Echoing Decay. The deck seeks to trigger enters the battlefield effects and gain creature advantage through cheating creatures into play through Amrou Scout-like abilities or the saving and reusing creatures with Momentary Blink. This deck leverages the strengths of blue's card draw and black's creature destruction with efficient white creatures and flexible sideboard options.
Goblins
A red deck featuring aggressive, low cost red creatures with a smattering of direct damage. The deck can run as few as 18 lands and rarely runs more than 7 non-creature spells, leaving space for more than 30 red creatures with casting costs of 2 or less. Goblins is a really a sub-archetype of Sligh, but Goblins is the version you are most likely to see in Pauper, so this archetype is indicated as Goblins/Sligh (rather than Sligh/Goblins). Typical inclusions are Goblin Sledder, Mogg Fanatic, and Sparksmith.
Izzet Post
This control deck centers around three cards. Cloudpost powers out Capsize with buyback and Rolling Thunder to significant amounts of damage. While a significant portion of the deck is engineered to provide a mana ramp (Expedition Map to search for Cloudpost and Dimir Signet & Izzet Signet to increase mana production). Card draw and enough counterspells and direct damage round out the deck to allow it to reach the mid-game when its strategy can take control of the game.
Mono-Black Control
This is a deck that is widely adaptable, as it leverages card draw (e.g., Sign in Blood and Phyrexian Rager), discard (e.g., Duress and Chittering Rats), creature control (e.g., Diabolic Edict and Disfigure), life gain (e.g., Corrupt and Tendrils of Corruption), and graveyard reuse (e.g., Warren Pilferers and Grim Harvest) to produce a deck that is greater than the sum of its parts. This mono-colored black deck runs more land than either White Weenie or Goblins, but each Swamp drawn improves the effectiveness of Tendrils of Corruption and Corrupt.
Mono-Blue Control
The quintessential blue deck that comes into varieties. The basic variation runs a plethora of counterspells (including Counterspell) and card draw (such as Brainstorm and Think Twice) in combination with a few creatures (Mulldrifter and Spire Golem being the most common) to provide a methodical approach to outlasting and then defeating an opponent. A fae version includes multiple faeries such as Spellstutter Sprite and Pestermite to replace instants in the first version for creatures with similar, those less utilitarian, abilities. Some variations run a few bounce spells (such as Into the Roil) to deal with anything permanent that makes it through their counterspells.
Parlor Tricks
As one of the most customizable decks in all of pauper, this archetype is a red, black, and blue combination built around a toolbox of creatures and spells to provide options against virtually any opposing deck. One version is crafted to utilize a backbone of snow-covered lands and Skred. A more budget friendly version sticks to normal basic lands and bypasses Skred for other forms of direct damage (such as Firebolt and Staggershock) that can target creatures or opponents (albeit, at a loss of the damage to cost ration of Skred). Creatures such as Mulldrifter and Izzet Chronarch are used to refill a player's hand, and in heavier versions of the deck Martyr of Ashes can act as a board sweeper. The deck utilizes a wide range of control mechanisms including additional creature destruction such as Strangling Soot, discard such as Ravenous Rats, card draw such as Train of Thought, library search via Mystical Teachings, and counterspells such as Memory Lapse. A heavy dose of spells with Flashback provides additional protection against counterspell decks.
Red Deck Wins
Red Deck Wins is an archetype that has existed in a wide variety of environments. The deck uses a limited number of creatures to back a exhaustive range of direct damage spells. Running as few as 16 land, the deck can draw into damage inflicting spells on a consistent basis. Common inclusions in Red Deck Wins are Lightning Bolt, Spark Elemental, and Fireblast. Kiln Fiend and Needle Drop show up in some variations for longer lasting threats and card draw, respectively.
Slivers
In pauper, this archetype is White and Green and centers around the Muscle Sliver and Sinew Sliver to produce very large, cheap creatures. With Virulent Sliver, the deck has an option that allows it to win even against decks that gain a substantial amount of life. Finally, the deck features Thrill of the Hunt to protect its creatures from direct damage and trades with blockers.
Stompy
Primarily a green deck, the Stompy archetype features a heavy preponderance of creatures and a low land count. Where Sligh and Zoo contain direct damage and control elements, Stompy uses spells to increase the effectiveness of their creatures and end the game before an opponent can mount a concentrated defense. Cards such as Giant Growth, Jungle Lion, Rancor, and Skarrgan Pit-Skulk are common inclusions.
Storm
This is the premier combo deck of pauper and comes in three flavors. One variation uses only red and blue to produce its cascade of mana production and card draw leading up to its finale, a second version and near cousin to the red/blue deck includes black in place of some of the blue card draw and some of the red mana creation. Both versions ramp up to Empty the Warrens or Grapeshot as their finale. The red/blue variation will run Goblin Bushwhacker to expedite a win condition via Empty the Warrens. The third variation builds up a storm count through Cloud of Faeries and Snap, using both of these spells to untap lands enchanted with Overgrowth or Fertile Ground. The mana built up through the process is used to draw more cards and cast more of the key cards until using the mana and/or storm count to deal a fatal blow to the opponent.
Team America
This blue, white, and red control deck leverages enters the battlefield effects such as Aven Riftwatcher and Sea Gate Oracle with opportunities to reuse those effects through cards such as Kor Skyfisher and Momentary Blink for a robust approach that includes card draw, life gain, and creature advantage. The deck incorporates enough red cards to ruin the opponent's battlefield presence and allow for a board sweep with Martyr of Ashes.
Tortured Existence
White Weenie
A deck centered around efficient white creatures with low casting costs or low suspend costs. The deck tends to run a high percentage of creatures (sometimes more than 50% of the deck). The deck typically includes Order of Leitbur, Razor Golem, and Shade of Trokair. There is a sub-archetype of white weenie that focuses on a soldier theme and highlights Veteran Armorsmith and Veteran Swordsmith.
Zoo
As more archetypes reach the top 8 of the Premier Event or show sufficient prominence in the Player Run Events, they will be added to this list. As new sets are released, the contents of specific archetypes are likely to evolve over time, and as such, descriptions will be reviewed and updated periodically. As an eternal format, the historical performance of archetypes is an indication of the robustness of certain strategies, but does not necessarily indicate future performance as new cards enter the card pool.
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This week I changed a number of pieces of art used in the graphics. Utopia Sprawl, Thrill of the Hunt, Cloud Dragon, and Yavimaya Wurm made their debut. So, I wanted to spend a few moments discussing how art is chosen, and if anyone has suggestions or recommendations, feel free to comment.
I use card art in four different ways in this series: section titles, event Top 8 summary table, Top 8 participation pie chart, and the archetype historical performance. One factor, that is applicable regardless of how the art is being used, is that I prefer to work off large images of the art rather than the card image from Gatherer. This allows for a crisper image that is a bit easier to manipulate than the card image.
The section titles use the same art and I wanted something that was evocative of the history of Magic: The Gathering but was unlikely to show up in another form in the Recap. Craw Wurm is one of the stalwarts of Magic and, while I could not find a full size image of Daniel Gelon's original Craw Wurm, the art from Richard Sardinha is evocative of the feel I wanted.
The Top 8 Event Summary is now populated with John Avon's Cloud Dragon. I am a fan of John Avon's art and this table has become a home for John Avon art. Until this week, I was using Fog as that is one of my favorite pieces from John. That piece has always reminded more of World War I than a fantasy setting with its image of two soldiers wearing what appear to be army kits on their back while rushing through the yellow haze reminiscent of mustard gas. Beyond my appreciation of John's art, the rather monochromatic pieces of his art works well in the large table as it allows me to reduce the brightness of the image and leave the text in the table readable without a plethora of shifting colors and lines interrupting the presented information.
Finding art for the Top 8 pie chart has proven to be a challenge at times. Many artists center their work in the frame, which doesn't work for in when the left and center portion of the frame containing the art will be completely obscured by the pie chart. As I intrinsically feel that the chart should be on the left and the legend on the right, this leaves me to art where the main features are on the right. Both Ingot Chewer and Yavimaya Wurm work well, and I expect Arc Runner may make it into the background of the pie chart some day.
Finally, the most prevalent use of art in the Pauper Recap is the archetype historical performance charts. Choosing the art for these is the most difficult as it is not based so much on personal preference as it is identifying a card which adequately represents the archetype. The greatest challenge here is finding an example of the art in full size to work from. For instance, Myr Enforcer is a solid representative of Affinity, but the chart uses an image pulled from a scanned card. This leads to the fuzziness of the picture in the graphic. I was able to find a full size version of Sea Gate Oracle for the Team America archetype chart, and this helps the chart pop in my opinion. Overall, finding art for decks using newer cards is substantially easier than find large images of card art from older sets. It is for this reason, that when I decided to shift from Cabal Ritual to represent Storm to a card from the Twiddle Storm variation that I choose Utopia Sprawl rather than Snap or Cloud of Faeries.
One last restriction exists as I choose art. I aim to include only one piece of art from each artist. It was for this reason that when I chose to use Yavimaya Wurm for the pie chart background, I needed to update the Sliver's archtype chart to something other than Sinew Sliver. Until this week, I had limited art to cards that were available on MTGO and legal for Pauper, but Cloud Dragon broke that rule. I still plan to follow this rule for the historical performance charts, but may be more flexible for the Top 8 table and pie chart.
Next time I venture into a discussion on art, I will address other artists I am drawn to (a couple are listed below, and a couple will show up when I find the right place to include them).
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8 Comments
I am a little surprised at the kird ape exclusion as it was a common in Arabian Nights if I remember rightly. Though the earliest expansions were a bit funky with C3s and C1s and U3s and U1s.
So Pauper is a format that exists in both paper and and online, but the versions are different. Outside of the limitations of what cards are online, I cannot think of a format other than Pauper where the paper rules differ from the online rules.
Kird Ape, Hymn to Tourach, and numerous other cards exist in paper as commons, but they do not exist online as commons. Pauper in MTGO-world is limited to cards released online as commons.
I have seen this distinction throw off more than a few paper players transitioning to MTGO initially. Now that the client has a filter for Pauper cards, however, I do not see it as a big deal.
BTW, Peasant, an unofficial format (one that has been discussed on the mothership multiple times) similar to Pauper where a deck may contain up to five uncommons, has similar issues since Force of Will is an Uncommon in Alliances and every card in Arabian Nights (e.g., Library of Alexandria) and The Dark (e.g., Maze of Ith) were common or uncommon.
Certainly a useful resource, and very detailed indeed.
I'm not sure where you find the time for such thoroughness, but keep up the great work!
Interesting info about the whole Kird Ape / BeB issue.
Best one yet!
I agree. Best one yet. Keep up the good work
Great article. What are your thought on Yavimaya Elder? I've been trying to find a home for him in a pauper deck, but have not made much of it.
great job covering the format and pricier pauper commons.
I noticed that you use the same "Storm" name for both the old ritual based grapeshot deck and the new UG Twiddlestorm variations. You should really differentiate between them as those are really different decks...