So the new Kamigawa set has recently come out and with it, an old favorite of mine has seem to rise again with a new card that I think is amazing! Boros is quite the popular color combination in the Pauper format. Whether you are going midrange, control or going wide with (Rally the Peasants:INN), there is a build for everyone. However, one in particular has fell a little by the wayside, seems that has changed.
Kuldotha Rebirth is the card (from what I remember) that started the go wide version of Boros, but then after some changes to the format and Battle Screech became common, it fell to the side to make room. However, today we will be looking at a list that took 1st place in the challenge posted on 2/13/2022 and was piloted by the player Tarrasque1. I don’t want to waste anymore time, let the Rebirth commence!
(Thraben Inspector:SOI) – No matter what you are playing, it seems that if you have the color white in your deck, you should be playing 4 of these.
Glint Hawk – This is quite the good creature for costing 1 mana. It has 2 power and it has flying, but it does have a condition. When it hits the battlefield, you will have to sacrifice it unless you return an artifact back to your hand. However, this is perfect because you have plenty of artifacts to return and gain card advantage from such as (Ichor Wellspring:SOM).
Kor Skyfisher – This is a staple of just about any Boros build and this build is no different.
Kuldotha Rebirth – The card for which the deck is named for. This is quite the interesting card as it is extremely cheap to cast and gives you 3 creatures to go wide with. While yes, you do need sacrifice an artifact to cast the spell, you have plenty of them to offer up as tribute and some even return card advantage. Playing this over Battle Screech is purely for speed (in my opinion) and wanting to try and end games quickly by going kind of all in. This build is much more aggro than the midrange version you are probably used to so keep that in mind.
Lightning Bolt and Galvanic Blast – By now we all know how good these cards are. This is also one of the best parts of this archetype because you have so much reach and solid removal.
(Experimental Synthesizer:NEO) – A card from the new set, this one is quite awesome. It is extremely cheap to cast, helps you see more cards and can give you a 2 power creature later in the game. The main reason this card is so powerful is the fact that it helps you see an extra card when it enters the battlefield or leaves the battlefield. This means you can use it as a sacrifice and still get card advantage. Do remember though you don’t draw a card, you exile the top of your library and can cast the card that turn.
(Makeshift Munitions:XLN) – A great finisher for any deck that can support it. However, this also allows you to play midrange against some aggro decks such as Elves or Goblins. This is just a powerful card in the format overall.
(Rally the Peasants:INN) – Here is your big finisher for when you have a big board ready to alpha strike.
(Ichor Wellspring:SOM) – Not the most powerful card ever, but you can use it to draw multiple cards and it is easy fodder for your other cards.
(Golden Egg:ELD) – We don’t have access to Prophetic Prism anymore and so we need replacements. This does draw a card and can gain life which can really help in some situations, but to help fix your colors, you can only use it once so keep that in mind. Prism will forever be missed.
The Manabase
(Rusivale Bridge:MH2), Ancient Den and Great Furnace – You have a lot of reasons to need artifacts in play and so you have the artifact lands. I like having 3 copies of each of the original Mirroden lands so that you don’t fully rely on them. Unlike your dual land, they can easily be destroyed and there is no reason to be in a situation to get disrupted by something like (Gorilla Shaman:AL) unnecessarily.
Boros Garrison – You don’t need a ton of mana to work with and you have some lands you can pick back up to gain life. This helps with that and it helps with keeping more 7 card hands.
Radiant Fountain – This is an old favorite of the Boros decks. Sometimes gaining 2 life a couple times and buying an extra turn or 2 can mean the difference between winning a game you should have a lost and not winning.
(Lorehold Campus:STX) – I love these lands and wish they were used more. Being able to Scry late in the game is such a huge game.
The rest of the manabase are just basic lands for a total of 20. The manabase has remained pretty much the same throughout time. Don’t fix what isn’t broken is the saying.
The Sideboard
Dust to Dust and Revoke Existence – No one wants to lose to Affinity and having a way to destroy enchantments is always a good thing.
Electrickery – Sometimes you see Krark-Clan Shaman in this spot, but since you have Kuldotha Rebirth instead of Battle Screech, it makes sense to have Electrickery instead.
Lone Missionary – I like this over something like (Circle of Protection: Red:8E) since you can also attack or block with it and it doesn’t tie up your mana.
(Pyroblast:IA) – For the blue menace we all hate to face!
Relic of Progenitus – Luckily you don’t care about your graveyard, making this the perfect graveyard hate.
Verdict and Conclusion
I have always loved this version of the deck and have missed it for quite some time. I think the reason it hasn’t been seen much if at all is because the format slowed down and the midrange version was just better. However, now with Affinity being everywhere and the format speeding up a tiny bit, maybe it is time for this version of Boros to shine.
I like this list overall and would gladly start here. However, I would like to maybe see a copy or 2 of Prismatic Strands somewhere as it can just be such a powerful get out of jail free card. Other than that, I think the main deck is fairly perfect. The sideboard can change depending on meta predictions of course. Just as a warning, this list is weaker to board wipes than the other versions of Boros so try to practice playing around them as much as you can before playing your next tournament.
Do I think you should play this deck? Yes I think this deck is good and it did win a challenge so that has to count for something, although that could be do to many different reasons, but still winning a challenge isn’t easy for any deck. Instead of playing the midrange game, as I said, it might be time to go under and get games over with quickly. Time will tell if this version is better than Midrange, Bully or any of the other Boros builds.
However, with all this being said, as always, do remember my words are not gospel. I will always encourage you to try a deck that I bring you despite my personal feelings. Remember that results will vary and always remember to practice!
Would you like to compete in a free Pauper tournament with some great prizes? Head on over to Gatherling.com on Tuesday nights at 8pm EDT and play in our weekly Pauper Classic Tuesday's event! Join the chat #PCT to chat with us and feel free to find most of the competitors on Discord!
Thank you so much for reading. Best of luck to you in your next tournament and I’ll catch you all next time!
