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I. Introduction

And now for something completely different.

Today, I will not be bringing you a spotlight analysis of a recent winning decklist from the world of Standard Pauper. There will not be any tips or strategies to share, nor any discussion about the relative merits of a particular card and how to best take advantage of that card. Nor will there be a videocast of an interesting Standard Pauper match, either from my own experiences or from any of the matches that took place from the most recent Monday Pauper Deck Challenge. There is still so much to write on these topics, and I am eager to return to discussing the components of my favorite format. But in many ways the purpose of this article is so much bigger than any of those things.

Allow me a brief, personal anecdote. Like so many who currently play on Magic Online, I discovered Magic the Gathering back in the early 90s, and spent many hours with my friends building decklists, playing out games with our favorite decks, and driving a considerable distance to purchase more cards from the closest comic book store that carried them. I had no idea of the value of those few Revised Dual Lands I sometimes played with, nor could I appreciate the sheer brokenness of cards like Mana Vault, Demonic Tutor, or Necropotence. I was truly that often-mythologized kitchen-table Magic player. Eventually, I graduated from high school, bid farewell to my playgroup, sold all my cards to a friend, and moved away to attend college. Now, fast-forward nearly two decades and my understanding of this game is dramatically different. I now spend countless hours each week reading, writing, and analyzing information about this great game. I listen to podcasts, chat with players, and watch videocasts of matches from the pros. I gladly spend the meager amount of money I have set aside for hobbies to play Limited on Magic Online. All in all, I have a deeper love, understanding, and passion for the game than I would have ever imagined possible in high school. And, while like many I would admit that it is the convenience and availability of Magic Online that has played a major role, I also know that I never would have signed up for my account and received my first 10 tickets had it not been for the existence of one little-known format: Standard Pauper.

It is thus the purpose of this article to demonstrate that Standard Pauper as a format is good not only for Magic Online players but also for Wizards of the Coast, and that as such it deserves official support in some capacity. To defend this bold thesis, I will discuss how this format benefits new and veteran players alike, present arguments for how Standard Pauper is financially advantageous for Wizards, and respond to common objections about why this format should not receive official support. I will then conclude with some thoughts about what this official support might entail and discuss what we as the player base can do to make this a reality.

II. Why Standard Pauper is Good for Players

The first reason that Standard Pauper deserves official support is that it is good for both new and existing players. As many have noted over the years, the learning curve for someone new to the client is quite steep. Even if one comes to the game with a fairly solid understanding of the rules, it takes some time to learn all of the various intricacies and idiosyncrasies of Magic Online. And for those who only have a basic level of understanding of rules of Magic, competing in this online environment requires a considerable amount of time, effort, and money. Just the simple act of deciding what to do with the tickets and the booster pack you start with can be daunting. What is needed is a format where new players can play in a competitive format that is still cheap, is relevant to what's going on in the competitive Magic world, and is supported by a community of players. Such a low risk, low complexity environment would be the perfect way for new players to master the Magic Online client and rules before risking considerable time and money in more costly formats such as Standard or Limited.

In a similar way, there is certainly a significant segment of existing players that do not regularly participate in the dominant formats or events on Magic Online. Such players often are constrained by either money or time. As such, they would benefit from a format that has a low cost of entry, requires less time to master, and yet still offers a chance for fun and competitive play. For both new players and this segment of existing players, Standard Pauper is a great option. Let me explain why.

1. It is cheap to play.

Assuming a new player sells off his or her booster pack and holds on to the tickets that are provided with a new account, he or she has access to approximately 6-7 tickets in value. Even without making use of the various free resources offering in the online classifieds, one could easily purchase two or three different competitive decks for Standard Pauper through one of the major retail bots such as MTGOTraders. Even at full retail, most Commons in the Standard pool cost between 2 and 5 cents each, with even the most expensive cards rarely going for more than 25 cents. In fact, at the time of writing, the most expensive Common in the Standard set is tied between Geth's Verdict, Vapor Snag, Mutagenic Growth, and Gitaxian Probe, each for a mere 15 cents.

For existing players, this means that the cost to stay competitive after the release of a new set and/or major rotation remains quite low. Earning a finish in the Top 4 in just a few Standard Pauper PREs would easily cover the costs of purchasing a playset of most of a new expansion's Commons. Similarly, one can freely switch between different archetypes and tune one's decklist for the metagame without any significant financial constraints. At least for the vast majority of people, this may be the only format on Magic Online where one's finances are not a factor in how competitive one can be.

2. It uses the most popular and relevant format.

It should come as no surprise that the most relevant format on Magic Online, as for Magic in general, is Standard. While there are certainly several other healthy formats, it is Standard that by and large gets the attention. Since Standard Pauper is directly tied to this format, it keeps the focus of new players on what is going on in Standard. But even beyond that, Commons play a small but important role even in most competitive Standard decks. By playing Standard Pauper, new players immediately become familiar with these cards and can take advantage of the wide variety of strategy and information that exists about the Standard format. The lower complexity also helps new players learn the essentials faster.

For certain existing players, Standard Pauper offers the perfect blend of the relevance of Standard with the low complexity of playing only Commons. On the one hand, the complexity is much lower than competing in a Standard or Limited tournament, allowing players the chance to master a format without taking as much of their time. On the other hand, Standard Pauper is still competitive, relevant, and diverse enough to support a variety of archetypes and strategies, keeping many players' interest over a long period of time.

3. It is well supported by the Player Run Events community.

One of the best ways for new players to compete on Magic Online is through Player Run Events, which offer a semi-competitive tournament environment that are free to enter but still offer small prizes for the winners. Currently, there are two such weekly PREs that feature Standard Pauper: Monday Pauper Deck Challenge (MPDC) and Standard Pauper Deck Challenge (SPDC). Certain clans also offer events in Standard Pauper, such as the league style events offered by the Pauper Krew clan. These free events are a great way for new players to cut their teeth in a competitive event, potentially win a few tickets in prizes, and receive encouragement and assistance from a great community of players.

And, for existing players, it is this great community that keeps them coming back and staying plugged in to what's going on in the world of Magic. The Player Run Events give players the chance to interact in a friendly environment, discuss the game, and learn from each other. In fact, I know for a fact that there are players who, apart from these communities, probably would no longer participate in Magic Online in any meaningful fashion. For these players, Standard Pauper isn't just one option among many - it's all they play.

It should come as no surprise that this community, in fact, is quite vocal about their desire to see Standard Pauper become an official format. You can read some of these discussions here and here.

4. It enjoys an interesting and varied metagame.

One of the charges often brought against Standard Pauper is that with such a small cardpool the format would quickly be solved or grow stale. Quite simply, this is not the case. While a full explanation backed by solid data is beyond the scope of this article, two responses will suffice for now. First, having a large cardpool is no guarantee that a format will not be solved or grow stale. Of late, several Classic Pauper players have noted that their format is dominated by three or four of the same decklists which make up the bulk of competitive play. Second, even a cursory glance at the Top 8 finalists from the Standard Pauper PREs would show a surprisingly amount of diversity in the format. Just in the last five MPDC tournaments, the Top 8 has featured 15 different archetypes, with the strongest showing from Mono Black, Izzet, B/W Flicker, RDW, GW Wolves, and White Weenie. Such diversity means there is plenty of room for choice and experimentation for new and veteran players alike while still remaining competitive.

In short, Standard Pauper is the perfect format for new players and a great option for many existing players as well. Participating in the free PREs that feature this format teaches the essentials of both Magic and the Magic Online client in a low risk, low complexity environment. It's fun, cheap, relevant, interesting, and there's a great community that supports it. Standard Pauper is how I got my start, and I would recommend it to anyone without any hesitation. What more could you ask for?

III. Why Standard Pauper is Good for Wizards

In a perfect world, the fact that Standard Pauper is good for players would be enough to warrant giving it official support. But Wizards of the Coast is first and foremost a business, and so any changes ultimately must make sense for them financially as well. In this case though, that is not a problem. As it turns out, the second reason that Standard Pauper should be an officially supported format is that it is good for Wizards as well. For a small investment of time and programming resources, the company should expect a significant increase in revenue. Let me explain why.

1. There is little additional programming involved.

The ability to filter cards for either all Commons or for Standard already exists on Magic Online, as both of these are officially supported formats. While I certainly am not a programmer, it seems intuitive that writing code that limits decklists to include only those cards that fit both criteria would not be difficult. And given the apparent ease that has been demonstrated in the past by adding even complex formats such as Kaleidoscope (a multicolor only format that currently is supported only with a game-filtering option but no events), implementing Standard Pauper as a format on Magic Online should be an easy and painless process, consuming very few precious programming hours.

2. Players can actually use the majority of cards opened in new booster packs.

One fringe benefit of supporting Standard Pauper is the sudden viability of a booster pack. There is not currently a single format in which one can open up any of the booster packs sold in the Store on Magic Online and expect to be able to play even a third of the cards opened in any competitive event. But almost every booster from a set in Standard will contain cards that are relevant in Standard Pauper. In the world of paper magic, many players purchase boosters to increase their collection of cards; in Magic Online, this is much rarer. But if new players were driven towards Standard Pauper as a great beginning format, Wizards could expect to see an increase in the purchase of boosters.

3. Standard Pauper is a "gateway-drug."

But by far the strongest reason that Wizards should give official support to Standard Pauper is that it will drive players towards Standard and Limited. I would propose that there is a parallel between this phenomena and that associated with so-called gateway drugs in the world of illegal narcotics. A gateway drug is one that is more accessible, less dangerous, and less expensive that is thought to lead towards the use of more toxic and dangerous substances. Whether this progression is based on psychological, chemical, or environmental factors is debated, but such a progression certainly does occur. For Magic Online, both Standard and Limited are the formats from which Wizards makes the majority of their money from players, either from the sales of boosters for Limited or the entry fees for Standard events. Quite simply, the more people who participate in these two formats, the more money the company will make. But as was mentioned previously, the learning curve for both of these formats is quite steep, and the competition is increasingly strong. How many players have tried Magic Online, lost a significant amount of money trying to compete in one or both of these formats, and then given up and taken their money elsewhere? What if there was another way?

Standard Pauper is the perfect solution to this problem. Players both new and existing play in the format, experience the thrill of competitive play with only a minor investment of time and money, and discover that they enjoy the process. Gradually, they become more and more interested in other formats, and begin to slowly invest more time and energy into them. Limited is a natural next step for Standard Pauper players, as the bulk of the Limited experience is about making use of the best Commons. Standard is also a natural progression, as a player becomes aware of the interactions of his existing cards with more complicated cards in that format. Either way, Standard Pauper acts as a safety net, allowing players to grow in skill and experience before moving on to more complex and expensive formats.

In short, Standard Pauper is good for Wizards of the Coast because it will generate additional revenue for them. While any direct increase in sales will probably be minimal compared to other formats, indirectly the format would increase the number of players participating in the more mainstream formats and thus increase revenues from these formats. And the fact that it is good for new and existing players is the icing on the cake.

IV. So What Can You Do?

At this point I am going to assume that if you're still reading this article you care about seeing Standard Pauper become an officially supported format on Magic Online. If that is indeed the case, the most logical question then is this: What can you do about it? What can you do to help make this desire a reality? I'm glad you asked.

1. Create visibility.

The first thing you can do is to create greater visibility for the Standard Pauper format. Participate regularly in Standard Pauper PREs. Play matches and single games in the Just for Fun room with Standard Pauper in the description. Tell others how you enjoy the format on your blog, on your Facebook page, on your Twitter account, or anywhere else you interact with other people online. Talk to your friends and other Magic Online players about what a great format Standard Pauper really is. The perception exists that this format is small and fringe. Do your part to make it more and more mainstream.

2. E-mail the appropriate people.

The second thing you can do is make your voice heard at Wizards of the Coast. Thanks to my good friend Joe Dillard's (known to many as joekewwl) tireless support in beta-testing Magic Online and his participation in last year's Community Cup, Wizards is increasingly aware of Standard Pauper as a format. Indeed, at last week's chat with the Magic Online Development Team, Standard Pauper players joekewwl and VIP raised the topic of Standard Pauper. Check it out here. So it's time to let them know that you want to see Standard Pauper supported as an official format. Here is the relevant contact info:

• E-mail Chris Kiritz, who is the business manager for Magic Online and runs the day to day operations, at chris.kiritz@wizards.com.
  
• You can also E-mail Magic Online's Customer Service at this link: http://wizards.custhelp.com/app/ask. You will need to be logged into your WotC forums account to use this link.

3. Link others to this article.

At the risk of being labeled a shameless self-promoter, the final thing you can do is to link others to this article. This isn't about creating visibility for me. It's about letting other people know why this format is such a great candidate for official support. Use social media, like Facebook or Twitter, and post the link for others to see. Include a link in your E-mail to Wizards of the Coast. Leverage whatever relationships you have in the world of Magic Online to point others to this article. Let's get the Magic Online community talking about Standard Pauper.

V. Conclusion

Imagine what could happen if Standard Pauper became an official format. Games would be much easier to find in the Just for Fun room. Attendance at weekly Player Run Events would increase dramatically. Sponsorship for such events would be the norm rather than the exception. Eventually, its popularity could lead to the creation of special community events featuring Standard Pauper or official 2-man queues in the Tournament Constructed Queues. Think about how amazing it could be to see even a Daily Event for the Standard Pauper format! Whatever dreams you might have about the Standard Pauper format, you can play a part in seeing those dreams become reality.

Next week, I'll follow-up this article with another one answering some of the most common objections to giving official support to the Standard Pauper format. Included with that article will be some hard data collected from the years I have personally spent as the host of Monday Pauper Deck Challenge. But for now, let me remind you that if you would like a sneak peak at my content before it goes live here at PureMTGO.com, you can always browse over to YouTube.com, search for "gwyned42," select one of my video-casts, and click the Subscribe button. You can also now follow me on Twitter at the username gwyned42; check out my profile here and click on Follow. Thanks so much for reading and for your comments on this article. See you next time!