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By: deluxeicoff, Adrian Grey Marsden
Mar 18 2010 2:52am
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Sunday, March 13, 2010 - 8am PST.
I am ready.
Yeah, I said it before, as recently as last week in fact!  Then I was piloting a deck very similar to the one I used successfully today - I just had a run of bad luck I guess, (see also: excuses of a loser).  However, today’s Pauper tournament went MUCH better:

I've seriously played some incarnation of the below decks AT LEAST a thousand times now, and all ego aside, I consider myself an expert in this area...(free queue for all you anonymous haters to reference and write about ;)

First off - I don't want to do a standard, play by play (snooze) breakdown of the match-ups...Instead, I wish to explain and prove why, in pauper at least, white weenie is a strategy that ALWAYS stands a chance, and usually a very good one at that!  Additionally I'm quite hesitant to include all my insight, as white weenie has been at my core focus for the last five months.  Releasing some of my secrets is a hard thing to do.  However, knowing the evolution of the game, I'm certain a better deck exists in the hindsight of 2011 etc..,
First, let's start at my beginning:
When I first starting placing in the top 8 of pauper tournaments, I played either of the below two lists:

2009 White Weenie
 
Creatures
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Benevolent Bodyguard
4 Icatian Javelineers
4 Order of Leitbur
4 Razor Golem
4 Shade of Trokair
3 Kor Skyfisher
3 Amrou Scout
30 cards

Other Spells
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Unmake
8 cards
 

Lands
22 Plains
22 cards

Icatian Javelineers

 

2009/10 White Weenie
 
Creatures
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Benevolent Bodyguard
4 Crimson Acolyte
4 Veteran Armorer
4 Razor Golem
4 Shade of Trokair
4 Kor Skyfisher
2 Amrou Scout
2 Veteran Armorsmith
32 cards

Other Spells
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Unmake
8 cards
 

Lands
20 Plains
20 cards

Veteran Armorer

Now before I start cross-comparing these deck lists, I'd like to establish some grassroots understanding of the above pauper players, so that someone new to the format isn't left wondering why certain cards are not used and why many are.  I'll also list some rogue cards that have been toyed around with over the last year of testing...


Benevolent Bodyguard - this guy is an MVP.  Think of him as a counterspell that hits for 1.  He is SO important that I don't think white weenie would be where it's at without him.  His quote says it all, "My destiny is to save others so their destinies may be achieved."  Selfless and totally insane as a one drop, this guy is not to be underestimated, unless you’re my opponent, then by all means...PLEASE underestimate him!

Razor Golem - Capt. Spiky at most costs 3 in my long history of playing white weenie.  Seriously, a 3/4 for three mana!!! - Phyrexian War Beast is doing infinite donkey-kicks in a jealous rage over this guy.  More often, at four mana, you can drop two of these guys..that's a curve even a Tarmogoyf wouldn't sneer at!  The Razor Golem and Shade of Trokair are the solo reasons this deck stays in one pious color.  Razor Golem has single-handedly won me so many games I can't keep track of the statistic.  Additionally I had little respect for vigilance prior to playing this house.  His un-tap-ability is quite a thorn in an opponent's side making for some surprising tempo advantages.

Shade of Trokair - This guy doesn't need much explanation.  Nantuko Shade is nuts, and this guy technically costs one less with the help of suspend.   Shade of Trokair also has the benefit of being a domino against control strategies - suspending one of these lets you bank all your spells/creatures behind it, knowing that if your opponent is playing counterspells, he or she simply MUST COUNTER this guy, and then the real weenie wildness can unload.  Aside from the above strategy vs. control, this guy and Order of Leitbur justify the late game mana flood that can sometimes happen to any deck, adding to the consistency of the early game, and the crushing power of the late game.  This happened in the very first round playing against Teachings/Control...by choosing to suspend my Shade rather than walk into a counter and/or removal, I instead waited, gaining 3 more creatures for my suspended onslaught three turns away...which turned out to be a winning move.

Kor Skyfisher Holy Hitchens!  What was Wizards thinking creating this guy and his "drawback"?!  This has to be perhaps the best white flyer (for the cost) in the game's history.  From bouncing your 'responded to' Journey to Nowhere - to helping your opening mana curve, this 2/3 flyer is absolutely insane in any format.  Many times vs. goblins, a first game Journey to Nowhere is answered by sacrificing to a Mogg Raider in response to the intended target - this leaves your Journey to Nowhere voided and still on the table, just waiting for that next skyfisher to come around and make it useful all over again.  When playing with Soul Wardens - this is used to bounce a crucial creature for life advantage in a pinch...even better is bouncing a depleted Serrated Arrows, Kor Sanctifiers, Safehold Elite, Icatian Javelineers or the obvious target an Aven Riftwatcher.  No matter what the target, the Kor Skyfisher is fishing in a VERY lush stream where everyone likes sushi!

Order of Leitbur - Imagine you're playing this, and your opponent casts a simple white bear like Benalish Cavalry at the very late stages of the game.  It's quite obvious which will have the advantage.  However at the beginning of a game, they're pretty equal but as the game goes on, the decision over which one you'd like to have gets downright ridiculous.  Similar to a dehydrated runner on the first mile of a marathon, sure they'd be pretty strong on the first mile, however on the last mile they'd be in a sorry state.  As mentioned above in the Shade section - Order of Leitbur helps justify the mana base late game.

Icatian Javelineers - I'm one of the few white weenie players who don't really respect this guy.  I understand the logic behind the card...but having access to Serrated Arrows after side boarding really makes this guy seem sub-optimal to me, two Serrated Arrows is the equivalent to playing 6 Icatian Javelineers.  If pauper were a format with a hundred card minimum, then of course I'd include this guy, but not at sixty cards.  Even in the mirror match up, your Benevolent Bodyguard has the one-to-one answer against this guy.  I'm not saying there aren’t times he's obviously useful, it's just that white weenie is such a finely tuned machine now, that I just don't see a spot for him, even with the help of a few Kor Skyfishers to reset him.

Amrou Scout - What a history I've had with this card.  From main decking four, then two...then none. Very similar to the above logic in the Icatian Javelineers - you seem to only like this guy in games you're already winning - I'm not saying it's not a super card - just that I personally don't like seeing it when I draw a card.  White weenie is a very active, turn-by-turn game state.  There's not much time to wait with four mana open to "trick" your opponent.  Please note: I obviously know this guy is amazing in a vacuum of only having him and being able to fetch seven, (four additional Amrou Scout and four Aven Riftwatcher.  This scenario rarely comes up, and I really don't like to see him in my opening hand unless playing against islands, which justifies four copies to consistently slip past counter magic...which if in any other match up is a crucial error.  Additionally this guy is about as weak as a dehydrated runner on the first mile of a marathon - in the hundreds of games I've had him on board, he's attacked maybe twenty of those times to very mana depleted opponents that I was already beating.  He's blocked a whopping nineteen (each time dying and only delaying a loss by one turn).  No thanks.  If the future holds many more Rebels for white weenie, then perhaps he'll need a second look, but until then I hope my white weenie opponents are playing this - because I'm NOT!

Veteran Armorsmith, Veteran Armorer - these two, despite the quantities - offer a solution to many mass-removal answers your red and black opponents may have.  Each offer a benefit of a +0/1 backside, the superior of the two being the Veteran Armorer for the obvious reason that he helps non-soldiers which is the vast majority of the deck.

Crimson Acolyte - If goblins are at large, this guy is crazy good.  There's no reason to go into the advantages of playing these guys vs. a red/goblin environment - and perhaps an even better meta-game call (this week anyway) rather than Safehold Elite, would have been four of these circus freaks.  I wouldn't go as far as I did a few months back, when I used Crimson Acolytes in combination with Palace Guard - it worked great and was quite funny too!  This is the 2009/10 White Weenie deck list above.

Aven Riftwatcher - Life personified.  The air attack is heavily in favor of most white weenie match-ups....and this guy, with his/her brother/sister in arms Kor Skyfisher nearby is simply a recipe for victory.  Fetch-able via it's rebel visa if using the above mentioned Amrou Scout - the Aven Riftwatcher is a 2/3 house that nets you a consistent four life.  Hmmm...let's review - four life is a fifth of your total - and you get to usually hit your opponent for four in the meantime...ok, this is officially awesome.

Safehold Elite is money vs. both red and/or black strategies. Buying you the time needed to smash face vs. either of the above two mentioned strategies....or any other rogue component you may face.  The only knock against this guy is that he's a two drop, in a deck that can tend to get a bit flooded on turn two with TOO many options, but too many options is a nice 'problem' to have.

Shelter - A more surprising and expensive version of Benevolent Bodyguard - I love this card...I simply can't find the space, either main decked or in the sideboard, to use it.  At one point I was so thirsty for the ability to draw a card that I looked to these as well as the scry ability in cards like Stand Firm.  Chasing a colors weak points is always worth a try, but in the end this train of thought usually nets you a weaker, less-focused deck.  Such was the case with the above two in my testing.

Secluded Steppe - I won back in December 09' playing with two of these.  My logic at the time being that at twenty-two lands...white weenie tended to get flooded mid/late at horrible times, and I wanted a way to prevent this drawback from happening so often.  Truth be told, it was nice to see them towards the mid to late game, but just disastrous in your opening hand.  Again the issue being that your first five to six turns every single mana is being used to its fullest.  It's a fifty/fifty gamble, and I always prefer consistency.  Additionally there are some rare games where your Razor Golem isn't able to come play, cause you had to actually play one to prevent a mulligan down to defeat.  This is a rare scenario, but I did encounter it about three times out of forty with said deck list.

Unmake - Just click on this card to understand its instant goodness.  The only drawback is cards like Valeron Outlander and above mentioned Order of Leitbur - aside from that, this card is quite overpowered for the pauper format and lends to some great combat tricks vs. the entire field.

Journey to Nowhere - A two mana removal solution - okay, I'm in love.  Add to that the above-mentioned synergy of the Kor Skyfisher re-usability and you have some seriously devastating removal for a measly 1W.  Seriously, what more do you want from a spell?!

Serrated Arrows -  Main decked or sideboard (depending on the meta game) - this card is always a valid inclusion.

THE SIDEBOARD(S):

4xBenevolent Unicorn - Still surprises me how many people have never heard of this card.  It is the nemesis to Grapeshot.  The partial answer to storm.  Your sideboard, (in my biased opinion) MUST always have four of these.
3xPrismatic Strands - I might catch a lof of grief/hate for this, but as far as my research concludes - I see no reference to this card until I started playing pauper.  This is an MVP vs. anything mono-colored, see also: red and/or black.
3-4xHoly Light - I'm an atheist at heart, but even so, I'll sing the praises of this superstitious card any day vs. goblins and/or elvin strategies.  Just remember your Razor Golem is also considered "Unworthy" to the totalitarian sky man of "___________" faith.
0-4xStandard Bearer - if facing rogue and/or goblins - this guy has his place.  Armadillo Cloak - now targets YOUR creature.  A Mogg Raider got you down, just wait 'til he has to activate targeting your pious peons.  Combined with Benevolent Bodyguard this can seal the deal against many a strategy - personally however, I've found it lacking and I genuinely wish it were always something else.
0-2xDust to Dust - If affinity is an issue, then of course this guy is the answer, but sideboard slots are a valuable commodity, and I'm not sure this is a consistent and flexible answer, unlike the below:
0-2xKor Sanctifiers - Rogue nasty-hate...CHECK!  affinity and Kor Skyfisher re-usability, CHECK!  Strange Armadillo Cloak and/or Tortured Existence engine got you down...CHECK.
0-3xSerrated Arrows - This I hate to write about, simply because it's the main bane to white weenie.  In the finals (mentioned below) I faced this card against a goblin deck, which was a great meta game call by Mammonth! - Although it wasn't enough for my great white might!

 
Now for some specific reference:
The above '2009 White Weenie' is a very solid base with which to start any weenie-like endeavor.  As with any white weenie build, it's very consistent, resilient and can put up a fight with even some extended deck lists! - Ok maybe only rogue ones ;)  If you're new to pauper magic, this is the list you want to buy and go for.  Remember only through personal playing and individual strategy will you be able to modify the above list(s) and choices.

For those impatient at heart, and wishing to know how I smashed the meta game on the weekend of 03/13/2010 - look no further:

03/2010 Winning White Weenie
 
Creatures
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Benevolent Bodyguard
4 Razor Golem
4 Shade of Trokair
4 Kor Skyfisher
4 Order of Leitbur
4 Soul Warden
3 Safehold Elite
31 cards

Other Spells
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Unmake
8 cards
 

Lands
21 Plains
21 cards

Soul Warden

Okay, so I got first place out of a vast field...bravo...pats on the back etc.,  but what would I change?  The answer is Dust to Dust.  I'd simply remove the two copies I have of Dust to Dust for two Kor Sanctifiers - which are still awesome vs. affinity via Kor Skyfisher and also have plenty of game vs. the mirror and TE strategies. 

This would have possibly helped with my only loss of the entire tournament vs. J_G_L expertly playing a pauper form of "junk." - This isn't an insult, quite the opposite.  For those new readers who haven't heard the term, 'Junk' is a magic term used when putting together a bunch of good cards from many mana sources:.

Unmake has no game vs. Valeron Outlander - as technically Unmake is BOTH a white AND black spell.  This compounded by the fact that in game two, the Valeron Outlander had two Armadillo Cloak atop it's noble back.

The bad news for me and my lack of drawing my Journey to Nowheres - the good news being that Valeron Outlander strategies have a very bad % vs. goblin blitz which turned out to be a approximately 62 % of the field.  This was the ONLY GAME I LOST:

So, what is the result of the above silly shenanigans? (see below)

03/2010 White Weenie Solution
 
Creatures
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Benevolent Bodyguard
4 Razor Golem
4 Shade of Trokair
4 Kor Skyfisher
4 Order of Leitbur
4 Soul Warden
3 Safehold Elite
31 cards

Other Spells
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Unmake
8 cards
 

Lands
21 Plains
21 cards

Safehold Elite

The inclusion of Kor Sanctifiers would have perhaps given me a perfect record with an answer to J_G_L's Armadillo Cloak - that being said...who can complain...I've won a handful of these now and have more M10 boosters than I know what to do with.  I guess at four tix each it'll at least be funding my pauper playfulness for another few years...which you should be very worried about facing!  Mohahaha! :)

As for the tournament itself, I'll try and be brief, as games three, five, six and seven were all against roughly the same goblin deck list.  Seriously, I didn't lose a single game vs. anything of the goblin persuasion, my total record being perfect 8-0 vs. those nose-picking, narrow-minded, mountain-clinging bastards! :)  The only chance a goblin deck has at beating my solution, is for me to get mana screwed and them to have the nuts.
Here's a few screen-grabs of the various slaughterings:


Funny side notes: 
1) Poor Karakusk, I crushed him in round six, 2-0...then met him in the first round of the top eight, and did the same, 2-0.  His comment said it all about the frustration goblins have vs. this deck, "...not you again."

2) The Nebraskan Finals:
Named such as both my opponent "Mammonth" and I drew nothing but plains and mountains...get it?  Okay, pretty bad reference:



I drew some removal followed by a monstrous shade that really had a great breakfast:


A 13/14 shade is nothing to laugh about!

So lets review:
1) Crazy consistency - CHECK.
2) Consistent pressure - CHECK.
3) Ability to deal with any permanent - CHECK.
4) Has game vs. any deck - CHECK.
5) Respectable life gain that also attacks - CHECK.
6) The most hateful sideboard in recent memory - CHECK.

So if you still need reasons to play this deck - perhaps white isn't your color.
Thanks for reading, I hope to see your digital visage across from me for a game or three:
-Adrian Grey Marsden-
aka: "deluxeicoff" on MTGO
_______________________________
For reference to the above tournament:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Digital/MagicOnlineTourn.aspx?x=mtg/digital/magiconline/tourn/1022848
Also a nice plug on some magic-based mask art I like to do:
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/stf/81

And special thanks to Paul Grasshoff.
My editor who saved you all from my horrible homonym misuse!

85 Comments

wow (time) by Seb (not verified) at Fri, 03/19/2010 - 13:06
Seb's picture

This page stood idle over night.. I noticed after (!) commenting that this kind of got sorted out. I also noticed my post could be provoking as well... but hey, going back on my words now would be hypocricy or ruin the point.
:)

WTF? by Anonymous (not verified) at Fri, 03/19/2010 - 22:16
Anonymous's picture

Damn fine article. Bookmark for sure. Haters galore are jealous I'd say. Boo hoo - now shut up and listen.

I can't play for about the by deluxeicoff at Sat, 03/20/2010 - 09:05
deluxeicoff's picture

I can't play for about the next 3 weeks :( - hope all you WW players do me proud, my money's on "someoldguy"

Okay, for the record, by deluxeicoff at Sat, 03/20/2010 - 22:46
deluxeicoff's picture

Okay, for the record, "someold guy" wasn't playing, nor was I...but WW did take the top two spots.

solid article, man. by rainin6 at Sat, 03/20/2010 - 16:57
rainin6's picture

yeah, this is a fine article. i like that ur positive and never turn into a hater against people criticizing you. ur upbeat personality is refreshing. article is a little messy - but it's a break from all the other articles that don't wake me up like urs. peace mang.

WW Wins AGAIN! by deluxeicoff at Sat, 03/20/2010 - 21:44
deluxeicoff's picture

well, my WW did awfully well, top two spots :) Congrats to scen and SusanAska - would have liked to see blood in the finals, and not the boring split! C'mon people...play the game!

Wow they split? Nonsense...I by Paul Leicht at Sat, 03/20/2010 - 23:54
Paul Leicht's picture

Wow they split? Nonsense...I say protest the intentional draw. :/ (I know there is no intentional draw online but seriously... You make it to the end ...you should finish it.)

Totally agree...often when by deluxeicoff at Sun, 03/21/2010 - 00:36
deluxeicoff's picture

Totally agree...often when out of town, I miss a pauper tourney (like this one and the next 2 weeks) - only to return and see that the finals is a split...this should be flat-out-forbidden imo. Were here to play RIGHT?!?!?

ok out of curiosity...in the by ShardFenix at Sun, 03/21/2010 - 08:33
ShardFenix's picture

ok out of curiosity...in the picture at the beginning how is numidar in 3rd or 4th even though he has 18 points and everyone else has 15?

Shard are you implying I used by deluxeicoff at Sun, 03/21/2010 - 11:59
deluxeicoff's picture

Shard are you implying I used photoshop to win! ;) kidding...
_____________________
The weird point listing happens almost every tourney. Where before the top 8 cutoff, someone has the most points, after and during TOP8, the points don't continue. It is confusing. I can only link to existing links I've saved, and obviously it's a selfish/self-serving link, but it does illustrate the point:

http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Digital/MagicOnlineTourn.aspx?x=mtg/digital...

Notice how Drago has 18 to all other 15, yet he still didn't win. THAT guy is a phenomenal player, watch out!

ahh due to a lack of playing by ShardFenix at Sun, 03/21/2010 - 12:54
ShardFenix's picture

ahh due to a lack of playing in tournaments and doing well in those i do play in, Ive never seen how mtgo handles top 8. Luckily i dont feel bad since ive only played in a grand total of maybe 3 tournaments over the 3+ years ive been online. But that does clear up what was going on. Thanks.

basically, I 6-0d the swiss by Numdiar (not verified) at Sun, 03/21/2010 - 15:06
Numdiar's picture

basically, I 6-0d the swiss but lost round 2 of top 8

I liked it. I believe that by TopBossUltra (not verified) at Sun, 03/21/2010 - 20:05
TopBossUltra's picture

I liked it. I believe that you should stick to your writing style. It's fine to remind us of the competitive spirit in Magic. As long as you aren't a jerk to your opponents. For example, "I crushed TopBossUltra in round one" is fine, while "TopBossUltra is a terrible player, so I beat him in round one" is not. I didn't notice you insulting anyone.

Also, stick to your editor. I did see one thing he missed though (I only read the article once). "I'm one of the few white weenie players who don't really respect this guy." It should be "doesn't." Still, as a reader I thank you for using an editor, and as someone who has done some editing I thank you for crediting him.

While your article doesn't serve the purpose you claim it will, it serves as a good primer for WW and it seems to have generated a lot of interest in the deck.

For the most part, all I've done with this comment is agree with things Paul Leicht said about the article. I can live with that though. He seems like a smart guy.

... by Strouze (not verified) at Mon, 03/22/2010 - 11:45
Strouze's picture

A few Months ago everyone was calling me a noob because i played WW in this Format.

DONKEY KICKS FTW! by kenwakooo (not verified) at Mon, 03/22/2010 - 17:19
kenwakooo's picture

hehehe..."Phyrexian War Beast is doing infinite donkey-kicks in a jealous rage over (Razor Golem)." I haven't had a good laugh like that in a long time. Keep it up!

Thanks kenwakooo ~ silly by deluxeicoff at Tue, 03/23/2010 - 11:12
deluxeicoff's picture

Thanks kenwakooo ~ silly descriptions are a mainstay in my writing style, so as to keep the reader awake! :) Funny, there's some anonymous hater following my articles, saying I need to stop writing like this and being more logic (see:also)boring. They're literally wishing all colorful stuff out, so the report would be:
"...A then B...then C...I'm a human posing as a robot....error3481: Why isn't anyone reading?" ;)

For what it's worth, I found by KingRitz at Mon, 03/22/2010 - 20:16
KingRitz's picture

For what it's worth, I found a post on pdcmagic.com in which I was running Prismatic Strands MAINDECK in a White Weenie deck (admittedly a tribal one) with Benevolent Bodyguard, Order of Leitbur, etc.... in 2008.

http://forums.pdcmagic.com/viewtopic.php?t=2542

im pretty sure strands was by ShardFenix at Mon, 03/22/2010 - 20:38
ShardFenix's picture

im pretty sure strands was seeing play in g/w slivers as well a points. I know it has been a sideboard card in the original blue zoo decks....

Blue Zoo? Please elaborate! by deluxeicoff at Tue, 03/23/2010 - 11:06
deluxeicoff's picture

Blue Zoo? Please elaborate!

oh wow, i remember this deck by ShardFenix at Tue, 03/23/2010 - 11:35
ShardFenix's picture

oh wow, i remember this deck from two-three years ago in classic pdc pre's. I think Khirareq was the designer of the deck but it may have been icarodx. It was basically a UWG sliver deck using support cards from the classic card pool. http://forums.pdcmagic.com/viewtopic.php?t=646

more info on the Strands by Ranth (not verified) at Tue, 03/23/2010 - 19:01
Ranth's picture

more info on the Strands issue here's from the top 32 of the first ever Pauper PE

5th Petkos 3main -Slivers
11th Emeng 2main 2side -Slivers
12th LastDaysOfMagic 3main -Slivers
19th KSH 4side -Slivers
20th Giraffe 3side -WW
31st dragonian_PL 3main -Slivers
33rd TheCrippler250 3main -Slivers

so ya Strands has been well known and used for awhile. As i've said before i have absolutely no clue why people were taking it out of their decks... O.o

no link? Where is this from? by Anonymous (not verified) at Tue, 03/23/2010 - 22:28
Anonymous's picture

no link? Where is this from?

From this spread sheet by Ranth at Tue, 03/23/2010 - 23:15
Ranth's picture

From this spread sheet

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=p9e5F564yA-NVZEW9UzNrUQ

which is posted here

http://forums.pdcmagic.com/viewtopic.php?t=3031

which is more or less Verified here

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/events.aspx?x=mtg/daily/decks/mol1...

I Personally took 16th in this tourney Running MBC because it had a good match up vs slivers which i bleved would abundant and didnt wish to face mirror matches all day(and i was right) , However vslo did run my personal slivers list that i gave him and ran it to a 34th place finish.

Thanks for the links, but by Anonymous (not verified) at Wed, 03/24/2010 - 01:05
Anonymous's picture

Thanks for the links, but what was StiLLiRise -(2nd Place)
running COP's for without a source of White mana?!

Prismatic Lens by KingRitz at Wed, 03/24/2010 - 11:25
KingRitz's picture

Prismatic Lens

Sideboad plans by Anonymous (not verified) at Fri, 03/26/2010 - 02:53
Anonymous's picture

Do you mind posting sideboard plans for the major decks: storm, goblins, rdw, ub teachings, mono blue, mono black? thanks. great article btw!

Be happy too - so long as by deluxeicoff at Thu, 04/01/2010 - 00:11
deluxeicoff's picture

Be happy too - so long as your not "Anonymous" ;)

Liked it as an entry to pauper by Metatron (not verified) at Thu, 04/08/2010 - 08:56
Metatron's picture

Hey deluxe, really found the list great as an entry point for me into pauper. It was fun to play, pretty straightforward in the beginning with nice synergies and tricks once you get to know the deck. I was a little unsure about the boarding plans though so maybe you can list them?

Thanks

I just got this deck a few by Tom (not verified) at Fri, 04/09/2010 - 17:21
Tom's picture

I just got this deck a few days ago and LOVE IT! Thanks for sharing it.

I'd like to ask the same question as "Anonymous".

"Do you mind posting sideboard plans for the major decks: storm, goblins, rdw, ub teachings, mono blue, mono black? thanks."

This would be really appreciated :-)

Thanks,

- Tom

Sideboarding WW by deluxeicoff at Mon, 04/12/2010 - 22:50
deluxeicoff's picture

Depending on the Sideboard, obviously things/numbers change. I'm currently running something like this:

4x Benevolent Unicorn
4x Holy Light
4x Obsidian Acolyte
3x Prismatic Strands

This is due to the insane amounts of teachings B/U decks curently.

Against Goblins, I side out my Removal and add 3x Prismatic and 4x Holylight, if they have damage main, sometimes a Benevolent Unicorn swap for the Shade (as this can go since your not the aggressor)

VS Combo, Same as above, and swap out Aven Riftwatchers for unicorns...as life isn't that big of an issue, and you want constant pressure, not pressure that dies...also, if it's the 3rd turn, cast Prismatic Strands at the end of turn, so you can keep casting creatures and pressuring opp...while still having the flashback goodness of P.strands.

VS RDW is the same as combo, except you take out 4 other creatures...I'd recommend Orders.

VS Teachings, depending if targeted, or untargeted removal...+4 Acolytes - -4 Journey - don't need much removal...and what you have you want at instant speed.

VS Mono Blue...that's tough, if it's faeries, obviously Holy Light comes in to make your removal more efficient.

VS Mirror,...you really want p.strands here...I'd side out the Order's in my current build as most bring in Serrated Arrows, and it's kinda a 1:1 with your bodyguards in that situation. Kor Sanctifiers are great here, if you have the room in your sideboard, as they free up your journey'd creatures...destroy other Razor Golems and S.Arrows...good times.

Hope that's an ok guide :) and thanks for reading! So shocked how many people ask me questions on MTGO - it's an honor!

I'm also running 4x Knight of by deluxeicoff at Tue, 04/13/2010 - 00:04
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I'm also running 4x Knight of Sursi main now, faster...and you win in the air vs goblins and just about everything else...these are insane in the mirror as well, as it kills the aven and skyfisher the first time they cross feathers :) thanks to its flanking fun

So some interesting by deluxeicoff at Thu, 04/15/2010 - 01:30
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So some interesting evolutions have occurred within pauper as of late. My WW build started playing even with Teachings/Control! This was a surprise for me, as I usually had about a 60% advantage over the 'untargeted/rats' version of it. Brian E - a player as good as any, is an excellent pilot of any Black/Blue strategy. His recent creations..copied numerous times, focuses more on targeted removal and answers. Thus because of the popularity of Teachings/Control....My sideboard for the month of April is looking a bit like this:

3 Benevolent Unicorn
3 Prismatic Strands
3 Holy Light
3 Obsidian Acolyte
3 Kor Sanctifiers

Be sure to check back every few weeks/months, as this is where I post my WW tech, unless a ton more is avail, then that will warrant an article again.

Knight of Sursi by Xanthos at Thu, 04/22/2010 - 16:22
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What creature did Knight of Sursi replace from your last decklist? Thanks!

Where can i buy Unicorns by Metatron at Tue, 04/27/2010 - 11:05
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Running your list with the Icatians (instead of Soul Warden, since they are more aggresive I think) fairly successful now. However, I wasnt able to get my hands on any Unicorns. MTGOTraders never have them and I am new to MTGO so I don't know where else I could find them. Any tips?

Knights replaced the 3 by deluxeicoff at Tue, 04/27/2010 - 22:20
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Knights replaced the 3 safehold elite, and one plains.

Icatians are always valid...just depends. I'm not running WW for the next few weeks, tried straight burn last week, got 25th out of 80 - ran into 2 decks with lifegain main (and not riftwatchers!) talk about horrible luck!
The player "someoldguy" has a toolbox/transmute build of B/U/W control which absolutely destroys WW. I rebuilt the deck JUST TO BEAT IT and couldn't! So I had to go faster with burn, faced him first round last week and won 2-0 :)

This week I plan to play either goblins, burn or U/W Blink

as far as other places, if MGTO traders doesn't have it, try Botkingdom (Online classified rooms) or just search for "Pauper Bot" Good luck!