Feb 25- Mar 1

Redefining the Meta

    Drafters have had some time to accumulate a ton of extras and the Gatecrash commons have had some time to come down in price, infusing the market and reforming the meta-game of standard pauper.  This past week Boros has found some new life using cards like Daring Skyjek and Skyknight Legionnaire.  Extort has been throwing its weight around with Basilica Guards and Basilica Screecher and Devour Flesh may soon be finding it's way into more decks.  I will be discussing these cards and the decks in which they appear, as well as all of the weeks top decks below.



MPDC 20.01

    This week's MPDC, hosted by Malum, featured pk23's ultra control deck- Esper Control.  This deck uses plenty of quality black removal like Victim of Night, Murder and Devour Flesh to keep the opponent's board clean while it slowly gains massive card advantage with Amass the Components and Forbidden Alchemy. All the while it extorts with Basilica Guards using leftover mana to continually force life totals further and further apart despite the lack of an aggressive attack. Once Seraph of Dawn and Ogre Jailbreaker are on the loose its usually time to scoop.  The sideboard allows for a great defense as well, utilizing some counter magic to protect its few valuable creature assets.

       One card in this deck that may get overlooked at first is Prophetic Prism.  Not only is this a critical card for any deck with more than two colors, but I believe it's also foreshadowing what will come for the rest of the time the card is standard legal.  The last time Prophetic Prism was in standard we saw three and four color control decks eventually dominate the meta game.  With so much multi-color madness floating around for the next year and a half I see no reason why things should be any different.

   
    Adner is still kicking around the Black Flag deck and why not?  He's placed very well with it in the past several weeks and it continues to be a solid aggro deck with more reach than most aggro decks are able to achieve.  Extorting adds new depth to the deck with Basilica Screecher and Stab Wound is the perfect spell to counteract Seraph of Dawn.  With a full compliment of removal to clear the board Duty-Bound Dead really speeds up the game for the evasive creatures like Tormented Soul and Highborn Ghoul.

  Boros got a boost this week with PROboszcz's deck- Boros Ready for Action.  Skyknight Legionnaire is the MVP of this deck because it allows Daring Skyjek and Wojek Halberdiers to Battalion a turn sooner than expected, although this won't be a surprise for very long and there is a plethora of simple removal to blow out this decks Battalion swing by taking out the Skyjek and blocking the Wojek, now without the critical first strike he was hoping to have.

   
    Izzet Delver is still hanging around and this week Puritymhz took his version to the top four. Goblin Electromancer is still the enabler of this deck but Stitched Drake is a behemoth in the air that rears his head early in a format with such quick removal.  It's not uncommon to get him out on turn three, making the
opponent wish he hadn't blasted that Goblin so soon.

   Purity's version has a couple unorthodox additions I'd like to discuss. Hands of Binding is most likely the only quality Cipher card in pauper and put to good use in this deck.  Plenty of removal and control means that this deck isn't afraid of that pesky Seraph or other threats that it otherwise might be forced to topdeck to deal with.

   Curse of the Pierced Heart is a card we saw a lot of when Innistrad was at the top of the rotation in standard, but usually in aggro decks.  Being able to side four of them in to this deck means that some serious damage can be ripped off while positioning for board control.  In essence, it acts like another version of extort, allowing a control deck to keep pace with aggro opponents while it sets itself up.  Using the Curse against heavy removal decks allows it to sneak in some damage even without creatures on the board.



SPDC 19.16

   
    This week's SPDC, hosted by Jamuraa, was dominated by white mana symbols.  All of the top four decks used white extensively and 78% of reported decks used the color.  First place goes to Panamimed and his Boros Aggro deck.  He lost only one match, in the first round to pk23's Esper Control.

    War Falcon slots perfectly into this deck with so many Knights and Soldiers and adds some punch in the air after clearing the opponents Seraphs with Pacifism or Thunderbolt.  A couple cards in this deck do double duty: Splatter Thug and Bonds of Faith.  Splatter Thug is one of the only Unleash creatures that you don't always want to get maximum value from by unleashing.  A 2/2 first strike that can defend can often times be a game saver, but having the option to bash face for three each round without worrying that an opponent will throw a chump blocker out brings a smile to any aggro lovers face.

    Bonds of Faith is one of those special spells that always finds a way to give value.  If the opponent has no enchantment removal or is just low on general creature removal it works wonders on any of this deck's Humans.  If you need to get rid of a game changing threat, even if it's just an Avacynian Priest, this will do the job as good as anything.

    One card I'm not sure about is Mugging.  Sure, Shock is great and always has been.  Using this card to push aside a blocker is great too, but not generally worth a card.  We can all think of dream scenarios where this wins the game, but I wonder if this card isn't going in two different directions where one doesn't serve the other.  Perhaps its value is in its ability to at least have some effect in any aggro strategy.  If nothing else most aggro decks will take a Shock without hesitation.

    Obernoob took his GW Aggro deck to a 5-2 finish and second place in the tournament. Centaur Healer did great work as always and Seraph of Dawn is a must in lifegain strategy to hold the fort while the deck tries to gain card and creature advantage.  The most interesting aspect of the deck, however, is the splashing of both red and blue. Amass the Components is a great idea for this deck to help find that mana ramp when it's not showing up on its own and Electrickery out of the sideboard really helps against all the one toughness creatures showing up in black and white.  I only wonder if Prophetic Prism would make a positive impact in this deck.

    Aladar earned top four honors with his WW deck. This one had some variations, mainly in the sideboard, but most notably with the addition of Daring Skyjek.  This may be the only deck that the Skyjek fits into properly.  It takes a lot of evasive, attacking creatures to make him work and that's exactly what WW does best.  Let's not forget that even when he's outlived his usefulness he can still take out a decent sized enemy when used as a chump blocker.

    In the sideboard, Divine Verdict adds some often needed, albeit expensive removal.  Safe Passage is a card that doesn't make very many appearances and rightfully so, but in a close game being able to go all in without worrying about giving anything up on the backswing is a huge help.

    Garlan used a heavy extort tactic to get into the top four this week with his deck, Orzhov.  Mostly Extort and removal, it's a simple tactic that allows the big boys- Seraph, Ogre Jailbreaker and Bloodhunter Bat, to take over in the middle to late rounds.  Sign in Blood gives the deck some reach and Stab Wound quickens the aggro effect and stifles another Seraph or any other big-butt creature that escapes the removal.



Overview

    Aggro is still a large part of the current strategy and it looks like Boros might be picking up steam in the coming weeks, but I expect three and four color control decks to start making an impact soon.  There is a lot of good draw and removal in a multitude of colors.  Not only that, there are plenty of ways to find the right color mana with Evolving Wilds and Prophetic Prism out there along with all the Guildgates.  We should see more Gatecrash commons making appearances, if only shortlived ones while we figure out which ones are impactful and which are just duds.  Happy deck building and may the shuffler be with you.