Post-Ban Pauper Predictions

Karol Guzy
2022-01-25

A new year for Pauper means new bannings. The most recent targeted Affinity and Tron, and so the format's landscape will change once again. Of course, the old top dogs aren't done yet, but other contenders should play a larger role. We have a ton of decks from either camp to look at!

There have been some big changes to the Pauper format recently. After a long period of Affinity dominance, one of the key cards of this archetype, Atog, was banned. In addition to this, Wizards preemptively aimed their guns at Five-Color Tron, banning Prophetic Prism and Bonder's Ornament. In this article, I want to share with you my predictions on how the format will look after the bans.

The Position of Tron and Affinity

How painful are the bans for these two archetypes? Affinity lost two cards that have always appeared in lists. In my estimation, we will now see many different approaches: a version of Temur returning to Carapace Forger and the old ways of "Big Affinity," Jeskai Metalcraft with Ardent Recruit and Auriok Sunchaser, and probably the most sensible one at the moment—Grixis with Deadly Dispute, Makeshift Munitions, and Disciple of the Vault. I've seen people trying to replace the Atog with Krark-Clan Grunt, Defiant Salvager, or even Glimmer Bairn. Well, don't. Makeshift Munitions is probably the best sacrifice outlet for Affinity right now, and the three mentioned before are not even close to its power.

Jeskai Metalcraft by Araldo83
Main Deck		Sideboard
4 Ardent Recruit 4 Auriok Sunchaser 4 Gingerbrute 4 Glint Hawk 4 Ornithopter 4 Thraben Inspector 3 Flayer Husk 3 Springleaf Drum 4 Tooth of Chiss-Goria	1 Dispel 2 Galvanic Blast 2 Journey to Nowhere 4 Of One Mind 4 Thoughtcast 4 Holdout Settlement 1 Razortide Bridge 4 Seat of the Synod 4 Ancient Den	2 Blue Elemental Blast 2 Dust to Dust 2 Faerie Macabre 2 Fiery Cannonade 1 Galvanic Blast 1 Hallow 1 Krark-Clan Shaman 1 Leave No Trace 1 Light of Hope 1 Metallic Rebuke 1 Prismatic Strands

Temur Affinity
Main Deck		Sideboard
4 Carapace Forger 4 Frogmite 4 Gearseeker Serpent 4 Myr Enforcer 1 Dispel 4 Preordain 4 Galvanic Blast 2 Makeshift Munitions 2 Temur Battle Rage 4 Thoughtcast	2 Witching Well 4 Chromatic Star 3 Terrarion 3 Great Furnace 4 Seat of the Synod 4 Silverbluff Bridge 3 Slagwoods Bridge 3 Tanglepool Bridge 1 Tree of Tales	3 Blue Elemental Blast 3 Red Elemental Blast 2 Dispel 4 Krark-Clan Shaman 3 Weather the Storm

Grixis Affinity
Main Deck		Sideboard
4 Disciple of the Vault 4 Frogmite 2 Gearseeker Serpent 4 Myr Enforcer 3 Blood Fountain 4 Chromatic Star 4 Terrarion 3 Ichor Wellspring	4 Galvanic Blast 4 Deadly Dispute 2 Makeshift Munitions 4 Thoughtcast 3 Darksteel Citadel 3 Great Furnace 2 Mistvault Bridge 4 Seat of the Synod 2 Silverbluff Bridge 4 Vault of Whispers	3 Blue Elemental Blast 2 Dispel 2 Makeshift Munitions 1 Reaping the Graves 3 Krark-Clan Shaman 3 Pyroblast 1 Duress

The loss of Prophetic Prism and Bonder's Ornament might force Tron players to find other builds than those that went to five colors. One option might be to limit the colors to three. But if Tron players go Temur, they will lose Ephemerate and Stonehorn Dignitary. If they go into Bant, they will lose important sideboard cards like Fiery Cannonade and Pyroblast, as well as access to Rolling Thunder. They might want to completely change the approach and try to focus on playing large cascade creatures or use the storm mechanic via Galvanic Relay. History shows that Tron will always find a way, and I'm very curious to see how it will dominate the metagame this time.

Bant Tron
Main Deck		Sideboard
3 Ephemerate 1 Dispel 2 Crop Rotation 3 Impulse 1 Prohibit 3 Moment's Peace 1 Weather the Storm 3 Golden Egg 2 Simic Signet 1 Compulsive Research 2 Ghostly Flicker 1 Unwind 2 Pulse of Murasa	3 Stonehorn Dignitary 1 Mystical Teachings 3 Mnemonic Wall 4 Mulldrifter 2 Ulamog's Crusher 1 Forest 1 Island 1 Plains 3 Thornwood Falls 4 Thriving Isle 4 Urza's Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 4 Urza's Tower	3 Lone Missionary 1 Stonehorn Dignitary 4 Blue Elemental Blast 1 Negate 1 Gut Shot 1 Moment's Peace 1 Serene Heart 3 Fangren Marauder

Relay Tron by Entropy263
Main Deck		Sideboard
4 Abundant Harvest 4 Ancient Stirrings 4 Chromatic Sphere 4 Chromatic Star 4 Conjurer's Bauble 4 Crop Rotation 4 Galvanic Relay 4 Golden Egg 4 Spare Supplies	1 Disciple of the Vault 3 Fangren Marauder 4 Foundry Inspector 4 Forest 4 Urza's Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 4 Urza's Tower	1 Disciple of the Vault 2 Echoing Truth 1 Fangren Marauder 2 Gorilla Shaman 1 Nature's Claim 4 Serrated Arrows 2 Tormod's Crypt 2 Weather the Storm

Cascade Tron
Main Deck		Sideboard
4 Mulldrifter 4 Self-Assembler 4 Boarding Party 4 Maelstrom Colossus 3 Llanowar Visionary 4 Ancient Stirrings 3 Crop Rotation 4 Golden Egg 2 Fiery Cannonade 2 Pulse of Murasa	1 Forest 1 Mountain 2 Rugged Highlands 1 Swiftwater Cliffs 1 Thornwood Falls 4 Thriving Grove 4 Urza's Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 4 Urza's Tower	3 Hydroblast 4 Pyroblast 1 Serene Heart 3 Weather the Storm 4 Fangren Marauder

Faeries, Monarch, Flicker, and Cascade

Weakening Affinity and Tron allows the metagame to be refreshed. Many of the format's strongest strategies and synergies remain intact, and this is a good time to bring them out again. I believe the most successful decks will be those that are built around or include one or more of the following elements: Faeries, monarch, flicker, and cascade. There are plentiful examples, and I expect them to compete by leaning toward more and more greedy combinations. Which of these will prove to be the best? We won't know until we see more results.

Where Is the Aggro?

Affinity was the strongest aggro deck for a long time, and it was hard to find a reason to play any other. Sometimes people chose Bogles, just because sideboards (and main decks) were stacked with Affinity hate, which gave our little potatoes a little bit of space. The specter of Tron giving up fogs and greedy decks infighting at the top could see the return of old strategies like Stompy or Heroic. They are not the strongest decks, but the speed they generate means that greedy decks do not have enough time to realize their theoretical advantage.

Bogles by Mamah
Main Deck		Sideboard
4 Abundant Growth 4 Ancestral Mask 4 Armadillo Cloak 2 Cartouche of Solidarity 1 Cave of Temptation 4 Ethereal Armor 3 Ram Through 4 Rancor 4 Utopia Sprawl	4 Gladecover Scout 1 Heliod's Pilgrim 4 Silhana Ledgewalker 4 Slippery Bogle 1 Arctic Treeline 1 Ash Barrens 2 Crumbling Vestige 12 Forest 1 Plains	3 Blue Elemental Blast 2 Crimson Acolyte 1 Dispel 1 Essence Harvest 1 Flaring Pain 1 Gut Shot 2 Lifelink 3 Standard Bearer 1 Young Wolf

Monowhite Heroic by SilverKKing
Main Deck		Sideboard
3 Benevolent Blessing 4 Cartouche of Solidarity 4 Emerge Unscathed 4 Ethereal Armor 4 Hyena Umbra 4 Karametra's Blessing 3 Sentinel's Eyes	4 Akroan Skyguard 4 Benevolent Bodyguard 4 Deftblade Elite 4 Lagonna-Band Trailblazer 3 Sacred Cat 15 Snow-Covered Plains	2 Beckon Apparition 1 Benevolent Blessing 4 Fragmentize 2 Gut Shot 2 Homestead Courage 2 Lifelink 2 Standard Bearer

Monogreen Stompy by Ixidor29
Main Deck		Sideboard
4 Burning-Tree Emissary 4 Nest Invader 4 Nettle Sentinel 3 Quirion Ranger 2 River Boa 3 Silhana Ledgewalker 3 Skarrgan Pit-Skulk 2 Vault Skirge	3 Elephant Guide 4 Hunger of the Howlpack 3 Rancor 4 Savage Swipe 4 Vines of Vastwood 17 Forest	4 Deglamer 4 Gleeful Sabotage 3 Gut Shot 4 Weather the Storm

How About Combo?

Affinity was not only the best aggro deck but also the best at playing the combo game. Atog's ban leaves this seat vacant, and there are already several contenders gunning for it. First to come to mind are Moggwarts, Wonderwalls, and Storm, which still has supporters who are trying to put it together. Combo can replace aggro and hold greedy decks in check like Moggwarts, or join them and play as a combo-ramp strategy like Wonderwall does. The development of these archetypes is always a mystery, but I'm sure they will have their impact as the post-ban metagame takes shape.

MoggWarts by Raptor56
Main Deck		Sideboard
1 Flamewave Invoker 4 Goblin Matron 4 Putrid Goblin 4 Skirk Prospector 4 Deadly Dispute 3 Duress 4 First Day of Class 2 Makeshift Munitions 4 Thoughtcast 3 Unearth	4 Chromatic Star 4 Ichor Wellspring 3 Great Furnace 3 Mistvault Bridge 4 Silverbluff Bridge 3 Snow-Covered Mountain 3 Snow-Covered Swamp 3 Vault of Whispers	4 Blue Elemental Blast 1 Duress 1 Fiery Cannonade 2 Introduction to Prophecy 3 Krark-Clan Shaman 1 Masked Vandal 3 Pyroblast

Wonderwalls by Hyusakii
Main Deck		Sideboard
4 Annoyed Altisaur 4 Axebane Guardian 4 Boarding Party 1 Galvanic Alchemist 2 Jaspera Sentinel 2 Mulldrifter 4 Overgrown Battlement 4 Quirion Ranger 4 Saruli Caretaker 1 Secret Door 4 Tinder Wall 3 Tuktuk Rubblefort 1 Valakut Invoker 1 Vivien's Grizzly	4 Lead the Stampede 4 Winding Way 13 Forest	1 Bloodrite Invoker 2 Drift of Phantasms 1 Galvanic Alchemist 2 Gorilla Shaman 2 Moment's Peace 2 Pulse of Murasa 2 Scattershot Archer 1 Tranquility 2 Weather the Storm

Ping Storm by saidin.raken
Main Deck		Sideboard
4 Lotus Petal 4 Dark Ritual 4 Rite of Flame 2 Chromatic Sphere 4 Chromatic Star 4 Cabal Ritual 2 Deadly Dispute 4 Night's Whisper 4 Reckless Impulse 4 Manamorphose 1 Clear the Mind 4 Galvanic Relay 2 Seething Song 1 Perplex	4 Kessig Flamebreather 1 Great Furnace 2 Mountain 3 Peat Bog 3 Sandstone Needle 1 Swamp 2 Vault of Whispers	2 Echoing Truth 2 Duress 3 Fiery Cannonade 1 Flaring Pain 4 Pyroblast 3 Weather the Storm

It will certainly take some time for the metagame to settle and solidify. Now we're in for a tumultuous but exciting few weeks of multi-deck dominance battles. Let's just hope that the bans turn out to be effective and we actually see a refresh of the format!

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily Cardmarket.