Jund Wildfire Pauper Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide
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Since its introduction in Zendikar Rising, Cleansing Wildfire has sparked mixed opinions among players, with its impact becoming even more pronounced following the release of the indestructible artifact lands in Modern Horizons 2. While originally seen as a niche tool for disrupting problematic lands like Tron pieces, its role shifted dramatically once players realized that targeting their own indestructible lands allowed them to ramp while drawing a card—a rare and powerful combination in red.
Today, I’ll delve deeper into how this evolving strategy enhances gameplay, not only improving on traditional ramp approaches but also fostering a more interactive and dynamic play experience.
Table of Contents
Jund Wildfire Pauper Deck Overview
Thanks to the introduction of [card]Writhing Chrysalis[/card], a creature that not only has a sizable body but also generates tokens, adding mana to the board and enabling various synergies, now there’s a very good reason to run [card]Cleansing Wildfire[/card] in a deck.
Best Card Choices for Jund Wildfire in Pauper
When talking about Jund Wildfire, one can’t inevitably think about Jund Gardens, or why not, Golgari Gardens.
[cards]{{Deadly Dispute}}[/cards]
Both strategies run very similar cards, as their core relies on sacrifice spells like [card]Deadly Dispute[/card], arguably the best black card of the set.
Still, adding red to the deck introduces a more reliable ramp method with [card]Cleansing Wildfire[/card]. By playing an indestructible land and targeting it with Wildfire, you gain a pseudo-[card]Rampant Growth[/card] effect while also drawing a card.
You can also play a turn one [card]Blood Fountain[/card] and a turn two [card]Deadly Dispute[/card] to go to turn four from turn two effectively, but this will happen less often due to the quantity of untapped black sources this deck runs.
So why is it so important to ramp to four consistently, and why is Jund now the superior deck? Simply put—[card]Writhing Chrysalis[/card].
[cards]{{Writhing Chrysalis}}{{Thorn of the Black Rose}}[/cards]
On Golgari Gardens, the best four-drop option is [card]Thorn of the Black Rose[/card]. While strong, it struggles against faster decks that could easily remove it and steal [card]The Monarch[/card] emblem. In contrast, [card]Writhing Chrysalis[/card] offers significantly more resilience.
Not only can it survive a [card]Lightning Bolt[/card] by sacrificing a token, but those tokens can also be used to cast spells like [card]Ichor Wellspring[/card]—which pairs well with [card]Deadly Dispute[/card]—or simply act as chump blockers.
From here, the game plan diverges drastically between the two deck, even though they share many of the same cards.
The Removal Suite of Jund Wildfire
For board wipes, the Golgari Gardens build relies on [card]Crypt Rats[/card]. While effective, it is difficult to cast and requires a heavy black mana investment, making it less splash-friendly. In reality, Golgari Gardens is mostly mono-black, only splashing for [card]Khalni Garden[/card] and [card]Weather the Storm[/card].
Now, with an improved mana base that includes red, the deck gains access to one of the best board wipes in the format: [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card].
[cards]{{Krark-Clan Shaman}}{{Blood Fountain}}{{Ichor Wellspring}}[/cards]
Since the deck runs a high density of artifacts—including [card]Ichor Wellspring[/card], [card]Blood Fountain[/card], and various artifact tokens generated by sacrifice outlets—it’s easy to clear the board with the Goblin, making it a major upgrade over [card]Crypt Rats[/card].
Additionally, you can even pair [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card] with [card]Toxin Analysis[/card] to give it deathtouch and lifelink. While this tech isn’t present in this particular build, it’s worth keeping in mind as a potential option.
[cards]{{Snuff Out}}{{Galvanic Blast}}{{Cast Down}}[/cards]
Beyond board wipes, the deck also runs some of the best removal spells in Jund colors—[card]Snuff Out[/card], [card]Galvanic Blast[/card], and [card]Cast Down[/card]—ensuring that it can maintain control at every stage of the game, even when tapped out.
That said, if you thought Writhing Chrysalis was the only impactful card from Modern Horizons 3, you might want to take a second look.
The Other Threats in Jund Wildfire
[cards]{{Refurbished Familiar}}{{Nyxborn Hydra}}[/cards]
[card]Refurbished Familiar[/card] is another powerhouse, offering strong synergies with the deck. It provides evasion, taxes your opponent’s hand, and contributes to the deck’s overall grindy game plan.
On top of that, the deck now runs another MH3 hidden gem: [card]Nyxborn Hydra[/card], which serves as the primary finisher. Why? Because you can simply Bestow it onto a Chrysalis and quickly close out the game. Its ability to use the Eldrazi token generated by Chrysalis allows for explosive plays, creating massive threats in no time. Furthermore, as you continue sacrificing tokens, the Chrysalis itself keeps growing, making this strategy both powerful and consistent. Even if your opponent removes the Chrysalis, they still have to deal with a [card]Nyxborn Hydra[/card] that transitions from an Aura to a creature—bad news for them.
This key difference sets Jund Wildfire apart from Golgari Gardens. The Gardens version relies on systematically removing everything from the opponent’s board before finally resolving a creature and hoping it would stick. Jund Wildfire, however, builds pressure much faster while still maintaining strong interaction.
The only aspect I don’t personally enjoy about this deck is [card]Cleansing Wildfire[/card]—the main reason Bridges are still legal in the format. But outside of that personal preference, this deck is incredibly strong and well-positioned in the current meta.
Tips and Tricks for Playing Jund Wildfire in Pauper
It’s often a good idea to leave one black mana open if you have Eldrazi tokens ready. This mana can be used to cast [card]Deadly Dispute[/card], which can quickly chain into other spells like [card]Eviscerator’s Insight[/card], allowing you to generate card advantage at the end of your opponent’s turn and refill your hand.
Remember to hold priority while activating [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card]’s ability. If you don’t, it will die when the ability resolves, preventing you from using it again.
You can also use [card]Nihil Spellbomb[/card] as fodder for your sacrifice spells. Its ability will still trigger when it dies, letting you draw an extra card. This is especially useful against decks that don’t rely heavily on their graveyard, giving you some additional value.
There was a game where my opponent had a Shaman and was preparing to wipe the board. They wanted to apply pressure by casting [card]Writhing Chrysalis[/card], so I let the tokens enter first and then fired my removal on the Shaman. This forced them to activate the board wipe earlier than planned. While they still got the mana, the Chrysalis was now within [card]Lightning Bolt[/card] range. Don’t get caught off guard by this kind of play.
Optimizing Your Jund Wildfire Sideboard
As I always thought, sideboard choices are mostly dictated by the dominant decks of a format. As such, inclusions need to be made to improve your matchups against them.
[cards]{{Weather the Storm}}{{Breath Weapon}}{{Krark-Clan Shaman}}[/cards]
[card]Weather the Storm[/card] and [card]Breath Weapon[/card] are included to help against Burn, a matchup that can be very challenging in Game 1. Additionally, a third copy of [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card] is added to further improve your chances.
[cards]{{Snuff Out}}[/cards]
[card]Snuff Out[/card] is a key inclusion against another dominant deck in the format, Broodscale Combo, which relies on pairing [card]Basking Broodscale[/card] and [card]Sadistic Glee[/card] to seemingly win the game on the spot. Having a zero-mana removal spell is critical to disrupting their strategy.
[cards]{{Troublemaker Ouphe}}{{Avenging Hunter}}[/cards]
[card]Troublemaker Ouphe[/card] is here to fight Affinity by removing their indestructible lands early in the game. It also synergizes well with [card]Blood Fountain[/card], making it a strong recursion target.
Lastly, [card]Avenging Hunter[/card] is included as a tool to win mirror matches and other control-heavy matchups, particularly against decks like Dimir Terror, Golgari Gardens, and Boros Synthesizer, among others.
Jund Wildfire Pauper Sideboard Guide: Matchups & Strategies
Sideboarding is one of the trickiest and least intuitive parts of playing Jund Wildfire (and Magic as a whole). The first game usually follows a straightforward strategy, but post-sideboard matches tend to slow down, requiring better sequencing and careful play to navigate around opposing interactions. Because of this, I took the liberty to signal how I would sideboard If I played against some of the most popular decks of the formats with some quick thoughts about the match. Note that these recommendations are based on the sideboard provided and may change with the inclusions of some cards.
For example, running the combo of [card]Toxin Analysis[/card] and the Shaman is a good enough strategy against the likes of Dimir terror, but without it, it's better to cut the Goblin out.
Mono Red
In: +4 [card]Weather the Storm[/card], +3 [card]Breath Weapon[/card], +1 [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card]
Out: -2 [card]Eviscerator's Insight[/card], -2 [card]Snuff Out[/card], -2 [card]Nihil Spellbomb[/card], -1 [card]Makeshift Munitions[/card], -1 [card]Fanatical Offering[/card]
Game 1 is likely a disaster, especially if you get caught in an aggressive start featuring the bread and butter of [card]Kuldotha Rebirth[/card] and [card]Bushwhacker[/card], with no [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card] in sight. This sideboard is designed to stall the game until you can find a board wipe.
Notably, you’ll want to save [card]Weather the Storm[/card] to cast on your opponent’s turn or after chaining [card]Deadly Dispute[/card] into [card]Weather the Storm[/card]. Sometimes, you may even manage to do both on their turn, putting yourself out of reach, only to wipe the board when the timing is right.
Grixis Affinity
In: +3 [card]Troublemaker Ouphe[/card]
Out: -2 [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card], -1 [card]Snuff Out[/card]
This matchup is notably grindy, but you must be mindful that a well-timed [card]Nihil Spellbomb[/card] can disrupt your opponent’s recursion plans. Hold onto it until you truly need it.
Additionally, if you're on the play, I recommend resolving [card]Troublemaker Ouphe[/card] as quickly as possible to exile your opponent’s artifact lands, especially the indestructible ones. You can further exploit this by sacrificing the Ouphe and returning it to your hand with [card]Blood Fountain[/card], allowing you to target their lands again.
However, be extra cautious—you may need to save this interaction for dealing with the indestructible fliers enabled by [card]Kenku Artificer[/card].
Broodscale Combo
In: +2 [card]Snuff Out[/card], +1 [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card]
Out: -2 [card]Nihil Spellbomb[/card], -1 [card]Makeshift Munitions[/card]
Against Broodscale Combo, is where I wish we had [card]Duress[/card] in the sideboard, as your opponent will often use their own discard spells to strip away your removal before executing their combo. With [card]Duress[/card], you could at least remove their key enchantment for good.
Still, the classic “kill everything you see” plan remains highly effective.
Mono-Blue Faeries
In: +2 [card]Snuff Out[/card], +2 [card]Breath Weapon[/card]
Out: -2 [card]Nihil Spellbomb[/card], -2 [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card]
Faeries fly, making them one of the few creatures that [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card] can't deal with, so its exclusion is an obvious choice. Instead, you focus on improving the overall quality of your removal.
Beyond that, Chrysalis shines in this matchup thanks to its hidden reach, while Refurbished Familiar can often be cast ahead of schedule. It also easily bypasses early [card]Spellstutter Sprite[/card], meaning your opponent will likely need to use a [card]Counterspell[/card] to stop it—something you can bait to help resolve a bigger Eldrazi later.
Dimir Terror
In: +2 [card]Snuff Out[/card]
Out: -2 [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card]
As explained initially, your Shamans won’t accomplish much unless you pair them with [card]Toxin Analysis[/card] to wipe out their big snakes. If you decide to take this approach, keep in mind that you’ll not only have to fight through countermagic but also avoid [card]Snuff Out[/card], which can remove your creatures for free.
That said, [card]Writhing Chrysalis[/card] is a solid option for stalling the board. It grows quickly, allowing it to outsize threats like [card]Tolarian Terror[/card]. Overall, this isn’t a bad matchup, but it can become problematic if your opponent drops consecutive 5/5s for just one mana early on. To mitigate this, time your use of [card]Nihil Spellbomb[/card] carefully by tracking how many instants and sorceries your opponents have in the graveyard vs. how much mana they currently have, as most of the time, they will play their threats while leaving countermagic up.
Jund Wildfire // Golgari Gardens
In: +2 [card]Snuff Out[/card], +2 [card]Avenging Hunter[/card]
Out: -2 [card]Galvanic Blast[/card], -2 [card]Krark-Clan Shaman[/card]
Unless it kills [card]Writhing Chrysalis[/card], it won’t cut it, and because of this, we swamp bad removal for a more useful one. [card]Avenging Hunter[/card] is also very good at changing the pace of the game as [card]The Initiative[/card] is a strong ability for grindy matchups.
Thanks for reading!
Where to Play Pauper?
While most games happen on MTGO, the presence of IRL communities is also significant. Because of this, I've listed a series of places that run Pauper events and that you can check if you live nearby or are traveling around these areas.
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