Pauper Meta Report - Pauper Most Hated Decks on 2023
Table of Contents
Pauper Strategies I HATE the most
Pauper offers a remarkable diversity of decks, evident in the multitude of archetypes it encompasses. As a result, it's only natural that some strategies are more irritating than others. Today, I'll be sharing the ones I find most irksome.
#5. Ponza
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Everyone enjoys casting spells, and let's face it—losing due to mana issues is frustrating. What if your opponent prevents you from playing your spells and keeps you in a perpetual mana-screwed state? That's precisely what this deck excels at. While its rank on the list may vary for some, if you're piloting a blue deck with Spell Pierce or Counterspell, it can be less bothersome.
#4. Cleansing Wildfire
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I hate Cleansing Wildfire, primarily because it's the sole reason Bridges are still relevant in Pauper. However, another reason is the decks that run it, like Jeskai Ephemerate. These matches tend to drag on, and when they lock you out of the game with the Archaeomancer Ephemerate combo, it's incredibly frustrating. I'd almost prefer having my lands destroyed.
#3. EphemerateTron
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Similar to Jeskai Ephemerate, the Tron deck holds a special place among my most despised opponents. It's not because it's unbeatable, but because I detest lengthy games. Tron operates with a "prevent-you-from-winning" mindset rather than a winning one. While the Stonehorn Dignitary + Ephemerate combo is aggravating, and the deck packs the same synergy of Wildfire with Mnoic Wall, there's one more interaction that my next, most hated archetype also runs that makes it excruciating to play against.
#2. Familiars
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Notice a common thread between Familiars, Ephemerate Tron, and Cleansing Wildfire? They all incorporate Ephemerate and Mulldrifter. For four mana, you get to draw six cards and put a body on the field. That hardly seems fair! I'm out there, playing with my honest creatures, trying to gain an edge, and suddenly, a top-decked Mulldrifter revealing an Ephemerate takes over the game. Can anyone relate? Well, that's pretty much my daily grind against Familiars decks.
#1. Mill
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So, what's worse than having your lands destroyed and getting drowned in raw card advantage, courtesy of a blinking elemental fish? It's getting stalled to death by someone slowly milling you. Yes, that's right, I despise it.
Bonus
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Despite my grievances above, I'd like to dedicate this extra space to all the multi-queue, mono-red players who take five minutes per action. Shame on you!
What is Fair in Pauper?
Now that I've shared what I find most disagreeable in Pauper, do any of these strategies strike you as fair? If you were to ask me, I'd say yes, with one significant caveat. These strategies aren't inherently overpowered or dominant, but they all share a common trait—they annoy me the most.
Imagine if I were to enter an MTGO League and face any combination of these decks in four rounds. I can guarantee I'd be more than annoyed. However, that doesn't necessarily render the meta unhealthy but rather hostile to my preferences.
On the flip side, if the meta is dominated by one or two decks that your favored deck excels against, you'll likely relish the environment and consider it fair. Ultimately, whether a meta is deemed healthy or not, doesn’t depends on your preferred playstyle versus what's popular in the field. If your pet deck struggles against the current meta, of course, you'll lean towards labeling it as unhealthy.
However, if the dominant decks force nearly every other archetype to adapt and completely shut down entire strategies, the discourse changes. In the end, Pauper isn't any different from other formats, and power creep is a real concern, so let's not lose sight of that.
Top Decks of the Week
While Sticker Goblin is exceeding expectations on burn decks, I want to point out that this is the fourth consecutive challenge Beicodegeia was able to take down. He is an excellent player and runner-up for the Pauper Player of the year!
It's no surprise that mono-white is performing well in the meta, given how good of a match it has against the most popular decks like Burn and Affinity. I personally don't like it much because it looks pretty bland, but sometimes, simple decks are the best options to take over tournaments.
Deck of the Week Award
I think this is the third mono-black deck I promoted in a row, but it shows you how many versions of them can be in the same format. I feel its somewhat underrated as well, so I like it when it puts up good results.
Wrap Up
Weeks pass, and pauper stays the same. Wilds of Eldraine didn't bring many things to it, but hopefully, the return to Ixalan has tools to make the meta a bit more diverse, or it can revive some dead archetypes.
Thanks a lot for reading until now, and we will catch up with more content through the rest of the week. Take care, and we will meet again next time!
Where to Play Pauper?
I have compiled a list of places to play Pauper, mostly IRL. The address may vary, but it's a helpful place to start and check if some of them are near you. They may not play Pauper every day, so it's always a good idea to ask before traveling.
If you want your Pauper LGS added, send an email with the details to:
davidroyale@pauperbrews.com
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