New Bans, New Brews: What It Means for Pauper?
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Like many of us, I thought that PFP would make no moves this March 31st, B&R, but boy, I was wrong.
Not only did they ban multiple cards, but they also brought back some interesting options on the meta, plus a card that has the potential to break Pauper.
Intrigued by what that would be? Let’s dive into it!
Table of Contents
Banned and Restricted Announcement – March 31, 2025
While this article focuses on Pauper Bans/Unbans, I will also mention all the changes that were made to other formats.
Modern:
[card]Underworld Breach[/card] is banned.
Legacy:
[card]Sowing Mycospawn[/card] is banned.
[card]Troll of Khazad-dûm[/card] is banned.
Pauper:
[card]Basking Broodscale[/card] is banned.
[card]Kuldotha Rebirth[/card] is banned.
[card]Deadly Dispute[/card] is banned.
[card]Prophetic Prism[/card] is unbanned.
[card]High Tide[/card] is unbanned.
Now, with the full picture of what happened today, let’s go over the reasons that the PFP have to make those changes + my own opinion on what this could mean for the format.
Basking Broodscale BANNED
[cards]{{Basking Broodscale}}[/cards]
Reason: This card enabled a potent combo with [card]Sadistic Glee[/card], allowing players to generate infinite mana and create a creature capable of ending the game in one attack. This two-card combo could be assembled early, pressuring opponents to have immediate answers. To reduce the format's speed and lessen the dominance of such combos, [card]Basking Broodscale[/card] has been banned.
Reaction: Since its introduction into the meta, Broodscale Combo's numbers were off the charts. I remember pulling some early data and seeing that, despite only being in the format for six months, it was already the third most played deck of 2024 when you combined both versions.
The problem was that there wasn’t a clean, targeted card you could bring in to deal with the combo—aside from generic spot removal or hand disruption. Compare that to other strategies like Jund Dredge, where you can run [card]Relic of Progenitus[/card], or Grixis Affinity, which folds to [card]Dust to Dust[/card]. Broodscale Combo didn’t have that kind of silver bullet.
The deck was both fast and resilient, so it was clear something had to be banned to tone it down. In the end, [card]Basking Broodscale[/card] got the axe. That decision didn’t surprise me—in fact, I think the change came too late. It took two Paupergeddons for action to be taken, but eventually, it was. This felt like the most anticipated ban from the community as a whole. Between [card]Basking Broodscale[/card] and [card]Sadistic Glee[/card], one of them had to go.
Kuldotha Rebirth BANNED
[cards]{{Kuldotha Rebirth}}[/cards]
Reason: This card contributed to the strength of Mono-Red strategies by enabling rapid, aggressive plays that were challenging for many decks to counter. To tone down the dominance and polarity of Mono-Red in the metagame, [card]Kuldotha Rebirth[/card] has been removed.
Reaction: Over the years, Mono-Red has received significant upgrades, as I mentioned previously in its dedicated article. Before many key artifacts were printed, [card]Kuldotha Rebirth[/card] was mostly an irrelevant card in Pauper. But now, thanks to Mono-Red’s explosive ability to grind and steal games out of nowhere—essentially turning [card]Kuldotha Rebirth[/card] into a pseudo-[card]Goblin Bushwhacker[/card]—this ban feels like a necessary step to slow the deck down.
What I expect to happen next is a shift toward a more [card]Kessig Flamebreather[/card] and [card]Reckless Impulse[/card]-based strategy for Mono-Red. We'll see how the meta adapts. Regardless, the archetype is far from dead—so don’t go unpacking those [card]Hydroblast[/card]s just yet.
Deadly Dispute BANNED
[cards]{{Deadly Dispute}}[/cards]
Reason: Serving as a highly efficient card-draw engine, [card]Deadly Dispute[/card] was widely adopted across various top-tier decks, including Grixis Affinity and Jund Wildfire. Its prevalence led to a homogenization of deck strategies, as it overshadowed other card-draw options. Banning this card aims to diversify gameplay and encourage the use of alternative draw mechanisms.
Reaction:In my previous article, I talked about how [card]Deadly Dispute[/card] was a very strong card draw enabler for many archetypes. When a single card sees widespread play across multiple decks, it's usually a sign that it’s not healthy for the format. I agree with this ban—it’s not the kind of change that will kill any particular deck, but it will slow them down a bit, which is probably for the best.
Prophetic Prisim UNBANNED
[cards]{{Prophetic Prism}}[/cards]
Reason: Previously banned to curb the dominance of Tron and Affinity decks, [card]Prophetic Prism[/card] is being reintroduced to potentially revitalize these archetypes in a balanced manner. The goal is to see if its return can enhance deck diversity without leading to past issues. Its performance will be assessed during this trial period.
Reaction: It’s all about the meta. Previously, [card]Prophetic Prism[/card] was banned to nerf Tron and Affinity decks, but it just so happened that aggro decks—namely Mono-Red—were already on the rise. When fast decks are prevalent, slower ones like Ephemerate Tron tend to struggle. But if you look at the current meta, it’s very slow—and it's about to get even slower with the bans targeting combo and Mono-Red.
The rise of grindy decks like Golgari Gardens—and even Jund Wildfire to some extent—came from trying to survive in a fast environment, where there wasn’t much competition from other control decks. But now, Ephemerate Tron is poised to make a comeback. It’s a deck that likely has a major edge against Gardens, so don’t be surprised if the latter starts to fade from the Pauper meta.
Think about it: what can a deck full of removal spells and very little pressure really do against a deck that doesn’t care about its creatures and is just focused on generating absurd mana and grinding you out? Sure, it can kill a [card]Mnemonic Wall[/card], but trading one-for-one with a Wall that just brought a card back from the graveyard is a losing value exchange. The same goes for [card]Mulldrifter[/card].
High Tide UNBANNED
[cards]{{High Tide}}[/cards]
Reason: Historically, [card]High Tide[/card] was banned due to concerns over potential combo exploits. However, after extensive testing, it appears that while powerful, it may not be overwhelmingly dominant in the current environment. Unbanning it on a trial basis allows the community to explore its potential, with the understanding that it will be closely monitored and re-evaluated in the next announcement.
Reaction: I’m not sure yet. I think it might be broken in Mono-Blue Poison Storm, but only time will tell. I’m planning to experiment with a Simic version and will let you know how it goes.
Wrap Up
While these are first impressions, the change of pace of pauper is clear and I am happy that the PFP is stepping in the right direction and that this time, they took action.
What does this mean to me? Well, aside from updating tons of articles, it just opens up the possibility to new brews!
Thanks for reading!
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The reason I used to love pauper was its eternal feel, and how affordable it was to play. After having to tear apart swiftsprear, glitters, and now Kuldotha decks, I realize this format is as annoying and expensive as anything else. I can't wait to play my garbage red deck against tolerian terror next week.
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