By Arinaldo, 02/01/20
Grade
0
Brave New Pauper World
Lessons Wizards taught me in 2020
A Guide to Kaldheim's Sealed Format
Bogles on Pauper's current meta - Interview with Gustavo rEPTILIUM_
Pauper, power level and Commander Legends
Highlights from Core Set 2021 to Pauper
aggro
) deck that has stood out in the Pauper format:Naya Slivers!
For a while now, the traditional GW Slivers deck startedsplashing
with the red color. The Modern Horizons set also gave the deck new life, with the addition of bothWinding Way
andBladeback Sliver
. The former was immediately incorporated into GW, with the latter being an integral answer to manyfog spells
in this format. The list underwent some minor adjustments to occupy the red color,Gemhide Sliver
was naturally added, helping with the mana base and itsramping
. The red color then became more than just a splash, as cards likeHunter Sliver
,Gorilla Shaman
and evenElectrickery
started appearing in the deck.Ad
mikamimtg
won the Pauper Challenge on January 12th with the following list:fogs
is necessary.mikamimtg's
list on MTGO, and although I haven't played many games yet, I will share my first impressions about the deck. After more than five years playing Pauper, I finally had the experience of playing with 12 lords. I think this is a worthy highlight, as Slivers are the only type in this format with such privilege. (Hey, Wizards... I don't ask much, but what about merfolk, vampires, goblins?) Setting up a 3 color deck on Pauper is a complex task, and it was one of my concerns using this list. But right from the get-go I realized that this deck was really well adapted to its redsplash
. It has only 1Mountain
, but in most cases, we are not in such a hurry to find it. In a specific match, I ended up with this single Mountain in the graveyard (due toWinding Way
), but thanks toGemhide Sliver
, this is not really a problem.Gemhide Sliver
also has a fantastic synergy withBladeback Sliver
. On top of granting us red mana, it helps with casting a lot per turn, keeping our hand empty and enabling a combo withBladeback Sliver
's ability. This combo requires some important decisions, though. Often, we won't do any damage so we can cast our hand instead, setting up an oppressive battlefield to perform a powerful attack in the next turn. We may also stop our attacks to summon more lords and to escape from some removals likeLightning Bolt
andGalvanic Blast
.Winding Way
andLead the Stampede
are essential cards to maintain this deck's pacing, certifying we always have more Slivers than opponent's answers. Both cards also help us with keeping brief and succint. Many aggro players know about the curse that is drawing several lands in the mid and late game. Usually, lists use 4 copies of each, but I find it interesting that some use only 3 copies ofLead the Stampede
, as it may be the "slowest" card in the deck and usually puts our "non-creature side" into the bottom of our library. The deck has 12"1 drop"
creatures and I wouldn't decrease this amount, as the abilities of these creatures are very relevant.Plated Sliver
is useful in matches that have mass removals, such asEvincar's Justice
andSwirling Sandstorm
. Personally, I also like to keep it against aggros.Sidewinder Sliver
is great against faerie or bird decks. I also like to use it againstThorn of the Black Rose
, as it avoids deathtouch. In the image below we have an example of how theflanking
ability can turn "block" into a very unfavorable action to the opponent.Virulent Sliver
is important in matches where the opponent can gain a lot of life, or cancel out many creatures. But I don't usually use it in matches against aggro decks. Most lists don't have any removals, which to me is strange at first, such as when I faced a burn deck that cast aThermo-Alchemist
early in the match. Despite having only 1 on the main deck,Hunter Sliver
is essential because it assumes this role of removals.Ad
matchups
:Fog Tron
: It was a complicated game, the Fogs are very efficient against Slivers. Unlike Affinity or Bogles decks, we don't have aFling
+Dispel
combo to end the game. We can try to use the best opportunity to put aBladeback Sliver
on the field, but the opponent usually has manyHydroblast
s to answer.Elves
: It seems like a Good Matchup to me.Sidewinder Sliver
andHunter Sliver
stand out in this match, but as we have no removals, the priority is to castHunter Sliver
as soon as possible, since the opponent can tap their elves to escape the block forced by the provoke ability. Besides that, going for an aggressive strategy also works well.MBC and BW Pestilence
: I got good results by drawing and filling the battlefield with as many creatures as possible.Crypt Rats
may complicate as it is a bit faster thanPestilence
, but I didn't encounter any. I intend to testObsidian Acolyte
in this matchup.Affinity
: GW Slivers used to be a smoother matchup for Affinity, the battlefield was often locked andFling
was very good in these situations. However, Slivers have the current advantage. In addition toHallow
andPrismatic Strands
, the deck's red cards (Gorilla Shaman
,Hunter Sliver
andBladeback Sliver
) fare well against Affinity.Burn
: Definitely a Bad Matchup. The opponent can promptly deal with our lords and win the game by dealing damage withThermo-Alchemist
andFirebrand Archer
. Even withHallow
andPrismatic Strands
on the side, it's a complicated match. Prismatic Strands is a little too slow and Hallow doesn't protect our creatures very well, because the opponent can destroy them with another removal, and we won't even gain Hallow's life points. I really want to testCrimson Acolyte
in this matchup.Tron
andBurn
are both really popular in the current meta, so maybe that explains why Sliver doesn't have much representation (%) right now, even though it has good results. That's all for today, I hope you guys enjoyed the article. I'm really enjoying playing with this deck, but I'm still learning the ropes, so why don't we discuss it further on the comments below? I appreciate any sort of questions, criticisms or suggestions!