Pauper: Jund Wild Foods - Deck Tech and Sideboard Guide

Pauper is dominated by value-focused strategies! In today's article, we'll explore one of the best decks if you want to create value in this format, and no, it's not Affinity. It's Jund!

Because of the recent bans in Modern and Legacy, the MTG community has diverged its attention to Pauper. Particularly because the committee didn't change it at all.

The massive card advantage, the super aggro decks, and artifacts in general are still dominating this format, and, for this reason, some value-focused versions of Jund Midrange have been standing out. So, I decided to test my own version using food, which is a very powerful resource in Pauper.

The goal is to accelerate mana with Cleansing Wildfire so we can play Writhing Chrysalis as early as possible, all while getting as much as we can from the best engine in the format, Deadly Dispute. To control the game, you need to dominate the board and your resources well, which is why the lifegain you'll get from food is incredibly welcome.

Furthermore, this deck also plays value-focused creatures like Refurbished Familiar, Krark-Clan Shaman, and Writhing Chrysalis. These last two cards are the best creatures in the format right now; Krark-Clan Shaman is a massive board wipe that will stabilize your board with Toxin Analysis and Writhing Chrysalis lets you not only put a threat in play that will progress your game plan, but also accelerate your mana curve even more.

Refurbished Familiar, in turn, is one of the biggest threats in Pauper nowadays. It attacks your opponent's resources for a discounted mana cost (as it has Affinity for artifacts) and adds a lot of pressure to the game because of its evasion. Nyxborn Hydra is your one-off that will nearly always resolve the game incredibly easily - and it's also another powerful card from MH3 that Pauper welcomed with open arms.

The rest of the list includes the best card draw engine in the format, namely Deadly Dispute, artifacts, Eviscerator's Insight, and Cleansing Wildfire. It also includes a removal kit that will work really well against all threats in the meta.

Mulligan and Game Style

The example above is a great starting hand for this list. The idea is to create value by drawing cards and ramping while you set up your game plan and control your opponent. Remove the first enemy threats and draw cards on your opponent's turn whenever possible. If you find an opening, play your own threats, and carry on like this until you can win the game.

Vs. Kuldotha Red

Kuldotha is one of the best decks in the format nowadays, and is one of the reasons why I prefer using food instead of cards like Ichor Wellspring, for instance. Resisting Kuldotha Red's first plays until you can clear the board and come back into the game is critical. Writhing Chrysalis is your greatest weapon against this deck.

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Vs. Mono-Blue Faeries

Mono-Blue Faeries is once again popular because it performed really well in recent tournaments. It is fast and can punish slower decks like Jund Wild Food. Refurbished Familiar and your Galvanics can mitigate this initial advantage, and Chrysalis is excellent, but don't be mistaken: this matchup is still tough, and I consider it unfavorable for Jund.

Always keep their Ninjas out of the game, and don't let them create value with their Faeries, particularly Spellstutter Sprite.

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Vs. Gruul Ramp

I consider this match favorable. Gruul Ramp gave away land destruction to accelerate mana and create value with its creatures, and they're all land-bound and vulnerable to Krark + Toxin Analysis. Wait until after they play their entire hand before you answer, and always be careful with your life points. Then, you just need to play your own threats and end the game.

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Vs. Bogles

This is another favorable matchup. Just like Gruul Ramp, Bogles is very vulnerable to Krark + Toxin Analysis, and, most of the time, this combination will be fatal.

Post-side, you'll have other incredibly useful cards, like Tithing Blade, Breath Weapon, and discards, which will disrupt your opponent's game plan. Don't be afraid to mulligan after a playable hand.

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Vs. Golgari Broodscale Combo

Broodscale Combo is undoubtedly the deck to beat in Pauper, and has been defining the metagame. We can definitely say it will have the advantage in this matchup, as it can create as much card advantage as Jund and needs just a few cards to win. Finding these few pieces is not a problem for this deck.

Save your answers and use your removals well. Prevent your opponent from comboing at any cost, because you'll certainly lose if they get to do that for free.

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What about you? What do you think of this version? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below!

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!