It's been many years since players first tried to make Impact Tremors work in Pauper. First, they tried with Goblins using Mogg War Marshal and other token makers for cheap, then revisited the strategy when Hordeling Outburst was downshifted to common. Another time, some players experimented with the enchantment in Boros Bully lists with Battle Screech.
Since Modern Horizons 3, Eldrazi has been a strong theme for Tremors—most of them create tokens when cast or enter the battlefield, stacking both damage and resources to keep a steady flow of threats. The strategy in those lists revolves around sequencing one Eldrazi after another to pile up both damage from Tremors and permanent power on the board.
Even though the new variant of this effect, Raphael, Tough Turtle, proved less powerful than desired, now is a good time to revisit this version of the archetype.
The Decklist
Maindeck
The payoffs.
Both Impact Tremors and Molten Gatekeeper benefit from multiple creatures entering the same turn. Excavator doesn't count itself, but Unearth lets you add it to the Tremors total and create small snowballs with Eldrazi over a single turn.
We can't rely solely on Eldrazi flooding the board to win the game; we need cheap interaction that also serves as ways to amplify our clock—Lightning Bolt and Galvanic Blast are the best in this category in Pauper.
If we want to maximize Galvanic Blast, we also need some ways to have more artifacts on the board. Voldaren Epicure is an efficient one-drop for this purpose, and it also turns into a Shock on ETB with Excavator or Tremors.
The Eldrazi put tokens into play when cast or when they enter. Each token turns into extra damage with Impact Tremors and helps sequence the next creatures by sacrificing tokens for colorless mana.
In an ideal world, we want to sequence Writhing Chrysalis into Eldrazi Repurposer into Nest Invader and end up with 11 power on board and seven damage to the opponent in the same turn.
To find the pieces, we have Malevolent Rumble—which also doubles as cheap ramp—and Glimpse the Impossible, capable of dealing three or more damage to the opponent at the end of turn with Tremors if we don't cast the exiled cards.
Makeshift Munitions also feeds on tokens to control the board and provides another source of reach. To increase consistency with activating it, we have Khalni Garden and artifact lands in the mana base, which also enable Metalcraft for Galvanic Blast.
Sideboard
Essence Warden helps hold off the Mono Red Rally beatdown and benefits both from our Eldrazi tokens and the number of creatures our opponents run in those lists. It also works against White Weenie.
Weather the Storm also holds off Rally, but tends to be more reliable against Madness Burn and similar variants.
Breath Weapon clears the board against small creature decks. Rally, Faeries, White Weenie, and Elves are archetypes where it's necessary.
Since we have no graveyard interaction, Relic of Progenitus is the best option to deal with Tolarian Terror or Spy Combo, and it also interacts with Galvanic Blast.
Pyroblast comes in against Faeries, Terror, and other mostly blue archetypes like Caw-Gates and Ephemerate variants.
Troublemaker Ouphe uses our tokens to exile artifacts and enchantments. Mandatory against Affinity and Wildfire, and the best sideboard option against Bogles.
Sideboard Guide
Mono Blue Terror
IN
OUT
Mono Red Rally
IN
OUT
Madness Burn
IN
OUT
Mono Blue Faeries
IN
OUT
Grixis Affinity
IN
OUT
Spy Combo
IN
OUT
Elves
IN
OUT
Wrapping Up
That's all for today!
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!
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