Pauper Review: Murder at Karlov Manor in the format

It is that time again!

Spoilers season again it's time to review the most missed named set to ever exist... Murders at Karlov Manor!

Let's dive right in and take a look at the set for Pauper - there are a lot of potential inclusions, and great cards to build and brew around. So let's check them out!

White

Well, they have saturated every version of Deadly Dispute so they have decided to move on to Thraben Inspector. Kor Skyfisher and Thraben Inspector are the best creatures in Pauper. But do the decks playing Thraben Inspector need 8 of them?

Glitters decks could potentially use 6 or so, as they are effectively an artifact due to making a clue, but space in glitters is fairly tight.

Other Midrange decks like Boros Synth or Orzhov Blade likely don’t need 8 copies of this effect, but having multiple versions is still great to have access to.

Honorable Mentions

Oblivion Ring doesn’t see much play nowadays, but tagging gain life onto a Three mana Journey to Nowhere is nice.

I don't think it will see much play, but overall this is a great contender to be the next inline catch all after Journey to Nowhere.

Griffnaut Tracker is an expensive Dawnbringer Cleric in the sense it cherry picks what you want to remove out of the graveyard.

However, for decks like Jeskai Ephemerate or other value decks it can be a solid option as the body is much more relevant for the long controlling games where you can gain value from its effect. Looking forward to see if anyone actually plays this over the stock Dawnbringer Cleric.

Blue

Reasonable Doubt is a really interesting counterspell. Being a Lose Focus but gives one of your Creatures menace has the potential to be a strong play.

Some Mono Blue Terror generally runs extra Lose Focus so running this is a solid option.

Another thing you can do with this card is suspect your opponent's creature. You do give it menace, but it can’t block, so you can use it to push through extra damage - especially as you do it in increments of 5.

Other decks could potentially use this, but Mono Blue Terror seems like where this would shine.

Another potential option is in Fae decks, giving Ninjas Menace can be really important to keep the card advantage going from Ninjas.

Reasonable Doubt has a strong contention to replace something like Lose Focus.

Two mana Draw Two, it has a delay on drawing both cards, but being an artifact has some interesting potential.

Dimir Control is a deck that utilizes Thorn of the Black Rose and Murmuring Mystic, and before that, there was a “Dimir Gardens” deck that utilizes Hard Evidence to fuel Deadly Dispute.

What Deduce can do is effectively fuel a Deadly Dispute engine in the Dimir Control deck, which would allow the deck to amass a lot of card advantage. Adding Investigate onto many cards in this set can cause a critical mass, as turning your inefficient mana into cards is a strong mechanic.

This is how I could potentially see this deck looking with a Deadly Dispute engine.

Honorable Mention

Relic’s Roar has already been outclassed, and it has only been legal in a set.

This card effectively could see play in infect as you can increase the base power, making your Blighted Agent or Glistener Elf a 4/3, but it doubles up as a combat trick/removal when turning the opponent's creature into a 1/1.

Not too exciting, but I mentioned the potential playability of Relic’s Roar in my last Pauper Review, so it seems fair to mention this as well as it is an improvement.

Black

I highlighted this card in a card highlight article.

Essentially, this is an edict, but it avoids all the “hate”. You can use it essentially in decks where you want edict to get around all the noise and mess they put onto the table.

For example, being able to Extract a creature with an All that Glitters is really important especially when avoiding all their Ornithopters and Frogmites. This isn’t free as you do have to have 6 mana value in the graveyard. Decks like Gardens and Dimir Terror is where I think this will be considered have access to either self mill or Troll of khazad-Dum to collect evidence quicker.

It is something to note that Bogles and Heroic have not had a great few sets; first Tithing Blade and now Extract a Confession.

I really, really like this card. It just gives me Innistrad Aristocrat vibes. Putting small creatures into play and surveilling to gain advantage through graveyard interactions; however, we are likely a way off a deck like that.

Where I think this may be good is firstly in something like Mono Black Sacrifice, where you can use cards like Unearth or cards that have effects in the graveyard to gain advantage.

Other deck that this could see play is something like Dredge, where you trigger the surveil off playing Satyr Wayfinder and Mire Triton. However, ultimately I don’t think this makes the cut as it is just so much slower than what the deck already operates at.

Honorable Mentions

Slice from the Shadows is ultimately a fairly poor card, as it is just a bad rate at every rate. However, not being countered does add some consideration to this.

The only deck I am considering playing this in is as a 1 in Gardens. This is because there gets a point in the game where you have so many removal spells it doesn’t actually matter what removal spell it is. When it ultimately comes to that being able to not be countered by Spellstutter Sprite and not having to pay Ward is not nothing. However, paying 6 mana to kill a Terror when you don’t struggle with that card due to Tithing Blade is probably what will hinder this card from ever seeing play, but is another option to add.

Unscrupulous Agent is another card to add that they have power crept Burglar Rat out of the format. Exiling is so much better than discarding. Eventually, there will be a critical mass of these cards we can actually consider putting them into decks.

Toxin Analysis is another card that gives your Crypt Rats Deathtouch. Previously, some decks have played Shelob’s Ambush, which creates a food. A Clue is so much better, holding mana for a Cast Down and you don't need it, easily exchange that for a card! This card won’t likely see much play as Crypt Rats doesn’t usually need any help being good, but this is probably the best option we have access to.

Red

This is probably the most hyped card of the set. “Redly dispute” as it is being dubbed is an interesting card as it does provide card advantage, and can be used with Ichor Wellspring like Deadly Dispute. My main issue is where does this see play, and right now, I think there is only one deck where I can personally see it: Mono Red tron and maybe Grixis Affinity.

Mono Red Tron because it provides actual card draw where cards like Wrenn’s Resolve don’t really work in a deck like that. However, Demand Answers gives you actual card advantage for both modes or sacrificing what you already have or discarding extra lands you have in your hand.

Where I don’t see this seeing play is things like Mono Red, as for an aggressive strategy, Wrenn’s Resolve is just better suited.

I look forward to seeing how this affects the game overall.

This is probably where I would start for Mono Red Tron, let me know what you think.

Reclamation Sage is a great card I wish was legal in Pauper. This card is interesting as it not only kills an artifact, but also has upside for being able to sacrifice your own artifact to make the ape bigger. I could see this seeing play in something like Grixis Affinity as you can sacrifice your Ichor Wellspring and make the ape a large threat, whilst also being useful to deal with Glitters decks too.

Honorable Mention

I mentioned Red Herring in my card Highlight. So just going to summarize it here. Essentially, a haste threat that curves nicely after a Goblin Tomb Raider, whilst also counting as an artifact for Galvanic Blast and Glitters decks.

I don’t think Galvanize is going to see much play, but a card that can kill a Terror in some decks is worth considering even if it does cost too much.

Suspicious Detonation is a card that looks solid, but I think the card misses the mark both on the cost before the reduction, cost after the reduction and the damage it deals just feels off.

I do think the card is worth testing, however, as it could overperform, but first impressions aren’t great.

Green

We have highlighted this card here.

I think this card is an interesting one. A one mana card that can exile a Modern Horizons artifact land, but not targeting is an issue. With Glitters, for example, you won't be able to hit the land or even the artifact you want as they can put Ornithopter, Thraben Inspector and Springleaf Drum into play on the first turn. Pick your Poison can be a high risk, high reward sideboard card.

However, the other two modes being a bit more focused is a good and that it will likely be as diverse as Dawnbringer Cleric. Now all we need is a reasonably playable Green deck so it can be in the sideboard.

Stitcher’s Supplier at home.

Rubblebelt Maverick seems like a reasonable inclusion for Dredge and allowing you to start milling as early as turn one is good, but also allows you to have something to fit in on turn 3 after playing a two mana guy like Satyr Wayfinder.

There are many matches where you end up attacking, so the graveyard ability will often be very relevant. Look forward to hopefully seeing this as a stable in Pauper dredge.

Honorable Mentions

I can’t not mention this card. The brews I have seen of this already are incredible. Having access to such a fun design space of a card is what makes pauper great!

In all seriousness, I actually think this may have a place in Dredge sideboards. This can be used as a way to fight graveyard and sideboard hate, as it counts Slime Against Humanity in exile as well. So killing people with 10/10 trample oozes isn’t out of the question.

It is a shame that it doesn’t work with experiment one, otherwise I’d consider this for a more Mono Green strategy too.

Multicolored

I don't think this card is going to break Dimir Faeries, but I do know a lot of people love that Archetype. I don’t know if this makes the cut because at worst this is a 3 mana 1 / 4 flyer that increases your faerie count. But otherwise, if you have time investing 3 mana to morph into a 2/2 with ward 2 especially as you can turn this into your own faerie Sea Gate Oracle - Ultimately, I don’t think it is there but definitely worth testing.

This one has probably been powercrept out of the format, seeing as Beetleback Chief doesn’t see any play. I don't see this making any difference. Things producing artifacts and the token has flying may change the playability of this, but overall I am not holding much hope.

Dog Walker is the most interesting multicolored card to me, as it's an aggressively costed 3/1 that if you are playing RW a 3/1 vigilance isn’t a bad rate - especially if you can protect it. But also this has actual upside to play it in Mono White. You do have to go through all the hoops of disguising it so it's essentially a 5 mana 3/1 and 2 1/1s, but it could be worth it.

Overall, for all of these multicolored cards, I don't think any will likely make the cut or break the metagame, but it would be nice to see these be tested as they have some interesting gameplay about them. I look forward to seeing them.

Artifact

Firstly, this card is bad.

Secondly, I am not interested in the actual card as such.

The last line of text is the only reason this card is in this set review.

So for Dredge at the moment the deck uses Rotten Reunion and I think in some circumstances this card can be better.

There are some pros and cons to each. If Gravestone Strider is in your hand, it is a one mana 1 / 3 that does very little for the deck. It can filter to for Scrapwork Mutt or sideboard cards, but probably not the reason you boarded it in for. However, if this is put into your Graveyard, it is an uncounterable Coffin Purge effect that also counts towards your creature count for Lotleth Giant. Rotten Reunion does provide you more creatures on the board though to sacrifice to Dread Returns Flashback ability.

Overall, if Dredge doesn’t consider the Slime Against Humanity strategy, then this could be a contender to replace Rotten Reunion - but only in Dredge, in my opinion.

Lands

This is my pick for the best card in this set.

We have already highlighted Escape Tunnels impact on Pauper here, so check that out.

Firstly, I think it is overall a sad day that Evolving Wilds has essentially been power crept out of the format, but this card does a lot for many different decks.

I don’t think many decks will start including it that haven’t already run Evolving Wilds in the past. For Example, I can see Caw Gates trying this card out, but it will likely be too much strain on the mana base for very little gain.

However, a deck like Tireless Tribe combo will benefit hugely from this! Being able to make Tribe unblockable before you cast Inside Out on it. It is a huge boost. There is no risk of Shadow Rift or Wedding Invitation effect getting countered.

Another deck that could benefit from this is something like Faeries. Most likely, the two color variants Dimir and Izzet as they are likely to run Evolving Wilds or Ash Barrens for gaining access to their second color and Brainstorm. There is a potential for Mono Blue to run this land and take a more controlling position instead of the Aggro version of Faeries.

Escape Tunnel allows you to make your Ninjas unblockable and provides you card advantage from your lands. Also though it allows you more shuffle effects to potentially look at running Brainstorm. We all know from Legacy and other Eternal formats how powerful Brainstorm with shuffle effects are, but in Pauper shuffle effects come at a cost of speed, because the fetch lands have the land enter tapped. Whereas Escape Tunnel doesn’t sacrifice speed as much as it can allow a Ninja to get in just as much damage later on.

Unsure if this sort of take on Mono Blue will take off, but it is definitely one to consider.

Honorable Mentions

I don’t think this land is very good overall. We have had a multitude of Gateway Plaza effects before, with much more relevant types on the land. The main difference I have with this one is that you can get to places where it doesn’t cost you extra mana.

For example, if you play Gateway Plaza on turn two you have taken up your mana for that turn, so it has not only costed you your land drop for turn two but also your mana, setting you even further behind than you were if you were just playing a normal tapland. Whereas Public Thoroughfare can be a 5 color land that only costs you a tap land if you are playing lots of artifacts. So decks with Candy Trail, Springleaf drum etc may want to consider this land, especially if you want access to three colors.

I don’t think it will be too relevant, but this being different from all the other Plaza effects is definitely worth some food for thought for sure.

So that wraps up the Pauper Card Review for Murders at Karlov Manor. This set seems overall not the most powerful of sets, but really has some good cards that open up deckbuilding and brewing space! So I really look forward to seeing what people come up with.

Until next time! Happy Brewing!