Pauper: 10 Best Cards of 2024 for the format

The end of 2024 is approaching, and with it, we begin our retrospective on how this year was for Magic: The Gathering. In addition to the changes that occurred in the game, we can also evaluate which were the most important cards that the new releases brought to each competitive format.

In this article, we cover Pauper, which underwent some significant changes and with additions of Modern Horizons 3 that certainly shifted the competitive environment, with cards from several categories making changes in how the best decks behave even if, in the end, the main competitive archetypes have, for the most part, remained in the same place.

10 - Novice Inspector

Novice Inspector was one of the cards that motivated the resurgence of White Weenie and its transition to Mono White Aggro/Hatebears as we know it today, where it established itself as one of the top ten decks in the Metagame.

Another relevant contribution to it was during the period in which All That Glitters was legal in the format, where it significantly increased the consistency of Azorius Affinity and gave Boros Synthesizer the push to transform into Boros Glitters, which put enough spotlight on the card for an intervention and its respective ban.

9 - Nyxborn Hydra

Nyxborn Hydra is an extremely versatile payoff for Big Mana decks and/or Ramp combos like Elves. On its own, it has provided a new win line for these archetypes that can be built on an immediate impact on the board, operating virtually as a combo-kill in a few turns and giving archetypes like Elves a way to compete in the current Metagame.

8 - Sneaky Snacker

Sneaky Snacker was a powerful enabler for Madness Burn, where its interaction with damage spells and additional draws made it a staple of the archetype and one of its main win conditions.

Another place where it has appeared with some recurrence is in some variants of Dimir Terror and even Dimir Faeries, where its combination with spells like Brainstorm and Thought Scour has given it a new game plan that can complement these archetypes in the future.

7 - Troublemaker Ouphe

Troublemaker Ouphe is a decent and necessary answer against artifacts and enchantments that is easier to enable in Ichor Wellspring decks, especially in Black Gardens and its variants and evolutions throughout the year, but also in some versions of Gruul Ramp and other archetypes.

6 - Clockwork Percussionist

Clockwork Percussionist entered Pauper in the last quarter of 2024 and has already become a staple of Kuldotha Red, where it offers an aggressive body from the first turn that interacts with the entire core of the deck and still generates value with Kuldotha Rebirth. Its slot is likely to remain relevant as long as Kuldotha Red is the best Aggro in the format.

5 - Thraben Charm

Thraben Charm is the most versatile card of 2024 for Pauper, and all of its abilities are relevant and extremely useful in decks that can support its inclusion. Unfortunately, one of its modules is not a Disenchant, but dealing with enchantments like Sadistic Glee in the same slot that it responds to Sneaky Snacker and Tolarian Terror or dealing with opponent's creatures has made it a staple for white Aggro in the format.

Even with some abrupt change in the Metagame, Thraben Charm would still stand out as one of the best cards in the format, worthy of a spot in the Sideboard for its versatility and even maindeck slots in other go wide archetypes that emerge in the next few years.

4 - Refurbished Familiar

Refurbished Familiar was the best addition of 2024 to the (still) best Pauper deck - Affinity. In addition to interacting with the archetype's key ability, it guarantees an unfavorable trade for the opponent, and its evasive body can set a clock in attrition games, in addition to being a good target to run with Blood Fountain.

In addition to Affinity, Familiar has also found homes in Orzhov Blade and Mardu variants of Kor Skyfisher lists, which reuse its ETB to deplete the opponent's resources.

3 - Basking Broodscale

Few cards establish new archetypes as well as Basking Broodscale. Along with Sadistic Glee, the Modern Horizons 3 card created one of the most efficient combo decks in Pauper history, and one that has become self-sustaining and strong enough to be one of the best in this year's Metagame.

2 - Writhing Chrysalis

If I were told that Tarmogoyf would arrive in Pauper in 2024, I would consider it a bad joke. Writhing Chrysalis is not exactly Tarmogoyf, but it operates in a very similar way or, in some cases, even better.

Despite costing , Chrysalis generates two tokens when it comes into play that can be sacrificed to generate colorless mana. If used in the same turn, it becomes a 4/5 for , being the equivalent of Goyf's usual body.

In addition, it provided more consistent payoffs for decks like Gruul Ramp, an alternative and efficient game plan for Broodscale Combo and also appears in archetypes like Black Gardens as a powerful threat that ramps more impactful cards.

Its future in Pauper may be uncertain, since it does many things very well, but it is at an acceptable power level for the format today and its presence has boosted archetypes that were on the decline. Therefore, it is one of the most important cards of the year, alongside the one that was the best card of 2024.

1 - Malevolent Rumble

Malevolent Rumble was the glue that many decks needed to grow in 2024. In Broodscale Combo, it provides a way to dig deep for pieces while putting a token on the board to be sacrificed. In Auras, it provides protection against effects like Chainer’s Edict while making it easier to find a creature or Aura. For Gruul Ramp, it speeds up your mana while finding the payoff for the following turns.

It does a bit of everything decks need and is one of the gears that motivated new archetypes to be born in Pauper without being inherently broken at the same time. It guarantees consistency, speed, bodies on the board and even a way to enable combos at a low cost.

For contributing more actively and healthily to the format than other cards that usually play with it and, at the same time, leveraging strategies that needed a push to shake up the axis of the format's best, Malevolent Rumble is our choice for the Best Card of 2024 for Pauper!

That's all for today!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

Thanks for reading!