Pauper: Orzhov Blade - Deck Tech & Sideboard Guide

Well, it has been a good few weeks for Pauper. Monastery Swiftspear has finally been banned, and there's The Lost Caverns of Ixalan impacting this format. This deck has taken the challenges by storm and has consistently put in at least one copy into the top 8 of the last three weekends.

Why? One card: Tithing Blade.

Orzhov Blade is a Midrange control deck that utilizes cards that have a “downside” but good stats for their mana costs, like Kor Skyfisher and Glint Hawk. They take advantage of the negatives to gain incremental value.

Decks have been using these cards since their printing, and there have been good results, considering the Paupergeddon All that Glitters list utilizing Glint Hawk. With Tithing Blade, you can use your creatures as removal spells, essentially creating your own Shriekmaw or Ravenous Chupacabra.

This is the original list by Pietro Manco. Let’s take a look at each card choice in this deck and see why this is Pauper’s new hot deck and why it is performing so well!

The Lands

The playstyle that has always drawn me to Orzhov decks in Pauper is the ability to double down on Karoo Lands effects. What I mean by this is maximizing utility lands and getting rewarded for it with Orzhov Basilica’s downside. You even get to play Kor Skyfisher to utilize this as well.

Bojuka Bog is a great land to access, and it has been known that other decks have run it even when they aren’t playing Black. This is because having an uncounterable graveyard hate effect on a land is strong when there are not only decks like Terror running rampant, but even the non Graveyard-based decks utilize the graveyard with Flashback, Embalm or even Blood Fountain. Getting to rebuy this effect for very little investment with Kor Skyfisher and Orzhov Basilica is just the icing on the cake.

However, accessing so many effects that can encourage re-buying your land's ability can be so strong that having a toolbox of utility and just needing to search for them is usually better than just overloading on them.

This brings me to Barren Moor. It's not a great utility tool like Bojuka Bog, but it is a land you have access to early on and in a pinch you can tap the Barren Moor for mana and return it with Orzhov Basilica to get a fresh look at a card, which is a useful interaction. A deck like this can really maximize every card it sees and has access to, so that new card that you have drawn within your mana base could be a critical card.

Orzhov Basilica is the Karoo land. Usually, I think four copies is too many for any deck, but this deck wants to go long, maximize its mana wherever possible and can utilize the effects of its lands.

Ancient Den may seem like a strange inclusion, but it was included to maximize on your Deadly Dispute sacrifice fodder and to ensure you have something to return with Glint Hawk.

This appears to be the best choice over Vault of Whispers simply because you can cast and return it from Glint Hawk to deploy another if needed.

Obscura Storefront is the Orzhov staple. Having access to small amounts of lifegain is important when facing aggressive strategies.

Even though Red decks have been hit after Monastery Swiftspear was banned, ultimately this deck still exists, so that one life could matter.

You may as well run Obscura Storefront compared to Evolving Wilds because the incremental life gain could definitely matter.

Basic lands were included just to ensure we have a high number of untapped mana sources. You can never go wrong with basics; they help when your Orzhov Basilica gets Cleansing Wildfired. Additionally, if you were to run more Ancient Dens, you would expose your mana base being attacked by Dust to Dust. Finally, we have a high number of basics for Goliath Paladin.

The Spells

Cast down is a staple among black decks and has even been the premium removal of choice for Grixis Affinity. It can answer any threat in the meta. There are no legendary creatures that you need to worry about, so it becomes just a two mana Murder. Being able to deal with a Cryptic Serpent, Myr Enforcer and Avenging Hunter, then being able to refill your hand with Deadly Dispute allows you to take advantage of the one for one removal.

Suffocating Fumes is a well-positioned sweeper in the current metagame. Because Monastery Swiftspear was banned, the real threat from Mono Red is Kuldotha Rebirth and Goblin Bushwhacker, so being able to answer these at instant speed to counter the Bushwhacker's Kicker ability is a great choice.

Tithing Blade is the card that has put this deck on the map. Having your Kor Skyfishers and Glint Hawks be able to re-buy a Chainer’s Edict just provides you with access to so much removal and value. This card is one of the best artifacts to be printed into Pauper in recent history. It is also not uncommon to be able to, at worst, craft this with a creature, so it is a 20-turn wincon. Inevitability is a significant amount of pressure you can put on the opponent.

Omen of the Dead is a card that gives you inevitability because it returns a Kor Skyfisher from the graveyard, so you can then return the Omen of the Dead. This inevitability really makes it difficult for the Midrange/Control opponents to deal with.

The Threats

Thraben Inspector is the best statted one drop that you can have in a Midrange White-based deck. A one mana 1/2 creature is great for blocking Voldaren Epicure and the 1/1 Goblins from Kuldotha Rebirth. It is also a great early game play so you can both play Kor Skyfisher and, in a pinch, Glint Hawk. All of this is already great, and then, later in the game or when your mana is off curve due to the taplands, you can trade the Clue in for a card, so the Thraben Inspector replaces itself.

Glint Hawk and Kor Skyfisher were ultimately added to return either Tithing Blade for extra removal or Lembas to give you card advantage from your already above-rate threats. These cards are really the glue that holds this deck together, and their downsides are what this deck is built around.

If you were to play the best Monarch creature available, Thorn of the Black Rose is that creature. It is essentially a removal spell, allowing you to trade with the best creature you have whilst they send all in to take the Monarch from you. The fact it is a black card has its advantages because it can’t be killed by Snuff Out or Spinning Darkness, which are popular in Dimir Terror, Dimir Fae and Golgari Gardens.

However, the downside of not being a white card really means flashbacking Prismatic Strands is not irrelevant. Casting Strands on turn 3 and a Monarch creature on turn 4 is possible with Palace Sentinels, but not with Thorn of the Black Rose. Monarch is really key for burying your opponent in card advantage, especially if you use the Kor Skyfisher effects replaying removal spells with Tithing Blade.

Initiative is the best thing you can play to end the game quickly, as Golgari Gardens and Ponza have shown us with Avenging Hunter. Goliath Paladin is no different here. However, we don't have card advantage like Gardens, but we can control the board with our annoying aerial force, Prismatic Strands, and the Tithing Blade engine.

Considering Mono Red's popularity went down because Monastery Swiftspear was banned, if other decks like Caw-Gate begin to make a rise, things like Goliath Paladin, especially for this deck, will become a liability to play, so just bear that in mind when registering this deck.

This deck has multiple great starts, but, ideally, you would like a Tithing Blade, some form of Kor Skyfisher and either a Lembas or a Deadly Dispute along with both land colors.

This is a great starting hand because you can access early removal if the opponent puts on pressure. If they are more controlling, you can gain card advantage with Lembas. To round either option, you can deploy an early Kor Skyfisher to put on pressure whilst returning your early artifact. It's a perfect starting hand.

The sideboard for this deck is fairly self-explanatory.

Like most decks in Pauper, you have to hone into what you are trying to beat.

Relic of Progenitus is intended to fight graveyard decks, from Terror to the new Dredge deck. It interacts really well with Glint Hawk and Kor Skyfisher to tag extra copies of things in the graveyard. Even though we have our own graveyard interactions with Omen of the Dead, boarding Relic of Progenitus is more important than our Omen loop.

Duress' purpose is to really push threats through and deal with problematic cards before they are cast. So, basically forcing things like Counterspell out of many control decks.

Drown in Sorrow is there to tackle the go wide strategies like Kuldotha and White Weenie. Having a clean, cheap answer to all their threats whilst keeping your Kor Skyfisher and larger bodied threats alive is critical.

Dust to Dust is, to no one's surprise, a staple in a white sideboard because it deals with artifact-based decks like Glitters and Grixis Affinity. As shown in previous versions, having a low number of copies really hinders your win rate against the artifact-based matchups.

Dawnbringer Cleric is a great catch-all. It is primarily useful for the Mono Red matchup because it is a 1 / 3 blocker and also allows you to gain some life in the process. It has utility in other matchups, like Jeskai Wildfire, in which you can nab a card from the graveyard or against Heroic/Bogles hitting a crucial enchantment. Even just being able to hit a Journey to Nowhere is a huge advantage.

Vs Golgari Gardens

In

Out

Boarding in Duress allows you to force their starting hand to have no Deadly Dispute effect or ensure the deck is stranded without removal.

Other options are bringing Dawnbringer Cleric in for more creatures. It also interacts by exiling black cards and threats from the graveyard. You can swap it for Spinning Darkness and Blood Fountain.

Vs Azorius Glitters

In

Out

Cutting Strands is a no-brainer for me because the deck is full of colorless creatures and Paladin is most likely too slow. Duress allows you to grab All that Glitters and Metallic Rebuke before they become a problem.

Vs Caw Gate

In

Out

I have found this match up to be terrible with the current configuration because they can go wide on the board and really make you struggle to clear it. Then, they finish you off with Vector Glider and Guardian of the Guildpact.

Vs Kuldotha Red

In

Out

These are fairly straightforward changes because the multiplayer mechanics are a liability in aggressive matches, so cutting those for better answers that deal with Kuldotha Goblins is a good choice.

Vs Mono Blue Terror

In

Out

Originally, I would have cut the two Suffocating Fumes, but as most lists have transitioned more towards Murmuring Mystic, having a way to deal with all the birds is key. I like cutting Deadly Dispute in decks like this against blue decks because getting it countered sets you back quite a lot, and Duress and Relic are straightforward against graveyard-based blue decks.

This deck can be built in so many different ways. Currently, this configuration isn’t designed to stand up to Caw-Gate, for example, but based on your meta you can really tune this to beat whatever you want.

Palace Sentinels is straight-up a replacement for Thorn of the Black Rose. Being able to Flashback Prismatic Strands can be needed and truly lets you Monarch aggressively a bit better.

Ichor Wellspring and potentially Fanatical Offering really allow you to play a Garden game and cycle through your deck a lot faster for specific answers.

Snuff Out is a great free spell to enable tapping out and progressing your gameplan whilst still being able to kill your opponents threats. However, the life loss is real and will really start to add up in large numbers.

Inspiring Overseer is just a great statted card. Similar to Thraben Inspector, it is great on curve and great to return with Skyfisher. If you feel like Goliath Paladin is a liability, and you just want some all-around good cards, this is perfect.

Indoctrination Attendant may look weak, but this card is surprisingly strong. At four mana, it is on the expensive side, but it allows you to gain an army of Phyrexian Mites and has a great body. Toxic isn't overly relevant, but it is something to have in your pocket against lifegain/ infinite life.

Unmake is a way for the deck to not only deal with Guardian of the Guildpact, which the deck seems to struggle with in its current configuration, but it also allows you to exile a creature. This may seem small in certain matchups, but in others that have access to Blood Fountain, Pulse of Murasa or even Recommission, this can help you win the game.

Scoured Barrens and Silverquill Campus are additional lands you can run to ensure the manabase and access to colors is a lot better. This can be useful for casting multiple spells in one turn and casting things like Dust to Dust on time. These lands are not free, though, and because they come in tapped, they can hinder casting your spells on time.

Journey to Nowhere is a removal spell you can run instead of Cast Down. The fact it is not an instant is awkward at times, but being able to return it with Kor Skyfisher and the better interaction with Tolarian Terror are both bonuses.

This deck is great, and there really are many different ways to explore it, so I sincerely hope you enjoy it and adapt it to your local metagame.

Until next time!

Happy Paupering!