The Power of Pauper: Goblins Power!
Howdy folks! It's time yet again for another edition of The Power of Pauper! I'm your host, Joe Dyer, and this week we're going to be taking a look at Goblins Combo as of the most recent lists to see what has changed for them. In addition to that we've got a bunch of Challenge data to discuss.
Without further ado, let's dive right in!
Goblins! Combo! Goblins!
We've been seeing a really solid uptick lately of various decks in the format, primarily responding to the uptick of things like Boros Synthesizer playing All That Glitters. One of those decks that has been having a strong resurgence lately is Goblins Combo. Let's review.
This deck largely functions on the combination of cards Skirk Prospector, Putrid Goblin, and First Day of Class. This is an infinite mana combo that functions off the interaction between +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters, as Persist places a -1/-1 counter while First Day of Class places a +1/+1 counter, basically canceling out both counters. This allows you to repeatedly sacrifice Putrid Goblin to make a massive amount of red mana. The deck then uses Makeshift Munitions often to win the game.
The core of this deck really hasn't changed too much in a while, but what has? Well, for a while there his deck was utilizing new effects like Rowan's Grim Search, but the biggest update to the deck as of late is the implementation of Fanatical Offering. The biggest issue with Rowan's Grim Search is that it cost three mana, and while it's effect seemed quite strong, the extra mana pip was slower than other options. Fanatical Offering costing the same as Deadly Dispute is really what sells the card being strong.
Furthermore, the deck implementing new cards like Mesmeric Fiend and Candy Trail into the mix have allowed the deck to have some amount of protection and some life gain at hand. Really what has improved this deck's positioning in the format is the context of the format. With decks like Boros Glitters being quite strong, decks that capitalize on Boros' grindy nature can be quite powerful, and Goblins is a very fast deck that can win seemingly out of nowhere. It can even cast a card like First Day of Class while sacrificing a Putrid Goblin to pay for it, making it even faster than it looks on paper.
Of course, decks like this don't last being insanely good for very long, and the format is already responding to decks like this, Turbo Fog, and even Cycle Storm. Overall, it's awesome to see a deck like this do well and be a strong contender in the current format, while also showcasing how much Pauper is able to shift its metagame over time
Update on Pauper Format Panel - Format Update
We did get an update recently from Gavin Verhey on the status of Pauper, primarily addressing that a video on the state of the format will be forthcoming within the next two weeks. You can find his announcement of this over here.
Pauper Challenge 32 4/26
The first Challenge event to speak of was the 4/26 Friday event. This event had 63 players in it thanks to the data provided by Daybreak Games.
You can find all of the decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Burn was super popular here, with a strong win rate. All of the decks above the cut here all did quite well really, with Boros Synth riding that line right at 50%.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | MTGO Username |
|---|---|---|
| Burn | 1st | msskinbolic |
| Golgari Gardens | 2nd | Pavelval |
| Azorius Gates | 3rd | kasa |
| Dimir Faeries | 4th | _against_ |
| Burn | 5th | LucasG1ggs |
| Mono Blue Faeries | 6th | BuddyTheFrog |
| Jeskai Ephemerate | 7th | DenisevichAlexey |
| Azorius Familiars | 8th | Kampo |
Relatively solid Top 8 here. At the end of the event it was Burn that won.
Super clean and straightforward list. Looks like a great place to be for Burn overall.
In Second Place had Golgari Gardens.
This deck has many ways to answer threats and continually churn through their deck while doing so. So many draw twos that are good in this color combo for sure.
Also in this Top 8 we had Azorius Gates.
New card Outlaw Medic! A 1/3 with Lifelink for 1W seems reasonable, especially when pumping it with a Gate. Having that extra bump of toughness helps a ton.
Pauper Challenge 32 4/27
The second Challenge to discuss was the Saturday event. This event had 49 players in it thanks to the data provided by Daybreak Games.
You can find all of the decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Burn was super popular here with a win rate closer to 50%. Bogles was also popular but it's win rate was pretty poor. Boros Synthesizer did not do well at all here.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | MTGO Username |
|---|---|---|
| Azorius Familiars | 1st | Kampo |
| Turbo Fog | 2nd | ziofrancone |
| Golgari Gardens | 3rd | __Noob__ |
| Burn | 4th | Mahers |
| Jeskai Affinity | 5th | elvis10 |
| Goblins Combo | 6th | lucajak |
| Grixis Affinity | 7th | boom_bust |
| Izzet Terror | 8th | TradeRouts |
Fairly diverse Top 8 here actually. At the end of the event, it was Familiars that won.
I generally like mostly all Familiars lists. It's an archetype I really enjoy, and I think the flexibility of its core is really great. This is no different. I love Murmuring Mystic in these decks.
In Second Place we had Turbo Fog.
Solid looking straightforward list. I love the sideboard juke here of boarding into a win condition that kills on board like Murmuring Mystic. Again, that card continues to be really good for Pauper overall.
Further down the Top 8 we had Jeskai Affinity.
Incredibly straightforward list here, and super clean to boot. The numbers here are solid overall.
Pauper Challenge 32 4/28
The third Challenge was the 32 player Sunday event. This event had 46 players in it thanks to the data provided by Daybreak Games.
You can find all of the decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Burn was insanely popular and despite having a single Top 8 finish it's win rate was quite poor. Golgari Gardens did very well here overall.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | MTGO Username |
|---|---|---|
| Azorius Familiars | 1st | Gn42 |
| Madness | 2nd | AdryannTheHero04 |
| Orzhov Midrange | 3rd | Magician15 |
| Dimir Terror | 4th | Ramelao |
| Golgari Gardens | 5th | Captain_Tsubasa |
| Burn | 6th | boom_bust |
| Dimir Terror | 7th | JakeTMS |
| Azorius Gates | 8th | kasa |
A very reasonable Top 8 here too. At the end of the event it was again Familiars that won.
Very solid list. Gn42 is a well-known Familiars pilot, so their list is a great place to start tinkering with this archetype for sure.
In Second Place we had Madness.
Quite a blazing fast aggro deck here. Lots of powerful ways to attack your opponent's life total quickly.
Also in this Top 8 we had Orzhov Midrange.
Very good looking list here. Lots of value generated in this kind of deck between bouncing things like Tithing Blade and closing the game out with the card advantage of Thorn of the Black Rose and Goliath Paladin.
Pauper Challenge 64 4/28
The final Challenge event was the 64 player Sunday event. This event had 64 players in it thanks to the data provided by Daybreak Games.
You can find all of the decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Burn was very popular here, and it's win rate was really good. Boros Synthesizer had a Top 8 finish but it's win rate was pretty sub par. Familiars did very well here.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | MTGO Username |
|---|---|---|
| Burn | 1st | Beicodegeia |
| Azorius Familiars | 2nd | SuperCow12653 |
| Azorius Familiars | 3rd | Gn42 |
| Turbo Fog | 4th | seasonofmists |
| Azorius Gates | 5th | Tozla |
| Burn | 6th | pepeteam |
| Izzet Terror | 7th | Bullz0Eye |
| Boros Synthesizer | 8th | jwaves |
Good representation of both Burn and Familiars here. At the end of the event it was Burn that won.
Extremely straightforward list here. No frills here.
In Second Place we had Familiars.
I've gotten to talk about this deck a lot here this week. It's kind of nice. Meeting of Minds is such a sweet card for this deck.
At the bottom of the Top 8 we had Izzet Terror.
Solid looking list here. I really love decks playing Breath Weapon right now. Super strong card.
Around the Web
- StompyMTG has a Rakdos Burn video! Check it out here.
The Spice Corner
As League results are now spread out across the week, let's dig in and find something spicy!
Seeker of Skybreak Combo is SICK.
Wrapping Up
That's all the time we have this week folks! Thanks for supporting the column and joining us next week as we continue our journey into Pauper!
As always you can reach me at all my associated links via my Link Tree! In addition I'm always around the MTGGoldfish Discord Server and the MTGPauper Discord Server.
Until next time!
