Pauper Battle Box DMU Update

Pauper Battle Box DMU Update

Initiative is legal on MTGO now and a lot of brews have been flying around.  Damage based removal has become a little weaker since Aaracokra Sneak and Battlerager survive most of it, with the latter even surviving Galvanic Blast.  DMU also provided a few new toys to the format in Tolarian Terror and Smash to Dust.

Sideboard wise, Arms of Hadar has become the preferred sweeper since it dodges Hydroblast.  Graveyard based strategies may have an opportunity to excel since many decks are tuning their decks to deal with Initiative threats.

--New Decks--

Serpentine Curve -- https://www.moxfield.com/decks/cz_dR1dIM0G4VV1h3j3KIA
The main goal of the deck is to spam instants and sorceries for a big Serpentine Curve to either attack for lethal or fling at the opponent.  DMU gave the deck Tolarian Terror, which provides another threat instead of being all in on the namesake card.


--Deck Updates--

Affinity
+2 Metallic Rebuke
+1 Chainer's Edict
+1 Smash to Dust
-1 Gurmag Angler
-1 Kenku Artificer
-1 Krark-Clan Shaman
-1 Myr Retriever
---SB---
+2 Arms of Hadar
+2 Hydroblast
+2 Metallic Rebuke
+2 Unexpected Fangs
+1 Pyroblast
-2 Breath Weapon
-2 Duress
-2 Spell Pierce
-1 Gorilla Shaman
-1 Nihil Spellbomb
-1 Shenanigans

Affinity is still well positioned being the premiere value town deck even without Initiative.  Kenku has proved effective but the jury is still out on how many.


Blink
+2 Journey to Nowhere
+2 Sea Gate Oracle
+1 Kenku Artificer
-1 Aaracokra Sneak
-1 Fire // Ice
-1 Militia Bugler
-1 Mulldrifter
-1 Dawnbringer Cleric
---SB---
+1 Dawnbringer Cleric
+1 Circle of Protection: Red
+1 Gorilla Shaman
-3 Dust to Dust

Blink shaved on a few things to make room for Journey to Nowhere.  The problem with Sneak and Battlerager is they survive most damage based removal.  I don't like cutting Mulldrifters at all, but the format is still in flux.


Bogles
+1 Ram Through
-1 Commune with Spirits
---SB---
+2 Fog
+2 Scattershot Archer
+2 Standard Bearer
+1 Lifelink
+1 Ram Through
-3 Dust to Dust
-2 Tormod's Crypt
-2 Young Wolf
-1 Gut Shot

Initiative and DMU didn't give Bogles any new toys, but most of the changes in the deck are sideboard responses to the Kiln Fiend deck since they can present a clock faster.  Bogles doesn't really care about the Initiative and hopes to end the game before that is relevant.


Boros Gates (previously named Boros Bully)
+4 Flame Slash
+4 Basilisk Gate
+4 Citadel Gate
+4 Cliffgate
+1 Guardian of the Guildpact
+1 Heap Gate
-4 Ash Barrens
-4 Plains
-3 Springleaf Drum
-3 Thrilling Discovery
-2 Boros Garrison
-1 Lorehold Campus
-1 Rally the Peasants
---SB---
+2 Tormod's Crypt
+1 Lone Missionary
+1 Remove Enchantments
-2 Parapet
-1 Red Elemental Blast
-1 Dust to Dust

The existing Boros Bully shell turned out to be a good home for Gates, allowing it to attack on another axis when the go wide plan fails.  Flame Slash was also added for stronger removal against some of the 4 toughness threats out there like Stonehorn Dignitary and Aaracokra Sneak.


Boros Metalcraft
+2 Makeshift Munitions
+1 Seeker of the Way
-3 Foundry Helix
---SB---
+2 Abrade
+2 Journey to Nowhere
+2 Lone Missionary
+2 Patrician's Scorn
+1 Circle of Protection: Red
-3 Dawnbringer Cleric
-3 Dust to Dust
-2 Revoke Existence
-1 Tormod's Crypt

Most of the changes in this deck are in response to Kiln Fiend's existence.  Some versions of the deck run gates but I want to keep the Metalcraft theme to differentiate it from the other Boros deck.


Devotion
Decklist changes TBD

Mono Black Control has gone under an identity crisis as of late.  Some versions have completely ditched Gary in exchange for the consistency of Vampire Sovereign and also being a flying threat.  Other versions are going more on the control plan and winning with the Initiative + Monarch combo of Vicious Battlerager and Thorn of the Black Rose.  Traditional Devotion lists are also still putting up results, though in less frequency because of the variants.  I think all of them have their merits, but I haven't decided what I want to do with the deck yet.  Regardless, Vicious Battlerager as a 4 of is consistent in all versions of the deck.


Goblin Combo
+2 Faithless Looting
+1 Duress
-2 Kuldotha Rebirth
-1 Dark-Dweller Oracle
---SB---
+1 Weather the Storm
+3 Abrade
-4 Lightning Bolt

Goblins got no new toys lately so these are just minor adjustments.


Faeries
+4 Dark Ritual
+3 Aaracokra Sneak
+3 Moon-Circuit Hacker
+1 Agony Warp
+1 Chainers Edict
+1 Vicious Battlerager
-4 Augur of Bolas
-3 Ninja of the Deep Hours
-1 Debt to the Kami
-1 Dispel
-1 Gurmag Angler
-1 Ice Tunnel
-1 Island
-1 Thorn of the Black Rose
---SB---
+2 Arms of Hadar
+2 Dispel
+1 Debt to the Kami
-2 Annul
-2 Tormod's Crypt
-1 Chainer's Edict

Dimir decks have exploded in popularity with Initiative seeing as the two best cards are in these colors.  Some decks have even opted to not play Fae anymore.  I'm not quite ready to throw out the Fae just yet and even then I'd to keep a Fae deck of some description around.


Hot Dogs
+3 Lightning Bolt
+1 Crash Through
+1 Forgotten Cave
-3 Faithless Looting
-1 Apostle's Blessing
-1 Temur Battle Rage
---SB---
+4 Flame Slash
+1 Apostle's Blessing
+1 Electrickery
+1 Underworld Rage-Hound
-4 Pyroblast
-3 Lightning Bolt

Hot Dogs has become a Tier 1 deck with the printing of Monastery Swiftspear.  Flame Slash added to sideboard to deal with Stonehorn Dignitary locks.


Mad Burn
+1 Chain Lightning
-1 Searing Blaze
---SB---
+2 Diabolic Edict
+2 Gorilla Shaman
+2 Psychotic Haze
-2 First-Sphere Gargantuan
-2 Molten Rain
-1 Chainer's Edict
-1 Smash to Smitherines

Not much to say here.  Mad Burn is still well positioned despite no new toys.  The deck can go fast or grind with the rest of them.


Ponza
+2 Skred
+2 Snow-Covered Forest
+1 Ash Barrens
+1 Avenging Hunter
+1 Maelstrom Colossus
+1 Stirring Bard
-4 Lightning Bolt
-2 Racer's Ring
-1 Highland Forest
-1 Snow-Covered Mountain
---SB---
+3 Tangle
+2 Fangren Marauder
+1 Pulse of Murasa
-3 Calming Verse
-2 Weather the Storm
-1 Tormod's Crypt

Minor changes to Ponza, most notably Tangle in the sideboard to buy time against all in decks like Bogles and Kiln Fiend.


Slivers
---SB---
+3 Prismatic Strands
+2 Crimson Acolyte
+2 Gorilla Shaman
+2 Scattershot Archer
+2 Standard Bearer
-2 Dust to Dust
-2 Faerie Macabre
-2 Hallow
-2 Journey to Nowhere
-2 Lone Missionary
-1 Bladeback Sliver

Things aren't looking too hot in the meta for Slivers.  Sideboard changes help some matchups after game 1, but it's still rough.


Tribe Combo
+4 Squadron Hawk
+2 Impulse
+2 Spell Pierce
+1 Dispel
+1 Muddle the Mixture
-4 Augur of Bolas
-3 Peek
-1 Blacksmith's Skill
-1 Wedding Invitation
-1 Whiteout
---SB---
+3 Prismatic Strands
+3 Gut Shot
+1 Crimson Acolyte
+1 Flaring Pain
+1 Piracy Charm
+1 Snow-Covered Mountain
-3 Gigadrowse
-2 Dispel
-2 Standard Bearer
-1 Echoing Truth
-1 Holy Light
-1 Student of Ojutai

Trying out a new list that made it on the 5-0s recently.  It's a slightly different take that uses Squadron Hawks to fill its hand to discard to Tireless Tribe.  Shoutouts to the one Mountain the sideboard for Flaring Pain lmao.