However, if you pick up each of the top 8 decks granularly, you will see that each has its fair share of 5-6 slots dedicated to beating the burn deck between the main and sideboard. The ability to cascade from an Annoyed Altisaur into a Boarding Party into another threat is what this deck offers. Right now, it's not very popular on the meta, given how fast it has become, and it's worth noting that it lost one of its better ramp cards when Bonder's Ornament was banned for all the wrong reasons. mtg combo In my latest post, I described which decks I hated playing the most and pointed out that depending on your playstyle, you will get annoyed rightfully if those became the most popular archetypes of the meta.
While two-card combos have been unreliable in Pauper before, this one has players excited. Today, I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 cards that could see play in the format. But before we dive in, let's examine the set's mechanics and their potential impact on Pauper. This deck came about with the arrival of Pegasus Guardian // Rescue the Foal and many creatures that were released recently that when they come into play draw cards. There's nothing better than “blinking” these creatures with Pegasus and Ephemerate.
However, the problem with Caw-Gates is that it does not have any way to interact with your opponents at instant speed with already resolved threats. In principle, we have Prismatic Strands, but little it does against a Gingerbrute that shines. That said, getting access to white gives any deck a good chance to win the Glitters matchup, as you get access to Dust to Dust and many other spells that exile artifacts.
As you might have guessed, I appreciate any competitive brew that can secure wins against the current meta. One of my challenges is getting bored of repeatedly playing the same deck. Consequently, I constantly seek out new strategies rather than attempting to reinvent the wheel by testing the 100th iteration of the same deck.
It will be very disappointing to see Glitters go, but if no one can come up with a better solution, I'm on board with it going away. Right now, I understand how frustrating it feels to lose to a deck in just one turn. If you'd like to explore the data I gathered, feel free to download a copy here. That said, when considering in-person (IRL) events, I’d probably stick with Broodscale Combo. Even though Grixis Affinity shows stronger numbers overall, it faces more hate in closed metas, similar to Mono-Red. Since league data alone isn’t sufficient for a complete analysis, let’s now examine Challenge data from the same time period, with a few additional considerations.
Mono Red Aggro (Kuldotha)
Mono-red has always been a strong deck, even prior to the release of Monastery Swiftspear, as it could easily kill you on turn three or four most of the time with the right alignment of spells. Over the years, cards like Experimental Synthesizer, Reckless Impulse, and Goblin Tomb Rider have been introduced to buff this deck. Still, the only thing stopping it from achieving better results is the presence of blue decks dominating the current Pauper meta, as they have access to Hydroblast and Blue Elemental Blast. Players know this and don’t leave home without their 4-6 copies of hate against the deck, which then translates into a format with its hands tied on sideboard slots. For a long time, Chainer's Edict was a core part of control decks as a way to deal with creatures like Tolarian Terror or Guardian of the Guildpact from taking over decks. However, it has recently been replaced by Golgari Gardens with the newly introduced Tithing Blade.
Alongside Khalni Garden, Deadly Dispute acts as a source of card advantage as well as ramp, thanks to the Treasure token it makes. Racing this deck can be difficult, and the deck comes equipped with Weather the Storm to help fight against burn decks. The biggest weakness this deck has is against combo, as its closing speed is definitely on the slow side. A land destruction deck that leaves your opponent starved for resources while you ramp into scary monsters, Gruul Ponza decks can struggle against aggressive plays, but they do great when up against midrange or controlling builds.
They may not play Pauper every day, so it's always a good idea to ask before traveling. These decks have been crushing it in recent tournaments and are definitely some of the top picks in the current Pauper metagame. If you want more detailed info on the Pauper 2025 meta, I’ve got an article that dives deep into it. By integrating cards like [card]Molten Gatekeeper[/card], it adds a second win condition while also enabling an explosive way to bring back [card]Ulamog’s Crusher[/card].
Reckless Fireweaver Combo
Regardless of these nuances, the following are decks that have proven themselves through solid performance and creative design. An excellent payoff for Vehicles, easily crewing options like [card]Marauding Dreadship[/card] and [card]Raiders’ Karve[/card]. While not a top-tier card yet, the right support could turn it into a staple.
Tier List: The Best Decks of Premodern in 2024
One of the best tricks against Gruul Ramp is bouncing their enchanted [card]Forest[/card] when they try to untap it with [card]Arbor Elf[/card]. Other than that, we add an extra [card]Sleep of the Dead[/card] to tap reach creatures and a couple of Hydroblast effects to counter their anti-blue hate, such as [card]Pyroblast[/card]. Since there’s no way to gain life in blue against Mono Red, we cut all [card]Deep Analysis[/card], as they will be too expensive to hard-cast, and we add the necessary anti-red interaction. Depending on which version of Broodscale Combo you’re facing, I would avoid cutting [card]Sleep of the Dead[/card], as it’s crucial for tapping your opponent’s [card]Writhing Chrysalis[/card].
Whether you're new to the deck or looking to refine your gameplay, this deep dive will give you the insight you need to dominate the battlefield. A landbase consisting entirely of artifact lands massively helps to up that artifact count, and the Grixis MTG color combination provides plenty of card draw and removal. Like many Pauper decks, this strategy is extremely open – there’s all sorts of ways you can go with it, from a slow grindy build to a low-to-the-ground aggro deck.
It allows you to use your graveyard as an extra hand, providing you with the creature you need at the right moment. Also, as a fun fact, this deck is the reason I would love to see Shriekmaw downshifted. This plan is complemented by Voldaren Epicure and Implement of Combustion, both cards that also interact with Galvanic Blast, which joins Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning to expand the damage range.
Burn is a great archetype that can take on different forms depending on the metagame. Some players will choose to go heavier on burn spells, maximizing cards like Kessig Flamebreather and Dwarven Forge-Chanter in the Creature slot. Other players will go heavier on the aggro plan, playing more one-drop Creatures like Goblin Blast-Runner alongside Kuldotha Rebirth. Some people will go even further down that road and play a playset of Goblin Bushwhacker and really try to pack a punch. God-Pharoah’s Faithful makes it difficult for aggro decks to pressure you before you have your Ephemerate engines online.