pauper EDH

Commander Deck Help forum

Posted on July 9, 2016, 10 p.m. by thewyzman

A couple players at my LGS have taken the challenge of creating a PAUPER Commander deck, with the Cmdr being UNCOMMON and everything else Common (as long as any printed version of the card has been a common), and additionally a MAX CMC of 5.

So, any thoughts on the possibilities of an uncommon pauper Cmdr?

Mine is Radiant, Archangel. It works rather well as a commander beatdown deck.

July 9, 2016 10:59 p.m.

Ruffigan says... #3

Here, check out my Pauper EDH Primer. It doesn't feature a <= 5CMC restriction, so you'll have to weed those out yourself. Happy brewing!

July 10, 2016 12:36 a.m.

thewyzman says... #4

Decent primer, I'll keep it in favorites for a while.

Commanders I'm looking at are Aerie Mystics or Bant Battlemage and building a controlish tempo deck with a pack of fatties to threaten combats, Naya Battlemage in a more creature-heavy -but similar- fashion (maybe even taking an Impact Tremors/token route)... Mistmeadow Witch in a U/W Control archetype... Blood Cultist cruel control... Nulltread Gargantuan is an idea since a 5/6 commander for effectively 4 mana doesn't seem bad in a combo-friendly guild, or Selkie Hedge-Mage in tempo... enchant voltron Ascended Lawmage seems perhaps the most powerful deck... Grixis Battlemage gives inherent card and combat tricks, so a tempo deck seems plausible... and lastly Woolly Thoctar, like Nulltread above, is an all-beef patty for chump change.

July 11, 2016 5:38 a.m.

thewyzman says... #5

bump once for good luck.

July 11, 2016 6:24 p.m.

I don't really get the restriction to 5CMC, because i can't see it actually doing anything to the format other than restricting bombs? That said, Bloodbraid Elf, Ascended Lawmage, and Invisible Stalker are probably the best generals in the format, with BBE and Stalker being banned in most groups. If you allow for commons as generals (my playgroup did) Orcish Lumberjack joins the top tier.

If you want a fun and powerful general that isn't necessarily top tier/banworthy, Nyx Weaver, Vampire Nighthawk, Nivix Cyclops (for 1v1 only really), or Maw of the Obzedat.

For something interesting that's not necessarily going to win you a lot of games, Springjack Shepherd, Garruk's Packleader(only because of the 5 mana restriction, without it it's a powerhouse), Azorius AEthermage, or basically any guildmage can be a good option.

You can also run basically anything with enough commons and an uncommon lord, or any available anthem effect, like the paragon cycle from m15 or Meadowboon, and run a tribal deck of whatever you want! (Stromkirk and drogskol captains are pretty good, from my understanding.)

July 12, 2016 12:16 p.m.

thewyzman says... #7

Hexproof seems strong in this format, so for tribals, I could easily see Drogskol Captain being a house, even though zombies have always been my favorite underpowered tribe, which makes playing Diregraf Captain tempting in itself, or white human/spirit tokens under Phantom General since white is full of anthem battle buffs. Heck, even Chief of the Edge seems fun!

I think the 5-CMC limit is just a house rule to increase the difficulty of the challenge.

I just can't envision Bloodbraid Elf as a powerful general. Cascade is a chaotic (read: unpredictable, unreliable and inconsistent) mechanic. I could see it in blue, where you could gain value off it by cascading into a draw spell, but in G/R I can't see any amazing plays that aren't based on luck?

I'm thinking of going Naya under Naya Battlemage if multicolored, or Woodborn Behemoth (who wouldn't want an 8/8 trampler for a pauper commander?) if I choose monocolor.

Although, without having tested the meta and some decks, without Sorin Markov to drop life totals to 10, or threats like Craterhoof Behemoth to Overrun people, I feel like lifegain would be a strong strategy, whether directly through lifelink (Seeker of the Way), extort (Knight of Obligation), or triggered (Nyx-Fleece Ram. Is lifegain really significant in the format?

July 12, 2016 9:42 p.m.

Ruffigan says... #8

Well most Pauper metas use 30 life as the total, and 16 commander, so it is slightly easier. Commander damage is by far the easiest win condition.

But Bloodbraid Elf is very strong. You would basically only be running weenies that have ETB effects and cards like Gift of the Gargantuan and Tormenting Voice to refill your hand. With the ramp green provides you should be able to reuse Bloodbraid every time it gets removed, which is why it is so powerful: it generates card advantage in a color that doesn't normally get it. Then use some big guys to finish like Ulamog's Crusher, Eldrazi Devastator, and Krosan Tusker.

July 13, 2016 12:01 p.m.

thewyzman says... #9

If I wanted to run Gruul, I feel like I'd rather play Ghor-Clan Rampager or maybe even Tattermunge Witch since they're not as random and suicidal one shot wonders. But again, I know card advantage is hard on the format, I just feel like BBE doesn't threaten anything... but I've never played her, so what do I know

July 13, 2016 4:38 p.m.

This discussion has been closed