Pioneer Challenger Decks
Pioneer forum
Posted on Oct. 7, 2021, 9:32 a.m. by Argy
What do you think about the upcoming Challenger decks?
I hope they get more people interested in the Pioneer.
I worry that they aren't strong enough, but understand why Wizards wouldn't want to throw too many expensive cards in there.
They will need a bit of money to upgrade. Particularly if you buy either of the decks. You're gonna need a playset of Thoughtseize and Fatal Push - the two most played cards in the format.
I really hope that they will end up getting people interested in playing Pioneer, who will then want to build their own decks. A bit like EDH.
I kind of hope they don't turn the format into one where I just end up playing against the same four decks over and over.
I have added them all to my Pioneer Testing Gauntlet, if that helps anyone out.
Grubbernaut I'm not sure what you are actually referring to, as none of those cards are in the Challenger decks.
They haven't gone with any Control shells.
The types are: Lotus Combo, Burn, Spirits, and Orzhov Auras.
When I've played Pioneer it feels like a variety of old Standard decks, or netdecks.
However, there have been some innovations at my LGS. Both StuBi and I have been playing original builds. His has been a little more successful than mine, but I tend to build him more big smashy smashy decks, whereas mine are more fiddly diddly.
October 7, 2021 2:29 p.m.
TriusMalarky says... #4
Pioneer suffered from a huge number of factors that combined mean it's probably not going to get big again. Its surge in popularity was due to the fact that both Modern and Standard were still in the middle of a streak of banworthy cards, and the fact that both enfranchised standard players and faithful modern players didn't actually need to invest all that much to get into the format, as they probably still had many of the staples(and modern players could just, y'know, sell a Scalding Tarn).
But then they did the ban open season thing . . . and that made people happy, for a while, because it felt like something was getting done in at least one format! Finally! Except then when wizards stopped banning things constantly they went half a year with no changes, and the format settled into three combo decks. And also COVID. So everyone got burnt out of Pioneer.
Oh and also Historic is a thing, and that's basically Pioneer except not quite . . . somehow . . . and wizards entirely dropped the whole 'pioneer on arena' thing . . .
I'd like to say these will help, but they'll probably just get scrapped for parts by Modern players unfortunately.
October 7, 2021 4:26 p.m.
Pioneer may not be big where you live, but it is in some other areas.
It was popular where I live, until Control decks turned a lot of people off. Then we went through a full scale lockdown.
We all know the history lesson of the format.
I can see the challenger decks being more successful than those for Brawl were. Particularly because people will want to leave their houses for some face to face play.
O ly time will tell.
October 10, 2021 3:35 a.m.
Grubbernaut says... #6
Which control decks were viable? I've been trying and failing to make it work for a while now.
Grubbernaut says... #2
I just hope Fateful Absence makes a traditional control shell viable, but Thought Distortion makes it rough. Narset's Reversal will be a must-include, i guess.
I'd like to see more innovation in the format, but it largely just feels like old standard.
October 7, 2021 12:48 p.m.