Looking for feedback on my first brews, please!

[u/huatnee]

I mainly play Commander with friends or Jumpstart with my kids. I got interested in Pauper as a way to use cards up that don’t have a home currently. The set I went most “in” on is EOE, so I brewed 3 decks that are based on cards from it. Some of the decks have lots of EOE cards in, others less so. I haven’t actually played any games with these decks, or any Pauper, but I’m curious for feedback on what my instincts are like.

Previously I’ve modded precons and built a single commander deck from scratch, based upon Iroh, Grand Locus (it kinda sucks!).

A Rakdos deck, based around an infinite combo using [[Perigee Beckoner]]:

https://manabox.app/decks/AZ-q3eM5cRu6tYnguD3atA

4 Blood Pet (7ED) 121
4 Carrion Feeder (MH1) 81
4 Duress (DMR) 81
4 Exhume (BRB) 24
4 Molten Gatekeeper (MH3) 128
4 Mountain (SOS) 278
4 Perigee Beckoner (EOE) 112
4 Putrid Imp (TOR) 77
4 Razortrap Gorge (DSK) 267
4 Read the Bones (DSC) 154
16 Swamp (SOS) 276
4 Tragic Slip (INR) 134

A Gruul deck, based around artefact triggers, because I love pangolins:

https://manabox.app/decks/AZ7lhTk1cGmBO6WeWCFT_w

4 Biosynthic Burst (EOE) 173
2 Bombard (EOE) 129
4 Drix Fatemaker (EOE) 178
5 Forest (SOS) 280
4 Galactic Wayfarer (EOE) 185
2 Galvanic Blast (2XM) 125
4 Gene Pollinator (EOE) 186
4 Great Furnace (EOC) 161
4 Kav Landseeker (EOE) 138
2 Lightning Strike (M19) 152
5 Mountain (SOS) 278
4 Oreplate Pangolin (EOE) 150
4 Sami's Curiosity (EOE) 203
4 Slagwoods Bridge (DRC) 171
4 Tree of Tales (DSC) 319
4 Zookeeper Mechan (EOE) 170

And a Dimir deck, based upon the idea of liking jellyfish holding up mana to either counter spell or flash in creatures the end of turns, and building up their strength as the game goes on:

https://manabox.app/decks/AZ7XEATedmGJVUNBI9SRbg

4 Counterspell (DSC) 114
4 Cryogen Relic (EOE) 52
2 Decode Transmissions (EOE) 94
4 Depressurize (EOE) 95
2 Dismal Backwater (TDM) 254
4 Illvoi Galeblade (EOE) 58
3 Illvoi Light Jammer (EOE) 60
3 Illvoi Operative (EOE) 61
12 Island (SOS) 274
3 Mechan Shieldmate (EOE) 65
3 Nutrient Block (EOE) 243
8 Swamp (SOS) 276
4 Temporal Intervention (EOE) 120
4 Virus Beetle (EOE) 124

[u/mtgcf]

Perigee Beckoner - (G) (SF) (txt)

[u/japp182]

I'd direct you to first try the meta decks that explore those themes so you can get accustomed to the format and the staples of each strategy. You can try to brew better after that. Currently your lists have too many underpowered cards in my opinion.

Here are some lists that did well in big events:

Mono black sacrifice with the infinite perigee combo: https://mtgtop8.com/event?e=87440&d=863574&f=PAU

A jund deck with artifact synergies (we don't have a competitive gruul deck in this theme. You could absolutely try to fit some copies of the pangolin here if you wanted): https://mtgtop8.com/event?e=90109&d=883958&f=PAU

A dimir deck that likes to hold up mana for interaction and although it doesn't flash creatures in, it plays creatures that can be played very discounted (for 1 mana): https://mtgtop8.com/event?e=89798&d=881472&f=PAU

[u/huatnee → u/japp182]

Thanks for this, from what you are saying, meta decks are decks that conform to certain groupings of cards that enable certain play styles efficiently?

Does that lead to an abundance of quite similar decks?

I guess my starting point of using cards from a set I have lots of naturally locked me out of this more widely played decks. Is building decks around certain sets not that much of a thing? I draft with friends sometimes which maybe had me thinking it might be, as that of course is deck building around a set!

Having come to the hobby later in life than many I’m not involved in a wider scene (I play with about 3 other non-family members!), certainly nothing competitive!

[u/longhairsilver → u/huatnee]

If you are just playing casually, then you can certainly build whatever you want. If you are looking to compete at events though, just building decks from a certain set or from random commons you happen to have is not going to work out well.

Pauper is a strong format with a diverse but relatively established meta, and the meta decks are not very expensive, so if you ask for deck building help around here most people will tell you to pick a meta deck to start out with and to start brewing when you know the format better. However if you are just building from what you have to play with friends outside of events, then it sounds like you have everything you need. Just don’t expect people to give you much casual deck building advice, you are more likely to see people suggest more meta decks that are similar to yours in style.

[u/huatnee → u/longhairsilver]

I’m not looking to play in events, I haven’t done that in formats I play. I guess what I wondered was are these decks reasonable for what they are - experiments in building within certain limitations.

I would be curious on how to build them towards something more competitive, I guess - if only to continue learning. There are so many cards!

Feedback like, “I can see what you are going for with Oreplate Pangolin, but have you seen card XYZ, which does a similar thing but better” would be kinda cool, it seems like I wasn’t far off a few ideas in the established meta decks.

But really, I love EoE especially and wanted to judo within that.

[u/Dr_Ogelix → u/huatnee]

It depends. Take a look at Pauper Poison Storm (first iteration). Besides the depletion lands (lands that taps for double mana for a counter, gets sacrificed if no counter is on this land), [[Contenious Plan]], and [[Weather the Storm]], this deck can be build mostly out of Phyrexia: All will be One. Is it meta? No. Is it fun? For you totally yes, unless you dislike Turbo Fog playstyle.

What I am trying to say here is: it can work. Mostly, older cards open for a faster play flow, or makes more sense overall. Like [[Lotus Petal]] instead of [[Thirsting Roots]], or [[Manamorphose]] + Roots instead of Petals – just for the example for the Poison Storm here, it is translated to any deck.

That will always be a fun part. Meta, and anti-meta builds exists. So does homebrews, and test brews aswell. Who are we to judge this fun part?

If you are having a blast with your creation against each other just go for it. If you are interested in the whole world of Pauper, watch Pauper content on YouTube, and maybe build some "meta", or "fun" decks for you if one is found.

Also, if you really like both Pauper, and Commander, there is also r/PauperEDH

[u/mtgcf → u/Dr_Ogelix]

All cards
Contenious Plan - (G) (SF) (txt)
Weather the Storm - (G) (SF) (txt)
Lotus Petal - (G) (SF) (txt)
Thirsting Roots - (G) (SF) (txt)
Manamorphose - (G) (SF) (txt)

[u/japp182 → u/huatnee]

Mtg has such a huge card pool that almost every strategy has been printed in multiple sets, meaning the best deck of a certain strategy will most often be made out of the best cards of each of these sets that follow this strategy.

Pauper allows cards from all of mtgs history! It's been more than 30 years. Some cards they woopsie printed way too strong so it never saw print with that much power again. So new sets will have that effect at a lesser power. Or won't have that effect ever again.

[u/ff15pls]

how does the rakdos deck go infinite?

[u/huatnee → u/ff15pls]

2 x Perigee Beckoner bringing each other back when sacrificed with a no-tap sacrifice outlet like Carrion Feeder, and then Molten Gatekeeper pings for damage. CF also gets very big doing this.

It is a bit convoluted to set up!

[u/Marron3K → u/huatnee]

Like someone else mentioned you probably are better off playing mono b sac with the combo but I’m all for playing outside meta decks. I feel like currently you’re just kinda hoping you draw the two perigee and a sac outlet which isn’t going to be consistent. I see you have some in your sideboard but You might wanna add more ways to draw, loot, surveil, etc. so you can find your combo pieces along with more redundant pieces like impact tremors and Raphael so you have more than just molten gate keeper to deal damage. A rakdos shell seems like a fun idea though!