MTG: A Guide to Pauper & PEDH – All You Need Now is a Prince
Magic isn’t all about the expensive or rare cards! It’s possible to build a deck entirely out of commons for less than $50.
Greetings, fellow Planeswalkers and Praetors! Magic the Gathering is a fantastic game and has been the top TCG for many years for a reason. Alongside the primary playstyle, there are dozens of alternate rulesets, from singleton formats like EDH and Canadian Highlander to wacky online-only options like Momir Basic. However, a lot of these formats share one unfortunate truth: unless you’re willing to proxy, they can be prohibitively expensive. I’m not saying you NEED the most expensive, hard-hitting cards to thrive in this game, but it certainly helps.
Enter Pauper, a format based around low-cost and low-rarity cards. It can be played with a quick scan of your chafe pile, and it’s just as fun as a non-standard format. But what is Pauper? And what do you need to know to get started? Worry not; this handy guide will get you on the right track and make you a Prince of Pauper.
What is Pauper?
Pauper was originally theorized as a Magic Online format, where it gained a good deal of traffic before being officially recognized in 2017. A few years later, it made its way to the tabletop, and the true Pauper format was born. The basic gist is the same as Standard; you build a 60-card deck, and you and your opponent start with 20 life. The goal is to reduce your opponent to 0 life points or drain their deck of cards. However, the caveat is that every card in your deck must have been Common rarity at some point.
While this does cause some confusion from time to time with cards plummeting or skyrocketing in rarity, the overarching rule is essentially, “Once a Common, always a Common.” Since most common cards are $0.25 or less, you can build a viable deck for a fraction of the price of a standard library.
Even better, the rules for Pauper can be layered on top of most other formats, like Modern or Limited, to add an extra challenge to deck-building. While Pauper is sometimes confused with the similarly-named Peasant format, the latter allows five cards of Uncommon rarity. If you want to play Pauper, it’s Commons only.
How Do You Play Pauper?
As mentioned above, Pauper is played the same way as any other format, with the exception of the Common rule. However, Pauper Commander, or pEDH, is played a little differently. Unlike regular Pauper, your Commander can be of Uncommon rarity.
In addition, unlike standard Commander, the following rules are in place: your Commander doesn’t have to be legendary, each player starts with only 30 life and 16 Commander damage is considered lethal rather than 21. Beyond that, if you know the rules for the format you are playing, you can add the Pauper caveat on top with little trouble.
Can I Use Any Common Cards?
Not all Commons are created equal, and Pauper has its own living ban list that is revisited from time to time. As of the latest ban, thirty cards are banned from use in Pauper for being too strong for the format. In addition, any cards deemed offensive or inflammatory, like Crusade, are banned from Pauper. For safety’s sake, always check the list before building your deck, to make sure you aren’t including banned pieces. The list can be found here.
Can You Show Me an Example?
Moxfield is a great resource for brewing up Pauper decks, as the site has specific settings built in to ensure it only shows viable cards. I’ve built a pEDH deck myself, combining Armix, Filgree Thrasher, and Ghost of Ramirez DePietro. It isn’t the strongest, but it gives you a general idea.
GHOST IN THE MACHINE Decklist
Armix, Filigree Thrasher (CMR) 108
Ghost of Ramirez DePietro (CMR) 71
Alchemist’s Vial (MB1) 1542
Alms of the Vein (SOI) 98
Architects of Will (ARC) 77
Blood Fountain (VOW) 95
Bonder’s Ornament (C20) 67
Cast Down (CLB) 119
Ceremonial Knife (VOW) 254
Chromatic Star (2XM) 239
Circular Logic (VMA) 60
Clockwork Fox (CLB) 308
Contaminated Aquifer (DMU) 245
Crashing Drawbridge (ELD) 217
Dark Withering (TSR) 107
Darksteel Citadel (MM2) 238
Dimir Infiltrator (RAV) 203
Dizzy Spell (RAV) 43
Drift of Phantasms (RAV) 46
Dross Scorpion (MRD) 164
Etherium Sculptor (BRC) 82
Everflowing Chalice (CLB) 859
Executioner’s Capsule (MB1) 650
Feed the Swarm (CLB) 752
Filigree Familiar (MB1) 1582
Fortuitous Find (KLD) 81
Foundry Inspector (CMR) 310
Frogmite (MMA) 207
Glaze Fiend (2XM) 95
Gluttonous Guest (VOW) 292
Golden Egg (ELD) 220
Goldvein Pick (KHM) 239
Golem Foundry (SOM) 160
Haunted Cloak (CMR) 463
Ichor Wellspring (2XM) 261
Implement of Malice (AER) 159
10 Island (J22) 102
Just the Wind (SOI) 71
Leaden Myr (SOM) 170
Metalspinner’s Puzzleknot (2XM) 273
Mind Stone (CLB) 325
Mistvault Bridge (MH2) 249
Moriok Replica (SOM) 178
Moriok Scavenger (MRD) 68
Mycosynth Wellspring (C21) 252
Myr Enforcer (MMA) 209
Myr Retriever (MMA) 210
Mystic Sanctuary (ELD) 247
Nagging Thoughts (SOI) 74
Neurok Replica (DDU) 59
Nihil Spellbomb (C13) 249
Nim Shrieker (MRD) 73
Ornithopter (M15) 223
Ornithopter of Paradise (MH2) 430
Perplex (RAV) 217
Pestilence (4ED) 152
Pointed Discussion (VOW) 126
Prying Blade (XLN) 244
Resourceful Return (AER) 70
Salvage Slasher (CON) 52
Seat of the Synod (MRD) 283
Shred Memory (RAV) 105
Silver Myr (NEC) 158
Snuff Out (MMQ) 162
Sojourner’s Companion (MH2) 235
18 Swamp (CLB) 459
Thieves’ Tools (CLB) 152
Unearth (2X2) 96
Vampire’s Kiss (VOW) 136
Vault of Whispers (MRD) 286
Wayfarer’s Bauble (CLB) 344
Welding Jar (MRD) 274
Witch’s Cottage (ELD) 249
Workshop Assistant (CMR) 348
