III: Spiral Time
II: Standard’s Nasty Nine
I: Farewell, Kamigawa
With the hegemony of the Nasty Nine firmly entrenched in pre-rotation Standard Pauper, aspiring champions need new tricks in their bag. Luckily, the arrival of Time Spiral on MTGO is upon us. This article, the last in my three-part series, takes a look at some of the more promising commons from the new block. I’ll assess their standalone value and project their impact on the metagame. Read on, gentle Pauper.
EDIT: I got caught in a Time Spiral of my own, and this article was Suspended for something like 2 months. Luckily, it just now resolved, and the fruits of that resolution are upon you!
WHITE
I thought…
Cloudchaser Kestrel
Gaze of Justice
Ivory Giant
Momentary Blink
Pentarch Ward
Temporal Isolation
Time has shown…
Of this list, Momentary Blink has made the biggest splash. So big a splash, in fact, that it may have made its way to the Nasty Nine list. It’s devistating in Orzhov, but it has its uses in other decks, as well. Izzet can put it to good use, and Planar Chaos is looking to make Izzet even more blinky. Even though some of those other cards offer novelty functions, they haven’t really shown up in competitive decks. Cloudchaser Kestrel isn’t a bad SB choice against Orzhov, however.
I missed…
Benalish Cavalry and Sidewinder Sliver are excellent pieces in any White Weenie deck. Brace yourself for the white Muscle Sliver in Planar Chaos, either “Ligament Sliver” or “Tendon Sliver“.
BLUE
I thought…
Cancel
Dream Stalker
Drifter il-Dal
Errant Ephemeron
Fathom Seer
Looter il-Kor
Think Twice
Time has shown…
Surprisingly enough, blue hasn’t been much in the spotlight in this format, despite the strength of its cards. This list does illustrate the strongest blue cards, however, at least in their Standard presence. Dream Stalker is probably the most niche of those listed. Errant Ephemeron and Looter il-Kor are the most seen.
I missed…
Snapback. People like that card.
BLACK
I thought…
Dark Withering
Mindstab
Pit Keeper
Sangrophage
Strangling Soot
Tresspasser il-Vec
Urborg Syphon-Mage
Time has shown…
Because of the popularity of Orzhov (and to a lesser extent, UB Madness), Dark Withering isn’t as prevalent as I’d expected. Pit Keeper and Urborg Syphon-Mage are most popular. Mindstab, surprisingly, hasn’t been seen hardly at all.
RED
I thought…
Blazing Blade Askari
Bonesplitter Sliver
Empty the Warrens
Mogg War Marshal
Rift Bolt
Two-Headed Sliver
Time has shown…
Flanking did make a splash, but really only in white, where cheap creatures on the curve made the Askari look wimpy. The Slivers weren’t used at all, though Planar Chaos is bringing us more, which may round out the curve and make a Sliver deck more tenable. Empty the Warrens and Mogg War Marshal turned into an interesting, if not amazing, UR Storm deck that had a T4 showing at SPDC. Rift Bolt was an auto-include in decks running red, which is typically the case with cheap burn spells.
I missed…
Keldon Halberdier is a pretty big threat and demands immediate attention. Subterranean Shambler has proven his worth as a board-sweeper and a 2/3 finisher when necessary.
GREEN
I thought…
Ashcoat Bear
Durkwood Baloth
Gemhide Sliver
Greenseeker
Penumbra Spider
Wormwood Dryad
Time has shown…
Where was green this time around?? Harvester dropped off the radar, and aside from a few instances of UGAC or Gruul beats, the green part of the Nasty Nine was nowhere to be seen. The only card on this list that made any impact on the format was Ashcoat Bear, and even him not much.
I missed…
Mwonvoli Acid-Moss and Search for Tomorrow were both better than expected. Also, the Thallid Shell-Dweller provided Golgari control decks with a brutal wall and a recurring source of tokens.
COLORLESS
I thought…
Chromatic Star
Prismatic Lens
Venser’s Sliver
Terramorphic Expanse
Time has shown…
Terramorphic Expanse all the way. It’s an auto-include in almost every single deck. There’s no question this is an amazingly powerful tool in every Pauper’s arsenal. Three-color decks are increasingly common and viable, including the current #1 deck, Orzhov Blink (white, blue, black).