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We've all been there. You're staring down easily a hundred dollars' worth of rares on the far side of the table, and they are <<schooling>> you. Isamaru shows up with some Lions, they grab Jittes, and you cry yourself out of the game. Any number of variations on the theme exist, to the tune of your less expensive cards getting munched by more expensive ones, or your skill in deck making and play being thwarted by a guy who can simply afford play sets of rares. So what are we supposed to do? One solution my play group and most others try is Pauper Magic, also called Cheap Magic, Common Ground, or Hobo Magic due its cheapness. The commonality of Pauper Magic. The premise is simple: make a deck using only commons. After all, we all have a ton of them, they're cheap to get more of, and don't generally have large game effects. In other words, skill in deck creation and play come to define the match, not who has the biggest paycheck. Now, uncommons are out because there are tons of good ones, and partly to keep this a truly interesting restriction. Also, if any card has been reprinted in any set as something other than common, it's out. So no Soul Wardens, for example; 9th Edition brought them back as Uncommons. The common-only rule applies to all cards, including lands, and the deck must contain exactly sixty cards. Other than that, go wild. Over the next few articles, I'm going to present some deck ideas to help get your started. These are by no means finalized, and generally represent archetypes for colors we all know and love. They'll be mono colored, minimum artifacts, and should be fairly cheap- if I accidentally include a common, which for some reason is really expensive, please let me know. While the format is great fun for experienced players to truly test their skill (and card knowledge), this is also a great way for newer players to play some games where they're on equal footing as far as card power goes. Oh, and these are all intended for 1 on 1 duels; I'll be posting a multiplayer article down the line, but that's for non-Pauper free for all. You want a deck, right? First up is one of the oldest archetypes in Magic. It's been around since the beginning, and it's been fairly viable in nearly every single block to come along. Obviously, we know it by its rares, but I'm going to show you a White Weenie build using the Common Ground scheme today, and explain the play style, some other options when looking at playing white, and some ways a newer player can add money to this to actually get a viable casual deck.
We're going to look at the pieces of this in order, discuss some basic reasons, and then I'll have a strategy and tactics bit. First up, the land selection. For a general deck, you'll want 20-24 lands, depending on non-land accelerators. This deck is running on the lighter side simply because everything in here is so cheap: no spell breaks 2 cc, and there's only one creature over 2 cc. Solid Plains, simply because there are very few common lands that'll help the speed of a WW deck. Then, our creatures... They're cheap, and they all have something that aids them in combat. Deftblade Elite is equal parts early game assassin and late game ultimate wall, and is extremely great at 1cc. The Lantern Kami and Soltari Foot Soldier are 1cc evaders, and they'll help get good damage through fast. The Courier Hawk not only evades with better toughness, but has vigilance and lets me keep a little defense against a mirror match or heavy early offense. The Kitsune Blademaster is your big heavy; third turn, you've got a 3/3 first strike guy (technically a 2/2 to start).
So, what do we wind up with from all this? A super-cheap, super-fast weenie deck that can still hold its own through the mid-game and a mirror match, one with fast threats that are hard to respond to early and can protect them while removing yours. Obviously, white weenie is just one white deck idea. Sticking mono-white, life gain becomes another. Now, notice that without Test of Endurance, life gain on its own will not win you matches. However, it does provide you plenty of time in which to do so, often outlasting your opponent and keeping you from losing a top deck war. It's best combined with strong or cheap evaders and plenty of defenses. If you're going life gain, might I suggest Wall of Glare and Scent of Jasmine? Combine with other defensive weenies and some shadow attackers, and you're all set to take the long game. If you're new to all this and you like the way this deck plays out, stick with it. Tweak it; you can go heavier on equipment by packing things like Leonin Scimitars and Slagwurm Armor along with creatures that love them like Auriok Glaivemaster. If you like the weenie rush, go with things like Suntail Hawk, Opal Caryatid, and other well-costed cheap threats. If you're looking to add money to this, pick a direction that you want to move in: EQ or weenies. Auriok Steelshapers, Loxodon Warhammers, Swords of Light and Shadow, Loxodon Punishers, and more are all solid bets to upgrade your offense to the truly lethal. So, I hope this has given you some new insight into Pauper Magic. It's cheap, fun, and requires a lot more skill and ability than you'd first expect. Oh, and it's also a great way to get new people in without scaring them off with your War Elementals. ~Perfect Cell~ You can discuss this article in the MDV forums here. Most Popular
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Swiftly
Falling Snow. 
All
these creatures lead naturally into the other spell selections. Bonesplitter....
where to begin? Sort of like a glass of water, it goes great with everything.
Your evaders hit harder. The Deftblade becomes a powerful sniper. The Courier
Hawk goes from annoyance to threat. The Kitsune Blademaster can eat a Craw Wurm.
It's genius, and deserves a spot in virtually any budget WW deck that can't
afford a Jitte. Disenchant is fairly obvious; it eliminates the Bonesplitter in
a mirror match. It also clears out virtually any pesky non-creature problem and
at instant speed, no less. Iron Will is almost more of a late game thing in
here, but still important. It protects against Fists of the Anvil and Giant
Growth, it can keep your evaders and Deftblade alive through Blazing Salvo, it
can outlast a Last Gasp, and in case you're up against the rare deck where it
isn't useful, it can cycle out for better things. Lead Astray is simply there in
case something nasty comes online mid-game, or you really need to hammer a last
few points of damage to end it. Finally, Raise the Alarm...almost as key as
Bonesplitter. It gives you effectively 8 more warm bodies between your valuable
troops and enemy troops, as an instant you can use it as a combat trick to great
effect, and it's cheap.