Foundations is a very large set that looks to add plenty of classic cards from Magic's history to a Standard set that will stay in rotation for five years. I had high hopes for some spicy downshifts to shakeup the MH3 meta, and hopefully make some new tier two archetypes. Sadly, we got very few downshifts, but the ones we need get will be very impactful. Normally, I like to do a seperate lists for the top cards and then honorable mentions, that being said, Foundations is a low-power level Standard release so we didn't get enough cards for two posts. I'll start with the cards that I believe will make an impact and then go through the rest in order of color.
1. Dwynen's Elite
Dwynen's Elite is the craziest downshift we got. Elves was already on the rise after MH3 and Dwynen's Elite is going to take it to an even higher placement in the meta. Nyxborn Hydra has seen heavy play as a mana-sync to smash through opponents. Dwynen's Elite will allow Elves to explode on to the board faster. This makes me want to go back to playing You Meet in a Tavern over Distant Melody to Overrun the opponent. Priest of Titania, Birchlore Rangers, and Timberwatch Elf are the biggest winners from this. I'm not an Elves gamer, but I suspect that this will potentially replace some number of Elvish Vanguard, and will remove any need to play Lys Alana Huntmaster.
2. Pelfer
At first I didn't think much of this downshift. A two mana Thoughtseize in Pauper isn't exactly eye catching. However, the more I thought about the presence of combo in the meta the more I liked it. Broodscale, Walls, Poison Storm are all match ups that you'd want hand disruption. It could have uses in match ups such as Mono-Blue Terror, Kuldotha Red, and Gruul Ramp. Against Terror seeing their hand to take a counterspell can swing a game in your favor. Kuldotha Red is a very synergistic deck and this could pick the starting hand apart if you're on the play. Gruul Ramp lives and dies by having the right mix of ramp and threats. Ripping this on the play to snag a Utopia Sprawl to slow them down, or take away their only pay-off could be a thing. I think being two mana obviously holds the card back from being a staple, but I'd be willing to put this in a lot of Black sideboards.
3. Helpful Hunter
Helpful Hunter is a functional reprint of the goodest boy Spirited Companion. The doggo hasn't seen play in Pauper for quite some time as the slow midrange Ephemerate decks have fallen behind to the speed of the format. With that said, if Kuldotha Red takes a hit and the format slows down a step, I'll be sleeving this kitty up. If we're comparing the two, Helpful Hunter is slightly better than Spirited Companion as it doesn't get eaten by Dawnbringer Cleric. Cleric is also seeing an all time low presence in the meta, but keep this in mind if the format shifts back in the direction of midrange.
4. Scholar of Combustion
Scholar of Combustion is essentially a reprint of Ardent Elementalist. Returning to hand or exiling isn't much of a difference and the extra toughness allows it to block. As with Helpful Hunter, these slow midrange value Ephemerate decks are too slow for the current meta. My heart swells imagining slamming this on turn six and resolving another Reckless Impulse!
5. Go Forth & Bushwhack
I'm a sucker for new tools for Landfall Zoo and these are cards I'm definitely going to test. Go Forth is flexible as a single pump spell or it can trigger all of your creatures if you fetch a land. Bushwhack is another downshift and it's either a removal spell or a landfall trigger. The weakness of landfall is that you always need to keep hitting land drops, otherwise you're playing a bunch of 0/1's. However, having a critical mass of cards like Go Forth and Bushwhack that can find lands makes me optimistic. Plus, this could make splashing colors and pulling the basic you need a lot more consistent. I've tried Gruul, Boros, and Naya variants and I'll be circling back to these brews.
Pauper is an Ajani's Pridemate downshift away from having a real Soul Sisters deck break out in the meta. That being said, the Soul Sister slots are already stacked with Soul Warden, Soul's Attendant, and Lunarch Veteran. The competition for Hinterland Sanctifier is steep, but having two toughness does get it out of End the Festivities range at the very least. I'm not interested in Soul Sisters until we get that Ajani's Pridemate downshift or a card to fit that slot, but we'll circle back to this when that days comes.
Prideful Parent may end up being a Pauper Cube card more than anything. Three mana for two bodies is too expensive for the Mono-White Aggro deck to want it. Plus, the format has moved away from Ephemerating creatures for value, and using an Ephemerate to get an extra 1/1 isn't the best Ephemerate can do. That being said I do like this card, but I'm struggling to where it fits in other than Cube.
You like jank? Lets talk about Angels. Pauper has very few Angels in general, never mind playable ones. People do love their Scroll of Avacyn and Seraph Sanctuary so here you go. Angels will not be taking down the meta, but if you want to enjoy this casual archetype, then I'd consider these two for your kitchen table gaming endeavors. Dazzling Angel is competing with Inspiring Overseer in the 3-drop slot, but a couple copies of Dazzling Angel should be alright. Vanguard Seraph is a decent curve-topper that should surveil on ETB conistently. It is probably worse than Seraph of Dawn, but I'd slot a couple of these if you're going for a higher curve. I do think that we're a few effeciently costed Angels away from having a casual deck that could maybe prey on Kuldotha Red. Until then, grip your Scoll of Avacyn tightly at your kitchen table.
If I had to pick a card that I was super excited to play no matter how awful it is, this is it. As a bunny lover I appreciate this card, but I've never been more afraid of a Breath Weapon in my entire life. Unfortunately for our lopped-eared friends, Pauper is full of sweepers from Breath Weapon to Drown in Sorrow. This will always keep a deck like this in check, and a hard check at that. I'll still sleeve this up and get hosed by my playgroup with no regrets.
Elementilist Adept is a card I'm excited to brew with even though I don't immediately know where to put it. I don't think it fits into any current meta decks such as Faeries or Terror. I have a Mono-Blue Prowess deck in the vault that's running Elusive Spellfist and Spellweaver Eternal. Elementalist Adept is probably better than Spellweaver Eternal if you add Spell Pierce and Counterspell for a tempo game plan..
At the moment, being a Wizard isn't relevant in Pauper with the exception of maybe Step Through, Stream of Unconsciousness, or Windrider Wizard. My current thought is to stay mono-blue with Delver of Secrets, Faerie Seer, Spellstutter Sprite, and Of One Mind hoping that this archetype comes together with some new Wizards/Faeries when we return to Lorwyn in 2026.
I've toiled with plenty of creature-based sacrifice decks. From Orzhov Aristocrats with Cartel Aristocrat, to Golgari with Sprout Swarm and Glimmer Bairn. The one-drop slot for these decks are stacked with Doomed Traveler, Nested Shambler, Shambling Ghast, and Greedy Freebooter. That being said, Infestation Sage seems really strong. It is strictly better than Nested Shambler as the 1/1 black and green Insect with flying can chip in for extra damage, and it also convokes out Sprout Swarm. These aristocrat decks tend to fall short of competitive play, and are currently put to shame by the various Broodscale decks, and to a lesser extent the Food decks. Nonetheless, I'm addicted to Mirkwood Bats and Nadier's Nightblade so I'll be casting this card a lot.
Crackling Cyclops is a powerful card, but it realistically won't see any competitive play. The obvious style of deck you'd want to put this in Kiln Fiend. Sadly, Crackling Cyclops is too expensive to run in that hyper aggressive and efficient archetype. There's just an infinite number of two mana creatures that you'd want in this slot and running Simian Spirit Guide doesn't matter enough to get this in the deck. Crackling Cyclops is an upgrade to Nivix Cyclops as it allows you to cut blue. Two color aggro decks are inherently clunky in Pauper, but if you're mono-red then playing a stock Kiln Fiend list is optimal. Our buddy Richard aka Newby Boo loves Nivix Cyclops so we'll be exploring Crackling Cyclops regardless. I'm willing to test with cards like Escape Tunnel and see if we can can come up with something spicy.
Goblin Surprise looks like a slam dunk for Pauper Cube, and possibly constucted? Kuldotha Rebirth is the standard for making tokens in red and trumps weaker cards like Dragon Fodder and Hordeling Outburst. I think Goblin Surprise is better than Hordeling Outburst even though that card sees no play. Being an instant lets you play around sorcery speed sweepers, and having the option to use it as an anthem is real game. Kuldotha Red is a very synergistic deck that has quite a bit of neuance in its deckbuilding so I don't think you can run this in the same deck as Experimental Synthesizer, as three mana spells are tough to cast off of it. Goblin Surprise being a mix of Rebirth and Bushwhacker is powerful, and I think I'll go out of my way to play a goblin heavy version of Kuldotha Red that utilizes Implement of Combustion over Experimental Synthesizer.
I have a Gruul Boats deck that I've kept in the vault and Goblin Boarders could slot into that deck. Gruul Boats is like the old Pioneer deck that uses creatures with high power to crew vehicles. In Pauper we have Irontread Crusher and Aradara Express. Goblin Boarders coming down as a 4/3 beater could be decent. I am concerned that because it doesn't have an ETB or cast trigger, it will fall short of Eldrazi Repurposer and Jewel Thief.
Ambush Wolf is another consideration for that Gruul Boats brew. A flash 4/2 beater that can crew Aradara Express could be good enough to make the cut. The ETB can exile key cards such as Prismatic Strands, Battle Screech, and Deep Analysis. I don't think that is a huge deal but it isn't nothing. Regardless this set has motivated me to finish this Gruul Boats deck so stay tuned for that.
I want Fungus/Saporlings kindred to be a real deck so badly. Does Slimy Piper get us there? No. Outside of specifically Fungus kindred, I have been imagining some green-based convoke decks with potentially Arboreal Grazer and Khalni Garden. Piper could be a beatdown card for a deck like that. There's a lot of room for brewing and experimentation with that archetype so I'll get in the kitchen and see what I can cook. I do think this is a consideration for Pauper Cube for green stompy decks and token archetypes.
Simply put, Beast-Kin Ranger synergizes well with one of the best cards in the format in Writhing Chrysalis and that warrants some testing. Being a three mana 3/3 with no ETB in a format full of Lightning Bolts is reason for skepticism. My first thought was to slam this in a green stompy deck with Bushwhack to splash for Writhing Chrysalis.
Beast kindred anyone? Probably not, but a draw engine for a potential beast deck in the future is worth remembering. Presently, I think that beast kindred has a shred of potential with some packages to support it. Converter Beast and Ephemerate will pair well with Woodland Liege. Irregular Cohort draws 2-4 cards if you have Ephemerate. Malevolent Rumble and Masked Vandal is another package to consider. Overall, Woodland Liege is a card to keep in your deck builders' toolkit as new beasts get printed in the future.
I think Shardless Outlander is interesting for Tron Monster decks as seven mana is the sweet spot for natural Tron draws. Being a 6/5 doesn't line up well with Tolarian Terror and Annoyed Altisaur, but it does outsize Myr Enforcer. Landcycling 2 is so much worse than cycling for 1, but I do think hardcasting this with Tron lands is the main appeal. I wonder if you could pair this with Unholy Heat in Mono-Red Tron to keep up with the Terror decks. I want to thank you for sticking through with me to the end, and exploring the potential impact that Foundations will have on the Pauper format.If you like what we're doing here, then consider subscribing to our news letter to know when new posts drop. Head over to our homepage for links to our Youtube Channel, and other socials. Thanks again for reading and Joining the Fellowship!
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