White Weenie is one of the oldest and most celebrated archetypes in constructed Magic. It is a creature-based aggressive strategy that wins with small, efficient creatures, and by creating an overwhelming board position. The deck is typically mono-white, though the use of artifacts aids the deck immensely, and secondary color splashes are not completely out of the question.
The strength of White Weenie is threefold. Firstly, the consistent mana base and low curve puts the deck one step ahead of clunkier decks that have slower board/mana development. Secondly, the diversity and sheer number of threats can be difficult for other decks to deal with. Finally, White Weenie has at its disposal an array of arguably the best sideboard "hate" cards in the entire Pauper format.
The Mana Base:
White Weenie generally plays 21-22 lands. Because the curve is so low, the deck can add pressure to the board with a relatively low number of lands in play. The card Kor Skyfisher has an enter the battlefield ability that can make up for the loss of tempo on turns when land drops are missed.
Options:
Plains/Snow Covered Plains — These will make up the vast majority of the mana base.
Secluded Steppe — Occasionally played for its ability to cycle later in the game, and/or when mana flooded.
The average creature count for a White Weenie deck is about 28-30. As you will see, there are a number of viable options.
One Drops:
Benevolent Bodyguard — While not a significant threat on his own, this White Weenie staple can protect the more integral creatures from removal, and from combat damage. Can also be used to circumvent blockers for a lethal attack.
Doomed Traveler — A one drop addition printed in Innistrad. This guy has not yet garnered too much popularity, but he is resilient against removal and as a blocker. Becoming an evasive creature after he dies gets even better when paired with cards like Bonesplitter.
Gideon's Lawkeeper — A one drop with a relevant activated ability. While soft to removal, the Lawkeeper can turn the tide in creature matchups, and can buy time against larger, hard to deal with creatures.
Icatian Javelineers — Another popular option in White Weenie lists. This card, if allowed to live for a turn, has many relevant targets in the Pauper format. Arguably most useful against Faeries, Goblins and the mirror match. Can be re-used via Kor Skyfisher.
Shade of Trokair — Technically the card is a four drop, but can be suspended on turn one. Works well on both defense and offense, and is the perfect counter bait for setting up powerful turn fours. Outside of something like Steppe Lynx Shade is probably the heaviest hitting "one drop" that White Weenie has in Pauper.
War Falcon — The newest one drop addition by way of M13. This card is aggressively costed, but requires a bit of support to work optimally, so the vast majority of your deck should comprise of low-cost knights and soldiers.
Two Drops:
Kor Skyfisher — An aggressively costed creature who matches up well against most creatures in the format. Her enters the battlefield ability comes in handy when land drops are missed, and when cards like Icatian Javelineers, Journey to Nowhere and Serrated Arrows need to be re-played.
Leonin Skyhunter — A straight-forward evasive beater, the Skyhunters are rarely seen in current White Weenie lists.
Loyal Cathar — A resilient body against creature decks and removal. Loyal Cathar has quickly proven its worth since being released in Dark Ascension.
Soltari Trooper — A two drop that is more or less unblockable. Great with equipment, but soft to most removal. If you play the Trooper, be sure to board him out in matchups where you will need blockers.
Squadron Hawk — A superb option for White Weenie decks. A resolved Hawk equals a stream of evasive attackers, chump blockers, discard and/or sacrifice outlets. The Hawks are a rare source of card advantage, and fight through most other fliers when equipped with Bonesplitter.
Suture Priest — An incremental source of life gain, and (for the opponent) life loss when in a creature-heavy matchup. Suture Priest is also a strong answer to the Empty the Warrens combo decks.
Three Drops:
Attended Knight — A new option from M13, this card works best in decks that play War Falcon (since it provides two bodies of the required creature types). Yet another synergistic buddy of Kor Skyfisher.
Kor Sanctifiers — Though considered a sideboard card, these Kor are sometimes found in the main decks of winning White Weenie lists. The optional kicker cost allows them to remove a number of problem artifacts, and a few enchantments too.
Porcelain Legionnaire — A three drop that can be played as a two drop for a small life payment. Can fight through a lot of creatures, but suffers from being vulnerable to both creature and artifact removal.
Four Drops: Guardian of the Guildpact — One of the best creatures available to the White Weenie player. While a bit high on the curve, the Guardian fears almost nothing, and can only be dispatched by large artifact creatures/artifact removal, multi-colored cards, and situations where the White Weenie player did not play around edict effects.
Seraph of Dawn — The latest addition by way of Avacyn Restored. This gal has made some appearances in White Weenie sideboards, where she comes in against other creatures matchups due to her hefty size and potential life gain. The primary drawback is that she fills a role that isn't entirely needed: White Weenie already shines against other small creature decks.
Other: Razor Golem — A card that becomes more efficient as the game goes on. While being cast at most for 3 mana, it is often a 3/4 vigilance creature for 2, 1 or even 0.
Removal:
Journey to Nowhere— A low cost, "catch all" form of removal. Though it can be disrupted, it is still probably the most cost-efficient removal spell available.
Serrated Arrows — An expensive but capable removal option when the metagame is inhabited by a lot small creatures.
Sunlance — While it falls short of Affinity's big creatures, Sunlance still hits a lot of valid targets outside of the mirror match. It is very rare that White gets damage spells that don't require attacking or blocking conditions.
Bonesplitter — A cheap equipment that makes any small creature into a relevant threat. Excels at quickening the "clock", or number of turns that an opponent has left to live without finding an answer.
Prismatic Strands— Another theoretical "sideboard card" that can work in the main deck. Very versatile in that it can protect the player, his creatures and set up combat blowouts. The flashback cost is also very convenient.
Sideboard:
Benevolent Unicorn — A hoser that turns off the Grapeshot combo kill. Also relevant against burn and damage-based removal.
Crimson Acolyte — A great choice against decks with red removal, and against Goblins.
Dust to Dust — A value removal spell primarily used against Affinity.
Holy Light — A sweeper against various enemy creature decks, including Faeries and Goblins.
Obsidian Acolyte — One of two sideboard solutions to the Mono Black Control matchup.
Rune of Protection: Black — The second solution to Mono Black Control. Blanks all of their win conditions, and is extremely difficult for Mono black to deal with (they have a limited number of answers in their color pie).
Standard Bearer — A two drop creature that nullifies every pump spell in the Infect deck. One of the primary reasons that those decks play Hornet Sting in the sideboard.
Matchup Analysis
Mono U Fae
White Weenie has a favorable matchup against Faeries, which is one of Pauper's most prevalent decks. With the exception of Spire Golem (or sometimes Stitched Drake), all of the enemy's creatures have a hard time trading profitably with Loyal Cathar, Kor Skyfisher, Leonin Skyhunter, Razor Golem, Kor Sanctifiers etc. An Icatian Javelineer on turn one is so powerful because it can deal with the majority of creatures that Faeries play (it can even block a Ninja and shoot it before the combat damage step.) The Faeries player will normally be forced to take a defensive role, which eventually causes them to cave in from the pressure. Will they still win sometimes? Yes, of course. They can generate so much tempo in the early game, or take advantage of WW missing land drops to steal games quickly. The games can go late, and Faeries players have more card advantage than you. Spire Golems can also be troublesome because they are big, and they block all of the unequipped creatures. Squadron Hawk is a powerful asset in all creature matchups, and Faeries is of course no exception.
It is a good idea to board into artifact removal if your opponent is playing Spire Golem. Some Faeries decks also play Serrated Arrows, and you need to destroy those. This means extra Kor Sanctifiers come in for games two and three. You don't want to board too many cards out, because the integrity of threats needs to be maintained. Cards you can consider boarding out are Prismatic Strands (if you play them main) and Guardian of the Guildpact. Strands is very reactive and will not have many powerful applications (okay you stopped them from cantripping with Ninja, but that is not a game winning play). Guardian is also useless against Spire Golem, and a little expensive when all your cheap creatures are good here anyway. If you are playing three or more Benevolent Bodyguard, taking out one is okay, but you still want to have a couple to keep them from resolving a bounce spell.
Do not play your best threats into counterspells if you can avoid it. If you don't know what your best threats are, think about what will be the hardest for your opponent to deal with if they resolve. The answer is usually Skyfisher resetting a Javelineer/Cathar or Squadron Hawk bringing three more birds to the fight. These are generalities: as with all matchups, know them but don't rigidly commit yourself to them. Every game can bring about different circumstances.
U/x Cloudpost
The Cloudpost matchup is White Weenie's absolute worst. White Weenie is not a deck that has much reach, because it does not have access to burn. This is the matchup where that deficiency hurts us the most. If you can't understand why this matchup is bad, ask yourself if you want to see any of these from your control deck opponent: 2 for 1 (or worse) removal (Serrated Arrows, Steamcore Weird, Rolling Thunder, anything + Mnemonic Wall), significant amounts of lifegain (Glimmerpost), infinite bounce potential (Capsize), counterspells, blockers or victory conditions that can dome you for lethal from 20 life or above.
The best cards we have against them are Bonesplitter, Squadron Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Razor Golem and Guardian of the Guildpact. Bonesplitter shortens the clock and gives them less time to stabilize. Hawk helps replenish our hand and expends their removal spells (If the UR Post player has eliminated all of your Hawks without being in significant danger, they are going to win the game 90% of the time). Skyfisher can at least attack into Mulldrifter and generally produces a faster clock. Razor Golem is the creature with the most attacking power. Guardian dodges all of the cards in Cloudpost's deck other than Serrated Arrows and Ulamog's Crusher.
It is important to mulligan proactively until you have an aggressive hand. This means you want a one drop, playable two drop (not just Skyfisher) and preferably a Bonesplitter. Do not be afraid to mulligan in this matchup, as the matchup is already bad so there really isn't much to lose (and why keep something that isn't going to get there?). You will need to get lucky ,and they will need to not find solutions to your problems. It does happen, but the matchup will never be amazing for us.
Kor Sanctifiers is important in this matchup because of Serrated Arrows. Arrows will break you down, but if you can vindicate it quickly you are fine. It also clears the path for Guardian to beat down without fear. You may also board into Crimson Acolyte if you want to protect your creatures from Red removal, but it is not fool-proof. They can easily Arrows her or bounce with Capsize, and it is not very efficient to hold off threats so that you can leave up reactive protection mana. Journey to Nowhere is not strong against a deck that plays few creatures and Capsize to get value out of your Journey attempts. Leave in your one drops for reasons explained earlier. Benevolent Unicorn can be brought in to turn off Seismic Shudder, and make some of their Firebolts or Flame Slashes fall short, but it is not an impressive threat on its own by any stretch.
Goblins
Goblins is the best matchup that White Weenie has. This is because White Weenie can stabilize the ground with larger creatures and take the fight to the air (here's a tip: White Weenie wins that fight). Most of the cards in White Weenie generate more value than the cards in Goblins. They will also be pressured into making bad attacks just to try and get damage through before the game spirals completely out of their hands. Any burn they have will primarily go to your creatures, which is actually good for you (since it's not hitting you in the face). If you play Prismatic Strands, it is not hard to blow them out during combat or just force a race that they can't win.
White Weenie can potentially bring in a lot of sideboard cards against Goblins, most of which are not necessary. The strongest one is Crimson Acolyte (hopefully this is obvious). Here are a list of others that you can use:
Aven Riftwatcher
Benevolent Unicorn
Holy Light
Lone Missionary
Suture Priest
Any life gain/protection from red card that doesn't suck
The main thing is not to get too aggressive, thereby allowing them to swing back with Bushwhackers and kill you. It's fine to play defensively for the early portions of the game, because usually they can't attack for very much damage if you do so. Also don't be quick to trade with or kill their biggest guy if you can profitably block a slightly smaller guy or kill a Sledder/Raider (they will cause problems later in the game if you let them live). The most important thing is to preserve your life total, so if you focus each turn on doing that (without sacrificing your advantage/creatures for no reason) you should beat them.
U/R and Grixis Storm variants
The approach to these matchups are generally the same, and not entirely favorable for White Weenie. This is because the Storm player can wait until they're almost dead to assemble as robust a combo as possible. Additionally, trying to disrupt what they're doing can often fail due to having the wrong situational answer in place.
The goal for each game is to base plays and mulligans on killing them as quickly as possible. One drops, good curves and Bonesplitter are highly advised for this purpose. It is usually correct to equip a Bonesplitter early rather than playing out an additional creature. They have very few ways to interact with your beatdown plan, but similarly it is hard to predict when they are going to combo and what exactly they have in hand.
The commonly utilized sidboard cards for this matchup are:
It really doesn't matter how many of these you play, because each serves a different function, and you're not going to ensure victory merely by playing any of them. The Storm player boards in contingencies for your answers too. They can remove your Unicorn or Priest, combo before you have time to play an answer, counter your Holy Lights, Flaring Pain your Strands or simply have one kill condition when you're expecting the other.
You have to do your best and try to get there. Unicorn is intended to turn off Grapeshot and other one damage removal, Holy Light is meant for wiping the board of their Empty the Warrens tokens, Strands can either turn off Grapeshot or keep you alive for a couple turns vs. their Goblin tokens. Suture Priest gains you life, and forces them to lose two life for each resolved copy of Empty the Warrens. Again, none of these cards will guarantee victory, so put in your sideboard the ones that will help you out in other matchups too.
Mono Green Stompy
Another one of White Weenie's favorable creature matchups. Mono Green Stompy does not like to see Prismatic Strands from you, because they invest cards into pumping creatures so they can win the game or win in combat. You also play more removal than them, and having fliers is another advantage that pays off in the late game.
In this matchup you need to use your life as a resource, take some hits in the early game and then typically stabilize. This is how a majority of the games go, and based on a lot of testing I've concluded that it's wrong for the Stompy player to board high numbers of removal/reactive/controlling cards for subsequent games. Their best bet is to stay aggressive and overwhelm (As a sidenote: a lot of people do this with their decks. They board as if they are playing the control role when they really aren't. Just because a card is "good" vs. a certain deck doesn't mean it's an auto-include. Know your role! Our creatures are bigger and more expensive, we play more removal, we are on the defensive early then stabilize and win late. In other words, we're the Control. Okay Stompy spies you can go back to your own thread now.)
A lot of their creatures are annoying to face, and there are almost too many of these to name. A turn one Nettle Sentinel with turn two Rancor is probably their best play against you. You need to practice this matchup and focus on how they're playing, because there are indications of what they have in their hand. Sometimes you need to play around Vines of Vastwood or Groundswell so that you don't outright lose. This means you've got to double or triple block their enchanted guy if the need arises. There will be some hairy turns where it's possible they can topdeck you out of the game. That's life.
The best sideboard card against Mono Green Stompy is Standard Bearer (though I have not tried the other flagbearer creatures). Standard Bearer turns off their Rancors and all other pump spells. Their only ways to get rid of it are Hornet Sting, Shinen of Life's Roar, Sandstorm and Viridian Longbow. Of these three, Longbow is probably the best. Shinen can be negated by Benevolent Bodyguard, and Sting can be nullified by Bodyguard or Benevolent Unicorn (having a Unicorn and Standard Bearer on the field in tandem shuts off 90% of their spells). This is why I personally also bring in Benevolent Unicorn. Prismatic Strands is also a good card that will allow you to not block, block profitably or race. In some circumstances Holy Light is a blowout, but they do have a lot of 2 toughness creatures so don't get too excited.
You can usually board out of Kor Sanctifiers pretty safely (unless they are playing Bonesplitter and Viridian Longbow), and Bonesplitters in small numbers (you are going to want two or so around to match Pit-Skulk's power).
They can board in a lot of cards against you, and as mentioned above typically do so incorrectly. Some contingency against Standard Bearer is needed (those are listed above), but they may also bring in Gleeful Sabotage for Journey, Splitter and Golem, and I have even seen Spore Frog. Spore Frog!? Yes, they may try to fog you for one turn with an onboard, telegraphed 1/1. Quiver in fear White Weenie players!
So I've done about five matches' worth of testing with this deck vs. UR Cloudpost. The videos for these matches can be found in the link in my signature. I'll start off by saying that this matchup for White Weenie feels like it's in the 40% range. Here is the list I played for this session:
The results of the matches can be found in the spoiler below:
4 wins and 9 losses, for a match finish of 1 - 4.
Now this looks pretty abysmal, right? While the matchup is not good, the results do not accurately reflect what our chances actually are. First of all, I should have won the second game of match one by attempting to resolve Kor Skyfisher during the first main phase of my turn five, and followed that up by replaying a Plains and equipping my Guardian of the Guildpact with a Bonesplitter. Because I didn't do that, he was able to stabilize at 2 (and sometimes even 1 life). Other factors that contributed to some losses included never hitting a fourth land drop in one of the games, drawing almost all lands in another, and keeping a questionable hand or two.
Here is the sideboarding strategy I came up with for this list by the conclusion of the matches:
On the play:
-2 Icatian Javelineers
-1 Journey to Nowhere
-3 Suture Priest
+4 Crimson Acolyte
+1 Kor Sanctifiers
+1 Unmake
On the draw:
-2 Icatian Javelineers
-1 Journey to Nowhere
-3 Suture Priest
+3 Crimson Acolyte
+1 Disenchant
+1 Kor Sanctifiers
+1 Unmake
The Javelineers and Suture Priests are simply the worst threats in the matchup for us. While Javelineers equate to a turn one threat, I think this is a little less important after board since the games are going long no matter what. These creatures also die to every removal spell the opponent has, are particularly weak against Seismic Shudder and Serrated Arrows, and cannot attack into a Mulldrifter.
Kor Sanctifiers needs to come in because of Serrated Arrows. The card surprised me with its effectiveness in the matchup, particularly when you can vindicate an Arrows the turn after they've tapped out to play it. The 2/3 body can also attack into Mulldrifter. On the draw I also think Disenchant is correct to bring in over a fourth Acolyte, because their Arrows coming down just that turn faster could cause a lot of problems.
It took me far too long to realize that I wanted Unmake over Journey to Nowhere in this matchup, purely because of Capsize. A Journey on Ulamog's Crusher that can be Capsized keeps us from attacking with our Guardians, and generally is just a horrible situation for us. If I were to modify this list and play it, I'd certainly go to 2 Journey 2 Unmake in the main board, with a 3rd Unmake possibly in the side.
Key Players:
It usually takes a lot to win this matchup, which means you need to throw everything but the kitchen sink at your opponent. Guardian of the Guildpact is an obvious all-star, since it dies to nothing but Serrated Arrows and Ulamog's Crusher. The Crusher you can almost always avoid attacking into, and the Arrows can be killed by another all-star, Kor Sanctifiers. You'll notice more than a single game where I won with (and because of) having a Guardian on the table.
I'll have to go back and study the games, but I don't think I won a single one without resolving Squadron Hawk at some point. The same is probably true for Kor Skyfisher. These cards only contribute to the war effort, though; they don not win it single-handedly. The important thing is that these cards need to be answered, so they end up absorbing a lot of removal. The same is true of Razor Golem and Shade of Trokair, and ultimately the community is more important than the individual in terms of achieving victory.
Underperformers:
Crimson Acolyte just never seemed to be more than a minor annoyance. She either eats an arrow or a Capsize just before the opponent decides they want to kill your best creatures. I still think she is better than the cards we take out, and sometimes can be relevant if they don't find the answer for her (this isn't too likely, though).
Journey to Nowhere sat in my hand for a lot of games, and for reasons stated above, I think Unmake is better against them in general.
Matchup Summary:
The matchup requires experience and a proper mindset to be played well. You win the game by resolving Squadron Hawk and Guardian of the Guildpact. They win the game by resolving Capsize, Rolling Thunder and Serrated Arrows. I say "resolving" because it's very important to know when to dodge or attempt to bait counter magic. It's also important to try and learn when you need to risk playing a creature anyway, and when you need to make certain attacks.
I've also come to the conclusion (which I failed to do during the tests) that mulligans need to be made somewhat aggressively. Having something like Shade of Trokair and Squadron Hawk with adequate lands is pretty important on the play, and hands without playable one or two drops are clearly bad (this is primarily a reminder for myself :/).
Overall the matchup is unfavorable (estimating 45% or so), but game one is actually quite winnable. The key becomes stealing a game within those next two. As seen in the videos, the deck can win through 4 Glimmerposts on the board, a Serrated Arrows and an Ulamog's Crusher barreling down on us. This is nothing to scoff at. Going forward, I think there are many steps we can take to making this deck (and this matchup in particular) better. Thanks for reading, and I hope some of you have some feedback and input!
I've said this elsewhere, but I think this is a deck where Haunted Fengraf makes a lot of sense; at worst you'll be getting back a javelineer or a single squadron hawk, and there's some real value there. Only downside is that it does keep your razor golem from coming down if you have a fengraf in place of your third plains.
What are some white wheenie answers to blue red 8 posts?
I have a terrific matchup vs delver/ninjas but 8post crushes me.
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Originally Posted by Massive Marc
You know back in the old days, when there wasn't EDH, these "griefer" cards in decks were the norm. If you played a Winter Orb when you're opponents were tapped out, it was a good play. Now, you get people tell you they wanna punch you ? It's really sad how carebare this format is, to the point that some loser has to rip up your cards.
If the store owner says that I can't trade in the premises, I'll just go outside. If he says that I can't trade within 10m of his premises, I'll go to 11 meters. If he says that he doesn't want to see me trading, I will put a basket over his head and continue trading.
Yes, he's a local legend. He's only known to take his clothes off before he goes into the Ladies' Lockerroom. Nobody knows what he does in there because he's invisible, but it's almost certainly tons of masturbating.
I'm watching your vids now. How effective is this deck against storm?
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
I'm watching your vids now. How effective is this deck against storm?
It'll depend on what list you're playing, and what Storm deck you're talking about. The Temporal Fissure decks are a pretty poor matchup, but you at the very least have Guardian of the Guildpact which they can't bounce and have to try to outrace. The other Storm matchups are probably about the same as for other decks. The difference is you have an answer to Empty the Warrens game one (if you're playing Suture Priest in the main deck). Doesn't always save you, but that's the same with most other decks too.
I got burned out by Grapeshot last night. I know you had Benevolent Unicorn, but pulled it. I didn't think about Suture Priest. Most of them don't run removal so 10-12 goblins... ouch.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
maybe someone can answer this one for me, why are so many WW lists avoiding Loyal Cathar?? To me it seems a no brainer to run a set since it fits the curve well and comes back from the dead.. yet I still see 90% of the lists not using it...
maybe someone can answer this one for me, why are so many WW lists avoiding Loyal Cathar?? To me it seems a no brainer to run a set since it fits the curve well and comes back from the dead.. yet I still see 90% of the lists not using it...
I think just because it can't block when it comes back, but its most likely just because people haven't tried it yet.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
maybe someone can answer this one for me, why are so many WW lists avoiding Loyal Cathar?? To me it seems a no brainer to run a set since it fits the curve well and comes back from the dead.. yet I still see 90% of the lists not using it...
It's a mystery to me as well. Could be hive mentality, unwillingness to pick up the new cards, or maybe it just doesn't seem worth it to WW players.
I think just because it can't block when it comes back, but its most likely just because people haven't tried it yet.
While I can understand that I feel like WW has better options for blocking, why block when I can throw Bonesplitter on it and its a 4/1.. even before flipping I love the fact that not only is it a 2/2 for WW, but the vigilance on it is awesome too
I noticed in your latest WW build on youtube you've shunned the Razor Golem. Did the lack of ability to "rebuy" affect that decision or was it just too slow?
I was also thinking about Doomed Traveler. He was an allstar this weekend. He fits the criteria you like, but doesn't give you draw power like a spellbomb. He also doesn't cost you mana to break.
Doomed Traveler got me thinking about Thraben Sentry which seems a bit slow, but if he gets flipped he's really strong. I'm not suer what decks I would really want him in against though since there is really only space for one 4 drop and Guardian is good in nearly every matchup.
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
I noticed in your latest WW build on youtube you've shunned the Razor Golem. Did the lack of ability to "rebuy" affect that decision or was it just too slow?
I was also thinking about Doomed Traveler. He was an allstar this weekend. He fits the criteria you like, but doesn't give you draw power like a spellbomb. He also doesn't cost you mana to break.
Doomed Traveler got me thinking about Thraben Sentry which seems a bit slow, but if he gets flipped he's really strong. I'm not suer what decks I would really want him in against though since there is really only space for one 4 drop and Guardian is good in nearly every matchup.
I think the deck tech video (for those of you that don't know, it's the deck tech titled "The Future of White Weenie") will provide the answers you need regarding Doomed Traveler.
As for Razor Golem, my version of the deck is about overwhelming the opponent with threats, and having several ways to generate card advantage and two-for-ones. The community is more important than the individual. A card like Razor Golem is strong, but everyone has a way to deal with it (certainly after board, if not in game one). I'm not saying Razor Golem shouldn't be played, it's just not essential to the way my deck functions.
Thraben Sentry might have a similar issue. Most decks are/probably should be prepared to deal with creatures that have 4 toughness, if not merely due to Affinity being a factor in the Pauper metagame. Sentry is only a 5/4 conditionally. I've only played with him a bit, but at four cmc I would certainly sleeve up Cenn's Enlistment (as mentioned in my video) before opting for him.
It had been a while since I watched that deck tech. I had forgotten that you mentioned Doomed Traveler.
I'm looking to build another pauper deck right now and I've been leaning towards either Mono White, or Mono Black. Do you think white is the better choice out of those two?
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Out of the blackness and stench of the engulfing swamp emerged a shimmering figure. Only the splattered armor and ichor-stained sword hinted at the unfathomable evil the knight had just laid waste.
It had been a while since I watched that deck tech. I had forgotten that you mentioned Doomed Traveler.
I'm looking to build another pauper deck right now and I've been leaning towards either Mono White, or Mono Black. Do you think white is the better choice out of those two?
I think the two biggest factors are A) Your play style, or in other words, what strategies work best for you, and B) What is going on in the metagame. For me personally WW is a better choice, but I have a bias because I've always done much better playing proactive/beatdown strategies.
Both are questionable right now in my opinion due to the sheer number of Post decks performing this past week. At the same time, both decks have been putting up results regardless. I think both have bad Post matchups, with WW being much stronger against Goblins and MBC being stronger against Storm decks.
You may want to ask people in the MBC primer for more info on the deck as well. It's also gonna depend on what kind of MBC list you're gonna play, etc.
Hey everyone, I updated the OP to include some new cards, links and a new matchup analysis section. Detailed updates are featured on the second post in the thread. Enjoy!
DimecollectoR, I was trying to build a similar thing, I mean with Empyrial Armor, but more based on exalted+evasion mechanics. Still under construction though
the razor golem and javs are hard to replace because they're really great utility (javs) and fast fatties (golems)... every MWA deck is going to have a full set of each
if u want to take out unmakes you can bring in journey to nowhere up to four, but if you're list is already running those you're SoL for removal basically.. could main deck prismatic strands i guess
well if you don't have access then maybe try to increase guardian of the guildpacts over golems since its hard to deal with, the javs are harder to replace because they have that ability to ping for one, which we just don't really see in white... there are two other javs in pauper (Elite Javelineer and Kjeldoran Javelineer), but they are much more mana intensive, which is bad for a fast weenie aggro deck... there is literally no other white creature in pauper that works that way... if you want something similar maybe Crossbow Infantry or Duergar Assailant, but they're restricted to attackers/blockers... I guess another choice would be to maybe replace a Bonesplitter for a Viridian Longbow
So I just 3-1'd a daily with white weenie. It was cheap and I only know how to play aggro. I copied/modified some list that 4-0'd.
So I take it the consensus is to go 20-21 plains, don't add any Secluded Steppes or Haunted Fengrafs for value? You don't want to mess with your tempo and not being able to play the golems?
Any thoughts on m13 cards? I've seen people playing war falcon, and to a lesser extent Attended Knight. It seems like all 1 toughness dudes die very easily in this format so the falcon is probably not that good. Though turn 1 falcon turn 2 Aven Squire is pretty disgusting. The knight could be decent value to grind through the control decks. And there aren't that many good white 3 drops anyways.
Introduction:
White Weenie is one of the oldest and most celebrated archetypes in constructed Magic. It is a creature-based aggressive strategy that wins with small, efficient creatures, and by creating an overwhelming board position. The deck is typically mono-white, though the use of artifacts aids the deck immensely, and secondary color splashes are not completely out of the question.
The strength of White Weenie is threefold. Firstly, the consistent mana base and low curve puts the deck one step ahead of clunkier decks that have slower board/mana development. Secondly, the diversity and sheer number of threats can be difficult for other decks to deal with. Finally, White Weenie has at its disposal an array of arguably the best sideboard "hate" cards in the entire Pauper format.
The Mana Base:
Options:
Plains/Snow Covered Plains — These will make up the vast majority of the mana base.
Secluded Steppe — Occasionally played for its ability to cycle later in the game, and/or when mana flooded.
Kabira Crossroads — Marginal life gain at the cost of tempo. Can be re-used with Kor Skyfisher.
Creatures:
One Drops:
Benevolent Bodyguard — While not a significant threat on his own, this White Weenie staple can protect the more integral creatures from removal, and from combat damage. Can also be used to circumvent blockers for a lethal attack.
Doomed Traveler — A one drop addition printed in Innistrad. This guy has not yet garnered too much popularity, but he is resilient against removal and as a blocker. Becoming an evasive creature after he dies gets even better when paired with cards like Bonesplitter.
Gideon's Lawkeeper — A one drop with a relevant activated ability. While soft to removal, the Lawkeeper can turn the tide in creature matchups, and can buy time against larger, hard to deal with creatures.
Icatian Javelineers — Another popular option in White Weenie lists. This card, if allowed to live for a turn, has many relevant targets in the Pauper format. Arguably most useful against Faeries, Goblins and the mirror match. Can be re-used via Kor Skyfisher.
Shade of Trokair — Technically the card is a four drop, but can be suspended on turn one. Works well on both defense and offense, and is the perfect counter bait for setting up powerful turn fours. Outside of something like Steppe Lynx Shade is probably the heaviest hitting "one drop" that White Weenie has in Pauper.
War Falcon — The newest one drop addition by way of M13. This card is aggressively costed, but requires a bit of support to work optimally, so the vast majority of your deck should comprise of low-cost knights and soldiers.
Two Drops:
Kor Skyfisher — An aggressively costed creature who matches up well against most creatures in the format. Her enters the battlefield ability comes in handy when land drops are missed, and when cards like Icatian Javelineers, Journey to Nowhere and Serrated Arrows need to be re-played.
Leonin Skyhunter — A straight-forward evasive beater, the Skyhunters are rarely seen in current White Weenie lists.
Lone Missionary — Provides life gain with a body attached. Another re-usable buddy of Kor Skyfisher.
Loyal Cathar — A resilient body against creature decks and removal. Loyal Cathar has quickly proven its worth since being released in Dark Ascension.
Soltari Trooper — A two drop that is more or less unblockable. Great with equipment, but soft to most removal. If you play the Trooper, be sure to board him out in matchups where you will need blockers.
Squadron Hawk — A superb option for White Weenie decks. A resolved Hawk equals a stream of evasive attackers, chump blockers, discard and/or sacrifice outlets. The Hawks are a rare source of card advantage, and fight through most other fliers when equipped with Bonesplitter.
Suture Priest — An incremental source of life gain, and (for the opponent) life loss when in a creature-heavy matchup. Suture Priest is also a strong answer to the Empty the Warrens combo decks.
Three Drops:
Attended Knight — A new option from M13, this card works best in decks that play War Falcon (since it provides two bodies of the required creature types). Yet another synergistic buddy of Kor Skyfisher.
Kor Sanctifiers — Though considered a sideboard card, these Kor are sometimes found in the main decks of winning White Weenie lists. The optional kicker cost allows them to remove a number of problem artifacts, and a few enchantments too.
Porcelain Legionnaire — A three drop that can be played as a two drop for a small life payment. Can fight through a lot of creatures, but suffers from being vulnerable to both creature and artifact removal.
Four Drops:
Guardian of the Guildpact — One of the best creatures available to the White Weenie player. While a bit high on the curve, the Guardian fears almost nothing, and can only be dispatched by large artifact creatures/artifact removal, multi-colored cards, and situations where the White Weenie player did not play around edict effects.
Seraph of Dawn — The latest addition by way of Avacyn Restored. This gal has made some appearances in White Weenie sideboards, where she comes in against other creatures matchups due to her hefty size and potential life gain. The primary drawback is that she fills a role that isn't entirely needed: White Weenie already shines against other small creature decks.
Other:
Razor Golem — A card that becomes more efficient as the game goes on. While being cast at most for 3 mana, it is often a 3/4 vigilance creature for 2, 1 or even 0.
Removal:
Journey to Nowhere— A low cost, "catch all" form of removal. Though it can be disrupted, it is still probably the most cost-efficient removal spell available.
Serrated Arrows — An expensive but capable removal option when the metagame is inhabited by a lot small creatures.
Sunlance — While it falls short of Affinity's big creatures, Sunlance still hits a lot of valid targets outside of the mirror match. It is very rare that White gets damage spells that don't require attacking or blocking conditions.
Unmake — An instant speed exile spell that can also deal with Guardian of the Guildpact.
Other:
Prismatic Strands— Another theoretical "sideboard card" that can work in the main deck. Very versatile in that it can protect the player, his creatures and set up combat blowouts. The flashback cost is also very convenient.
Sideboard:
Benevolent Unicorn — A hoser that turns off the Grapeshot combo kill. Also relevant against burn and damage-based removal.
Crimson Acolyte — A great choice against decks with red removal, and against Goblins.
Disenchant — Instant speed removal for Affinity, but also hits relevant cards in the Infect decks, and can hit an opposing Journey to Nowhere or Serrated Arrows.
Dust to Dust — A value removal spell primarily used against Affinity.
Holy Light — A sweeper against various enemy creature decks, including Faeries and Goblins.
Obsidian Acolyte — One of two sideboard solutions to the Mono Black Control matchup.
Rune of Protection: Black — The second solution to Mono Black Control. Blanks all of their win conditions, and is extremely difficult for Mono black to deal with (they have a limited number of answers in their color pie).
Standard Bearer — A two drop creature that nullifies every pump spell in the Infect deck. One of the primary reasons that those decks play Hornet Sting in the sideboard.
Matchup Analysis
Mono U Fae
White Weenie has a favorable matchup against Faeries, which is one of Pauper's most prevalent decks. With the exception of Spire Golem (or sometimes Stitched Drake), all of the enemy's creatures have a hard time trading profitably with Loyal Cathar, Kor Skyfisher, Leonin Skyhunter, Razor Golem, Kor Sanctifiers etc. An Icatian Javelineer on turn one is so powerful because it can deal with the majority of creatures that Faeries play (it can even block a Ninja and shoot it before the combat damage step.) The Faeries player will normally be forced to take a defensive role, which eventually causes them to cave in from the pressure. Will they still win sometimes? Yes, of course. They can generate so much tempo in the early game, or take advantage of WW missing land drops to steal games quickly. The games can go late, and Faeries players have more card advantage than you. Spire Golems can also be troublesome because they are big, and they block all of the unequipped creatures. Squadron Hawk is a powerful asset in all creature matchups, and Faeries is of course no exception.
It is a good idea to board into artifact removal if your opponent is playing Spire Golem. Some Faeries decks also play Serrated Arrows, and you need to destroy those. This means extra Kor Sanctifiers come in for games two and three. You don't want to board too many cards out, because the integrity of threats needs to be maintained. Cards you can consider boarding out are Prismatic Strands (if you play them main) and Guardian of the Guildpact. Strands is very reactive and will not have many powerful applications (okay you stopped them from cantripping with Ninja, but that is not a game winning play). Guardian is also useless against Spire Golem, and a little expensive when all your cheap creatures are good here anyway. If you are playing three or more Benevolent Bodyguard, taking out one is okay, but you still want to have a couple to keep them from resolving a bounce spell.
Do not play your best threats into counterspells if you can avoid it. If you don't know what your best threats are, think about what will be the hardest for your opponent to deal with if they resolve. The answer is usually Skyfisher resetting a Javelineer/Cathar or Squadron Hawk bringing three more birds to the fight. These are generalities: as with all matchups, know them but don't rigidly commit yourself to them. Every game can bring about different circumstances.
U/x Cloudpost
The Cloudpost matchup is White Weenie's absolute worst. White Weenie is not a deck that has much reach, because it does not have access to burn. This is the matchup where that deficiency hurts us the most. If you can't understand why this matchup is bad, ask yourself if you want to see any of these from your control deck opponent: 2 for 1 (or worse) removal (Serrated Arrows, Steamcore Weird, Rolling Thunder, anything + Mnemonic Wall), significant amounts of lifegain (Glimmerpost), infinite bounce potential (Capsize), counterspells, blockers or victory conditions that can dome you for lethal from 20 life or above.
The best cards we have against them are Bonesplitter, Squadron Hawk, Kor Skyfisher, Razor Golem and Guardian of the Guildpact. Bonesplitter shortens the clock and gives them less time to stabilize. Hawk helps replenish our hand and expends their removal spells (If the UR Post player has eliminated all of your Hawks without being in significant danger, they are going to win the game 90% of the time). Skyfisher can at least attack into Mulldrifter and generally produces a faster clock. Razor Golem is the creature with the most attacking power. Guardian dodges all of the cards in Cloudpost's deck other than Serrated Arrows and Ulamog's Crusher.
It is important to mulligan proactively until you have an aggressive hand. This means you want a one drop, playable two drop (not just Skyfisher) and preferably a Bonesplitter. Do not be afraid to mulligan in this matchup, as the matchup is already bad so there really isn't much to lose (and why keep something that isn't going to get there?). You will need to get lucky ,and they will need to not find solutions to your problems. It does happen, but the matchup will never be amazing for us.
Kor Sanctifiers is important in this matchup because of Serrated Arrows. Arrows will break you down, but if you can vindicate it quickly you are fine. It also clears the path for Guardian to beat down without fear. You may also board into Crimson Acolyte if you want to protect your creatures from Red removal, but it is not fool-proof. They can easily Arrows her or bounce with Capsize, and it is not very efficient to hold off threats so that you can leave up reactive protection mana. Journey to Nowhere is not strong against a deck that plays few creatures and Capsize to get value out of your Journey attempts. Leave in your one drops for reasons explained earlier. Benevolent Unicorn can be brought in to turn off Seismic Shudder, and make some of their Firebolts or Flame Slashes fall short, but it is not an impressive threat on its own by any stretch.
Goblins
Goblins is the best matchup that White Weenie has. This is because White Weenie can stabilize the ground with larger creatures and take the fight to the air (here's a tip: White Weenie wins that fight). Most of the cards in White Weenie generate more value than the cards in Goblins. They will also be pressured into making bad attacks just to try and get damage through before the game spirals completely out of their hands. Any burn they have will primarily go to your creatures, which is actually good for you (since it's not hitting you in the face). If you play Prismatic Strands, it is not hard to blow them out during combat or just force a race that they can't win.
White Weenie can potentially bring in a lot of sideboard cards against Goblins, most of which are not necessary. The strongest one is Crimson Acolyte (hopefully this is obvious). Here are a list of others that you can use:
Aven Riftwatcher
Benevolent Unicorn
Holy Light
Lone Missionary
Suture Priest
Any life gain/protection from red card that doesn't suck
The main thing is not to get too aggressive, thereby allowing them to swing back with Bushwhackers and kill you. It's fine to play defensively for the early portions of the game, because usually they can't attack for very much damage if you do so. Also don't be quick to trade with or kill their biggest guy if you can profitably block a slightly smaller guy or kill a Sledder/Raider (they will cause problems later in the game if you let them live). The most important thing is to preserve your life total, so if you focus each turn on doing that (without sacrificing your advantage/creatures for no reason) you should beat them.
U/R and Grixis Storm variants
The approach to these matchups are generally the same, and not entirely favorable for White Weenie. This is because the Storm player can wait until they're almost dead to assemble as robust a combo as possible. Additionally, trying to disrupt what they're doing can often fail due to having the wrong situational answer in place.
The goal for each game is to base plays and mulligans on killing them as quickly as possible. One drops, good curves and Bonesplitter are highly advised for this purpose. It is usually correct to equip a Bonesplitter early rather than playing out an additional creature. They have very few ways to interact with your beatdown plan, but similarly it is hard to predict when they are going to combo and what exactly they have in hand.
The commonly utilized sidboard cards for this matchup are:
Benevolent Unicorn
Holy Light
Prismatic Strands
Suture Priest
It really doesn't matter how many of these you play, because each serves a different function, and you're not going to ensure victory merely by playing any of them. The Storm player boards in contingencies for your answers too. They can remove your Unicorn or Priest, combo before you have time to play an answer, counter your Holy Lights, Flaring Pain your Strands or simply have one kill condition when you're expecting the other.
You have to do your best and try to get there. Unicorn is intended to turn off Grapeshot and other one damage removal, Holy Light is meant for wiping the board of their Empty the Warrens tokens, Strands can either turn off Grapeshot or keep you alive for a couple turns vs. their Goblin tokens. Suture Priest gains you life, and forces them to lose two life for each resolved copy of Empty the Warrens. Again, none of these cards will guarantee victory, so put in your sideboard the ones that will help you out in other matchups too.
Mono Green Stompy
Another one of White Weenie's favorable creature matchups. Mono Green Stompy does not like to see Prismatic Strands from you, because they invest cards into pumping creatures so they can win the game or win in combat. You also play more removal than them, and having fliers is another advantage that pays off in the late game.
In this matchup you need to use your life as a resource, take some hits in the early game and then typically stabilize. This is how a majority of the games go, and based on a lot of testing I've concluded that it's wrong for the Stompy player to board high numbers of removal/reactive/controlling cards for subsequent games. Their best bet is to stay aggressive and overwhelm (As a sidenote: a lot of people do this with their decks. They board as if they are playing the control role when they really aren't. Just because a card is "good" vs. a certain deck doesn't mean it's an auto-include. Know your role! Our creatures are bigger and more expensive, we play more removal, we are on the defensive early then stabilize and win late. In other words, we're the Control. Okay Stompy spies you can go back to your own thread now.)
A lot of their creatures are annoying to face, and there are almost too many of these to name. A turn one Nettle Sentinel with turn two Rancor is probably their best play against you. You need to practice this matchup and focus on how they're playing, because there are indications of what they have in their hand. Sometimes you need to play around Vines of Vastwood or Groundswell so that you don't outright lose. This means you've got to double or triple block their enchanted guy if the need arises. There will be some hairy turns where it's possible they can topdeck you out of the game. That's life.
The best sideboard card against Mono Green Stompy is Standard Bearer (though I have not tried the other flagbearer creatures). Standard Bearer turns off their Rancors and all other pump spells. Their only ways to get rid of it are Hornet Sting, Shinen of Life's Roar, Sandstorm and Viridian Longbow. Of these three, Longbow is probably the best. Shinen can be negated by Benevolent Bodyguard, and Sting can be nullified by Bodyguard or Benevolent Unicorn (having a Unicorn and Standard Bearer on the field in tandem shuts off 90% of their spells). This is why I personally also bring in Benevolent Unicorn. Prismatic Strands is also a good card that will allow you to not block, block profitably or race. In some circumstances Holy Light is a blowout, but they do have a lot of 2 toughness creatures so don't get too excited.
You can usually board out of Kor Sanctifiers pretty safely (unless they are playing Bonesplitter and Viridian Longbow), and Bonesplitters in small numbers (you are going to want two or so around to match Pit-Skulk's power).
They can board in a lot of cards against you, and as mentioned above typically do so incorrectly. Some contingency against Standard Bearer is needed (those are listed above), but they may also bring in Gleeful Sabotage for Journey, Splitter and Golem, and I have even seen Spore Frog. Spore Frog!? Yes, they may try to fog you for one turn with an onboard, telegraphed 1/1. Quiver in fear White Weenie players!
Sample Decklist/Articles:
onlyrunverynoob — 4-0 Pauper Daily (w/ Attended Knight and War Falcon)
http://decks.mtgoacademy.com/Decks.aspx?ID=137195
Wizardjason0414 — 2nd Place Pauper Spotlight (6/23/2012)
http://decks.mtgoacademy.com/Decks.aspx?ID=127354
Pauper's Cage Episode One (White Weenie spotlight featuring me!)
http://www.mtgcast.com/?p=23866
Gambling On Plains: White Weenie In Pauper
http://www.starcitygames.com/magic/misc/23981_Gambling_On_Plains_White_Weenie_In_Pauper.html
Andreys — 4-0 Pauper Daily (1/09/2012)
http://decks.mtgoacademy.com/Decks.aspx?ID=78549
Pauper Daily 1 - WW Deck Tech (Video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5is_d5mS6uE&feature=related
Pauper Deck Tech - WW
http://puremtgo.com/articles/pauper-deck-tech-ww
Pauper to the People - WW vs. Goblins
http://puremtgo.com/articles/pauper-people-ww-vs-goblins
Pauper to the People - The Return of the Great White Hope
http://puremtgo.com/articles/pauper-people-return-great-white-hope
Pauper's Cage Podcast (Classic Pauper)—http://www.mtgcast.com/?cat=232
Cinemalarkey Podcast (Movie Reviews)—http://cinemalarkeycast.libsyn.com/
*War Falcon added to Creatures section
*Attended Knight added to Creatures section
*onlyrunverynoob 4-0 decklist added to Sample Decklists/Articles section
Updated 6-28-2012
* U/R+Grixis Storm and Mono Green Stompy added to Matchup Analysis Section
Updated 6-27-2012
* Seraph of Dawn added to Creatures section
* Sunlance added to Removal section
* Pauper Spotlight decklist added
* Pauper's Cage episode added
* Gambling on Plains article added
* Matchup Analysis section added — Faeries, U/x Post and Goblins (more to come obv)
Updated 5-21-2012
* Loyal Cathar added to Creatures section.
Updated 1-10-2012
* Secluded Steppe added to Mana section.
* Porcelain Legionnaire added to Creatures section.
Thanks to Asteon for the suggestions.
Pauper's Cage Podcast (Classic Pauper)—http://www.mtgcast.com/?cat=232
Cinemalarkey Podcast (Movie Reviews)—http://cinemalarkeycast.libsyn.com/
22x Plains
Creature (30)
3x Benevolent Bodyguard
3x Guardian of the Guildpact
4x Icatian Javelineers
2x Kor Sanctifiers
4x Kor Skyfisher
4x Razor Golem
3x Shade of Trokair
4x Squadron Hawk
3x Suture Priest
4x Bonesplitter
Enchantment (3)
3x Journey to Nowhere
Instant (1)
1x Unmake
4x Crimson Acolyte
1x Disenchant
1x Dust to Dust
3x Holy Light
1x Kor Sanctifiers
2x Prismatic Strands
1x Serrated Arrows
1x Suture Priest
1x Unmake
The results of the matches can be found in the spoiler below:
4 wins and 9 losses, for a match finish of 1 - 4.
Now this looks pretty abysmal, right? While the matchup is not good, the results do not accurately reflect what our chances actually are. First of all, I should have won the second game of match one by attempting to resolve Kor Skyfisher during the first main phase of my turn five, and followed that up by replaying a Plains and equipping my Guardian of the Guildpact with a Bonesplitter. Because I didn't do that, he was able to stabilize at 2 (and sometimes even 1 life). Other factors that contributed to some losses included never hitting a fourth land drop in one of the games, drawing almost all lands in another, and keeping a questionable hand or two.
Here is the sideboarding strategy I came up with for this list by the conclusion of the matches:
On the play:
-2 Icatian Javelineers
-1 Journey to Nowhere
-3 Suture Priest
+4 Crimson Acolyte
+1 Kor Sanctifiers
+1 Unmake
On the draw:
-2 Icatian Javelineers
-1 Journey to Nowhere
-3 Suture Priest
+3 Crimson Acolyte
+1 Disenchant
+1 Kor Sanctifiers
+1 Unmake
The Javelineers and Suture Priests are simply the worst threats in the matchup for us. While Javelineers equate to a turn one threat, I think this is a little less important after board since the games are going long no matter what. These creatures also die to every removal spell the opponent has, are particularly weak against Seismic Shudder and Serrated Arrows, and cannot attack into a Mulldrifter.
Kor Sanctifiers needs to come in because of Serrated Arrows. The card surprised me with its effectiveness in the matchup, particularly when you can vindicate an Arrows the turn after they've tapped out to play it. The 2/3 body can also attack into Mulldrifter. On the draw I also think Disenchant is correct to bring in over a fourth Acolyte, because their Arrows coming down just that turn faster could cause a lot of problems.
It took me far too long to realize that I wanted Unmake over Journey to Nowhere in this matchup, purely because of Capsize. A Journey on Ulamog's Crusher that can be Capsized keeps us from attacking with our Guardians, and generally is just a horrible situation for us. If I were to modify this list and play it, I'd certainly go to 2 Journey 2 Unmake in the main board, with a 3rd Unmake possibly in the side.
Key Players:
It usually takes a lot to win this matchup, which means you need to throw everything but the kitchen sink at your opponent. Guardian of the Guildpact is an obvious all-star, since it dies to nothing but Serrated Arrows and Ulamog's Crusher. The Crusher you can almost always avoid attacking into, and the Arrows can be killed by another all-star, Kor Sanctifiers. You'll notice more than a single game where I won with (and because of) having a Guardian on the table.
I'll have to go back and study the games, but I don't think I won a single one without resolving Squadron Hawk at some point. The same is probably true for Kor Skyfisher. These cards only contribute to the war effort, though; they don not win it single-handedly. The important thing is that these cards need to be answered, so they end up absorbing a lot of removal. The same is true of Razor Golem and Shade of Trokair, and ultimately the community is more important than the individual in terms of achieving victory.
Underperformers:
Crimson Acolyte just never seemed to be more than a minor annoyance. She either eats an arrow or a Capsize just before the opponent decides they want to kill your best creatures. I still think she is better than the cards we take out, and sometimes can be relevant if they don't find the answer for her (this isn't too likely, though).
Journey to Nowhere sat in my hand for a lot of games, and for reasons stated above, I think Unmake is better against them in general.
Matchup Summary:
The matchup requires experience and a proper mindset to be played well. You win the game by resolving Squadron Hawk and Guardian of the Guildpact. They win the game by resolving Capsize, Rolling Thunder and Serrated Arrows. I say "resolving" because it's very important to know when to dodge or attempt to bait counter magic. It's also important to try and learn when you need to risk playing a creature anyway, and when you need to make certain attacks.
I've also come to the conclusion (which I failed to do during the tests) that mulligans need to be made somewhat aggressively. Having something like Shade of Trokair and Squadron Hawk with adequate lands is pretty important on the play, and hands without playable one or two drops are clearly bad (this is primarily a reminder for myself :/).
Overall the matchup is unfavorable (estimating 45% or so), but game one is actually quite winnable. The key becomes stealing a game within those next two. As seen in the videos, the deck can win through 4 Glimmerposts on the board, a Serrated Arrows and an Ulamog's Crusher barreling down on us. This is nothing to scoff at. Going forward, I think there are many steps we can take to making this deck (and this matchup in particular) better. Thanks for reading, and I hope some of you have some feedback and input!
Pauper's Cage Podcast (Classic Pauper)—http://www.mtgcast.com/?cat=232
Cinemalarkey Podcast (Movie Reviews)—http://cinemalarkeycast.libsyn.com/
I have a terrific matchup vs delver/ninjas but 8post crushes me.
You know back in the old days, when there wasn't EDH, these "griefer" cards in decks were the norm. If you played a Winter Orb when you're opponents were tapped out, it was a good play. Now, you get people tell you they wanna punch you ? It's really sad how carebare this format is, to the point that some loser has to rip up your cards.
It'll depend on what list you're playing, and what Storm deck you're talking about. The Temporal Fissure decks are a pretty poor matchup, but you at the very least have Guardian of the Guildpact which they can't bounce and have to try to outrace. The other Storm matchups are probably about the same as for other decks. The difference is you have an answer to Empty the Warrens game one (if you're playing Suture Priest in the main deck). Doesn't always save you, but that's the same with most other decks too.
Pauper's Cage Podcast (Classic Pauper)—http://www.mtgcast.com/?cat=232
Cinemalarkey Podcast (Movie Reviews)—http://cinemalarkeycast.libsyn.com/
Deck List:
BMBCB
UBUB Control/TeachingsBU
Ha! My Pauper UG Post Deck Showed!
Classic
BPoxB
Legacy
GB Eva Depths (Primer By Me) BG
Monthly Academy Showcase!
An Introduction to Competitive Pauper! *Updated*
Pauper Meta Analysis & What Wizards Left Out!
Found at MTGO Academy!! Same Great Series, Same Great Content, Great New Home!! (yes that is me shamelessly trolling for more readers :))
Check me out on Twitter & Get a little MTGO Therapy
I think just because it can't block when it comes back, but its most likely just because people haven't tried it yet.
It's a mystery to me as well. Could be hive mentality, unwillingness to pick up the new cards, or maybe it just doesn't seem worth it to WW players.
Pauper's Cage Podcast (Classic Pauper)—http://www.mtgcast.com/?cat=232
Cinemalarkey Podcast (Movie Reviews)—http://cinemalarkeycast.libsyn.com/
While I can understand that I feel like WW has better options for blocking, why block when I can throw Bonesplitter on it and its a 4/1.. even before flipping I love the fact that not only is it a 2/2 for WW, but the vigilance on it is awesome too
Deck List:
BMBCB
UBUB Control/TeachingsBU
Ha! My Pauper UG Post Deck Showed!
Classic
BPoxB
Legacy
GB Eva Depths (Primer By Me) BG
Monthly Academy Showcase!
An Introduction to Competitive Pauper! *Updated*
Pauper Meta Analysis & What Wizards Left Out!
Found at MTGO Academy!! Same Great Series, Same Great Content, Great New Home!! (yes that is me shamelessly trolling for more readers :))
Check me out on Twitter & Get a little MTGO Therapy
I noticed in your latest WW build on youtube you've shunned the Razor Golem. Did the lack of ability to "rebuy" affect that decision or was it just too slow?
I was also thinking about Doomed Traveler. He was an allstar this weekend. He fits the criteria you like, but doesn't give you draw power like a spellbomb. He also doesn't cost you mana to break.
Doomed Traveler got me thinking about Thraben Sentry which seems a bit slow, but if he gets flipped he's really strong. I'm not suer what decks I would really want him in against though since there is really only space for one 4 drop and Guardian is good in nearly every matchup.
I think the deck tech video (for those of you that don't know, it's the deck tech titled "The Future of White Weenie") will provide the answers you need regarding Doomed Traveler.
As for Razor Golem, my version of the deck is about overwhelming the opponent with threats, and having several ways to generate card advantage and two-for-ones. The community is more important than the individual. A card like Razor Golem is strong, but everyone has a way to deal with it (certainly after board, if not in game one). I'm not saying Razor Golem shouldn't be played, it's just not essential to the way my deck functions.
Thraben Sentry might have a similar issue. Most decks are/probably should be prepared to deal with creatures that have 4 toughness, if not merely due to Affinity being a factor in the Pauper metagame. Sentry is only a 5/4 conditionally. I've only played with him a bit, but at four cmc I would certainly sleeve up Cenn's Enlistment (as mentioned in my video) before opting for him.
Pauper's Cage Podcast (Classic Pauper)—http://www.mtgcast.com/?cat=232
Cinemalarkey Podcast (Movie Reviews)—http://cinemalarkeycast.libsyn.com/
I'm looking to build another pauper deck right now and I've been leaning towards either Mono White, or Mono Black. Do you think white is the better choice out of those two?
I think the two biggest factors are A) Your play style, or in other words, what strategies work best for you, and B) What is going on in the metagame. For me personally WW is a better choice, but I have a bias because I've always done much better playing proactive/beatdown strategies.
Both are questionable right now in my opinion due to the sheer number of Post decks performing this past week. At the same time, both decks have been putting up results regardless. I think both have bad Post matchups, with WW being much stronger against Goblins and MBC being stronger against Storm decks.
You may want to ask people in the MBC primer for more info on the deck as well. It's also gonna depend on what kind of MBC list you're gonna play, etc.
Pauper's Cage Podcast (Classic Pauper)—http://www.mtgcast.com/?cat=232
Cinemalarkey Podcast (Movie Reviews)—http://cinemalarkeycast.libsyn.com/
Pauper's Cage Podcast (Classic Pauper)—http://www.mtgcast.com/?cat=232
Cinemalarkey Podcast (Movie Reviews)—http://cinemalarkeycast.libsyn.com/
Please let me know your results/findings, thanks.
Pauper's Cage Podcast (Classic Pauper)—http://www.mtgcast.com/?cat=232
Cinemalarkey Podcast (Movie Reviews)—http://cinemalarkeycast.libsyn.com/
Decks I play and stuff.
Legacy Burn
Modern Mono U Tron
if u want to take out unmakes you can bring in journey to nowhere up to four, but if you're list is already running those you're SoL for removal basically.. could main deck prismatic strands i guess
Deck List:
BMBCB
UBUB Control/TeachingsBU
Ha! My Pauper UG Post Deck Showed!
Classic
BPoxB
Legacy
GB Eva Depths (Primer By Me) BG
Monthly Academy Showcase!
An Introduction to Competitive Pauper! *Updated*
Pauper Meta Analysis & What Wizards Left Out!
Found at MTGO Academy!! Same Great Series, Same Great Content, Great New Home!! (yes that is me shamelessly trolling for more readers :))
Check me out on Twitter & Get a little MTGO Therapy
Decks I play and stuff.
Legacy Burn
Modern Mono U Tron
Deck List:
BMBCB
UBUB Control/TeachingsBU
Ha! My Pauper UG Post Deck Showed!
Classic
BPoxB
Legacy
GB Eva Depths (Primer By Me) BG
Monthly Academy Showcase!
An Introduction to Competitive Pauper! *Updated*
Pauper Meta Analysis & What Wizards Left Out!
Found at MTGO Academy!! Same Great Series, Same Great Content, Great New Home!! (yes that is me shamelessly trolling for more readers :))
Check me out on Twitter & Get a little MTGO Therapy
So I take it the consensus is to go 20-21 plains, don't add any Secluded Steppes or Haunted Fengrafs for value? You don't want to mess with your tempo and not being able to play the golems?
Any thoughts on m13 cards? I've seen people playing war falcon, and to a lesser extent Attended Knight. It seems like all 1 toughness dudes die very easily in this format so the falcon is probably not that good. Though turn 1 falcon turn 2 Aven Squire is pretty disgusting. The knight could be decent value to grind through the control decks. And there aren't that many good white 3 drops anyways.