2025 MTG Pauper Guide: Build Competitive Decks on a Budget
Make sure you’ve got a clear win condition and that your cards work well together. Playtesting is key, so don’t skip it—test your deck against the most common decks to see how it holds up. Be open to feedback, but don’t feel like you have to make every change someone suggests. What mana curve is right for you will depend on the nature of the desk as well.
If you prefer creatures, Mono-Green Stompy is an aggressive deck that plays efficient threats like [card]Nettle Sentinel[/card] and [card]Rancor[/card] to apply constant pressure. These decks are not only beginner-friendly but also competitive, making them excellent choices for learning Pauper’s mechanics while still having a strong chance at victory. Since all cards are common, you can build a competitive deck for a fraction of the cost of other formats. This makes Pauper an excellent choice for budget-conscious players or those just starting out in MTG.
Limited Card Pool
If you like the idea of shooting lightning bolts at your opponent’s face, Burn is the deck for you. This red-black deck uses efficient spells like Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning to deal 20 damage as quickly as possible. This deck uses cheap, efficient creatures like Delver of Secrets and Faerie Miscreant along with counterspells and card draw to control the game.
Notable CommandersBane Alley Broker / Rona, Disciple of Gix / Azure Mage / League Guildmage – Any form of repeatable card draw on your commander will go a long way to enable your strategy. Whilst not the most efficient card draw it is fairly unconditional. However if this is not possible you may already have let too many threats slip past your counters.Mundungu – If you can’t draw extra cards from the command zone then how about a repeatable counter instead. It may only be a force spike but until you use it you effectively tax all your opponents for one from the threat of activation.Nightveil Predator – This might seem like an odd choice.
Tips for Building and Piloting Off-Meta Decks in Pauper
Aggressive decks like mono-red or red/black probably aren’t looking for high-cost cards, and will have an average mana curve of around two to four. Mono-blue or blue/green can have high-cost cards, which are necessary for the strategy, and can have mana curves around four to six. There’s no definitive answer, and you will have to test your decks to get a better idea. Even common rarity cards can have high mana costs, and you should consider how many high-cost cards are in your deck. Check your deck’s mana curve, or the ratio of low-cost mana cards to high-cost mana cards. You typically don’t want too many high-cost cards, as drawing them too frequently can disrupt your momentum and stall your actions.
Include cards that counter specific strategies or problematic cards. Don’t be afraid to include narrow but powerful cards that can swing a match in your favor. Once you’ve chosen your strategy, identify the key cards that will form the backbone of your deck.
Focus on Budget-Friendly Formats
Some of the best cards in Modern won’t be around to make Kiln Fiend redundant, and you can deal considerable damage before it gets defeated. Kiln Fiend is a popular choice in aggressive Pauper decks, particularly mono-red as a result. You want to be able to execute your game plan reliably, which means including enough copies of your key cards. A good rule of thumb is to include 4 copies of your most important cards to maximize your chances of drawing them.
In an ideal world every card in your deck helps make your one big storm turn better. Tutors, card selection, card draw, efficient counters and removal. The kind of spells we want are not that different to other U/x control decks but the priorities differ.
This deck relies on cheap creatures like Delver of Secrets and Faerie Miscreant to apply early pressure, while counterspells like Counterspell and Spellstutter Sprite control the board. The manabase is simple, with basic Islands and a few utility lands. Well, my friends, that about wraps it up for our journey into the world of Pauper.
These are just a few examples of formats that the community has devised. You can experiment with variations like “Pauper with companions” or “Pauper with uncommon planeswalkers” to explore new ways of playing with your common cards. You can beat down with Boarding Party, Annoyed Altisaur, and Ulamog’s Crusher or combo your opponent out with Freed from the Real and Valakut Invoker. If you like tempo strategies, you’ll love Faeries in Pauper. This deck is all about playing efficient green creatures and pumping them up with spells like Rancor and Vines of Vastwood. It’s simple, aggressive, and a great way to learn the basics of creature combat.
We’ve also witnessed the rise of decks like Jund Dredge, fueled by [card]Lotleth Giant[/card]. When paired with [card]Retraction Helix[/card], the combo allows you to target the Whale commander deck with the spell, causing it to bounce your other colorless affinity permanents. You can recast them, untap the Whale, and repeat the process over and over again.
This makes him the perfect commander if you want to go the route of the Storm/Full Combo hybrid.Bear’s Companion – This commander offers something a little different. The color identity of green and with it Snake Umbra and a bunch of mana generators and free spells to go with it. Insanely powerful, insanely annoying, insanely expensive.
On the other hand, if you’re interested in closing out games swiftly with an unexpected twist, you might want to explore Azorius () Affinity. This deck provides access to inexpensive and evasive creatures like Ornithopter and Gingerbrute, capable of carrying inexpensive auras or equipment to victory. Of all Constructed Eternal formats, Pauper has to have the most archetypes available under its belt.
