Images courtesy of Wizards of the Coast

Pauper players, let’s face the music. When Wizards of the Coast and the Pauper Format Panel banned Basking Broodscale, Kuldotha Rebirth, and Deadly Dispute, as Magic: The Gathering players, many of us were left sad. Some of us were just beginning to play Pauper, and of those players, many chose Gleescale or Kuldotha Red as our first decks. With those gone, what is there to do?

Well, fret not, for there are alternatives! Pauper is an extremely diverse format. You have almost an entire game’s worth of common cards to choose from.

As such, we have here an alternative for each deck that got summarily banned. Additionally, we’ll discuss what should be done to replace Deadly Dispute in your black Pauper decks.

Pauper Ban #1: Basking Broodscale

Broodscale combo was a powerhouse in Pauper. It’s pretty plain to see why Wizards banned it in the format; the deck was rampant, and players had to have a counter or they wouldn’t win events.

But to see Gleescale (the deck name, a portmanteau of the combo components of Basking Broodscale and Sadistic Glee) banned outright stung. As such, we have an alternative for you ready to go:

The Magic Solution (#1): Jund Wildfire

For those jonesing to get their synergistic fix, Jund Wildfire is the deck for you. This deck has a core of red and green cards but uses many black spells as well. Using the combination of Cleansing Wildfire and the Modern Horizons 2 Bridge lands, your deck will ramp and provide card advantage.

This sets up plays like Writhing Chrysalis or Refurbished Familiar, which can then swing for game over time. Many of the same cards in Jund Gleescale builds can be found here.

Pros: Shares many cards and similar play patterns to Gleescale; Strong deck overall

Cons: Steep learning curve for newcoming Pauper players; Snuff Out is still expensive to buy

Here is a sample Jund Wildfire deck you can run in no time flat!

Pauper Ban #2: Kuldotha Rebirth

When Kuldotha Rebirth was banned, many players were understandably dismayed. It had a very strong Game 1 showing in Best-of-3 matches, but it was easily counterable if a discerning Magic: The Gathering player went on against it. Still, it could have gotten even stronger with the ban of Gleescale and Deadly Dispute, exactly what Wizards wanted to avoid. As such, it got the axe; but here’s a new deck you could use with many of the pieces from Kuldotha Red!

The Magic Solution (#2): Mono-Red Goblins

While Kuldotha Red has many differences from Mono-Red Goblins, the latter deck will definitely remind you of the fun you have had with the former. At its heart, this is a red aggro deck with a lot of Goblins. It also has a lot of answers to meta greats like Tolarian Terror and Affinity decks.

There’s not a ton to say about it beyond that, but that’s mainly how Goblins do things.

Pros: Shares a few cards with Kuldotha Red; fast and easy to learn with many answers to meta decks

Cons: Many creatures in the deck are quite small, with low toughness and little evasion

Here’s a sample Mono-Red Goblins list you can try out for yourself.

Pauper Ban #3: Deadly Dispute

Finally, there’s the main issue of the Deadly Dispute ban. This ban affected many deck archetypes, including the aforementioned Jund Wildfire. It was a necessary ban for a card that was ubiquitous and powerful. Ultimately, it made sense.

Fortunately, many versions of this effect exist in some other shape or form. Sure, they won’t net you Treasure tokens anymore, but they’ll likely do the trick. As such, here’s a shortlist of cards that you can use to supplant your need for Dispute in your lists:

• Fanatical Offering
• Village Rites
• Corrupted Conviction
• Eviscerator’s Insight
• Reckoner’s Bargain
• Costly Plunder
• Altar’s Reap

A Pauper Needn’t Worry

In the end, these Magic: The Gathering cards are just a taste of what Pauper can offer players. Breaking away from the crutch of using uncommons, rares, and mythics is a good step to bettering yourself as a player. So too is breaking away from cards that could get banned for any number of reasons. Hopefully these ideas can assist players with finding a new deck to call theirs in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, we’d like to open the floor to you, dear readers. Are there any Pauper decks that you’d recommend to Gleescale and Kuldotha refugees? Are there any you’d suggest against? Sound off below!

Looking for more MTG content? Check out our recent Top 10 list of the best cards in Tarkir:Dragonstorm for Standard.