The Paupergeddon Winter Edition is just around the corner, so for both participants and those following from home, a preview of the decks and players attending this event, which grows in scope with each edition, might be useful.
Before we start, I wanted to address some common questions I've seen in the past from players who want to become active participants in the format.
How do you participate in Paupergeddon?
Paupergeddon is an open tournament, so anyone who manages to purchase a ticket has the opportunity to participate. In past years, it was more difficult to buy tickets, as the venues had lower capacity limits. It's also important to know that tickets are sold in two different phases.
Approximately one week beforehand, a preferential sales channel opens for members of the various leagues within the circuit. After this initial wave, ticket sales open to the general public. You can imagine that with about 30 leagues scattered across Italy, not to mention the increasing number of foreign leagues, it's easy to reach capacity during the first phase or within the first few minutes of public sales. Typically, a Pauper league consists of at least 20 players.
What are the advantages of being part of a Pauper League?
In addition to being able to purchase tickets in advance, there's a chance to win a bye for the first round of Paupergeddon. Each affiliated league, every season, if it meets certain attendance requirements, can award a first-round bye to between 0 and 2 players. The methods for awarding the bye can vary, but it's usually given to the winner of a tournament among the league's top players.
If I usually participate in one league, can I attend events in other leagues within the circuit?
Absolutely, in fact, this is something encouraged by the rules. The only thing is that any byes are not cumulative, but the circuit's and various leagues' rules are prepared for this eventuality, and in such a case, it is adjusted. Again, it's advisable to consult the internal rules, which may vary.
Not interested in Pauper, but want to attend the event?
That's not a problem either: access to the venue is free, and Paupergeddon isn't just about Pauper. There are often Modern side events, on-demand Drafts, a Commander Zone, free play areas (Cube, Dandan), vendors, artists of your favorite cards, and often you might even meet your favorite content creators and chat or even play a few games with them.
With that introduction out of the way, let's move on to the main point of the article: what should we expect at the tournament?
From my direct experience in past years, I can tell you that you need to be ready for anything: from the current tier deck to decks that highlight the creative flair of their pilots. Here, unfortunately, the "too short blanket theory" comes into play, meaning you'll never be able to completely mitigate every eventuality you encounter, but you can base your deck choice on its position in the metagame, your ability to pilot it, and your personal preferences.
For example, if you know that a certain matchup won't change even by adding ten cards from the sideboard, you can decide to make peace with it, focus on other opponents, and start hoping you don't get paired against that specific deck.
Aggro Decks: In this category, we have Mono Red Madness (Redness), Mono Red Rally, Elves, and White Weenie. The latter deck has gained considerable success in recent weeks thanks to the new Leonardo, Big Brother. Mono Black Sacrifice also falls into this category.
Midrange: In this category, we find Jund Wildfire and Grixis Affinity, both decks that vary greatly depending on the player using them.
Control: In this category, there isn't one single deck to watch out for. UW Familiars and Golgari Gardens are ready to ambush unsuspecting prey. Caw Gates, which has returned to playing Guardian of the Guildpact in the main deck, is also starting to put up results again.
Tempo: The undisputed sovereign of this archetype is Mono U Terror, which, at least until the release of the last expansion, was among the most played decks and the one that yielded the most positive results. Its presence forces you to dedicate 6 to 8 sideboard slots, and sometimes even that isn't enough.
Combo: Not to be underestimated are Altar Tron and Spy Combo, but they aren't the only ones in the format: Pauper also has its version of Ruby Storm. Furthermore, thanks to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles expansion, many players are literally cooking up food, cat, and Myr-based combos.
The recent release of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles expansion has introduced new cards to the format: some have easily found a home, others might find one even closer to the tournament.
Leonardo, Big Brother As mentioned above, this is the card that's giving new life to White Weenie… a bit paradoxical for a turtle living in the sewers of New York.
Utrom Monitor The most controversial card of the expansion, only found in 3x within the Turtle Team Up. Its natural home is Grixis Affinity, but some are also trying different combinations including Esper, Azorius, and Jeskai.
Omni-Cheese Pizza and Anchovy & Banana Pizza These are played in Food Retriever Combo.
I'll also leave you with some of the lists I mentioned:
I'd like to conclude with a couple of tips in case you participate in this or one of the next editions of Paupergeddon:
- The Pauper community is known for being less "closed": after a match or between rounds, chat with your opponents for advice and opinions. They will rarely decline.
- Always cut your opponent's deck.
- Bring an A4 sheet with your sideboarding plans noted: it helps a lot and you can consult it between games.
- If you have any doubts, don't hesitate to call a Judge; they are there for that purpose.
- Bring a spare pack of protective sleeves: penalties for damaged sleeves are very common.
Until next time, yours, ExLo05!
