Pent Up Energy

Posted on September 20, 2016

The full Kaladesh spoiler was released last week. As has become my custom I scoured the cardlist immediately for any potential Pauper playables. My first pass through I was keenly focused on one element: Energy.

My first impression of Energy was cautiously optimistic. It appeared that generating Energy was going to be the easy part with cards like Woodweaver’s Puzzleknot and Live Fast. The only outlet spoiled at the time was Die Young which, while nice, is not where I wanted to cash in Energy. The cycle of Thriving Creatures gave me hope that common would have at least one good spout. Alas, this is not the case. Instead any Energy payoff for Pauper will have to come in Aether Revolt, and as such there are not any cards of this nature that interest me. Sure, Live Fast will see play if there’s a way to profit off of the energy. Out of all the other cards the ones that intrigue me are Thriving Turtle and Attune with Aether.

Thriving Turtle is a 1-drop that can block almost any early creature. After attacking once it becomes a 1/4. For a single mana that is far from bad and is an upgrade on Kraken Hatchling. The Turtle has the advantage of growing Cloudfin Raptor on the cheap. It also is a turn one play for Ninja of the Deep Hours and this pair could allow the Turtle to eventually grow to a 2/5. While nowhere near good enough to see play at the moment if the turtle keeps pace it might find itself in contention before much longer.

Attune with Aether is a great card when you have a way to expend the Energy it provides. Being able to find a land drop and generate an additional resource cannot be understated. A pseudo-Dark Ritual, Attune with Aether should see play when there is a good way to use up all those Energy counters. Until then this should see about as much play as Lay of the Land and Caravan Vigil.

The rest of the cards in Kaladesh fall into two camps — those that play well in Metalcraft and Affinity decks and everything else. Being a set with a significant artifact component this makes sense. Pauper is a format where it is much easier to make an appearance when you slot into an existing strategy. The result is excellent news of Kaladesh as Affinity is consistently a top deck and various Metalcraft builds have been viable in the past. If Peregrine Drake gets banned next week these same Metalcraft decks will skyrocket in popularity.

The Metalcraft decks, spanning multiple colors, have been kept down by Peregrine Drake combo. These decks are designed to dominate the middle stages of a game. The overwhelming power of Drake means that it is the best possible thing one can do after turn five. Consequently these decks have been relegated to the fringe.

The most aggressive versions of these decks are grounded in White. Both Mono-White and Boros flavors exist. The White version has cropped up occasionally, bolstered by Clue created by Thraben Inspector, and makes use of abundant 1-drops. Ardent Recruit, Court Homunculus, and Vault Skirge help apply pressure with Auriok Sunchaser and Frogmite coming in later turns. Built to Last is a card that could see play in these decks as a way to protect a mechanic beater.

The Boros builds branch out for Galvanic Blast. Built to Smash can be absolutely brutal in these decks. Porcelain Legionnaire already seems play and the ability to make it tougher to block could help ease the job for Galvanic Blast. Built to Smash could also herald the days of Ghirapur Gearcrafter as a way to commit a cheap evasive body to the board while providing a target for the Brute Force variant.

Boros Metalcraft ? Pauper | Alex Ullman

Glint-Sleeve Artisan is a slightly more robust Gearcrafter but cannot put a flying creature on to the battlefield. A 3/3 is nothing to sneeze at in Pauper and the ability to either add to Metalcraft or come down and block assailing 2/2s means that in slower decks the Dwarf will deserve a chance to prove its mettle.

Aviary Mechanic provides another Kor Skyfisher with the upside of not requiring a tempo disadvantage. The cost of this is the absence of flying and a point of toughness. There are enough times when you want to commit a creature to the board without undoing a previous investment so I can see the Mechanic getting a few slots in decks looking to have things enter the battlefield over and over again. Cogworker’s Puzzleknot gets the nod by being two-thirds of Metalcraft on its own while also providing extra attackers in a pinch.

Bleak Coven Vampire decks get a boost from Kaladesh. Already popular for their ability to make a 5/4 that comes with an eight point life swing these decks have lagged behind the base White builds. The tag-team of Fortuitous Find and Metalspinner’s Puzzleknot makes it plausible to have Black be the center color of a Metalcraft deck. The Knot is the best of the bunch as it is the only one that can provide card advantage. A very slow Succumb to Temptation is fine and becomes great when you can recur it or use it to power up other cards. Remember the Fallen sees play and I see no reason why it’s color shifted cousin should be any different.

Dimir Metalcraft ? Pauper | Alex Ullman

Trinket Mage is a powerful tutor and Metalspinner’s Puzzleknot provides a solid 2-drop in supplement of a Dimir Metalcraft strategy. Thoughtcast is a powerful card and topping off with Bleak Coven Vampires is quite the way to close out games.

It’s time we talk about the elephant in the room — Affinity. Inventor’s Goggles and Gearseeker Serpent give the deck the chance to compete against Gurmag Angler in combat and come out ahead.

First up are the Goggles. Flayer Husk already sees play and while defense against Chainer's Edict and the like are nice the new piece of Equipment sets up for a turn two 5/6 Carapace Forger. By virtue of being complimentary Goggles frees up mana for adding additional threats to the board to while keeping a 2-drop out of Flame Slash range. It also has the benefit of turning Somber Hoverguard into a 4/4 and generally being a good card. The debate of Flayer Husk and Inventor’s Goggles will depend on the popularity of Black removal — when Chainer's Edict is popular we’ll see more Germs for sure.

Gearseeker Serpent has Affinity for Artifacts. No, it does not say so on the card but the mechanic is spelled out. At 5/6 it is larger than any creature that naturally exists in the deck. It does require Affinity make some concessions in its mana as can be challenging. The payoff, however, could very well be worth the trouble.

A Gearseeker Affinity deck could run Pentad Prism as a way to facilitate the double Blue required. It would also likely lean more on Temur Battle Rage than Fling. If this is the case then it might be worth it to forsake Atog, at least initially. Atog forces Affinity in a particular direction that pulls away from keeping permanents around. That does not mean the hungry one will be completely absent, just in a reduced role.

Gearseeker Affinity ? Pauper | Alex Ullman

The remainder of Kaladesh offers interesting options for existing decks but nothing with the raw power of the cards that are part of the machine.

Fragmentize is a fantastic utility spell that handles every artifact outside of Spire Golem and Myr Enforcer. It doubles as a turn one Stone Rain against Affinity.

Ninth Bridge Patrol gives the Peregrine Drake cycle with Ghostly Flicker and Mnemonic Wall a White spout.

Select for Inspection is a narrow Unsummon but the ability to Scry may come in handy.

Dukhara Scavenger has enough parts to be potentially playable. Fierce Empath can go and get this Crocodile and it casts a Reclaim. Combined with a 4/6 body, the sum adds up to almost a playable card.

Night Market Lookout is interesting. It plays well with Loam Dryad, Springleaf Drum, and Holdout Settlement. It also has the upside of being a good creature to use with Convoke.

Some Dimir Delver decks run a sideboard copy of Grotesque Mutation. I can see these builds using Rush of Vitality instead.

Cathartic Reunion is a card that could have a serious impact. Rakdos Reanimator already runs Tormenting Voice and substituting one for a Reunion makes sense. Why not more? Reanimator often has one card it wants to pitch but not more than that.

Reunion can also help be a source of card advantage in graveyard centered decks. It works with Deep Analysis, Think Twice, Firebolt, Raven's Crime, Oona's Grace, Accumulated Knowledge, and so many more. Additionally Pauper has access to two free Madness spells in Basking Rootwalla and Call the Netherworld which may see play alongside the best hug of all time.

Larger Than Life could give new life to Infect. Trample is important, and, while this is no Invigorate, it will help spread the sickness.

Take Down is a flexible spell that can kill multiple Faeries or one Spire Golem. While Aerial Volley is better against Delver, Take Down could become popular if Squadron Hawk/Battle Screech decks emerge if Peregrine Drake gets banned.

Accomplished Automaton can be cast off of the Urza Tron. It also comes with a built it defense against Chainer's Edict. Maul Splicer often sees play as a way to soak up sacrifice effects but the 5/7 body may just be better since it could also come down as a 6/8 if needed.

Renegade Freighter is an interesting card. Vehicles give creatures a form of haste — they can tap to deal extra damage when they hit the board — but they ask for a decent amount of set up. Renegade Freighter asks for very little and hits hard. I am not quite sure where it fits but I would not be surprised for it to act as the top end in some aggressive strategies.

Kaladesh is an interesting set. Energy is pushed but much of the payoff comes at higher rarity. As such Pauper, while getting some potent options, misses out on a key component of the set. Similarly it is hard to evaluate all of the cards accurately as there is a high chance that Peregrine Drake will be banned. If that happens, decks that have long been kept down may come back and new strategies chock full of Eternal Masters and Eldritch Moon cards could hit the scene. So once again, we’ll have to wait and see.

Bonus: If you want to hear more you can check out this video of a conversation I had with Scottish National Champion and multiple World Magic Cup Top 8 Competitor Stephen Murray. We talk for over two hours about the format and what Kaladesh has to offer.