For many years, Mono-White Beatdown was a defining archetype in Pauper. Journey to Nowhere was one of the best removal spells in the format, Icatian Javelineers was one of the best counters to Delver of Secrets and Spellstutter Sprite, and Guardian of the Guildpact was an unbeatable threat in the late game. With the format getting faster and faster in recent years, Mono-White has fallen off. It has a tough time against Stonehorn Dignitary and fast combo decks, and can struggle high densities of efficient Red removal spells. That said, it still has some of the most resilient threats in the format, and is always worth considering:
Mono-White Aggro | Pauper | N1ckles, 5-0 Pauper League
- Creatures (31)
- 3 Loyal Cathar
- 4 Cavalry Drillmaster
- 4 Deftblade Elite
- 4 Icatian Javelineers
- 4 Kor Skyfisher
- 4 Leonin Skyhunter
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 4 War Falcon
- Instants (3)
- 3 Mutagenic Growth
- Enchantments (8)
- 4 Cartouche of Solidarity
- 4 Journey to Nowhere
- Lands (18)
- 2 Kabira Crossroads
- 16 Plains
- Sideboard (15)
- 1 Aura Fracture
- 2 Last Breath
- 2 Lone Missionary
- 2 Prismatic Strands
- 3 Relic of Progenitus
- 3 Standard Bearer
- 2 Sunlance
Magic 2019 brought one new card to this archetype, but has allowed the archetype to be re-imagined. Cavalry Drillmaster is a great way to just force a creature through at any point along your curve. You've got a lot of dorky creatures like Icatian Javelineers that can fall off in value in the late game, and this is a great choice to make those bodies relevant again and make blocking difficult. It also plays particularly well with the high density of evasive creatures in this deck, as well as with Deftblade Elite.
Kor Skyfisher is as good as it has always been, playing particularly well with Icatian Javelineers and Thraben Inspector as ways to grind out additional value. Kor Skyfisher also allows you to cheat on mana a little bit by picking up lands so that you can replay them, and even helps you get some additional value out of Cartouche of Solidarity.
The biggest strength of this deck is how low-to-the-ground it is. War Falcon is one of the best 1-drops in the format for aggro decks, especially when backed up by Leonin Skyhunter and Kor Skyfisher to keep up the evasive beats.
If you've been looking for a way to play a fair beatdown deck in this format, this might be as good as you're going to be able to do. You will struggle some against the less fair strategies in the format -- cards like Burning-Tree Emissary, Ghostly Flicker, other fast combotastic strategies. But your gameplan is simple and efficient, and certainly capable of demolishing anyone who stumbles even the smallest amount.