The first week of the Pauper Premiere League, sponsored by CoolStuffInc.com and Wizards of the Coast, is in the books! We had a lot of great games and interesting matchups (not in the least some surprisingly explosive finishes at the hands of Goblins). You can check out all the action in the playlist below!

This week we've got a whole new lineup of players for you! I'm up to bat this week, joined as well by competitors Joseph Hourani, Ricardo Mattana, and Brian Coval. You can check out their player profiles, along with the other eight competitors in the league, right here. Each participant is bringing some truly wild decks compared to the largely aggressive format last week, and it's sure to create some exceptional gameplay.

If you're not sure how the event is playing out, you can find more details in the original announcement article here. Once you're up to speed, make sure you follow the CoolStuffInc Twitch Channel and join us tonight at 9PM EST for all the fun!

Let's see what's in store for us this week!

Azorius Familiars | Pauper | Joseph Hourani

• Creatures (22)
• 1 Sage's Row Denizen
• 1 Sea Gate Oracle
• 1 Stonehorn Dignitary
• 3 Mnemonic Wall
• 4 Cloudkin Seer
• 4 God-Pharaoh's Faithful
• 4 Mulldrifter
• 4 Sunscape Familiar

• Instants (9)
• 1 Negate
• 2 Ephemerate
• 2 Ghostly Flicker
• 4 Snap

• Sorceries (8)
• 4 Deep Analysis
• 4 Preordain

• Lands (21)
• 3 Snow-Covered Plains
• 7 Snow-Covered Island
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Mortuary Mire
• 1 Simic Growth Chamber
• 4 Ash Barrens
• 4 Azorius Chancery

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Hydroblast
• 1 Nature's Chant
• 2 Aven Riftwatcher
• 2 Disdainful Stroke
• 3 Dispel
• 3 Mystic Remora
• 3 Stonehorn Dignitary

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Why Joseph chose Azorius Familiars: I brought Familiars because it's my favorite deck. I tested with [MTGO grinder] bloodpet for this week and we were having trouble beating the Jeskai Ephemerate lists. The combination of early pressure, disruption and an infinite value late game was hard for the familiar deck to manage. We looked to Cloudkin Seer to try and stymie early pressure while generating card advantage.

I expected Kendra to be on elves, so I wanted access to a main deck Stonehorn Dignitary. I wasn't quite sure what Brian and Ricardo would bring, though I expected Ricardo to bring a fairly standard deck. I tested Arcum's Astrolabe a lot, but bloodpet convinced me that I went a bit overboard on it, so I reverted it back to a more standard build of Familiars.

Sultai Teachings | Pauper | Brian Coval

• Creatures (10)
• 1 Archaeomancer
• 1 Havenwood Wurm
• 2 Mulldrifter
• 2 Trinket Mage
• 4 Augur of Bolas

• Instants (21)
• 1 Devious Cover-Up
• 1 Diabolic Edict
• 1 Dispel
• 1 Grim Harvest
• 1 Recoil
• 1 Weather the Storm
• 2 Doom Blade
• 2 Echoing Decay
• 3 Mystical Teachings
• 4 Counterspell
• 4 Accumulated Knowledge

• Sorceries (2)
• 2 Chainer's Edict

• Artifacts (5)
• 1 Executioner's Capsule
• 1 Nihil Spellbomb
• 3 Arcum's Astrolabe

• Lands (22)
• 1 Snow-Covered Forest
• 2 Snow-Covered Swamp
• 5 Snow-Covered Island
• 1 Seat of the Synod
• 3 Ash Barrens
• 3 Desert
• 3 Dimir Aqueduct
• 4 Dismal Backwater

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Ancient Grudge
• 1 Annul
• 1 Bastion Inventor
• 1 Curfew
• 1 Dispel
• 1 Echoing Truth
• 1 Negate
• 1 Nihil Spellbomb
• 1 Return to Nature
• 1 Thorn of the Black Rose
• 1 Wail of the Nim
• 2 Evincar's Justice
• 2 Hydroblast

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Why Brian chose Sultai Teachings: I chose Mystical Teachings this week so I could showcase the depth of gameplay Pauper is capable of providing. Grindy, Blue, draw-go control is a favorite play style of many Magic players and Pauper offers some of the best interactive spells in the game's history. The deck also showcases Pauper hot topic Arcum's Astrolabe to open up off-color Teaching targets and lends itself to a little Trinket Mage package.

This deck is exactly my style. I'm going to see a lot of cards and play a lot of turns in every game, and given enough time this deck has the tools to overcome anything.

Snow Boros | Pauper | Ricardo Mattana

• Creatures (16)
• 2 Palace Sentinels
• 3 Seeker of the Way
• 3 Thraben Inspector
• 4 Glint Hawk
• 4 Kor Skyfisher

• Instants (10)
• 2 Prismatic Strands
• 4 Galvanic Blast
• 4 Lightning Bolt

• Sorceries (2)
• 1 Faithless Looting
• 1 Firebolt

• Enchantments (3)
• 1 Oblivion Ring
• 2 Journey to Nowhere

• Artifacts (8)
• 4 Arcum's Astrolabe
• 4 Prophetic Prism

• Lands (21)
• 5 Snow-Covered Plains
• 6 Snow-Covered Mountain
• 1 Boros Garrison
• 1 Radiant Fountain
• 2 Ancient Den
• 2 Ash Barrens
• 2 Bojuka Bog
• 2 Great Furnace

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Ancient Grudge
• 1 Leave No Trace
• 1 Palace Sentinels
• 1 Reaping the Graves
• 1 Relic of Progenitus
• 2 Red Elemental Blast
• 2 Standard Bearer
• 3 Electrickery
• 3 Pyroblast

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Why Ricardo chose Snow Boros: It has been always difficult to be part of a group where two great players are known for their pet decks. You never know if they will opt for the obvious choices or if they will surprise you.

I choose Boros, because it is a balanced deck and I believe that I will have a more controlled metagame on this second day of battles. Palace Sentinels is a very well positioned card for the metagame that I hope to face and Astrolabe + Hawk / Skyfisher is all I want at Pauper right now.

Good luck for all and let's have entertaining games for those who are watching.

Elves | Pauper | Kendra Smith

• Creatures (38)
• 2 Elvish Mystic
• 2 Fyndhorn Elves
• 2 Springbloom Druid
• 2 Wellwisher
• 3 Elvish Vanguard
• 3 Essence Warden
• 3 Llanowar Elves
• 3 Lys Alana Huntmaster
• 3 Nettle Sentinel
• 3 Priest of Titania
• 4 Birchlore Rangers
• 4 Quirion Ranger
• 4 Timberwatch Elf

• Sorceries (7)
• 3 Distant Melody
• 4 Lead the Stampede

• Enchantments (1)
• 1 Spidersilk Armor

• Artifacts (1)
• 1 Viridian Longbow

• Lands (13)
• 1 Island
• 12 Forest

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Gleeful Sabotage
• 1 Harsh Sustenance
• 1 Relic of Progenitus
• 1 Viridian Longbow
• 1 Wrap In Vigor
• 2 Spidersilk Armor
• 3 Winding Way
• 4 Weather the Storm

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Why I chose Elves: Elves is the deck I'm most known for and as such I know a lot of people want to see me play the deck. In addition, I thought it would be great to show off the wild plays and possibilities of what can happen in the format.

This version was specifically metagamed toward what I expected to be Familiars, Izzet Delver, and either Stompy or Burn. While I missed the mark somewhat in those planning stages, I'm confident this version, testing a list that transforms into a Distant Melody-less build, will still do excellent at this table. The games will be intense and I can't wait to give it all I've got.

I promise now, though, you won't see me pilot this deck anymore during this season after tonight, so let's make it as epic as possible!

Now that we have our decks laid out, let's have a look at what you can expect for matches and commentators:

You may have noticed that Ricardo is not doing any commentating with us. He personally requested that he not be doing any commentary alongside us and as such has been left off the schedule. We do hope that he may be willing to make a brief appearance if he ends up a winner in any of these events.

So there you have it! Who are you excited to see most? What matches are you most eagerly anticipating? I can't wait to join in the action tonight! It's going to be a wild time, so make sure you tune in at 9PM EST. We'll see you there!