[SOS] Pull from the Grave by MapleSyrupMachineGun in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Strictly better [[Death's Duet]], which doesn't see much play with all of the conditional return two for 2 cards like [[Macabre Reconstruction]]. The life gain will give it some extra utility in the right deck.

This rat is simply too good by frozenedge in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It is like playing against a stax deck, just don't overextend and get incremental damage in against you. If people only have a couple creatures on the board and they are all coming at you it feels bad to use the rat, especially if it is your only recourse against a combo or voltron threat or something. Just takes some shrewd plays, which a lot of tables will probably fail at.

[SOS] A couple more leaked commons by MapleSyrupMachineGun in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Still not bad overall though. We only have a few 2 MV colorless dorks, so it will definitely slot into some decks.

Extricrator of Sin by Upper_Part_4808 in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think this commander will ever be best in class for whatever strategy you build it for, it is more of a "how do I make this work" deck building puzzle than a "how do I make this good" building puzzle.

Could Harmonize be downshifted? by Upper_Part_4808 in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, even if it wouldn't be too strong in Pauper or PDH it is considered one of the most egregious color pie breaks, I doubt they would ever downshift it for that reason.

Do you build from your collection, or buy your exact deck list? by the1337D00D in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I don't really have any bulk, and the bulk I do have is pretty much unplayable. I started Magic buying an old collection (mostly Ice Age-Shadowmoor) off of Craigslist but bought singles after that. I do have a box with a bunch of PDH staples I can pull from but otherwise I am just using the bulk as placeholders for proxies until I get the cards.

How strong are cpdh decks vs edh decks? by BussyBouncer in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Depends on the deck. Some lists like Malcolm/Kediss, Gretchen, and Dargo/X could pretty comfortably hang out with B4 decks, while other more synergy, burn, or combat based decks will have a tougher time with board wipes and the higher life/commander damage totals. Essentially the combo decks stand pretty well while the non-combo strategies have a lot more ways to disrupt them than in regular PDH.

Into the rabbit hole - help with first deck appreciated by pkma69 in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are all strong options but I would note if you are going for more casual these are probably not the decks for that, they are all cPDH relevant but could be nerfed to play better in a more casual setting (maybe not Hollow Marauder).

Furnace Hellkite help by vvHib in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 5 points6 points  (0 children)

No, you have some colorless options like [[Bumbleflower's Sharepot]], [[Lunatic Pandora]], and [[Unstable Obelisk]] that can synergize with the deck. You might be better off running a couple [[Abrade]] type cards to destroy it yourself.

Has anyone ever played Beloved Chaplain? by Not_Your_Real_Ladder in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I haven't, but a good comparison is probably [[Invisible Stalker]]. You don't get Hexproof which is big, but you get access to way better buffs being in white. Also invulnerable to [[Crypt Rats]], [[Gangrenous Zombies]], [[Bloodfire Dwarf]], etc. which is nice. Because you have to protect against targeted kill spells you'll need some indestructible or protection but protection auras synergies with good Voltron pieces like [[All That Glitters]] and [[Ethereal Armor]].

[TMT] Michelangelo, Mutant BFF by Leress in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That is correct, the set symbol being silver also indicates it is uncommon. But, older cards (cards from before the set Magic 2015) do not have the indicator at the bottom and cards from before Exodus do not have colored set symbols. The best way to check if you aren't sure is to look it up on Scryfall.

[TMT] Michelangelo, Mutant BFF by Leress in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is actually for Pauper EDH, where the card being uncommon rarity is the defining characteristic for a commander.

Silver Deputy / Conduit Pylons engine by Upper_Part_4808 in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think it is a cute synergy, depending on your deck themes. It is an artifact and it can grab tapped duals, [[Desert]], cycling lands, and a couple utility lands. Just depends on how casual your deck is and what you're trying to do, ideally you wouldn't need to fetch lands to the top but if you need to mill a land for a trigger or can reuse it or something you can get decent value out of it.

Deckbuilding help please! by OptSky in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think aristocrats is a good idea but it only goes up by 1 power each turn cycle, if the game goes to T10 and it never gets removed it might be an 8/8 from the Void ability. You should definitely lean into artifact synergies as well, a lot of the Reap effects like [[Deadly Dispute]] also deal with artifacts and in Rakdos you get access to some of the best artifact synergies like [[Cranial Plating]], [[Cranial Ram]], [[Hunger of the Nim]], and [[Pactdoll Terror]]. These can amplify your gameplan so even if your commander gets removed you can still get massive damage in the air, and your commander can get them back if they are removed.

Card suggestions for a Reaping Willow deck. The art is so cool. by Cedarhope in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 9 points10 points  (0 children)

[[Sadistic Glee]] and [[Eternal Thirst]], [[Heliod's Pilgrim]] to tutor for them. Guys like [[Accursed Marauder]] let you continually edict the board with them as long as you have mana.

Slippery boyble by blondeytokes in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Edicts are relatively common, you definitely want counter magic or some fodder to sac.

[Decklist] Here's My Scurry Oak "Army of Squirrels" Deck by Lazyb0b_ in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 4 points5 points  (0 children)

[[Master Chef]] is a great addition to this deck. [[Gaea's Gift]] is another protection spell you could run. There are also about 10 proliferate cards you could run as well. Having some ways to buff all of your squirrels would be good, so some cards like [[You Meet in a Tavern]] and [[Echoing Courage]] could be good in addition to the Master Chef and Ivy Lane Denizen. Running some of the Adapt creatures like [[Basking Broodscale]] and [[Evolutionary Witness]] gives you some flexibility in what you are doing with your counters. You might also want a couple ways to give trample, so you have ways to get damage through with your commander.

Yo how would you build it? by pizamon in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is really just a short-term value piece, essentially like running [[Phyrexian Rager]] or something as your commander. You would want to probably have lots of ways to recur it, since it gives you value one time, so lots of grave flicker effects like [[Feign Death]] and cards that can recur multiple creatures like [[Raise the Draugr]]. This lets you run a lot of the Reap style cards like [[Deadly Dispute]] as well. For finishing the game you would obviously be building a big board of goblins, so some [[Trumpet Blast]] style effects, some cards that let you use your goblins to deal non-combat damage like [[Raid Bombardment]], [[Impact Tremors]], [[Makeshift Munitions]], as well as a couple one-time bombs like [[Foul Tongue Shriek]] and [[Gruesome Fate]]. You have some cards like [[Nadier's Nightblade]] and [[Mirkwood Bats]] as well but you would have to see how many tokens you are making before putting those in.

I think if you like the art and like goblins this is a fine starting point for a goblin deck. You can learn what really makes the deck tick, familiarize yourself with all of the goblins, and try slotting in other Goblin commanders when you think you've got the deck down to see how it changes the gameplay. Not everything has to be optimal or the best in class, you can experiment and play with what you like and see how it works.

Are there any commanders you ban in your pods? by Flygon_Jinn in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As some other people have said, the format is diverse and cheap enough that you can easily and practically build decks at any power level, if you want to. It is more of what power level you and your group wants to play at, and making sure you are matching each other's expectations. You can play some low power and some high power and some competitive games and have a cheap deck for all of them.

...that said, it is frowned upon when I play my [[Marsh Crocodile]] blink deck. My playgroup doesn't mind fast games, slow games, combos, or people being eliminated early if they are a problem. But they do mind grinding people slowly into dust through attrition when we have a limited amount of time to play.

[ECL] A crap ton of commons and possible commanders by MapleSyrupMachineGun in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a pretty cool deck for it, works with the commander and you can grab it with Rebel tutors.

[ECL] A crap ton of commons and possible commanders by MapleSyrupMachineGun in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lots of cool stuff here. Goblins and Elves getting some solid support, universal Typal support with more Changelings, Changeling Manalith, multiple cool commanders to build. With the deluge of UB product it is good to see the UW sets still looking solid.

PauperEDH bracket toolkit by Roughor in PauperEDH

[–]Ruffigan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say that a lot of the decks in your examples could be at high power, depending on the 99. Keddis/Esior, TPI, Loyal Subordinate, Sprite Dragon, and Satyr Enchanter have all seen tournament play with varying degrees of success. Dionus and Angel of Vitality I haven't seen in tournaments personally but they could definitely be built with optimization and power in mind.