A Pauper's Guide To Playing Modern | Magic: The Gathering On A Budget

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Want to flashback to classic Modern gameplay? Check out Birthing Pod vs Splinter Twin on Shuffle Up And Play here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m37Ge5iVi7yInLc

[@Tuturial464]

It’s called pioneer or just pauper

[@han_shotf1rst]

Instructions unclear, foiled out my Pauper deck instead

[@Kingnothing7x]

Nice

[@darklurkerirl6101]

good answer

[@CaptainBeardsome]

Lol!

[@peterdafox]

Based

[@dagamarvanderkoft3784]

I’ve been trying but I can’t find any of the cards anywhere 😂😂

[@fel_95]

Now we only need a Modern Guide to playing Pauper!

[@isaacsmith3998]

The hardest part of building a pauper deck is paying shipping.

[@stevenfraielli9869]

@@isaacsmith3998 shipping is usually more expensive than the actual cards it hurts so bad every time

[@isaacsmith3998]

@@stevenfraielli9869 and no one carries all that many of the cards you need, so you're always buying from like 15+ sources... I've decided to just slowly build my deck by checking stores' stocks whenever I place a big commander order. Otherwise I'm paying 5+ dollars for playsets of cards that cost less than 25 cents.

[@thatonedudejake]

If you sell your modern deck you can build 20 pauper decks lol

[@mmmbetter55]

@TolarianCommunityCollege I would welcome this!

[@ronb7618]

This type of video which focuses on accessible play and methods to get towards something is a really good watch. Thanks for the really cool realistic look at it.

[@Sillimant_]

Don't forget, if your playgroup allows it, proxy cards. Wizards has already shown they're happy to sell proxies, so make your own for considerably less

[@stevenfraielli9869]

Based as fuck take

[@Liofa73]

With the current cost of living crisis, it's probably the only sensible way to play with more expensive cards.

[@Liofa73]

@@stevenfraielli9869 --- Huh?

[@byronstier7438]

Tbh the WoTC proxies should have no influence on you wanting to use proxies

[@johnschroeder9129]

I see no reason for them to not be allowed in competitive play also

[@sl3848]

Cant believe the “cheap” category was $400-600 💀 I really like Magic, but at that point there are lots of ways to have more fun haha

[@EdensukoV]

An Xbox series X and 6 months of game pass for the cost of a “budget” deck. Damn. 😢

[@Sillimant_]

Modern is the most expensive format. Try pioneer or pauper. The lack of fetchlands makes it inherently much cheaper

[@lololllololololol]

I had pretty much the same reaction. Guess I'm never playing paper Magic (at least Modern) and sticking with Arena.

[@timothygager9277]

@@Sillimant_ try legacy ☠️☠️☠️

[@Frog0021X]

It used to be that mono-red burn was about $50-$70. Which was a perfectly reasonable price for a budget deck. After all, thats about the price of a new video game. I think Modern is dead and this is how they killed it.

[@filipebotelho3548]

The "cheap" category decks cost about 2 average salaries here in Brazil... Considering that food, rent and other bills are kinda optional, I guess in 2 months I can start playing Modern 🤡

[@FulgurTheDragon]

Prof: these decks cost roughly what youd spend on a new commander deck Me spending $150 max on my commander decks: wat

[@faroutantics1847]

Exactly what I thought 😂

[@FirekingBarong]

What we all gotta remember is that once you have a solid landbase, every deck you build is gonna be unbelievably cheaper because you can just swap them in and out when playing localy. I remember myself having dual lands of many color combinations and keeping a decklist with me to not forget putting them in if one was missing ^^

[@chancewilliams1493]

As someone who has been working on building into modern, this video definitely made me feel better about how I was going about it. Taking my time, picking up pieces when I can

[@CyberBuster93]

I really appreciate videos like these Prof! You really do care about Magic as a game FIRST. You just want people to play this great game and I love and appreciate you for that man 🤘

[@xolotltolox7626]

Ngl, as a YuGiOh player these prices are still insane to me. Considering that at points we had metas where you could legitametely just buy 3 $10 Pre-Cons and have a Tier 1 competitive deck ready to go, like with the Dino strructure, Monarch Structure and Salamangreat Structure

[@andrewwang7699]

I suppose ishizu tear is only 5-600$ :V

[@xolotltolox7626]

@@andrewwang7699 While initially writing this comment I did also want to include that people are complainimg hard core right now about being price gated by Tear, which is a pretyt abnormally high price, plus Tier 0 and that these sorts of prices just seem to be standard in MTG, at least modern

[@greeksotiris]

@@xolotltolox7626 MtG is older than YGH and you have this huge library of cards and the many different types of formats to play, whereas in YGH you essentially have just Legacy.

[@xolotltolox7626]

@@greeksotiris I don't see what this has to do with pricing YGO is also actually capable of reprinting needed staple cards to make them afgordable instead of pandering to parasites like MtG

[@dragonmaster9577]

@@xolotltolox7626 bozo

[@brandonortiz7771]

Such a good and necessary video! Absolutely love this type of content and it's perfectly timed so I can teach my friend who's getting into mtg now that they can join me at fnm on a budget!

[@exultedone650]

I'd absolutely love to see a similar video but focused on Pioneer! Pioneer encompasses all of the sets that have come out since I started playing the game so it has a special place in my heart

[@sebostar123]

I can confirm that buying a deck slowly is extremely rewarding. I started with a budget Belcher list and kept on going to my LGS slowly replacing the weaker cards with staples and now I have an “optimized” list and I was even able to spend my winnings on needed cards so I saved some money in the end :) also having friends at the lgs that let you borrow decks/cards will help a LOT.

[@MrCrypticGames]

I was trying to get into Modern at my LGS but the price tag always scared me. Thank you Prof for making this guide. Would love to see a budget Pioneer version of this.

[@Dwykid1]

Pioneer is already "budget" modern. A lot of the "cheap" decks we see in this video is about the max price you'd pay in pioneer, about $500. That being said, I built a mono blue spirits for about $120 with no compromises. The challenger deck helped a lot. Which makes me think they should just make modern challenger decks if they want people to play the format.

[@ZakanaHachihaCBC]

Pioneer is pretty cheep to get into since they lack a lot of the expensive lands of Modern. Vintage aside, all the formats are generally ok to get into, it’s just the mana base that will price people out.

[@johnskelton6840]

Play mono w humans, it’s really good and around $100

[@matiasc003]

Great video! Building your deck can be like a project. Also searching for budget replacement improves your gameplay significantly, because you learn to see what your deck needs and what card can help you with that.

[@dks6515]

exactly the day i decide i'm gonna try and get in to modern on a budget, this video releases. Amazing, awesome video prof!

[@maechael-ns1xe]

I've enjoyed many, many of your videos, but for some reason this video made me, ecstatic.. it's wonderful to see budget options not being offered as lesser than, but good in their own right. Thanks Prof!

[@Liofa73]

"Budget".

[@masonsavage4532]

Prof. I went to my first Paper event at my LGS store right before Christmas. They only play Modern so this video could not have been timed any better. Love the general rule of thumb for Modern. I found that extremely helpful.

[@CyborgWolf]

"Don't" *video ends*

[@CjSmurph]

rewatching this just after the fury ban... shame you missed that call lol

[@TheArcSet]

Thanks for this. I'll probably still proxy, outside Pre-release, but if I'm ever near a store again, I'll enjoy modern and pauper.

[@calebmullins3577]

Oooo haven’t even watched and I am INTRIGUED!!!

[@lukasschiffer8124]

Great Video! A bit surprised not to hear one of your favorite Archetypes Merfolk mentioned. It‘s really strong right now and quite affordable (with the exception of FoN and Cavern of Souls).

[@jacebeleren3]

One of the best things about force of will was that the ratios in the set were as such that if you bought three booster boxes you had a play set of almost every card in the set.

[@stbd2773]

Glad to seem Mill getting some rep! Super fun deck and I have a ton of fun with my Grixis variant

[@egoish6762]

Been banging out games with dimir and recently went esper, very fun. Just gotta solve the endurance problem

[@stbd2773]

@@egoish6762 endurance is definitely the number 1 surgical/lantern target

[@tuffy11111]

Building towards decks over time, especially while traveling, is one of my favorite things to do. If there's downtime on a trip I'm definitely making a stop at an LGS to try and find something for my deck. Every time I play my Urborg I remember the shop in Canada I got it from, etc. etc.

[@kbeadle23]

Playing a modern event on a budget is usually a bad time

[@dang.9125]

i started out on a budget mono u affinity deck and i won and had a blast playing it. i know someone that also started with a budget izzet murktide list and they slowly upgraded it to ragavan less murktide. this video is a really good guide to how you can build budget decks that will do well at fnm level.

[@maxwornowizki422]

I'm sorry you had this experience. I think this video does a tremendous job showing competitive decks for the FNM level. The prof also makes very clear that more budget lists will probably not win pro tours.

[@Liofa73]

Sounds like MTG prices will put new players off from playing a modern event.

[@j.kendall83]

Modern is my favorite format, and this is exactly the process I used to buy into my ur murktide deck. Love this video!!❤️

[@2011vortex]

Never thought of a budget version of Modern. Thanks for the video! Always very informative and useful.

[@ericiberri9139]

Really love the video and many disclaimers throughout about responsible spending. Would love something similar for Pioneer.

[@andrewbartlesby7958]

as a long time player of the modern format, this video is excellent and without any real faults or bias, once again proving that the prof is the best MTG journalist out there, even if I disagree with his takes on proxies and the commander format.

[@philippniemann8842]

I really love the ultimate format: proxy the printering

[@ad-96magdumps87]

I started my journey into Modern about a year ago and did exactly this at my lgs. Made a budget boros deck that ran me maybe $200 and from there I fell in love with the modern format. Fast forward to now, after making 2 more very fun budget decks, I've been working my way up to Izzet Murktide following the same rules mentioned here!! So worth it- only really need to save up for Ragavans.

[@maurygreen9451]

This is quite a nice guide. In my city I can only play pioneer and modern as there is not much of a player base to sustain other formats. I might be able to do it following these tips. Thanks a lot prof!

[@Aeroreido]

I stopped playing magic for about 5 years now and videos like this make me happy I did, I loved the game a lot but after I saw that everyone at the lgs was playing 1k+ decks my love for the game quickly dissappeared because if your deck is under 300 you pretty much play a starter deck compared to everyone else, I switched to Legends of Runeterra recently and its honestly so much more enjoyable for me gameplaywise even tho I miss the "in person" thing magic had. My problem with magic is lets say you get your 1k deck, so you own exactly one deck you are able to play at a resonable level and you are "stuck" with it unless you have another 1k just casually sitting there and waiting to be transformed into another deck. Thank you professor for your content and even tho the game couldnt keep me interested in it(I still enjoy watching gameplay tho), you certainly introduced me to it and it was a lot of fun.

[@matthewosborne3274]

Thank you for this video/content! I have only been playing MTG for 2 months and you hit the nail on the head! I am really enjoying the cards, art, and most of all spending more time with friends playing a game together! I feel like I need 2-3 decks so I don't get bored playing the same one all the time. This video certainly helps and I hope we can see more of this type of video (series maybe?). Especially before an eventual MH3 drops lol. Take care Prof! Also, your words of caution to really think about what you can afford and what you want out of this experience is amazing. Appreciate that.

[@samdunn5846]

Ive looked for videos on building modern budget decks. You showing how to find good replacements is really useful and what ive been wanting to see for a long time!

[@meraki_mage]

“$400-$600 for a single deck” why is this game so expensive I love playing it but I just straight up cant play unless im willing to spend more money than a modern game console on a single deck to play it with💀

[@RedandBlueGamesUK]

And thats in the "budget" side

[@Grainsauce]

@@RedandBlueGamesUK Yep had a friend recently make a $1200 deck and a $1700 deck, it's insane.

[@bigmanmccheez5342]

You can definitely play, just won't be playing in a professional setting or at a professional level. The starter kit exists for a reason, if you want to play magic then buy that.

[@rojorosa]

👏Print👏some👏proxies👏

[@coreysierchio4650]

I have a mono red burn build that runs "Chandra's Incinerator." *Thanks for the Content & Happy New Year* !

[@ColorwaveCraftsCo]

I can’t thank you enough for making this video!!! I always thought that I didn’t have a chance playing modern because all of the competitive decks are so expensive.

[@CasualKing21]

Modern is so popular at my LGS that they have it Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. I've recently picked up a budget Hollow One list because I've been getting a little bored w/ EDH. Thanks for the vid Prof!

[@coreybookman5823]

Hello professor I been watching you since I think February when I first got into magic when I picked up my vampire commander deck and saw your video on it afterwords and since then I pretty much just plunged into mtg headfirst just can’t get enough of it and I’m always tuning in to watch your videos I literally just built a modern and a pauper rakdos vampire deck a bit ago and one thing that’s funny is the first thing I did on my own was get the play sets of bloodstained mire and blood krypts lol

[@CyberBuster93]

The thumbnail says it all hahaha awesome job professor! I hope you had a great holiday season with your family and a great new years too!! 😌

[@noahboes5585]

This just reminds me of why I only play commander, great video as always though Professor :)

[@prop-a-gent]

While I love the overall message of this video, I really was hoping "Pauper Modern" was some new variant of the format where only commons were legal...

[@erikin620]

I mainly play Commander but sometimes I cannot find enough players in my LGS. Then I started building Affinity as my first Modern deck. At least I can still play a few games when there aren't any tables for Commander. Now I love the deck very much.

[@Gnarly_Bard]

I think we needed a video like this.

[@AceDRoses]

A pioneer version of this would be great

[@gabebailey3525]

101% agree. The first deck I built was “8 whack”, and ended up winning a couple of FNM’s at my local game store. Needless to say budget decks can win at LGS’s. After the few wins with Modern, Pauper was away that helped me to gain more store credit. In a years time I had a good selection of modern staples from the credit I gained from winnings. It’s all about the bump and grind!

[@cryptopfeifi1655]

Prof is the best MTG source in on the internet

[@Meddling_Mage]

ive been using the dominaria united painlands, strixhaven reveal lands and lots of basics in my suuper budget murktide and hammertime! my stripped down lists are about 100 dollars each. basics are great

[@joelmacgregor2615]

I have only played a few Modern tournaments, but each time I ran homebrews (homemade deck lists) and I came in the top three each time. If you are interested in Modern just go try it! Sometimes playing a strategy no expects is the best technique. Most recently I played Soulfire grandmaster with deflecting palm and lightning helix, and archangel of thune

[@scriptis8227]

This video has made me realize modern isn't for me. I can hardly justify a $100 stack of cardboard. But "budget" is 400-600 for a stack of cardboard? I need new hobbies

[@anthonypillarella]

That's not a budget deck, it's the cheaper end of fully competitive, tournament-ready decks. I've built multiple modern decks for under $100 that played just fine against top decks.

[@StefanDillandMarcRIP]

Yeah same. I was watching this, and I was like "wait why would I want to buy into this?"

[@joshcalef4974]

@@anthonypillarellawhat’re some examples of these decks that have worked for you?

[@anthonypillarella]

​@@joshcalef4974 Really any deck that acknowledges that the game starts at 20 life and ends at 0. This was awhile ago, but I've done variants of mono G stompy, Gr aggro, burn, and Ur tempo/spells. I ended up sticking with the last one and buliding it into a somewhat competitive deck.

[@ElJugadorBAMF]

Personally I sold about 2 dozen cards from my collection to Card Kingdom and used the store credit option to build my Breach deck. (this was about $400 worth of cards both ways).

[@SirStickBug]

I built a budget Mono-Red Burn for Modern and I have played it for about a year. I am currently in the process of making the deck Gruul to have enchantment removal in my sideboard, and I really wanna try out Atarka’s Command. The deck will eventually be Boros, but I am working my way toward that.

[@summpwner7837]

The PROGRESSION aspect of deckbuilding is really important to advocate for when defending MTG. People look at the meta lists and think that they have to copy it perfectly, but the fact is that there are changes that will cut huge costs and only slightly de-optimize function. Stepping into that perfect list card-by-card is a great strategy to spreading the cost of a deck over time, while still making it something you can still shuffle up and play

[@LolaliciousSmiley]

It's surreal watching this video while it's relevant. I've been binging old Professor videos, so my head is between like 3 different rotations. I have wanted 4 Scalding Tarn and 4 Snapcaster Mages for many years...

[@chad5933]

Very clear video presentation, masterful video bravo. prof.

[@DinoRIOT]

loved this guide, thanks!

[@justinas1237]

love these budget guide videos. (:

[@carlop-Delbrook]

Funny timing, I’ve been looking to build a pauper deck battle box

[@dumbledalfthewizard9486]

For those wondering: the best budget deck is R prowess, no question. It has the best upgrade lines into UR Prowess and from there into UR Murktide, it's cheap, and it puts up results.

[@megaduc]

The true way to play modern on a budget is to get a printer. Cheaper than a deck

[@samdunn5846]

Idk how that will go when you try and play it at your lgs

[@h3h3podcastclipper]

If you want to go on tournaments, consider buying counterfeits instead.

[@megaduc]

@@samdunn5846 my lgs is surprisingly welcoming of proxies outside of tournaments

[@michaelgreen4417]

Can’t proxy in modern. Proxies aren’t allowed in 1v1 formats, only EDH is proxy friendly.

[@venge1894]

@@michaelgreen4417 You can utilize proxy cards in any format, provided the establishment and the playgroup you engage with allows for them. Rules including those regarding proxies are of course only applicable where they are enforced.

[@luisfabio]

Nice content like always Professor. I am waiting for a video building Pioneer competitive decks. There is a huge number of events related this year!. Keep up the good work!

[@Monikfrun]

I love Modern so dearly. Been my favorite format for a decade.

[@jacktupp4358]

I just recently got into the format and built a deck for under $100.... yes, I got pwned at the RCQ but I mainly wanted the experience of a tournament so I could tune my own deck in the future. Don't let the pricey tier 1 decks dissuade you from patching your own concept together. I even managed to beat Omnath once(out of 3). I walked away though with my gears turning on how to improve my deck and I sure gleaned a lot of insight just by facing those tier 1 and 2 decks.

[@graefx]

Saw pauper and got excited lol

[@gypsieking3280]

Great video. Thanks, Prof

[@MekanikKommandoh88]

Modern is great, happy to see it get some love. With a lot of cards hitting their floors, now is a good time to buy into a Modern deck if you’re interested.

[@AmmiO2]

Another tip is you can get copies of cards in bad-but-still-playable condition (Moderately Played or Heavily Played) for sometimes as low as 60% of the market price.

[@johnmraz4332]

this applies to legacy as well but eventually you would have to bite the bullet for dual lands

[@LakeVermilionDreams]

I built Death and Taxes and Manaless Dredge to avoid dual lands. I was lucky enough to be able to get some duals but those decks were always available to lend. Death's Shadow might work with Shock lands, maybe? I haven't paid attention to Legacy as my only Legacy-hosting LGS quit hosting Legacy :(

[@Ekke-MarkusMuttika]

you've gotta be really rich if you consider a deck over 100 euros/dollars as "budget"

[@creamreviews1607]

My favorite decks to play in Modern are "4-color blink and reanimate Siege Rhino a bunch" and various Gruul land destruction decks (some creature based, some spell based).

[@MichaelQ1492]

It it helps to encourage the extreme budgetors. My friend helped me make a 20 dollar izzet blitz deck. Yea, it might not be the creame of the crop, but at the least it can still hold itself and with grapeshot as a final push, there has been games where spells has been countered but my opponent casted enough spells where grapeshot stormed enough to defeat them. A rule of thumb i noticed, the cheaper the deck, the sooner you want to win, as i noticed my deck wants to win before turn 5, and afterwords it loses steam, but can trudge with the right hand.

[@petesalzl1]

Thanks for the helpful tips professor.

[@maxmustermann9503]

A group of friends once got me a pretty neat version of coco for 250 bucks so i was able to play their main format with them instead of just commander over and over again, and since it is nice to break the habit every once in a while and also the deck can be temporarily stripped for edh pieces (fetch lands, birds of paradise and walking balista just to name a few) it really has no negatives for me, if you ever have a similar chance take it

[@BlazeWheeler]

I remember I started Modern on a budget. I made mono green Elves then a budget mono blue Affinity and I ended up fully upgrading the decks in a year or 2 while still having fun at FNM

[@pdxholmes]

I like that you emphasized the idea of being incremental. Most of the tier 1 decks in modern can build their shells and "do the thing" for much less than the fully optimized version of the deck costs. You're going to sacrifice consistency but the deck will still do the thing it's built to do and will still win games at the LGS level. Even burn can be built mono-red, which is less optimized and side boards worse than Boros, but still absolutely does what burn does. Last time I looked modern mono red burn which still has all the big core burn stuff like Eidolon and Goblin Guide was going for about 125. No matter how much people complain., legacy and vintage this is not. At least in my area, modern is healthy and thriving at the LGS level while the rest of Magic seems to be in retreat.

[@myceliumbrick1409]

love the ref to MTGRemy's video Modern Monday

[@nao_tomori]

ive always ran cheaper/slower versions of a card that has the effect im after, and upgrade to faster/lower cmc versions as i have money and as i start to refine the deck. i want to understand the deck's concept and how it plays before i sink alot of money into a build. i also learned to build my deck idea with the cards i already own and see if theres potential in the deck and if i actually enjoy playing it before i spend any cash on new cards

[@amberhernandez]

One time, I beat a sweat lord in a local shop tournament with a Standard Grixis Eldrazi deck I slapped together with some little common Eldrazi and artifacts (it was day 4 or so off the set release). One game, he opened with a Thoughtseize while I had only a few common buggers in my hand, and it ended up filling my graveyard so I could cast a Treasure Cruise later. In the meantime, Mist Intruders and Benthic Infiltrators kept chewing his deck away with Ingest, managing to pull his other Thoughtseize and counterspells. I was even able to get a Ghostfire Blade going, so I was doing upwards of 3 damage per turn :P

[@garywong3995]

Maybe the first step is to check your own card pool. I started modern with the basic mono blue Tron after watching Professor’s video. Because I had Karn, wurmcoil, and those draws and counterspell, the cards I needed were the playset of Tron lands and remands.

[@loki3275]

Me and my friends started proxying modern decks. Its fun to play powerful modern decks for a couple dollars lol.

[@griffsmotorthings]

Pauper is FANTASTIC. 1. Commander 2. Modern 3. Pauper My top 3 fav!

[@progenitorx]

Budget EDH is Pauper Commander: Uncommon commander, all other cards are common. Commander is valid as long as it was printed as Uncommon in any one of its printings. Would love to see a Shuffle Up and Play of this variant.

[@benjaminlehman3221]

If your game store allows, PROXY! Like one allows up to 16 proxies in a legacy tournament

[@coreybookman5823]

I been following the advice for turning my modern deck to a legacy one 😅

[@loxeggcheese]

I actually just built my first modern deck, merfolk! between using store credit and trading Commander staples I got the price down to $5-600 over the course of 5 months

[@tommygrozier4789]

I build I slightly un optimized amulet titan deck for about 400 canadian and its very much capable of winning any event

[@darrenengland6269]

You can also play the slow game, start reading the format and invest a little in some cards you know will spike. Rinse and repeat and you can eventually get a deck of your choice for next to no money at all, or better.

[@fredrikhinton]

A video like this on legacy would be radical!

[@emidex8721]

And expensive!

[@sparkleseverywhere]

for the aggro/burn path, I'd rather recommend mono red. since you dont need as many of the fetches you can save a few more $$, but also because ragavan doesnt fit the deck very well except as a target sponge

[@noahz42]

Not gonna lie prof, I thought I clicked on a pauper video, it wasnt lol Seeing these decks just makes me want to play pauper more

[@DubWubby]

When I started playing Modern I bought a $100 version of 8-rack, then worked my way up over the years!

[@AshBlossomWorshiper]

This is that guy from that one team APS episode!

[@devonchristensen9835]

Can we please get more pauper deck techs professor I need a pick me up

[@whllbmn]

MTG jest coraz droższe. Takie filmy są bardzo potrzebne.

[@taylorfisdboss5200]

Took me about a year, but with trading and careful incremental investment i moved from squadron hawk tribal to legit death and taxes. I have a blast now playing a legit list from a tried and true archetype but I really enjoyed winning with my budget nonsense too! I would consistently win even with my silly nonsense mono white decks, and my only 4-0 was with a goofy mono white squadhawk tribal deck. I spent years thinking that modern was out of my price range and that brewing wasn’t an option, but that seriously couldn’t be further from the truth.