Magic: the Gathering Power 9 "Pauper Edition"

[@patbingsuyaa]

when i think about power 9, i consider highly expensive non-essential/slight improvement cards like: dust to dust, snuff out, mental note, lorien revealed, relic of progenitus, lotus petal...stuff like that but in terms of power and usage this list is spot on.

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

That would make sense however I considered them underused and conditional type cards. Sure they're powerful but are they even used that much across the board due to their playability and power! That whys I only considered Legal, Non Sideboard Cards to give it some type of structure otherwise I could have chosen banned cards like Hymn to Tourach, Treasure Cruise and Frantic Search

[@behemoth9543]

The popularity of galvanic blast and to a lesser extent also experimental synthesizer depends on the artifact lands too - if you wanted to shake things up in pauper banning the artifact lands would probably be the single largest impact you could make. Having lands do the job other decks need to pay mana for is just such an insane advantage.

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

Oh no, for sure. You're absolutely correct. I've long strategized how much it would truly impact the format if they banned the Mirrodin Artifact lands and a ton of decks would be very shaken up. I don't forsee the PFP doing that though since no one deck is collectively dominating the format. As you can see from the constant cycling of decks at the top of the Meta people have adapted to playing decks that counter the current hierarchy of power in terms of the meta. For example Black Gardens and Caw Gates have drastically spiked upwards due in large to the top two decks being Mono Red Kuldotha and UW Glitters. People realize rather than beg for stuff to be banned, they should seek out alternative ways to combat the titan of the tier lists.

[@noneofyourbusiness3288]

Lorien Revealed and Troll of Kazadum are definitely top tier contenders. All the land-cyclers are solid, but these two are probably the best. Hydro- and Pyroblast are format all-stars.

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

I excluded any sideboard cards from this list, tried to keep in mainly cards that are in the mainboard. Obviously sideboard cards are extremely powerful when it comes to what they're targeting or helping to combat against. Troll is good but it's not P9 worthy, you have to invest a lot of mana to cast it unless you're playing it in reanimator. Lorien Revealed is pretty good too but I have never gotten to a comfortable point where I was like, yah know what I can afford 5 mana to draw three cards rather than leave mana up for counters and interaction. Good ideas though!

[@noneofyourbusiness3288]

@@GoldLotusPauperMTG I just feel like the Troll-Exhume package is very close to being paupers version of scam. If we get another synergy card in black, I could see more decks adopting the package. (Not that I necessarily want that to happen, but I think the combo is worth considering in various decks, as it is very successful in Mogwarts and Reanimator.)

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

Nah I agree when I saw the Troll of Khazad-Dun and Generous Ent I was so stoked to have a way to abuse Exhume T2 (Or 1 if you're playing the Dark Ritual version). The problem is it still dies to Cast Down (Which not everyone plays). It's a huge bomb if you can manage to get it out early but the Troll alone is good for filtering and land cycling, I just don't think by itself its mana efficient enough and worth the hard cast is all! Not saying you're wrong just looking at it from an casting efficiency standpoint.

[@joehenderson1]

Love the idea for a video! I agree with @patbingsuyaa in that P9 in pauper should just be expensive cards... Rhystic Study, Lotus Petal, Snuff Out!

[@patbingsuyaa]

i forgot that rhystic study and remora are pauper legal hahaha. ty.

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

Thanks for sharing!!

[@benpuffer7891]

If sideboards are being considered, Relic of Progen. and Hydroblast are contenders.

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

Absolutely man, I did weigh those options but if I went purely off of statistics alone for the most played cards it'd be like 90% sideboard cards and Lightning Bolt haha. But yah I feel yah, I run Relic in just about every deck that doesn't use GY Shenanigans.

[@Ian-qf5ny]

Hydroblast is for shook ones. If you scared go to church

[@Billchu13]

You're right that silver bullets don't count, and artifact lands are HMs rather than power 9 proper. Would the Moxen be part of a power 9, if we were to make a new list today?

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

They'd absolutely still be, a free mana rock that provides colored man's and can be used the turn it comes down? That's insane value for a permanent mana source that's not a land.

[@Billchu13]

@GoldLotusPauperMTG I agree, what im saying is that the top 10 lists of today don't usually have a cycle of cards as 5 separate entries.

[@theweirdlyfriendlymushroom7920]

Poor green, so forgotten

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

Just lacks in this format somewhat sadly

[@theweirdlyfriendlymushroom7920]

@@GoldLotusPauperMTG yeah, I mean It has some strong cards (utopia sprawl, wood elves and bogles as an example) but I feel like they are not good enough to reach the Pauper Power 9 level

[@lars_rosenberg]

Monastery Swiftspear should be in the list. It's much more vital to red decks than Galvanic Blast for example.

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

While it is an excellent and powerful card Monastery Swift spear only sees play in three particular decks where as Galvanic Blast is played far more across the board And Swift spear also dies to Galvanic Blast. Plus a late game burst of 4 burn damage is much more lethal if the opponent has ways to block Swift spear. But good feedback

[@lars_rosenberg]

​@@GoldLotusPauperMTG Swifty is one of the best red creatures ever printed, it sees play in all formats where it's legal, much more than Galvanic Blast that is limited by the artifact requirement. Monastery Swiftspear is more of a "fundamentally powerful" card while Galvanic Blast requires specific deckbuilding. Mono Red has been dominant in Pauper since Swifty has been downshifted and it has done with or without Galvanic Blast. Pingers Burn doesn't play Blast, Kildn Fiend doesn't play Blast and now not even Kuldotha Red plays it anymore because its place has been taken by Name Sticker Goblin and Wrenn's Resolve. With Grixis Affinity seeing less play in favor of Azorius, Galvanic Blast is actually barely seeing play, while Monastery Swiftspear is everywhere.

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

@@lars_rosenberg We're talking Pauper only cards so no reason to bring up the power level of it in other formats so that argument point is redundant. Secondly Swiftspear sees play mainly in 3 decks. Mono Red Burn, Mono Red Kuldotha and Kiln Fiend. Boros Synthesizer doesn't even run it in most builds. Swiftspear dies easily to removal of any sort especially since red typically plays on curve and doesn't run pro spells. Swiftspear is also only conditionally powerful when it comes to aggro decks that have a ton of cheap interaction, like in Burn. Aside from that It doesn't see play in any other decks that spash Red. None that are relevant at least. Even without Metalcraft Galvanic Blast still takes care of a lot of the early game threats, including Swiftspear. Once metalcraft is turned on a full 4 to the face is a lot more effective than a swiftspear who needs additional cards being cast to pump it up and can still easily be chump blocked with no form of evasion. We can agree to disagree, this is my list and you have your list. Happy gaming bud.

[@Ian-qf5ny]

Both points are extremely good. But as a a cromagnon kuldotha enjoyer i must say, M Swift win game ooga booga!!!🔥⚡️🔥

[@bendiv7999]

Cut Synthesizer and add glitters. It made uw affinity the Most played Deck + helped Mono w and boggles a lot

[@GoldLotusPauperMTG]

The problem I have with that is that All That Glitters is a win more card that doesn't do anything alone and is a dead draw if you have no creature. The sheer amount of value gained from a single Red mana far outweighs the conditional power from All That Glitters. For a single Red mana you're essentially Drawing 2 cards and getting a 2/2 with vigilance. ES is never a dead draw on its own.