Hello Pauper people! Starting this Friday cards from the new Modern Horizons 3 set are going to be legal to play in paper Magic. If you have been playing Pauper for a while then you know that means that there will likely be a shake up in the format as there were with previous Modern Horizon sets. Today I want to share with you my top common cards from Modern Horizons 3.
I will begin with the elephant in the room:
This card has sparked a lot of debate in the Pauper community even having Gavin Verhey address it in the following tweet on May 24th:
Cranial Ram is obviously powerful and is being compared to cards like Cranial Plating and All That Glitters. Even though I think Ram may be a little bit worse than these comparisons, I will not be including this card in my top 8 today because of the following announcement on June 6th:
Now that Cranial Ram has been disqualified let’s move onto our cards that missed top 8 on breakers.
Starting off with Siege Smash:
To me Split Second has always been a cool mechanic. Now add Split Second to a combo deck that activates a mana ability for its wincon: Moggwarts. I think this is an auto include in Moggwarts to help out the combo turns but also to get rid of those pesky artifacts at instant speed without interruption.
Next up, let’s look at Skoa, Embermage:
A Legendary creature at common is not something we see very often. Not only that, the Grandeur ability has not been seen since Future Sight in 2007. With these unique characteristics and a strong ability of being able to damage a creature or going face makes this card worth a mention and may slot into an archetype once somebody finds its new home.
Now moving on to my Top 8 picsk!
In 8th place we have: Jolted Awake
Jolted Awake is an interesting card. It is a lot like Recomission but it can also scale in an Energy centric build and MH3 has introduced a few cards to help maybe spark a new archetype. I am thinking that maybe there will be a Jeskai Energy deck that plays this card to its fullest potential. As Jolted Awake has potential to spark a new archetype I decided to include it in the Top 8 but putting it in 8th because without other Energy cards you are probably better off playing Recommission.
In 7th place: Basking Broodscale
Do you like 3 card combos? I know i do. Basking Broodscale is a card with high combo potential and have already seen some discussions surrounding pairing Broodscale with Sadistic Glee & Thoughtpicker Witch. Just like Jolted Awake this may spark a new archetype and whenever I see a 3 card combo I always keep an eye on it and so should you.
In 6th place we have: The Landscape Land Cycle
I have gone back and forth on this land cycle. On one hand it has a very difficult Cycling cost on the other it is almost an Evolving Wilds that taps for colorless when you need the untapped mana. There are a few decks I believe will want this such as Familiars and Dimir Faeries.These are the only 2 decks that come to mind when I think of decks that play the New Capenna lands and/or Ash Barrens. If you are looking to hold up Lose Focus or Spellstutter Sprite on turn 2 then these may be for you!
In 5th place we have: Eviscerator’s Insight
Yet ANOTHER sac something and draw 2 effect. Although this one does not provide an additional game piece like it’s predecessors Deadly Dispute and Fanatical Offering it can be cast twice with Flashback. I do however think that any version of this effect is powerful and will always find a home. Gardens is likely to play some number of these in certain metagames. Don’t underestimate the power of Flashback!
In 4th place we have: Sneaky Snacker
Initially I had Sneaky Snacker lower on my list but the more I think about the card the more I love it. Drawing 3 cards is not always easy but if you build with it in mind this Faerie can be brought back at instant speed with something like Brainstorm. Also note that this is a Faerie and pairs nicely with Spellstutter Sprite and will make for some interesting plays in Dimir Faeries for sure. Expect Faeries numbers to increase with these new tools!
In 3rd place we have: Fanged Flames
Ah, Red removal one of the weakest yet most powerful removals in all of Magic. Wait a minute, that is not Red, it has Devoid! We are definitely going to see quite a bit of Fanged Flames as it can clean up creatures with 4 toughness for cheap as well as answer Guardian of the Guildpact which Red has not had an easy time with in the past in Pauper. Also the Exile clause is relevant as there are more and more decks playing out of the graveyard recently. Fanged Flames will be an inclusion option in many decks featuring Red and I can even see some mainboard applications.
In 2nd place we have: Thraben Charm
Ok this card just does everything! Kills creatures (check), destroys enchantments (check) AND exiles any graveyard (check) all at instant speed and for a cheap rate! You will absolutely see this card in any deck featuring white mana. I think the 3 decks I can see getting the most use out of this card are Familiars, Caw Gates and White Weenie. This was very close to being my top card but just narrowly lost out to our next Top 8 competitor.
In 1st place and the winner of the MH3 Pauper Set Review: Refurbished Familiar!!!
Grixis Affinity has a new toy! Even if Cranial Ram is disqualified Grixis still gets a new tool with Refurbished Familiar. This card has the infamous words Affinity for Artifacts on it as well as a new and improved discard clause on it that allows you to still gain value even if your opponent is empty handed. The body on this card is not great but when you are almost certainly casting this for 1 Black mana every time it is actually pretty good on rate, plus it flies.
Not only will this card see play in Grixis Affinity though, but I can also see this springing up new Black based Affinity deck or maybe being a part of a “Rack” style of discard/lockout strategy.
Grixis will likely continue to be a strong contender and arguably the best deck in the format going forward with the inclusion of Refurbished Familiar and that is why it is the clear winner of this set for Pauper!
Anyways if you have made it this far appreciate you reading the article! Let me know your thoughts on my top 8, your top 8 cards in MH3 or your thoughts on the Cranial Ram pre-ban by reaching out to me on X/Twitter @MichaelArmand0 or message me on Facebook (Michael Armando Russo) and don’t forget to check out the stream at www.twitch.tv/riwhobbies on Tuesday nights at 7pm EST for all things Pauper! See ya there!