The Top Decks of Pauper: UB Trinket Control

In this series we will walk you through the top decks of Pauper as played on Magic Online. Pauper is the Magic Online format where you are only allowed to play commons.  These are the official rules: http://www.wizards.com/magic/tcg/resources.aspx?x=magic/rules/pauper

We will be using this tier page as the basis or our walkthrough: http://mtgostrat.com/pauper-tier-listing/

 Today I will discuss my pet deck in Pauper: UB Trinket Control.

Example  deck list

This is the official deck list for the new metagame straight from the decks creator, Power_T.

4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Mulldrifter
3 Vault of Whispers
3 Tragic Slip
1 Island
2 Executioner's Capsule
3 Trinket Mage
1 Bojuka Bog
3 Crypt Rats
2 Grim Harvest
4 Sign in Blood
2 Chittering Rats
4 Dimir Aqueduct
4 Diabolic Edict
7 Swamp
3 Undying Evil
4 Fume Spitter
1 Sylvok Lifestaff
4 Augur of Skulls
1 Barren Moor

Sideboard
4 Duress
1 Crypt Rats
2 Spinning Darkness
2 Chittering Rats
2 Deep Analysis
2 Geth's Verdict
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Sylvok Lifestaff 

About the deck
This deck was originally created by DC_Casanuda and then modified by pro tour alumni Power_T in the spring of 2012.

I have played no less than 653 matches with this deck in tournaments and practice, currently enjoying a 436-217 record. In my humble opinion this is the best deck in Pauper at this time. It is a tap-out control deck that requires a lot of practice but in the end it can just outvalue anything and it has game against the fast aggro decks and Delver due to its huge amount of cheap removal.

At the bottom you can find links to interviews I have made with the decks creator, including details on every significant matchup in the metagame.

If you like control and realize why this is better than playing Mono Black Control (hint: Blue draws more cards), this might just be the deck for you.

Financial implications of the deck

The Money cards in this deck are Crypt Rats and Diabolic Edict. The deck used to be a really good budget deck but that is no longer true. Chittering Rats are also over one dollar each, having gone up with 500% or more in a month recently. In the sideboard, Spinning Darkness is also an expensive card that can not easily be replaced. Deep Analysis used to be Money and will be again when people remember how good that card is against Mono Black Control.

As all Pauper cards, the Money cards fluctuate enormously in price, depending on which deck is the most popular in the metagame and if old sets are being drafted (which strangely enough has not happened in 2013 while it happened four or more times in 2002). You could probably just set your bots to buy both cards cheap and sell at three to five times more and you would make a profit in the long run. 

Vintage masters threaten to reprint a lot of the expensive Pauper cards but none of the cards in this deck are very likely, unless they really want them for the limited format. Daze, Gush and similar cards are in much clearer danger.

Learn more about UB Trinket Control

This is my interview with Power_T where he introduces the deck and discusses what it takes to play it:
  

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/SuDh39fnifU

In this video we go through 1099 matches played with the deck as well as specific matchups

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/nQKkrgpNgoc

I constantly write about this deck on my own Magic strategy site: http://mtgostrat.com/category/trinket-control/