Infinite Combos in Standard Pauper

The most affordable format on Magic Online just got more interesting with the release of Dragons of Tarkir.

Combos! True infinite combos using only the most recent commons!

Combo #1 
First rrmedio1 places second in MPDC 29.01 with his deck "Jeskai Trollkens"

Deck list here: http://pdcmagic.com/gatherling/deck.php?mode=view&id=25972

The combo is Midnight Guard + Ornithopter + Retraction Helix + Impact Tremors.

Resolve Retraction Helix on Midnight Guard. Return Ornithopter to hand. Play Ornithopter. Midnight Guard untaps. Impact Remors does 1 damage to the opponent. Return Ornithopter to hand with Midnight Guard. Rince and repeat. Voila! 1.000.000 damage!

Combo #2
Forli placed second in SPDC 29.01 with his deck "Scribe Combo".

Deck list here: http://pdcmagic.com/gatherling/deck.php?mode=view&id=25956

This time the combo is Spidersilk Net + Retraction Helix + Zephyr Scribe + Elusive Spellfist

Zephyr Scribe and Elusive Spellfist need to be in play. Play Retraction Helix on Zephyr Scribe. Play Spidersilk Net. Zephyr Scribe untaps. Elusive Spellfist grows bigger. Return Spidersilk Net to hand. Play it again. Rince and repeat. 1.000.000 unblockable damage. Pray that the opponent does not have removal or protect your Spellfist with Glint.

These combos will not be around for long as Retraction Helix is rotating this fall. Use them when you have them!

Go visit pdcmagic.com now for great free tournaments with real prizes!

As stated before, you can find the free Standard Pauper player run tournaments at pdcmagic.com. Great site with great people!

Playing Tendrils in Vintage

As you might know, I am Swedish and I have managed to attract a couple of good Swedish video makers to my YouTube channel MagicGatheringStrat. One of them is Binkabi and he made a set of videos about playing Tendrils in Vintage that I figured would be interesting to publish here as well.

First, lets hear what Binkabi has to say about the deck.

Binkabi: "I don't wana brag, but I actually do have a full set of power 9! On Magic Online, that is... But still, Vintage is pretty popular and alot of fun,
so hopefully you will enjoy those videos despite my lack of experience in the format! It is also highly appreciated if you take the time to leave a comment
if you have found something that I could have done differently. I promise, there will be plenty to choose from!"

Deck List

1 Tolaria West
2 Island
2 Swamp
4 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
2 Scalding Tarn

1 Blightsteel Colossus

1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Tinker
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Yawghmoth's Will
1 Mind's Desire
1 Preordain
1 Ponder
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Duress

1 Ancestral Recall
4 Dark Ritual
1 Mental Misstep
1 Brainstorm
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Rebuild
1 Chain of Vapor
4 Force of Will

1 Mox Opal
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Memory Jar
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
1 Sol Ring
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key

1 Yawghmoth's Bargain
1 Necropotence

2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Sideboard

2 Steel Sabotage
2 Rebuild
2 Thoughtseize
1 Yixlid Jailer
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Island
3 Tormod's Crypt

Deck Tech video

Some matches

The Top Decks of Pauper: Elves

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

Today we will be discussing the Elves deck. As it does have a very good matchup against the top deck (Delver), Elves comes and goes in periods. Right now it is the #5 deck on mtggoldfish, which would be about as high as it normally goes.

Earlier installments in the series

Affinity: http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.se/2013/11/the-top-decks-of-pauper-affinity.html
Burn: http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.se/2013/11/the-top-decks-of-pauper-burn.html
Delver: http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.se/2013/10/the-top-decks-of-pauper-delver.html
DelverFiend: http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.se/2013/11/the-top-decks-of-pauper-delverfiend.html
Elves:
MUC; http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-top-decks-of-pauper-mono-blue.html
Stompy: http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.se/2013/10/the-top-decks-of-pauper-stompy.html
Tron: http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.se/2014/04/the-top-decks-of-pauper-rug-tron.html
UB Trinket Control: http://mtgolibrary.blogspot.se/2013/10/the-top-decks-of-pauper-ub-trinket.html

The Plan
The idea is to play an enormous amount of elves quickly and either attack for lethal with Timberwatch Elves hep, gain a lot of life with Essence Warden or Wellwisher and/or combo kill with Viridian Longbow. Distant Melody ensures the broken combo nature of this deck.

A year ago I did an interview with one of the best elf players out there: Deluxeicoff. As Pauper is an eternal format, much of what was said still applies. Here is the video.

Pauper Elves sample deck list

There has been many versions of this deck. This deck is by F0urL1ghts from an event played on April 21st 2014. Here is the link: http://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/230983

Main Deck
4 Birchlore Rangers
4 Wellwisher
4 Fyndhorn Elves
4 Timberwatch Elf
4 Quirion Ranger
4 Priest of Titania
3 Sylvan Ranger
4 Nettle Sentinel
3 Llanowar Elves
2 Elvish Mystic

4 Distant Melody
2 Spidersilk Armor
1 Viridian Longbow

12 Forest
1 Island

Sideboard
4 Thermokarst
4 Scattershot Archer
3 Gleeful Sabotage
2 Moment's Peace
1 Serene Heart
1 Fog

Financially, the cards you need to care about is Quirion Ranger and Nettle Senitel. Quirion Ranger was just flashback drafted so pick it up now. You will have to wait two weeks until you pick up Nettle Sentinel which will crash hard in the coming weeks due to Flashback drafts.

Here is a bonus video of me playing Elves vs Delver