Hey everyone! It is time for another Midweek Magic and this one has plenty of people excited to deep dive into it. That is because this week it is Historic Pauper and we are dealing with an all new ban list courtesy of WotC.
This format has a fairly big following that plays it with their own version of a ban list which causes a lot of inconsistencies when it comes to the meta or deck lists in general. That means it’s basically a whole new untouched format every time this event drops.
Typically WotC just lets the historic ban list dictate things, but that obviously led to some degenerate commons taking over. They banned Ancestral Mask (too easy to one shot), Cranial Ram (same as Mask, but even harder to deal with), Galvanic Blast (they really didn’t like Affinity), Kuldotha Rebirth (went too wide, too quick), Refurbished Familiar (see the above comment on Affinity), Sneaky Snacker (free card/board advantage), and Persistent Petitioners (no one likes to play against this).
Of note, they did not include Hare Apparent or Slime Against Humanity, but I didn’t bother adding a deck for either because this event is already budget by definition. There is also a non-zero chance that they are both banned and they just didn’t remember to add them to the list.
Some of the lists may say rarities other than commons, but every card is available at common on Arena.
Oh you just want the deck lists…fine…I’ll go ramble about this stuff to my wife as she pretends to listen.
Event Details
Bring a 60-card Historic deck that contains only commons and basic lands. Look for some common ground with all those cards you’ve drafted and build something new!
Find out more details about this and upcoming Midweek Magic events HERE.
Duration: May 5th, 2026 @ 2:00 PM PST to May 7th, 2026 @ 2:00 PM PST
Format: Historic Pauper
Entry Fee: Free
Ends After: You can play as much as you like for the duration of the event.
They did nerf this deck’s ability to go ultra wide by taking away Kuldotha Rebirth making the Goblin Bushwhacker plan far less effective. I decided to lean more into trying to burn them out with Goblin Grenade offering a way to eat a massive chunk of their life total.
You’ll still be dropping a ton of cheap creatures with the option to bush whack them, you’re just not as all in on that.
This is focused on dropping 5/5s ahead of schedule with Tolarian Terror and Gurmag Angler being well below rate thanks to all the cheap cantrip cards you have. You mostly play control with Mana Leak and removal until you take over with your above average size dudes.
If you’re wondering why Echoing Decay is in there instead of a spell that gives -3-3, it is because in most cases it can handle the same pauper creatures with massive upside when you can pick off more than one. It is also a way to say GG if you do run into a pile of Hare Apparents.
They used to call this eight inspector, but with Elite Interceptor it is almost like you are rocking twelve. This deck floods the board with creatures while being able to clear the way with Patriar's Humiliation. Having so much card advantage built into your one drops means that you can keep the pressure up even against a pile of removal.
This has a ton of card advantage built in with Distant Melody and Winding Way keeping your grip full. Your game plan is to get out a Lys Alana Huntmaster produce a ridiculous pile of elves.
It’s not at all confusing to have two completely different archetypes based around a card often referred to as terror(which is also a completely different card). Pactdoll Terror is the main engine of this deck which has nothing to do with his Tolarian cousin.
This one drains your opponent out every time an artifact enters play with Black Mage's Rod and Cornered by Black Mages providing additional ways to ping away at their life total.
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back next week to talk about Chromatic Start Standard (as soon as I figure out what that actually is). Until then, stay classy people!
Premium
Enjoy our content? Wish to support our work? Join our Premium community, get access to exclusive content, remove all advertisements, and more!
No ads: Browse the entire website ad-free, both display and video.
Exclusive Content: Instant access to all exclusive articles only for Premium members, at your fingertips.
Support: All your contributions get directly reinvested into the website to increase your viewing experience!
Discord: Join our Discord server, claim your Premium role and gain access to exclusive channels where you can learn in real time!
Special offer: For a limited time, use coupon code L95WR9JOWV to get 50% off the Annual plan!
Josh is a member of the elite limited team The Draft Lab as well as the host of The Draft Lab Podcast. He was qualifying for Pro Tours, Nationals, and Worlds literally before some of you were born. After a Magic hiatus to play poker and go to medical school, he has been dominating Arena with over an 80% win percentage in Bo3 as well as making #1 rank in Mythic.
