Welcome to another episode of “Science of Pauper”! I am finally back after a long downtime due to personal reasons. This week, I will not explain the details of what distracted me from blogging. I will rather postpone it to next episode and dive right into the set review of Return to Ravnica. Enjoy!


White
Armory Guard. If a white creature costs four mana it better be a Guardian of the Guildpact, a Seraph of Dawn, or a Coalition Honor Guard. In other words, there are better ways to spend your mana.

Arrest. Even though it is uncommon in Return to Ravnica, but it has been printed as a common as early as Mercadian Masks. Although the effect results in a virtual removal, there are better ways to shut down enemy creatures. Furthermore, activated abilities normally do not play a major role in Pauper.

Avenging Arrow. A conditional removal spell for creatures at three mana is usually worse than Journey to Nowhere or even Oblivion Ring. This card is no exception despite its instant speed.

Azorius Arrester. As mentioned above, there are not many good creatures with activated abilities. Therefore Azorius Arrester’s triggered ability renders it basically into a Goblin Shortcutter, which has not, does not, and probably will not see any play.

Concordia Pegasus. White Weenie has more aggressive options for two mana than an 1/3 flying horse. Other decks including white have a rather tight strategy resulting in only few slots to play with. Again, a french vanilla is not that impressive.

Ethereal Armor. There are some people already getting quite excited about this Aura. I personally do not think it will help establishing the Aura deck. Admittedly, the permanent boost it grants may be significant, but it still bears the weaknesses of Auras in general. In a format where instant speed removal is omnipresent, Auras need to have a huge impact on the game (like a recurring Rancor). If you really insist to play a white one mana Aura, I suggest playing Hyena Umbra that at least negates a removal spell once it hits the battlefield.

Eyes in the Skies. This card first reminded me of a poor man’s version of Battle Screech. With the vast majority of tokens being produced in Pauper, it probably is. Even though the tokens created fly, I prefer Cenn’s Enlistment.

Keening Apparition. A functional reprint of Kami of Ancient Law would probably be best in a White Weenie mirror match. With that limited use, it is inferior to Disenchant and Kor Santifiers.

Knightly Valor. The fact it costs five mana to cast turns this Aura already unplayable. Its effect could prove itself quite useful in a White Weenie mirror match, making its field of application too narrow yet again.

Rootborn Defenses. This card intrigues me. At the same mana cost as Prismatic Strands, it has a similar effect with respect to pseudo-Wrath of God effects like Crypt Rats or Rolling Thunder. However due to its inability to combat Grapeshot I predict it will not see consistent play.

Selesnya Sentry. This creature is virtually a 3/2 vanilla since its regeneration ability costs a fortune. Veteran Swordsmith at least buffs (part of) your army.

Seller of Songbirds. The follow up for Attended Knight is simply inferior to its predecessor.

Sunspire Griffin. Chapel Geist has not seen play, so this functional reprint will not, either.

Swift Justice. Even though I personally am really into combat tricks, they are conditional removal spells most of the time, which renders them worse then real answers (except for specialized strategies as it can be seen for mono green decks).

Trained Caracal. The functional reprint of Nip Gwyllion is worse due to it being mono-colored. Therefore, it cannot profitably be enchanted with the Shadowmoor Auras or – more importantly – combat Guardian of the Guildpact.

Trostani’s Judgment. The effect of the card got me really excited. A closer look – i.e. a glimpse at the mana cost – cooled me down immediately.


Blue
Cancel. This card is still worse than Counterspell and therefore still unplayable.

Chronic Flooding. Wizards decided to print quite some cards for a mill strategy even at common level. I do believe that TurboFrog becomes more and more a viable archetype. Having that said, Chronic Flooding may be included in some of the deck lists since three cards for each time the enchanted lands becomes tapped is quite a clock.

Crosstown Courier. This creature fits into the same strategy as the previous card. However, this one needs to be combined with other cards to connect. Therefore, I think it will less likely see play.

Dispel. A reprint of one of the most potent sideboard cards will definitively continue seeing play.

Doorkeeper. Dispite TurboFrog decks being creature-less until recently, I could see Doorkeeper being included in some deck lists combined with Mnemonic Wall to get back Mindsculpt and alike while simultaneously holding the ground.

Downsize. This card is really underwhelming. Either it is a subperforming combat trick, or with Overload just a (pseudo-) Fog effect.

Inaction Injunction. As already mentioned, I consider the Detain mechanism more like “Target creature can’t block this turn.” which makes this card an unimpressive Stun.

Inspiration. I like this card. Paying one more mana to upgrade a Counsel of the Soratami from sorcery to instant speed seems fine to me, especially when considering blue decks tend to play counter magic. I am still indecisive whether Inspiration or Mysteries of the Deep is better as a one of in a Cloudpost deck. In the end, the discount probably does not play a significant role there.

Isperia’s Skywatch. To keep it short, it is just too expensive for its impact on the board.

Mizzium Skin. Since there are not a lot of spells in Pauper that target multiple creatures simultaneously, the Overload ability can be neglected in the discussion. Its effect is outclassed by the flexibility of Dispel.

Paralyzing Grasp. Even though this acts as a blue removal, play Narcolepsy or even better Curse of Chains (as it disables Guardian of the Guildpacts).

Runewing. As the other functional reprints before, a Kingfisher will not see play, either.

Stealer of Secrets. I personally prefer the human over Scroll Thief. However, Ninja of the Deep Hours outclasses both of them.

Tower Drake. White-blue has not been popular yet. This Drake will not change this fact.

Voidwielder. An Unsummon attached to a Horned Turtle at the cost of Mulldrifter does not sound appealing to me.

Catacomb Slug. Even for Pauper, vanilla creatures are too underwhelming to be included.

Cremate. There are better grave hate cards. If you want to play a black card, I would suggest Shred Memory.

Daggerdrome Imp. Even though Vault Skirge is more vulnerable than Daggerdrome Imp due to being an artifact, I think the discount is worth the potential risk.

Dead Reveler. The Unleash mechanic does intrigue me since it enables really aggressive, if not even reckless, strategies. Dead Reveler resembles Razor Golem. Therefore, if more Unleash cards are printed, I see a place for this card.

Destroy the Evidence. Destroying a land and milling cards from top of the controller’s library until the next land is a nice effect. However, land destruction tends to have impact only during early stages of the game, i.e. turn three latest. Getting rid of a Cloudpost will certainly cripple the opponent in their play, but most likely they will already have benefited from the mana boost, rendering Destroy the Evidence rather underwhelming. Accelerating it out with Dark Rituals commits too many slots for a narrow application that does not win you the game.

Devaint Glee. This card is strictly better than Unholy Strength. In my opinion, it is on the borderline to be playable in an unprecedented archetype. Boosting the toughness by only one may render this Aura a bit fragile but red has access to a lot of First Strike-ing creatures to compensate.

Drainpipe Vermin. This reminds me of a modified version of Insidious Bookworms or Ravenous Rats where the enters-the-battlefield ability is substituted with a when-dies trigger. In most cases, I would estimate Ravenous Rats to be better due to its immediate effect without the need of any other card. Drainpipe Vermin on the other hand, can be significantly more powerful when combined with a sacrifice outlet and a recursion engine like Tortured Existence. This way, a soft lock can be created by letting your opponent discard their freshly drawn card in their draw phase, thereby allowing them to play spells with instant speed only.

Grim Roustabout. The Unleash ability lets the caster choose between slightly worse Drudge Skeletons or an Regenerate-ing Craven Knight. If it had at least one additional point of power and/or toughness I would consider it definitively playable in a dedicated deck. But the way it is, I estimate it to be too weak.

Launch Party. This card behaves similar to Death Bomb as Doom Blade to Terror. There might be a use in a really dedicated deck that abuses when-dies abilities and/ or graveyard recursion. Otherwise, it is just an over-costed removal spell.

Mind Rot. This is a reprint which has not seen noteworthy play, so I estimate it to stay this way.

Ogre Jailbreaker. At best, it is a vanilla 4/4 for four mana, therefore barely playable.

Perilous Shadow. Another Shade is added to black’s army. Its high toughness of four renders it relatively resistant against burn spells. However, it demands quite some commitment to make it work.

Sewer Shambler. Swampwalk has never really played an important role except for Mire Boa at best. Its Scavenge ability renders it into a three to six mana permanent but one shot pump. I see neither an established, nor an unprecedented archetype with use of Sewer Shambler.

Stab Wound. Most creatures die to a malus of -2/-2, so Dead Weight is just better. The triggered ability is not worth the speed loss.

Terrus Wurm. Everything more expensive than four mana has to either have a huge impact on the board or create a significant card advantage. This card fulfills neither of those criteria.


Red
Annihilating Fire. I prefer Yamabushi’s Flame since it needs less colored mana to be cast.

Batterhorn. This Beast is a slightly stronger Ingot Chewer considering its statistics. However, due to its lack of Evoke, it is too clunky to be played.

Bellows Lizard. This creature synergizes well with Goblin Tunneler-esque effects, but that would be a deck for the adventurous.

Cobblebrute. A vanilla creature for four mana that has only a toughness of two trades off too easily with any other random critter.

Dynacharge. Combining Bull Rush and Path of Anger’s Flame does not make me want to play the result.

Electrickery. On first sight, it seems like an over-costed Seismic Shudder. Then I realized, Overload is an alternative cost rather than an additional one, which already makes it superior to the aforementioned card. After another closer look, one will realize that it does not have the limitation of only damaging non-flying creatures, so good-bye flock of Squadron Hawks.

Explosive Impact. As above, six mana for only five damage is simply too weak in Pauper.

Gore-House Chainwalker. A three power creature for two mana puts your opponent under quite some pressure. Unfortunately, it is too fragile due to its low toughness. As I mentioned above, red has some ways to grant creatures First Strike, so this critter may see some play in a dedicated deck.

Lobber Crew. Its ability to only damage players makes it rather unplayable.

Pursuit of Flight. If you want to lift off your creature, play Spectral Flight.

Splatter Thug. Another Blood Ogre wants to be included in a recklessly aggressive deck? Sure, I just need to brew one.

Survey the Wreckage. Another land destruction spell for five mana that does not make the cut.

Tenement Crasher. Even though I really like hasty creatures, this one is simply too expensive to cast.

Traitorous Instinct. If it was an instant, I could see some applications. But I value speed over total power, so I prefer Act of Treason.

Viashino Racketeer. A Goblin Piker with an one shot Rummaging Goblin activation is probably too weak for a three drop.


Green

Aerial Predation. Plummet is on the edge to being playable, acting like a Doom Blade for flying creatures. But this card adds two life for the cost of one mana, thereby making it too expensive for a green deck to be played.

Axebane Guardian. This card resembles Overgrown Battlement mainly differing in the color of mana produced. However, there are not a lot of spells to ramp into in Pauper, so its increased mana cost and lower toughness render it inferior to the real Wall.

Axebane Stag. Another vanilla creature that is not worth ramping into.

Centaur’s Herald. Even though the card itself is barely playable due to the high mana investment for a 3/3 token. However, in a dedicated deck abusing the Populate mechanic Centaur’s Herald may prove herself valuable.

Chorus of Might. This is a really expensive version of Might of the Masses. Admittedly, it also grants Trample which only plays a role in mirror matches. Pump spells of this nature fit best into token decks where normally your army should outnumber the opponent’s. When doing an alpha strike (i.e. attacking with all creatures you control), there should be at least one unblocked creature to be pumped for lethal damage. So three mana for gaining trample is simple over-costed and unnecessary.

Drudge Beetle. Since the Scavenge cost is too expensive for only two +1/+1 counters, it is not worth to play an Insect version of Grizzly Bears.

Druid’s Deliverance. This is at best another sideboard card for the mirror match against a token deck. Fog or Moment’s Peace are the cards of choice when looking for a green Holy Day effect.

Gatecreeper Vine. If I were to compare this with Sylvan Ranger alone, the Elf would win. But considering synergies (e.g. Overgrown Battlement or Doorkeeper, I evaluate Gatecreeper Vine quite playable.

Giant Growth. One of the most popular cards in Magic is sometimes played in Infect and G Stompy decks.

Horncaller’s Chant. Even though this sorcery costs as much as Ulamog’s Crusher to be cast, this may see some play in green Cloudpost decks in addition to the aforementioned Eldrazi and Aurochs Herd. One of the deck’s weaknesses was the low density of win options. Horncaller’s Chant may help to compensate this deficit.

Korozda Monitor. Another over-costed Scavenge creature that will probably not make it into any deck.

Rubbleback Rhino. Hexproof is a very powerful ability, especially when playing green, thereby having access to devastating pump spells. The best example would be Silhana Ledgewalker of which a full playset is included in the 75 of G Stompy decks. However, at the mana cost of five, this Rhino is simply too slow for Pauper.

Stonefare Crocodile. Lifelink is a cute ability that normally does not win you the game. Worse, if mana is required to activate. The lack of evasion/ protection and/or robustness makes this card unplayable.

Towering Indrik. This is a functional reprint of Giant Spider which is outclassed by Penumbra Spider.

Urban Burgeoning. Untaping a land during each untap step makes only sense in tempo decks. Threats are cast during one’s own turn, while the opponent is disrupted during their turn, e.g. by counter magic or mana denial. So far, I have not seen any tempo-oriented deck that plays green.


Multicolor

Augur Spree. Even though this instant may be used as a pump spell, it effectively is a removal in Pauper. It is very unlikely to fight a Ulamog’s Crusher in a black-red deck. Having that said, there are better options to kill creatures, foremost Terminate. If Indestructibility is an issue, try Grasp of Darkness.

Centaur Healer. A vanilla 3/3 for three mana is definitively nothing you want to include in your deck. It is too slow to be sufficiently aggressive and moreover, it trades with a random 2/2 when double-blocked. Therefore, a Centaur Courser is most efficient as a blocker when facing an enemy creature deck. Centaur Healer’s enters-the-battlefield ability furthermore helps in match ups against faster decks. It may see some play in sideboards of underrepresented WG builds.

Chemister’s Trick. A pseudo-Fog effect that may function as a (mass-)removal if you control sufficient power on the board. However, blue-red decks tend to play fewer rather than more creatures.

Common Bond. A one shot Travel Preparations-like effect is inferior to the original, especially when considering Common Bond’s higher casting cost. Admittedly, it can be used as a pseudo-removal due to its instant nature. On the other hand, forcing your opponent to chump block your immensly grown creatures ends up in the same result.

Coursers’ Accord. As discussed above, 3/3 vanilla creatures are generally not that impressive. The excitement of creating two simultaneously is seriously dampened by the casting cost of six.

Dramatic Rescue. Even though there has not been an established white-blue deck yet, Dramatic Rescue could make it into a future deck to fight aggressive decks. It does not only gain you tempo, it also boosts your life total. It remains to be seen if the additional {W} to cast is worth the two life.

Essence Backlash. I value the tempo of two turns higher than dealing two damage on average. To be more concrete, even Remove Soul is better than Essence Backlash.

Goblin Electromancer. I got quite excited when I first saw this card. After I Pondered for instants and sorceries requiring colorless mana, my excitement faded. It remains to be seen if an unestablished archetype will be brawn around this card.

Grisly Salvage. I always wanted Gift of the Gargantuan to work. Unfortunately, I had to realize that it is way to slow. Grisly Salvage has the right cost for a pseudo-Impulse effect, especially in a Tortured Existence deck.

Hussar Patrol. Flash creatures that are decently sized (2/4 matches this criterium) can be considered as pseudo-removal. The Vigilance ability manifests Hussar Patrol’s strength as part of the defense of a future Azorius-based deck.

Search Warrant. I think information is one of the most undervalued, but also simultaneously overvalued aspect of Magic. In this case, looking at your opponent’s hand during one’s own turn is not worth the investment of two mana. Having two mana accessible is by far more valuable (considering counter magic).

Skull Rend. To keep things short: A great multiplayer card, but for duels, play Blightning.

Sluiceway Scorpion. Even though the Scavenge cost is right now, the cost-benefit ratio of the permanent is too bad.

Spawn of Rix Maadi. When compared to cards like Mulldrifter or Okiba-Gang Shinobi, this vanilla five drop is not that impressive.

Trestle Troll. It is a tough Defender. Reach and the one point of power compensate for the relatively high Regenerate cost. This may find some play in the sideboard of black-green Tortured Existence decks that inheritently are weak against flyers.

Frostburn Weird. At first sight, this creature seems underwhelming. But when I thought about it again, I realized that this creature has decently sized for only two mana. It is a great defensive creature in early stages of the game, but can also function as a finisher in the late game by dealing up to three damage a turn. If it does not see any play, I will try to build something with it.

Golgari Longlegs. Another vanilla creature for a huge mana investment. Nope.

Rakdos Shred-Freak. This creature would fit best into an aggressive deck that obviously also plays a high number of one drops. Therefore, Mudbrawler Cohort is superior in most cases due to its robustness against potential blockers like Ravenous Rats.

Sundering Growth. This Disenchant has no downside compared to the original. Admittedly, in fact it does require two colored mana to be cast, but there are not a lot of colorless mana sources in Pauper anyway. Being able to reinforce your army while destroying an opposing Journey to Nowhere or Myr Enforcer sounds great to me.

Vassal Soul. Blue had Wind Drake before, white offers Leonin Skyhunter, so there is no need for Vassal Soul, unless you want to suit it up with Steel of the Godhead.

Azorious Guildgate, Golgari Guildgate, Izzet Guildgate, Rakdos Guildgate, Selesnya Guildgate. I have heard of many people being quite exited about the Gates, thinking that they will promote three colored decks. I disagree. I prefer the original Ravnica bounce lands as they are as fast as the Gates, but ensure your next land drop.

Transguild Promenade. If a rise of multicolored deck occurs, either Rupture Spire or its functional reprint will be added to the mana base to some degree.


Conclusion
There are some good cards, some playables, but most of them is simply underwhelming. I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed about the new cards. Detain and Populate have barely impact due to the lack of suitable “targets” (Populate does not target); Overload and Scavenge are over-costed most of the time; and there are too few cheap Unleash creatures out yet to brew a competitive deck. As a reminder, this is all my personal opinion and since I am human (at least I try to be), I may be wrong.
Let me know what you think about the new set in the comments, or by email or twitter.

That’s it. Stay clean!


High_Gene

Twitter: ScienceOfPauper
Email: ScienceOfPauper@googlemail.com