Proper Pauper Prowess

Pauper Aggro Budget Combo Double strike Humans Mono-Red Prowess

Balaam__

Sorcery (14)

• 3x Assault Strobe
• 3x Crash Through
• 4x Lava Spike
• 4x Reckless Impulse

Land (22)

• 22x Mountain

Creature (12)

• 4x Mage-Ring Bully
• 4x Monastery Swiftspear
• 4x Sanguinary Mage

Instant (12)

• 4x Lava Dart
• 4x Lightning Bolt
• 4x Temur Battle Rage

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Sideboard

Instant (15)

• 4x Crash
• 4x Downhill Charge
• 3x Fireblast
• 4x Thunderclap

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Maybeboard

Creature (4)

• 1x Dwarven Forge-Chanter
• 1x Firebrand Archer
• 1x Kiln Fiend
• 1x Thermo-Alchemist

Instant (4)

• 1x Apostle's Blessing
• 1x Double Cleave
• 1x Manamorphose
• 1x Mutagenic Growth

Sorcery (2)

• 1x Ancestral Anger
• 1x Chain Lightning

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I hastily threw this together the moment I learned Monastery Swiftspear was reprinted at the Common level, making it Pauper legal. I wanted to push this out there with a quickness to try and get ahead of any potential bans. With my luck I figure I’ll get a good 15mins of viable airtime before WotC drops the Banhammer :D

The Mana Base

An Irish Policeman’s delight, we run 22 basic Mountains and that’s it.

”Move along, nothin’ ta see here.”

Experts in the Field

Going all in on the Prowess keyword ability, we run 3 full play sets of creatures bearing the characteristic. I briefly contemplated running Thermo-Alchemist but wanted to maintain the simplistic purity of the deck. Feel free to modify the shell, as experimentation in the game is frequently rewarding.

•Monastery Swiftspear is now a Common, in all her glory. I chose the best artwork in the best border for the deck, price be darned. With a multitude of noncreature spells contained within, we intend to put this lass to work and watch the buffs roll in.

•Mage-Ring Bully costs slightly more but enters play incrementally stronger, albeit with a mandate to attack each turn. With as many cheap 1 drop spells as we have, ensuring he grows in might is all but a given and negates much of that inherent risk.

•Sanguinary Mage is our last Prowess enabled creature and initially the toughest of the three. What might otherwise be a lightning rod for quick removal can nimbly sidestep certain death courtesy of a well timed Instant spell.

Belt Fed Spells

Like Rambo toting the M60 in one hand while holding the ammo belt in the other, the name of the game is to fire off spells willy nilly. Feel free to let out a garbled roar, if that sort of thing goes over well at your LGS.

I’ve taken the liberty of breaking them down into two broad categories, detailed below.

Burn Spells Show

•Lightning Bolt is the granddaddy of all burn spells and is particularly effective in the format. A must have without exception.

•Lava Dart seems like it would only merit a “Well. That was a minor inconvenience.” at first glance, but when used in conjunction with support spells on already augmented Prowess creatures and coupled with the (essentially) free Flashback cost, the potential is enormous.

•Lava Spike is functionally a paired back Lightning Bolt in Pauper, as there are no Planeswalkers printed at the Common rarity (to my knowledge) and it cannot target creatures. Nevertheless, another 1 mana burn spell that will buff our creatures and zap for 3 damage makes it worthy of inclusion.

Support Spells Show

•Reckless Impulse can help vicariously extend our hand, granting access to yet more cheap noncreature spells to help bring the hurt. This seems a more logical choice as opposed to draw spells like Cathartic Reunion since we’d rather be casting spells than discarding them. In a deck where most everything is viable to be cast in a given situation, better to have more options than to throw stuff away while looking for the ‘perfect card’.

•Of what use are pumped up creatures if 8 points of combat damage are absorbed by a 1/1 to buy time? Crash Through can really help ensure we leave our mark on the opponent’s life total and not squander our augmented army.

•Assault Strobe is here on a trial basis. Were it able to be cast at Instant speed I’d be much more inclined to lock it in place, but the more deliberate foresight necessary to use it effectively may prove problematic. Time will tell if it earns a place.

•Temur Battle Rage on the other hand is a definitive inclusion. We’ll almost certainly eclipse a power of 4 thanks to Prowess, and the Trample bonus is most welcome.

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Selecting the appropriate spell for the situation is wise, but when in doubt simply unload!

TL;DR

•Cast Prowess enabled creatures

•Cast myriads of low costed spells, removing threats or enhancing already pumped up attackers.

•Push through excessive amounts of combat damage with the aid of Trample granting bonuses.

The Sideboard

I decided to have some fun with the sideboard and keep it to a theme, that being ‘free’ alternate casting costs for all spells within. Simply have a little faith and ”…say unto this mountain, ‘Remove hence to yonder place’; and it shall remove” from the table to the graveyard, enabling the casting of a spell without spending one red pip.

•Crash smashes artifacts like nobody’s business.

•Thunderclap is mighty fine creature removal.

•Fireblast can be used as stronger removal or can target the opponent directly. Very surprising, and quite the game ending finisher.

•Downhill Charge is a wonderful augmentation spell, somewhere between an Assault Strobe and a Temur Battle Rage that can be played for ‘free’. Not bad!

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Yes there are better sideboard choices but this sub theme was simply more fun for me to build around. If you’re concerned with having answers for games two and three, there are plenty of Prowess decks out there to glean ideas from.

”Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.”

Top Ranked	Achieved #4 position overall 2 years ago Achieved #1 position in Pauper 2 years ago
Date added	2 years
Last updated	11 months
Legality	This deck is not Pauper legal.
Cards	60
Avg. CMC	1.42
Folders	Pauper, .Pauper, BUDZET