With Pauper being such a diverse, interactive format, I wanted to take this week to talk about one of my favorite combo decks in the format. The deck is still hush-hush, as only one list has been posted as a 5-0 list and no one is talking about it, but it is still very potent.
This combo deck has the ability to kill on turn two while also still being able to grind out a late game. It is everything you want in a combo deck—a fast kill with resilience behind it.
Tireless Tribe Combo
Creatures (16)
3 Benevolent Bodyguard
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Tireless Tribe
4 Squadron Hawk
1 Mulldrifter
Spells (25)
4 Brainstorm
1 Dispel
2 Gitaxian Probe
3 Preordain
3 Shadow Rift
1 Apostle's Blessing
4 Inside Out
4 Journey to Nowhere
2 Deep analysis
1 GushLands (19)
4 Evolving Wilds
5 Island
6 Plains
4 Tranquil Cove
Sideboard (15)
2 Dispel
2 Hydroblast
2 Sunlance
1 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Rest for the Weary
2 Dust to Dust
2 Prismatic Strands
2 Stormbound Geist
This deck is effectively like Modern Splinter Twin, Infect, and Standard Cawblade had a baby. You get crazy Squadron Hawk and Brainstorm shenanigans while also being able to threaten a kill at any time. So, let’s start by talking about the combo pieces.
The combo pieces:
This is the namesake of the deck—the heart of the combo. Tireless Tribe is effectively the “infect” part of this deck. It can get big and kill in one swing. On top of that, it can also be an amazing blocker with the +0/+4 ability.
Apostle’s Blessing/Shadow Rift
These are for the evasion abilities or for your Tireless Tribe to blank the spot removal your opponent has with Apostle’s Blessing.
Inside out is the other part of the combo—switching that power and toughness! Having a two-card combo that can kill on turn two is potent in this format.
Other ways to win:
This is what I call the “other combo” in this deck that generates a LOT of card advantage. You Squadron Hawk for your other copies, put two of them back on top with Brainstorm, and then Squadron Hawk for the other two on the top of your library! Ancestral Recall anyone?
Obviously, Delver of Secrets is an amazing card, nevertheless a common. With how many instants and sorceries this deck runs, running this card is a no brainer. Delver can win games on his own.
Other cool options:
Dizzy Spell can tutor for your Tireless Tribe! It can also get Shadow Rift if you can’t get through.
About Face is a one mana Inside Out! It could also be tutored up by Dizzy Spell if you wanted to go down the “pure combo” route this deck can take.
But, the problem is, they don’t cantrip! Cantripping on cards like Inside Out and Shadow Rift are what help fuel the Tireless Tribe combo. To do 21 damage to your opponent, you have to discard FIVE cards. That is a lot in a game of Magic.
The Sideboard:
Dispel is great against the Counterspell decks or the Mono Black Control deck—anything that can interrupt our combo at instant speed.
Hydroblast/Circle of Protection: Red/Rest for the Weary
Great against the mono-red decks and other burn style decks like the Izzet Kiln Fiend deck. Luckily, Tireless Tribe has built in protection when someone tries to kill him with a burn spell, but as soon as we Inside Out we need to be wary and that is where Hydroblast comes in clutch.
Affinity is the big one for this card. Affinity has always been a force in Pauper and it has been coming back strong recently.
This against the mono-colored aggro decks—things like Mono White, Mono Red, Stompy, Elves, Goblins—you get the idea.
This card is an all-star against a difficult matchup, Mono Black Control. It effectively nullifies their first few edict effects like Geth’s Verdict and Chainer’s Edict while also being a decent threat and is a reasonable clock. Stormbound Geist also fairs well against the Delver of Secrets decks by providing a good blocking strategy against Insectile Aberration and Spire Golem.
Conclusion
This deck is a lot of fun, but it is a very difficult deck to pilot—there are a lot of difficult decisions and you have a lot of options throughout the game. If a combo deck like this is something that you’d consider your style, check it out for Pauper Leagues on MTGO or for your local game store’s Pauper FNM!
If you have any questions about the deck, or anything else MtG related, you can get ahold of me on Twitter, @kintreespirit.
Thanks for reading!
Lexie Mettler is a Level 2 judge from Fort Wayne, Indiana. By day she is a student, by night she streams MTGO and practices for tournaments all over the Midwest.