TLDR
Pauper MTG is 60-card Magic where every card must have a common printing somewhere, sometime.
It’s cheap to enter, but not “low power.” Commons have been doing crimes since 1993.
The format has real depth: tight sequencing, efficient interaction, and sideboards that actually matter.
Banned list updates happen, so check it before you buy or sleeve up a deck you copied from a league dump at 2 a.m.
Want to test a few builds fast? Playtest responsibly (clear communication, readable cards, and never in sanctioned events).
The hook
Pauper is the format where your wallet finally gets to relax, and in exchange, your brain has to do more of the work. You are playing with commons, yes. But these commons are not “cute little Limited filler.” They are the kind of commons that have survived decades of game design, multiple rules eras, and at least one “we probably shouldn’t have printed that at common” meeting.
If you’ve ever wanted Magic that feels competitive, interactive, and surprisingly punishing without needing a second job, Pauper MTG is the obvious answer.
What is Pauper MTG?
Pauper MTG is a constructed format with a simple deckbuilding restriction:
Your deck is 60 cards minimum
Sideboard up to 15
Only cards that have been printed at common in a Magic product are legal
Any version of a card is legal if the card has a common printing (yes, even if the copy you own has a different rarity symbol)
That last point matters more than people expect. Pauper is “commons-only” in legality, not “the physical ink on your card must show a black set symbol.” The card just needs a common printing somewhere in its history.
Paper vs MTGO legality (the modern reality)
Once upon a time, “Pauper” meant different things depending on whether you played on Magic: The Gathering Online or at your local store. That got cleaned up when Wizards of the Coast moved to unify Pauper and expand legality so that a card with a common printing in paper or digital counts.
In practice: if you can verify it has a common printing, you can usually play it.
A quick history of the format
Pauper didn’t appear because someone at Wizards woke up and chose generosity. It happened because players kept building commons-only decks anyway, and the format proved it could sustain a real metagame.
The official, “this is a real thing now” moment began on MTGO, and later Pauper gained formal tabletop support as well. The big story is that Pauper evolved from a grassroots budget format into a fully monitored competitive environment with bans, metagame churn, and players who will absolutely spend a full week arguing about whether one mana draw spells are “healthy.”
Why people stick with Pauper
1) It’s affordable, but not watered down
You can build a functional Pauper deck for the cost of a couple of Commander staples. Even the “expensive” Pauper decks are usually expensive in a very funny way, like “this land is $8 because it was printed in 1997 and nobody owns four copies anymore.”
2) The games reward fundamentals
Pauper punishes sloppy sequencing and rewards tight play:
Combat math matters
Resource trades matter
Sideboarding matters
Knowing what to counter (and when not to) matters
You don’t get to brute force your way through everything with mythic bombs. Sometimes you win because you played around a trick from 2003 that your opponent has been emotionally attached to for 15 years.
3) The metagame actually moves
New sets keep feeding Pauper with commons that are either genuinely interesting or quietly broken. The format shifts, players adapt, and the banned list occasionally steps in when something turns into “same deck, same end step, same argument.”
Pauper rules and deck construction
Here’s what you need to know, in human language:
Deck basics
60+ cards main deck
Up to 15 sideboard
Up to 4 copies of a card across main + sideboard (except basic lands)
Common legality rule as described above
Match structure
Most Pauper is played as best-of-three with sideboards, especially in leagues and events. Kitchen table Pauper can be anything you want, but if you’re learning, best-of-three teaches you the real format fast.
The banned list is part of the format
Pauper has its own banned list. It exists because commons are not automatically fair, and the format spans Magic’s entire history. Bans are the pressure valve that keeps “affordable” from turning into “everyone plays the same storm deck until the sun burns out.”
As of late 2025, there were high-profile Pauper changes, including a notable ban that followed a “trial unban” experiment. The practical takeaway is simple:
Always check the current Pauper banned list before you commit. The list is not decorative.
What’s good in Pauper right now (a 2026 snapshot)
Pauper’s top decks change over time, but you’ll usually see a mix of:
Tempo (cheap threats plus counters)
Artifact synergies (Affinity-style shells)
Linear red decks (multiple flavors of fast damage)
Creature engines (go-wide or value creatures)
Control and midrange (yes, these exist, and yes, you can still lose to them while holding three cards that “should” have won)
A recent metagame snapshot shows several familiar pillars at the top, including variants of Terror shells, red aggressive strategies, Elves, and Affinity-based builds. If you’re new, don’t overthink it: pick a deck that matches how you like to win, then learn the matchups.
The beginner-friendly archetypes
If you want to start without learning 40 micro-interactions on day one:
Red aggro/burn variants: straightforward game plan, teaches sequencing and sideboarding fast
Elves: rewards practice, has explosive turns, and teaches you how to mulligan responsibly
Mono-Blue Faeries/tempo: teaches stack interaction and timing (and how to be patient, unfortunately)
The “you’ll learn a lot, but you might suffer” archetypes
Affinity shells: powerful, lots of moving parts, rewards reps
Control/midrange piles: you’ll win games by inches and it will feel great, until it doesn’t
Combo decks: very matchup dependent, very sideboard dependent, very “please don’t misclick your own line” dependent
How to get into Pauper without making it weird
Here’s a simple checklist that saves time and social friction.
Pauper starter checklist
Pick one deck and commit to learning it for at least 10 matches
Print or write a sideboard guide (even a messy one)
Goldfish 5 opening hands and practice mulligan decisions
Learn the top 5 decks you expect to face and what matters against each
Keep your cards readable (especially if you’re using playtest cards)
Yes, you can use playtest cards, with normal-person rules
Let’s be precise here because people get sloppy:
Sanctioned events: use authentic cards, full stop, unless a judge issues a proxy due to damage during the event
Casual play: proxies and playtest cards are often fine if your group is fine with it
Don’t try to pass anything off as real. That’s not “budget.” That’s “I enjoy bad decisions.”
If you’re testing Pauper lists before buying singles, playtest cards can be a practical tool. And if you want a clean, consistent stack for casual testing, PrintMTG has tools like a decklist order builder and set browsing to help you assemble what you need quickly.
Pauper in paper: where it shines
Pauper is at its best when:
Both decks are doing something powerful
Interaction is meaningful
Your choices matter more than your collection
It’s also great as a “skills format.” If you take Pauper seriously for a couple months, you will usually come back to other formats sharper. You’ll also complain more about mulligans. That part is unavoidable.
FAQs
Is Pauper MTG a sanctioned format?
Yes, Pauper is supported as an official format, including tabletop event support through Wizards’ systems (where stores choose to run it).
Are uncommon or rare printings legal if the card has a common printing?
Yes. If the card has ever been printed at common in a Magic product, any printing of that card is legal in Pauper.
How often does the Pauper banned list change?
It changes when Wizards announces updates. The timing is not daily, but it’s regular enough that you should check before buying into a deck based on last year’s list.
Is Pauper good for new players?
Yes, if the new player is okay with losing a bit while learning. The power is real, and the interactions are sharp. But the cost of entry is low, so it’s easier to iterate and improve.