Top 53 Best Magic: The Gathering Cards You Can Use For Pauper in Magic Arena Now

Star-Crowned Stag can be an effective answer in grindy matches as it can help you penetrate through your opponent's defenses by tapping a creature. I've lost to a white aggro deck that was able to use this along with a team of other white creatures to out-tempo me fast. 

Control decks are viable in Pauper thanks to a good variety of playable blue cards. Syncopate may not always be effective in the late game but when your opponent doesn't have a lot of lands to tap, it can counter almost anything even those strong Hexproof creatures that I'll talk more about later in this list. Exiling the spell you counter ensures that it won't be returned for the rest of the game. 

There's a lot of good cards in Pauper that are worth ramping up into and if you're running green, you should run Llanowar Elves. It may be mediocre in the late game but if you draw it early, the classic one-drop creature can help you unleash your threats early in the game. 

Dimir is strong in Magic Arena's Pauper format, and if you're running a Surveil-focused deck, then you should run Whisper Agent. The Flash 3/2 Human Rogue can surprise an attacking creature early in the game; plus, it can give awaken the powers of Darkblade Agent thanks to its Surveil ability. 

Here's another decent Dimir common card you cause in Pauper. For four mana, you can kill one of your opponent's creatures and/or tap one of them. The versatility it offers in Pauper can save you from an explosive offense or it can also help you clear the way for your creatures' attack. 

If there are cards that could make red-based aggro decks viable in Pauper, Ghitu Journeymage is definitely one of them. With Ghitu Lavarunner, Ghitu Chronicler, and/or any other wizard creature you control in play, you can deal 2 damage to your opponent while providing a 3/2 body that could potentially deal more. 

Sumala Woodshaper is an essential card in the Bant Hexproof deck that's taking over the Pauper format. The card lets you find the hexproof creature or Aura you need to help set up your plan while providing a 2/1 body to give you time to set it up. 

Disdainful Stroke is one of the few counterspells in Pauper that could stop one of the format's biggest threats. If you expect to play against a lot of hexproof-focused decks, you may start loading more copies of Disdainful Stroke to counter their key creatures and/or Aura spells. 

Opt is the ideal card to increase the probability to get the card you need as early as possible. It's a good card to have in hexproof-focused decks but I wouldn't run many copies of it. 

Like Ghitu Chronicler and other valuable creature cards with a bonus Kicker effect, Caligo Skin-Witch can be useful early game and late game. A 1/3 body that could force your opponent to discard two cards if kicked can catch them off guard. That's why I run at least 1 copy in my Grixis Chronicler deck. 

Adventurous Impulse saw a good amount of Standard play so it's not surprising to see it work in Pauper. The green sorcery acts like Opt in a way as it could help you find the cards you need a few turns earlier. That's why the popular Bant Hexproof deck uses at least 2 copies of this card to help get the essential parts of the deck efficiently. 

I saw the power of Sonic Assault while I was playing against an Izzet burn deck. Most of the time, this card deals 4 total damage (2 for normal play plus 2 with Jump Start) while stalling opposing creatures no matter how big they are as long as you can target them, of course. 

Blink of an Eye is the best "bounce" card you play in Magic Arena's Pauper right now while drawing you a card if you kick it. This card is able to bring back an opponent's huge creature, an Aura, or your own creature to save from a removal spell but my favorite use of Blink of an Eye is returning a Ghitu Chronicler to my hand so I can cast it again with the Kicker. 

Aura spells are powerful in Pauper especially when they're paired with hexproof creatures. Oakenform is a fine choice in green-based Hexproof decks thanks to the power/toughness boost it provides for only 3 mana. 

Gideon's Reproach is one of the best Instant removal spells currently available in Magic Arena's Pauper. For only 2 mana, the card can defend against early threats and give additional damage during combat. I run 3 to 4 copies in my Blue/White Cold-Water Snapper deck. 

These two cards basically do the same thing: disable opposing creatures no matter how big they are. Blue is a powerful color in Pauper right now and running multiple copies of these cards can help you stall your opponent until you can pull off your ultimate plan. 

Severed Stands is a fantastic black removal. Sometimes, I want a Ghitu Chronicler in my graveyard so I can use Soul Salvage to bring it back to my hand and re-cast with the Kicker. This card can help me put Ghitu Chronicler to my grave while killing an opponent's creature. Golgari token decks can also use this card to kill big opposing creatures to help clear the way. 

Paired with medium to a high-powered creature, Pegasus Courser can be a threat as it can give another creature Flying. Pauper games can often be grindy but Pegasus Courser can help you get damage through thanks to its ability. I've lost several times because I didn't draw an answer against a Pegasus Courser so if you're playing an aggressive white deck, this is one of the cards that you should include in your deck. 

While Opt and Adventurous Impulse are effective in finding the cards you need, Anticipate does it better at the cost of just one more mana. If Bant Hexproof decks run four copies of this card, that's saying a lot. 

There's not a lot of playable burn spells in Magic Arena's Pauper format right now but at least we have Shock. Just like how it works in other formats, this card can kill an early threat, give additional damage to creature during combat, or give 2 direct damage to your opponent. I run 1 to 2 copies in my Grixis Chronicler deck. 

Jousting Lance is the perfect Equipment to include in Rat Colony decks or any other aggressive decks in Pauper. Giving a creature +2 +0 and First Strike could make a huge difference in combat. 

The value of this common red card is insane. We've seen its power in Standard so it's not surprising to see this card see play in Pauper. This card is a must-have in aggressive red-based decks. It may be vulnerable to cheap removal spells but the direct damage it deals is often enough to bring your opponent's life total down to 0. 

Notion Rain is another Dimir staple that can give you great card advantage in Pauper. Being able to Surveil 2 and draw two additional cards can get you ahead of the game. The awesome art by Lius Lasahido is just a stunning bonus. 

This is the best white removal card you can play in Magic Arena's Pauper right now. Luminous Bonds can disable almost any creature in the field and it's the removal of choice for Bant Hexproof decks because you can find it with Adventurous Impulse. 

This is one of the two potential finisher cards for aggressive white decks especially if you get a bunch of token creatures early in the game. If the Angel of the Dawn can't finish the game the turn it comes into play, its 3/3 Flying body could finish the job. 

Jungleborn Pioneer is one of the best green creatures you can play in Magic Arena's Pauper. It doesn't just provide two bodies for 3 mana, the most important thing to remember here is that the token creature it makes has hexproof, making this the cheapest hexproof creature you can play in MTGA's Pauper. It may be weaker compared to the other hexproof creatures you'll see in this list but it's the hardest-to-counter as you can play this as early as turn 2 (with Llanowar Elves). 

While there are no solid mass removal common cards you can play in Magic Arena's Pauper format, Mephitic Vapors is the closest thing to it as it can wipe out a horde of 1/1 tokens while you Surveil 2. It's a good card to have against aggressive decks for sure. I run at least one in my Grixis Chronicler deck. 

Wall of Mist is the perfect Defender to stall your opponent until you can play your Soul of the Rapids or Cold-Water Snapper. I also use this card in my Grixis Chronicler deck to help defend myself from early threats. If you're playing blue in Pauper, it doesn't hurt to run multiple copies of this card. 

Soul Salvage is awesome in Pauper thanks to its combo with Ghitu Chronicler. I use this card to bring back two Ghitu Chroniclers to my hand so I can re-cast with the Kicker. I can even use one of the Ghitu Chroniclers to bring back Soul Salvage itself so I can repeat the process in another turn. This card is just like Macabre Waltz but at least you don't have to discard a card with Soul Salvage. 

Hypothesizzle delivers so much value for 5 mana. You can kill one of your opponent's creatures after drawing two cards at instant speed. It's already proven to be great in Guilds of Ravnica Limited formats so it's not surprising to see this Instant card become playable in Pauper. I'd probably just run 1 or 2 copies though. 

Darkblade Agent is the main reason why Dimir is powerful in Magic Arena's Pauper format. With a good amount of Surveil cards to back it up, Darkblade Agent can help you get card advantage when it deals combat to an opponent. Even if your opponent has big creatures to block it, who cares? It can gain Deathtouch if you Surveil and most of the time, they're losing more. 

Sailor of Means is great in Pauper. In addition to providing solid defense with its 1/4 body, it can also help you ramp up to something bigger thanks to the treasure token it provides. I use this card in every blue Pauper deck I've built yet and it overperformed more than I expected. It helped me play my Cold-Water Snapper a turn earlier while defending against opposing threats. 

Like Angel of the Dawn, Inspired Charge can end the game quickly if you have an army of creatures ready to attack. It's a must-have for Token-based decks and if you manage to build an army of saprolings or soldier tokens, Inspired Charge is the card that could bring you to victory quickly. 

If you're running black in Pauper, then you should run multiple copies of Eviscerate. I'd play this over the five-to-cast black removal spells simply because it costs 1 mana less and the bonus the other removals provide won't matter much anyways. 

Rhizome Lurcher is the Tarmogoyf of Pauper. If you play a creature-heavy Golgari deck, Rhizome Lurcher can become a huge threat that your opponent would want to exterminate right away. 

Moment of Craving is one of my favorite removal spells in Pauper as it could kill early threats while gaining you 2 life. It can also help you win combat. I run 2 to 4 copies in my Grixis Chronicler deck. 

The dual tap lands of Core Set 2019 and the Guilds of Ravnica guildgates are important in making your mana base more efficient in Pauper so if you're playing two or more colors, you definitely have to run these land cards. 

The hexproof creatures are great in Pauper but they wouldn't be amazing without the auras that make them unbeatable. One With The Wind and Arcane Flight pretty much do the same thing: give your creature Flying and a small boost, which are enough to help you deal the last points of damage that your opponent can't do anything about. I've won so many Pauper and draft games with a flying Cold-Water Snapper thanks to Arcane Flight. 

If white has Inspired Charge to win combat, red has a better weapon: Cosmotronic Wave. This card doesn't just kill opposing 1/1's, it also disables your opponent's creatures for 1 turn, and you only need 1 turn to win. This is a solution to grindy Pauper games. Your opponent's high-toughness creatures will be useless when you play this card. It also pairs up well with Piston-Fist Cyclops as it can enable it to attack while making it unblockable. 

It may not be as big as Cold-Water Snapper but at least Soul of the Rapids already has Flying when you play it. It's 3/2 body can easily be blocked by opposing flying creatures but that's not a problem if you enchant it with Mark of the Vampire or any other playable aura card. Like other hexproof creatures, Soul of the Rapids is one of the hardest-to-kill creatures in Pauper. 

Since the expensive fetchlands are not playable in Pauper, Evolving Wilds is the best land you can use and it pretty much does the same thing. Of course, the basic land you fetch comes into play tapped but who cares? Pauper is a slower format anyway, and you can afford to have lands tapped for a turn most of the time. Evolving Wilds will help you get the color of mana you need while filtering out your deck so you can lessen your chances of drawing another land card in future turns but you already know the power of fetchlands. 

I've already mentioned how great this card is especially when paired with Cosmotronic Wave. A 4/3 Defender that could attack if you play an Instant or Sorcery spell is powerful to have in Pauper. Imagine having 2 or more of these cards in play. The card provides a solid defense while giving you an offensive body to attack when the time is right. 

I've played against a bunch of Rat Colony decks in Magic Arena's Pauper, and I have to say that it's one of the most annoying Pauper decks to play against. Having a limitless amount of Rat Colony in the deck means that each rat can get bigger the more rats you have in play so it's easy to build an army of 8/1's if your opponent doesn't have an answer to your horde. Sure, Cosmotronic Wave and Mephitic Vapors can kill all the rats in one swipe but most of the time, you won't get the answers you need to kill all of them. 

Cold-Water Snapper was my favorite card in Dominaria draft and it continues to dominate the Pauper format in Magic Arena thanks to its Hexproof 4/5 body that's difficult to deal with especially if you give it flying.

You can watch me play my Izzet Snapper deck below: 

Cold-Water Snapper used to be #1 in my list for best Pauper cards in Magic Arena but there are still a few more cards that deserve higher ranks so keep reading to find out.

It may not be the biggest hexproof creature playable in Pauper but it's the best you can play in Magic Arena. The fact that it cost two less mana compared to Cold-Water Snapper matters a lot because the earlier you play a hexproof creature, the less likely it will be countered. Most of the time, Jade Guardian will come down as a 3/3 hexproof creature and by turn 5 or 6, you can enchant an aura on it to make it more powerful. There's not a lot of things your opponents can do against a powered-up flying Jade Guardian by turn 5. Either they get rid of the auras and/or block the Jade Guardian in combat, which is easier said than done even in Pauper. That's why Jade Guardian is the highest-ranked hexproof creature in this list. 

With the dominance of hexproof creatures in Pauper format, Essence Scatter is more important in this format than ever. I run at least 3 copies in my Grixis Chronicler deck and if I see more hexproof-based decks, I'd probably raise it up to 4. Even if you're not playing against decks with hexproof creatures, this card can stop major threats your opponents might play against you. 

Ghitu Chronicler is so amazing in Pauper format that I've built a Grixis Control deck around it. Early game, you can just play it as a 1/3 body to defend you; late game, you can pay its Kicker cost to get a removal card, Secrets of the Golden City, a Soul Salvage to return other copies of Ghitu Chroniclers or whatever you need to win the game. This is the #1 reason to play red in Pauper but it wouldn't be as great if wasn't for the #1 card in this list.

Secrets of the Golden City is my #1 pick for the best common card you can play in Magic Arena's Pauper format right now and it's easy to see why. The card can give you serious card advantage especially in the late game if you have City's Blessing and the fact that you can re-cast the same copy after kicking Ghitu Chronicler is awesome. Drawing three additional cards if you have ten permanents in play will get you ahead of the game in no time. If you love playing Control in Pauper, this is the perfect card to play to help you win. 

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So what do you think are the best cards for Pauper in Magic Arena? Do you agree with this list or do you think there are cards that I should have included? Share your thoughts in the comments section below and check out ourMagic Arena videos here. 

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