On top of its wide suite of constructed and Commander playables, Avatar: The Last Airbender also has a number of great new cards for the Pauper format. The endless march of power creep is a rising tide that lifts all boats, and commons are no exception to that rule. Though these tools are more niche than those we got in Edge of Eternities, there’s still real potential for them to break into a number of decks in the format. The following are the five cards we think have the best chance of doing so: the five best new commons for Pauper from MTG Avatar.
5 | Otter-Penguin
Otter-Penguin is an interesting new aggressive option for blue decks in Pauper. As we’ve seen with Sneaky Snacker, it’s trivial for decks like Faeries and Grixis Affinity to draw a lot of cards in one turn. In lists like these, Otter-Penguin is a threat that plays in a similar space to Delver of Secrets.
Getting to swing in for three evasive damage is a pretty big deal in Pauper. The fact that Otter-Penguin becomes truly unblockable, and not just Flying, is excellent as well. This means it doesn’t trade down with opposing Sneaky Snackers, or get chump blocked by Squadron Hawk against Caw-Gates. These are two issues that Delver runs up against fairly frequently, so it’s great to see a new card address them.
Of course, Otter-Penguin costing one more mana and not gaining its evasive buff permanently are two major downsides when compared to Delver. That said, it could make an excellent sideboard option in matchups where the above issues arise. I could easily see players testing this card in Mono-Blue Terror, and possibly Grixis Affinity and Mono-Blue Faeries as well.
4 | Forecasting Fortune Teller
If there’s one thing that Pauper loves, it’s a creature that comes with an artifact attached. Thraben Inspector and Voldaren Epicure are prime examples of format staples that achieved that status largely by being cheap creatures that create artifacts on entry. Forecasting Fortune Teller is the latest in this proud lineage, and it has as much potential as you’d expect.
While it is more expensive than its peers, Fortune Teller also has a much more resilient 1/3 body. This lets it block effectively against most of the creatures in Mono-Red Aggro, which gives it a lot of utility right out of the gate. Fortune Teller is also in blue, which is a considerable advantage in itself. We haven’t seen a creature like this in the color before, at least not in Pauper.
Of course, Fortune Teller will likely do the bulk of its work in Affinity lists. Grixis is the most popular variant of the deck by far right now, and this card could easily slot right in. Building board presence while also setting up an artifact for your future plays is ideal for the deck, so I can definitely see some experimentation at least. Throw in applications in the niche-but-beloved Persistent Petitioner Mill decks in the format, and I’m confident in calling Forecasting Fortune Teller one of the best new commons for Pauper in MTG Avatar.
3 | Purple Pentapus
Despite being a relatively low-power format, Pauper has a surprising number of viable Combo decks currently. Between Mono-Black Sacrifice, Spy Combo, and recent variants of Tron, there are plenty of options for those who like to win through unconventional means. In all of these decks, Purple Pentapus is a new common well worth considering.
This card technically comes via Avatar Eternal rather than the main set, but don’t hold that against it. It’s an absolute machine when it comes to setting up your draws, and your graveyard as well. A 1/1 for one that Surveils 1 is unexciting by itself, but the fact that you can recur Pentapus from your graveyard, at instant speed, no less, puts it over the top.
With this ability, the card goes from underwhelming to seriously interesting. Suddenly, you have access to not just a repeatable source of Surveil to find your key pieces, but also a recurring chump blocker to buy you the time to cast them. This makes the card great in decks like Dredge, where you’re incidentally milling large chunks of your library. It can also serve as easy sacrifice fodder for cards like Dread Return and Fanatical Offering. While it’s definitely not a card for faster decks, Purple Pentapus has enough utility in Combo lists to earn a spot among the best new MTG Avatar commons for Pauper.
2 | Callous Inspector
Much like Forecasting Fortune Teller, Callous Inspector is on this list due to being a cheap creature that comes with an artifact attached. Granted, you only get the Clue once Callous Inspector dies, in this case, but in exchange you also get a solid aggressive body that can apply pressure early.
A 1/1 with Menace feels like a fine opener in Pauper, for a number of established decks. Dimir Faeries certainly appreciates early evasive creatures to fuel Ninjutsu, for example. It also serves as a Human for Of One Mind in that deck. Elsewhere, it seems like a very valid addition to Grixis Affinity. Serving as an early damage source as well as sacrifice fodder for Makeshift Munitions and Reckoner’s Bargain is a solid place to be. Naturally, the extra artifact is appreciated here too. In both cases, the combination of an aggressive body and card advantage is a potent one.
The fact that Callous Inspector pings you on death certainly isn’t ideal, especially with the Pauper metagame as aggressive as it is right now. That said, the decks that will want this card will likely be aggressively-minded themselves, and more willing to race. It’s definitely more niche than the established Inspectors in the format, but I could still see it carving out a place for itself in the next few weeks.
1 | Curious Farm Animals
The best of the new commons for Pauper in MTG Avatar is a wildly flexible creature. Not only does Curious Farm Animals have four different creature types, but it also has two different abilities, which enable countless useful interactions in the format.
Most importantly, this is a Caustic Caterpillar effect in white. It’s better, actually, since there’s no color pip requirement for its activation. While Caterpillar isn’t exactly a format staple, only really seeing play in scattered Elves lists, having the same effect in white is a big deal. This allows decks like Mono-White Aggro and Caw-Gates to play more meaningful interaction against Affinity and Jund Wildfire.
Farm Animals also gives you a nice burst of life when it dies. This is highly flexible in itself, since it triggers whether you use the activated ability or not. Simply chump blocking with the card against Aggro will give you a nice extra safety net, as will sacrificing it to its own ability or to something like Eviscerator’s Insight. The fact that you can block with this card then sacrifice it, and still get all this value, is what really pushes it over the top.
The applications for this card are nigh-endless. You could even try it alongside Embiggen as a chunky threat, since its four different creature types will turn it into a +5/+5 buff for one mana. Curious Farm Animals may well end up as a sideboard piece, but it does enough in different matchups that I could easily see it in main decks too.
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