With Duskmourn spoiler season underway, it’s very natural for us to focus our attention on the flashiest cards that get revealed. The Overlord cycle as well as Meathook Massacre II certainly caught our eye. However, it’s important to not always let cards of lower rarity fall by the wayside.
With this in mind, a very strong common was spoiled earlier today that already has players eager for its release into the Pauper format. It’s not always easy for a newly printed common in a premier set to immediately make noise in a deceptively powerful format like Pauper, but Clockwork Percussionist looks like it has what it takes to shine.
Perfect Kuldotha Rebirth Synergies
- Mana Value: R
- Rarity: Common
- Stats: 1/1
- MTG Set: Duskmourn
- Card Text: Haste. When Clockwork Percussionist dies, exile the top card of your library. You may play it until the end of your next turn.
The obvious spot where Clockwork Percussionist looks poised to make its presence felt is in the mono-red Kuldotha Rebirth deck. This archetype is very aggressive, utilizing a good mix of burn spells and cheap creatures to pressure the opponent’s life total. What really gives the deck its immense staying power, however, is the artifact package. Experimental Synthesizer, for instance, works perfectly as a grindy element that helps enable Kuldotha Rebirth.
Clockwork Percussionist fits every aspect of this archetype. It’s a Hasty one-drop that can start attacking early. Eventually, if the opponent’s life total starts dwindling and they feel the urge to kill it, you get an extra card out of the deal. This deck’s curve is low enough that you’ll typically be able to play the card on your next turn, even if it’s not a land. And, most importantly, Clockwork Percussionist allows you to increase your artifact count for Kuldotha Rebirth at very little cost.
Often times, you’ll see this archetype run cards like Implement of Combustion that, while weak on their own, synergize with both Kuldotha Rebirth and Galvanic Blast. Clockwork Percussionist has virtually the same upside, except it can attack at will when you don’t draw Kuldotha Rebirth. Being a creature also helps increase damage output with Goblin Bushwhacker. Every point of damage matters. Clockwork Percussionist should be a major upgrade to an already strong archetype.
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Other Places for Clockwork Percussionist
- Mana Value: 1B
- Rarity: Common
- MTG Sets: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, Ravnica: Clue Edition, Fallout, Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander, Bloomburrow Commander
- Card Text: As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact or creature. Draw two cards and create a Treasure token. (It’s an artifact with “Tap, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.”)
Beyond just mono-red Kuldotha Rebirth shells, there are some other strategies that could showcase Clockwork Percussionist’s prowess. For example, Rakdos Madness burn decks also have an assertive, artifact subtheme. In the first few turns, Clockwork Percussionist can likely get a few attacks in unscathed. Later on, you can simply sacrifice it to cards like Demand Answers and generate a wealth of card advantage.
In a format with elite sacrifice outlets like Deadly Dispute, it’s very possible Clockwork Percussionist gives rise to some neat deckbuilding ideas. While it’s also not unreasonable for Clockwork Percussionist to show up in other formats, there doesn’t seem to be a great home for it in Standard or Pioneer at the moment.
Red aggro decks are more centered around Prowess/Valiant right now. Meanwhile, the competition for aggro and sacrifice decks in Pioneer may prove to be too steep. Regardless, Clockwork Percussionist’s appeal in Pauper is undeniable, and we look forward to seeing how it performs.
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