While it isn’t doing a huge amount in Standard just yet, Edge of Eternities seems to be a stellar set for older formats. Modern has picked up some new toys, and even Legacy and Vintage are having some fun. Adding to this ever-growing fire, the set is also making big strides in Pauper. Cryogen Relic is putting up strong early results, and earlier this week, a couple of new Edge of Eternities cards showed up in Mono-Blue Faeries.
As Pauper decks go, this is about as classic as they come. Mono-Blue Faeries has been a staple of the format for years, standing firm while bans push other decks up and down. That Edge of Eternities has new cards worthy of the list is exciting in itself. Based on these early results, however, they could be the push the deck needs to finally make the Pauper big time.
Edge Of Eternities In Mono-Blue Faeries
Into this well-established Pauper deck, Alakhai introduced two shiny new Edge of Eternities one-drops, and full playsets of each at that. This list earned Alakhai a 5-0 finish in Wednesday’s MTGO Pauper League, so there’s clearly some merit to these additions.
Many players, ourselves included, predicted that Illvoi Galeblade would be a strong addition to Faeries during preview season. Turns out this collective hunch was correct. As a one-mana Flash Flier, it’s perfect to support the deck’s Ninja creatures. Dropping this at the end of your opponent’s turn one, then bringing out a Ninja of the Deep Hours on two, is a classic line. Moon-Circuit Hacker provides redundancy for this effect, coming down cheaper in exchange for one point of toughness.
It’s also a non-Human creature, which helps out a ton with the deck’s secret weapon, Of One Mind. Despite the name, Mono Blue Faeries is not actually a full-on Faerie Typal deck, and this card is the reason why. If you can assemble a Human and a non-Human in play, this becomes a one-mana draw two. That kind of card advantage is what allows Mono-Blue Faeries to really turn the corner in a lot of games. Galeblade enables it better than most, too, since you can Flash it in at end of turn to dodge sorcery speed removal.
Speaking of card advantage, the card draw ability here is hugely relevant, too. You can use it in response to a board wipe to salvage some value, or at the end of a turn where you held up Counterspell but didn’t need it. Mono-Blue Faeries thrives when it’s using all of its mana, and this lets it do that much more often.
Stay Frosty
Most players expected Galeblade to see play in this deck, but Cryoshatter is more of a surprise. Looking at it now, it makes perfect sense, mind you. For one mana, this essentially reduces every creature in the format to no power. It also prevents them from chump blocking or tapping for abilities, lest they die instantly.
Against big threats like Tolarian Terror and Writhing Chrysalis, this is one of the best answers blue has access to. Tempo decks like Mono-Blue Faeries can often struggle against these cards, especially Chrysalis, thanks to its Reach. Mono-Blue Faeries is all about getting through continuously with cheap Fliers, and these cards stop you from doing so. Cryoshatter offers a lifeline in such matchups, as well as a reasonable buffer card against more aggressive decks.
Pre-Edge of Eternities, Mono-Blue Faeries had to rely on Snap to get chunky problem creatures like this off the board. While there are definitely arguments to be made that it’s a stronger play, Cryoshatter has a couple of major upsides. First of all, it’s a whole mana cheaper. As we’ve discussed, Faeries is a deck that really wants to maximize its turns and make the best possible use of its mana. It’s much easier to weave a Cryoshatter into an early turn than a Snap.
Additionally, Cryoshatter is a permanent answer, rather than a temporary one. If it lands, which is very likely in most matchups, there’s very little enchantment removal in Pauper to deal with it. Post-sideboard, it has to contend with Red Elemental Blast/Pyroblast from a lot of decks, but those also tend to be decks that don’t play large creatures in the first place.
An Ascent To Greatness?
With these new Edge of Eternities additions, Mono-Blue Faeries gets a considerable boost. While there are still plenty of obstacles for the deck to overcome, this boost could push it out of tier two and into tier one.
Cryoshatter does a lot of the heavy lifting here. According to MTG Decks data, Gruul Ramp is one of the deck’s rougher matchups, with a 39% win rate. A lot of that comes down to the stopping power of the deck’s chunky Reach creatures, like Writhing Chrysalis, Nyxborn Hydra, and Sagu Wildling. Cryoshatter gives the deck a cheap, effective answer to said creatures, which should help even out this matchup a good bit. The card also helps out against Generous Ent in Dredge and Tolarian Terror in Mono-Blue Terror, but those are good matchups for Faeries as-is.
As for Illvoi Galeblade, this is just a generically good upgrade for the deck. In the past, the best options for extra Flash creatures were the likes of Humbling Elder or Cogwork Wrestler. Galeblade lets you switch those sub-par cards out for a Flash Flier that can stop Sneaky Snackers in their tracks, or chump block a Cryptic Serpent, then cash itself in for a card. This flexibility should improve the deck’s matchups against the aggressive meta-leaders, like Madness Burn and Jund Wildfire.
These are still rough matchups for Faeries, mind you, so it may not make tier one overnight. These new cards give the deck an extra edge, however, and one that may well manifest into exciting results in the weeks to come.
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