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The Undisputable Pauper Tier 1: Mono Red Synthesizer

Alessandro Carvallo
20/01/2023 · 5 min read
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About the Deck

Mono Red Synthesizer is undoubtedly one of the best Pauper decks  available right now, ranking as Tier 1 with a lot of potential for the next few weeks in the Pauper Format metagame .

Known for its aggressive style, taking advantage of cards like Monastery Swiftspear or Kuldotha Rebirth to put early pressure on their opponents.

Generally, most aggressive decks in the Pauper Format have a great early game, but a mediocre mid game and a very weak late game...that's where Mono-Red Synthesizer stands out from the other aggressive decks because our mid game is really strong, capable of grinding out any match we face, and our late game is relatively acceptable, always with the potential to close out games with Burn Spells.

After spending several weeks playing with the deck, this is my current iteration of the deck with which I feel very confident. Of course, some of the cards may be changed depending on each player's preferences for their own way of viewing the deck.

My current version of the deck

This is my best build, and I would use it for my upcoming Pauper tournaments .

My current version
My current version

Mono Red Kuldotha. Builder: Cabezadebolo.MTGO - Magic Online
Top32 in MTGO Pauper Challenge #12504299 01-Jan-2023
MTG Decks Maindeck (60)
Creature [12]
4  Monastery Swiftspear   $0.79
4  Goblin Blast-Runner   $0.49
4  Voldaren Epicure   $0.49
Artifact [8]
2  Implement of Combustion   $0.39
2  Chromatic Star   $0.35
4  Experimental Synthesizer   $1.29
Instant [11]
4  Lightning Bolt   $1.29
2  Lava Dart   $0.35
4  Galvanic Blast   $1.29
1  Fireblast   $0.49
Sorcery [12]
4  Chain Lightning   $0.49
4  Kuldotha Rebirth   $2.29
4  Reckless Impulse   $1.49
Land [17]
13  Mountain   $0.01
4  Great Furnace   $2.29
Sideboard [15]
3  Pyroblast   $5.99
2  Unholy Heat   $0.35
4  Relic of Progenitus   $5.99
2  Gorilla Shaman   $0.39
4  Smash to Dust   $0.49
Buy this deck:

$49.96 Tix @cardhoarder   $1.25 / Week @cardhoarder   $53.10 @tcgplayer   $83.37 @cardkingdom  


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Deck Breakdown

CREATURES

The creature line-up is solid, with Monastery Swiftspear and Voldaren Epicure being staples in most lists.

 Where I differ slightly is in the choice of the third creature for the deck. In this case, I'd pick Goblin Blast Runner over Dwarven Forge Chanter.

Goblin Blast Runner has a lot of synergy with our game plan, and it also has more synergy with Experimental Synthesizer and Reckless Impulse. This deck thrives and reaches its full potential when we can extract the maximum value from each card.

ARTIFACT CORE

The Artifact core is pretty solid as well. Our goal of playing cheap Artifacts to enable Kuldotha Rebirth quickly and efficiently, without losing our card advantage. As I had mentioned, every card we cast is very important, and we must cast our spells carefully in order to get the most out of this deck.

Without a doubt, Experimental Synthesizer is the best card in the deck. It provides us with a very favorable mid game, and a considerable card advantage. It is also a very complex card to use, but in exchange, it can be really advantageous if you maximize its potential.

To complete our artifacts core we will also run Implement of Cobustion and the red artifact land.

BURN SPELLS

Our burn spells are also quite good, in fact I believe they are the most efficient Burn Spells in Pauper at present.

Our set of burn spells
Our set of burn spells

Some of the flex slots in my deck are Lava Dart, which I think is an incredibly efficient card in certain metagames. I'm including it in my top 60 right now, mainly because of the matchup against Caw Gates and the mirror match, as well as the ability to enable Goblin Blast Runner.

Advantages

  • Its early game is incredibly powerful.
  • Two Paths to Victory: An Aggro Plan Featuring Creatures or Burn Spells and Card Advantage.
  • Operating the deck with a low mana base.
  • The matchup against most Tier 1, 1.5, and 2 decks in Pauper Format is favorable.
  • A flexible game plan and an adaptable strategy to face any matchup we encounter.
  • Very adaptable for new players looking to dive into Pauper Format.

Disadvantages

  • Underpowered Sideboard Plan. Playing exclusively Red reduces our options for tools in our sideboard significantly.
  • There is a high likelihood of having to Mulligan due to our reduced mana base.
  • We have issues to deal with these cards:
  • When Mono-Red Syntethizer becomes too popular or dominant, other decks adapt to this by configuring their sideboards and main decks with cards that are very efficient against our game plan.

Sideboard Guide

AFFINITY

Favorable match in game 1.

In Games 2 and 3, the Affinity player has the advantage.

UB TERROR

It's shaping up to be a tight match, and our aggressive or defensive approach will be largely determined by how quickly our opponent can assemble Gurmag Angler or Tolarian Terror plus Unexpected Fangs.

CAW GATES

Our opponent has a favorable matchup. Cat + Gates is a deadly weapon against our game plan, but if we can keep this interaction in check we have a good chance of taking the match.

MIRROR MATCH

BOGLES

This matchup relies heavily on the Boggles side, as Armadillo Cloak really unbalances the match. If our opponent finds it early on and plays it by turn three, Boggles is likely to get the victory. Keep that in mind when mulliganing.

Final words

Mono Red Synthesizer is a great deck for new players looking to compete in the Pauper Format, as it offers an easier, decision- and skill-intensive experience than some of the higher-tier decks.

The deck configuration is adaptable to any metagame, obviously this type of decks has its highs and lows, it all depends on how the metagame is rotating and the new cards that are being implemented into the format.

I hope this guide is of great help to you all. I've been playing this deck for the past few months and have been able to make it to a few Top 8 Challenges and Trophies in Pauper Leagues. I would highly recommend giving it a try!

Until our next article, gamers!

If you liked this article maybe you will also find interesting on of the following ones How to beat the Standard metagame with Esper Midrange by Mogged, Modern Domain Zoo, Winning the MTGO Vintage Challenge: UB Lurrus Control Guide By Mogged

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Alessandro Carvallo
MTGO Grinder
Alessandro Carvallo, better known as Cabezadebolo on MTGO, is a very well-known grinder and deckbuilder on MTGO. Carvallo has been playing Magic: The Gathering for many years and has been involved in the competitive scene since a long time.

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Published: 2023-01-20 00:00:00

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