MtG: What Commander Masters Cards Are Now Legal In Pauper?

Commander Masters added a handful of new cards to MtG's Pauper format, all of which are impressively strong in the common slot.

Magic: The Gathering recently released the incredible Commander Masters set, an expert-level draft set that reprinted hundreds of powerful cards for the Commander format. Some of those cards are rares or mythic rares that neede more cards in circulation, while others are mere uncommons or commons that can still find a home in Commander decks. Or, in certain cases, in Pauper decks instead.

Draft sets like Commander Masters often upshift or downshift certain cards so they appear at an optimal frequency in booster packs for the sake of drafting. A positive consequence is adding new cards to the Pauper format, a format that only allows commons in Constructed decks. Fortunately for Pauper players everywhere, Commander Masters downshifted a variety of powerful uncommons and even a few rares to common, unlocking these cards for Pauper players to experiment with in their builds.

RELATED: 10 Magic: The Gathering Sets That Let Players Down

Dread Return is one of a handful of uncommons that got downshifted to common in Commander Masters. In other format, Dread Return is enormously powerful, to the point it got banned in the Modern format since it has so many great reanimation targets. Dread Return is hugely powerful as a mere common, but it's still legal in Pauper regardless.

The Pauper format has fewer game-winning reanimation targets, so this black common card feels more balanced there. The Dimir Control deck might use this card, for example, to bring back Gurmag Angler or Tolarian Terror. It could potentially replace Crawl From the Cellar in those decks, too, or end up in the sideboard.

Drown in Sorrow first appeared in Born of the Gods as an uncommon, and it saw some play in the Standard format of the time as a small but effective board wipe effect. Drown in Sorrow is strong because it hits token decks hard, gets around indestructible/regeneration, and can set up the caster's next draw.

Control-oriented Pauper decks may enjoy running this new addition to the format in their sideboards as a response to aggro matchups. Dimir Control might like this card, for example, against the Boros Midrange deck, which features low-toughness creatures like Glint Hawk and Thraben Inspector. Monastery Swiftspear might also die to this, though the Boros player might cast a spell to trigger Prowess and save the Swiftspear.

Generous Gift is White's version of Beast Within, a flexible and powerful removal spell for any Commander or casual deck. It allows White decks to destroy cards that they normally struggle with, such as lands or artifacts, though the player must be ready to face down that 3/3 Elephant creature token.

Generous Gift has been reprinted several times, always at uncommon until its downshifted version in Commander Masters, unlocking it for white-based Pauper decks everywhere. Boros Midrange might find use for this in the sideboard, along with the Caw-Gates deck and the Jeskai Ephemerate deck.

RELATED: MtG: 10 Cards That Were Upshifted In Rarity In Commander Masters

Murmuring Mystic will slowly but surely build up a team of evasive creature tokens, and best of all, it doesn't cost extra mana to make them -- the player just needs to cast enough instants and sorceries. Murmuring Mystic may inspire Pauper players to brew new decks based on spells and evasive fliers.

Dimir Control decks can also find good use for Murmuring Mystic, utilizing those Illusion tokens to either hold off enemy attackers or chip away at the opponent's life total. The format's Mono-Blue Fairies deck might also use Murmuring Mustic in the sideboard against grindier matchups, turning those counterspells and pump spells into extra aerial attackers.

RELATED: 10 Magic: The Gathering Sets That Did Everything Right

Unlike Murmuring Mystic, the common White card Myrsmith needs a mana investment to create its tokens, but it's a highly efficient card otherwise. It's cheap as a 2/1 creature in the early game, and casting even cheaper or free artifacts can build up a ground army in a hurry.

Pauper players might brew new decklists with creature tokens and artifacts in mind, all with a playset of Myrsmiths leading the charge. Existing Pauper cards like Glint Hawk and Lembas can also support Myrsmith well, along with other commons such as Ornithopter or Springleaf Drum.

Reverse Engineer has found its way into Pauper, where it can be compared to a similar blue draw spell, Thoughtcast. Thoughtcast costs 4U, has Affinity for Artifacts, and draws two cards at sorcery speed. On the downside, Reverse Engineer is more blue-heavy than Thoughtcast, which is significant in the Grixis-colored Affinity deck, and the caster must tap artifacts to lower its cost.

On the plus side, Reverse Engineer draws three cards instead of two, which can refill the hand in a hurry. An Affinity player might add one or two Reverse Engineer as a great late-game draw, and/or Reverse Engineer can earn a slot in the sideboard for grindy matchups.

RELATED: 10 MtG Mechanics That Will Never Be Reprinted

Spectral Grasp can be compared to cards like Pacifsm and Arrest, but unlike those cards, Spectral Grasp works differently in different formats. The enchanted creature is free to attack or block in combat against other players, so it's partial removal in Commander while being conventional removal in 1 vs 1 formats.

Spectral Grasp is now available in the Pauper format, where it may find a home in the mainboard or sideboard of White-based decks. It might replace the three-drop card Unmake in the Orzhov Ephemerate deck, for example. However, this card must compete with Journey to Nowhere in other White-based decks, such as Jeskai Ephemerate.

Sulfurous Blast has been an uncommon for several printings in a row, but now it's a common in Commander Masters and has joined the Pauper format as a red mana sweeper. Sulfurous Blast is a flexible card since it's an instant-speed boardwipe, but casting it at sorcery speed lets it hit key 3-toughness creatures like Kor Skyfisher and Thorn of the Black Rose.

Sulfurous Blast may find its way into various decks' sideboard for use against aggressive decks like Boros Midrange and Mono-Blue Fairies, though players must be wary of the latter deck's counterspells. When cast at sorcery speed, Suflurous Blast can take out a Monastery Swiftspear even if it gets a Prowess trigger, and it's unlikely that an opponent can or will cast two spells to save their Swiftspear.

Windrider Wizard works well in spells focusing on instants and sorceries, and conveniently, such decks can easily include Wizard creatures, too, so Windrider Wizard may trigger more often. This common creature's loot effect may also help fill up the Dimir Control deck's graveyard to find more reanimation targets.

Other blue-based decks may also put Windrider Wizard to good use, such as the Mono-Blue Fairies deck, which is all about small but aggressive fliers. Looting is only moderately useful for that deck, but if the player is getting mana-flooded, then loot is a fine way to draw out of it.

Guttersnipe first appeared in the Return to Ravniva block as a powerful uncommon, and it found its way into the Modern format, where it could shine in spell-oriented decks such as Burn and Grapeshot if players felt so inclined. Guttersnipe seems too strong to be a common, but Commander Masters' high power standards meant it got downshifted anyway.

Boros Midrange decks can run Guttersnipe to synergize with their burn spells, and existing builds can be tweaked to include even more spells to trigger it. The mono-red Burn deck should also make ample use of Guttersnipe, probably as a replacement for Thermo-Alchemist.

Louis Kemner has been a fan of Japanese animation since 1997, when he discovered Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z in elementary school. Now he's a bigger anime/manga fan than ever, and is ready to share what he knows with readers worldwide. He graduated high school in 2009 and received his Bachelor's in creative writing from UMKC in 2013, then put his skills to work in 2019 with CBR.com. He's always looking for a wonderful new anime to watch or manga series to read.