Pauper Commander

Top 10 Cards in Forgotten Realms for PDH

Chev Eldrid

09 Jul 2021 - 5 min read

Welcome back! Another set means another stupendous influx of commons for our favorite PDH brews and Adventures in the Forgotten Realms certainly does not disappoint. Here are the Hexdrinkers’ Top Ten commons for PDH in AFR!

Priest of Ancient Lore

Rejoice! White is back in the card draw game! Okay it’s not a lot, but it’s a start. Recently, White has gotten a lot of heat specifically due to its inability to deliver in 100-card formats. While WOTC have hinted this might be only the beginning in exploring creature-oriented card draw outside of green, for now…you’ll have to be content with flickering this Ancient Priest in a Soulherder build or paired with an Ephemerate or Ghostly Flicker .

Hoarding Ogre

One of the other main areas of annoyance for PDH players is Red mana generation. And for that, I seriously love Hoarding Ogre. While a 3/3 for 4 isn’t the best stat-wise, having a slightly greater than 50% chance of creating TWO treasures on every attack is insane in terms of value, and just the one treasure ain’t a bad participation trophy. Look to make a slot for this ogre in a Dargo, the Shipwrecker or Fathom Fleet Swordjack , or really any aggressive deck that could use a little mana boost.

Pixie Guide

While there’s not a lot of dice rolling support at common yet, I’m sure one of you crazy kids will try to make it happen and when you do, you want this pixie. With Farideh, Devil’s Chosen in the command zone, a Hoarding Ogre , an Arcane Investigator , and - okay really you’ll want every dice roll card there is. Can’t be picky. (Also, if your playgroup is up for some Rule 0 shenanigans, check out some of the ORIGINAL dice-themed sets: Unstable and Unglued. Since Pixie Guide is gracefully worded for dice rolls in general, you can still trigger it with Chicken Egg . Also, for dice-rolling redundancy - you’ll want Wall of Fortune )

Deadly Dispute

Costly Plunder is great. We had a good few years, but unfortunately it’s time to say goodbye. With the simple act of creating a treasure Deadly Dispute rises above its predecessor in leaps and bounds, turning it into essentially a more versatile Village Rites . While I’m sure most decks already running Costly Plunder and Village Rites will be more than happy to absorb another stellar card draw effect, if you’re tight on spaces definitely consider a swap.

Minimus Containment

The poor man’s Song of the Dryads is still a Song of the Dryads. Outside of Black, there are very few ways an opponent is going to be getting their creature back when it goes to the yard so the drawback of being able to sacrifice the enchanted creature is somewhat mitigated. Look to see this wherever white is played.

You Find a Cursed Idol

Versatility. We love it. While I’d put it one step below Return to Nature , I think we’re very close to starting to see these souped-up Naturalize s consistently with whatever the set’s mechanic is as mode number three. That being said, this is still an incredibly powerful card to draw and if you’re leaning into dungeon synergies - it’s an absolute must.

Zombie Ogre

There aren’t a lot of good ways to venture into the dungeon at common, but Zombie Ogre is easily one of the best. Imagine Whisper, Blood Liturgist in the zone and repeatedly venturing into Tomb of Annihilation . Nasty. I could also see this ogre (second ogre in our list too, that’s got to be a first) in the 99 of Shirei, Shizo’s Caretaker capitalizing on all the death triggers you’ll be accumulating. As the owner of a Shirei deck, consider me incredibly interested…

Celestial Unicorn

White is getting all KINDS of goodies this time around! Honestly, I’m happy. This is the first time we’ve seen the classic Ajani’s Pridemate ability at common. In any lifegain shell this is going to get super dangerous super fast - especially when backed up with the likes of Soul Warden or Suture Priest . Pairs nicely with a Regal Bloodlord or a Vizkopa Guildmage in the command zone.

Clever Conjurer

Not exactly a Kiora’s Follower but it doesn’t need to be. Being able to untap ANY permanent besides itself is an absolutely beautiful piece of utility with the bounce lands or giving a creature pseudo-vigilance. Also, infinite green mana with a Freed from the Real on your Conjurer and a Simic Growth Chamber ? Sign me up.

Vampire Spawn

While we can’t get another Gray Merchant of Asphodel , Gary’s little brother is doing his best impression and still dealing six damage around the table per death. An easy reanimation target, be careful for turns involving this aggressive vampire and a Feign Death effect or two.

So that’s our list! See any cards you’re thinking of trying out? Did we miss some hidden tech? Let us know in the comments below!

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