User:Faceless Wanderer/Pauper Deck Challenge

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[edit] Introduction

General introduction to article. Bold subject, Pauper Deck Challenge, as per Manual of Style. Avoid using titles for sections of the introduction.

Contents

[edit] What is PDC and why play it?

This sounds like an ad. It shouldn't sound like one. Pauper Deck Challenge, PDC for short, is an unofficial Magic Online format, as well as the community of players who play it. The main idea of PDC is to play Constructed but only with commons. This is less restrictive than it may sound at first and PDC players get to test their deck-building and playing skill in a competitive and fun environment at a fraction of the regular cards cost, tying it with the concept of [[Building on a Budget]].

[edit] How do I start playing?

The official PDC chat room online can be joined by typing the command "/join pdc" on Magic Online. This is where you can find other players with which to play a pickup game or discuss the latest event and deck tech. The are also PDC events which are usually open for all.

See section 3 for details on events. What is "section 3"

[edit] Where do I get more information about PDC?

Besides this document, the best way to get information about PDC is to consult the official website, at www.paupermagic.com. There, you will find a basic schedule of upcoming events, an archive of PDC articles, the database of decks that performed well in past events as well as the PDC forums.

The next best source of information is the the [[[Magic Online Player Run Events]] subforum on the Wizards boards (boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=590). This is where to get more detailed info about recent and upcoming PDC events. Note that the information concerning events is usually more accurate and detailed on the PRE forum than on www.paupermagic.com so it should be used as a primary source. Also, some PDC events are more loosely affiliated with the PDC community and the PRE forum is the only way to learn about those, making it an even more important source of information.

I will end this subsection in noting that Alex Ullman (known on MTGO as SpikeBoyM) has written an introductory article on PDC on StarCityGames.com (www.starcitygames.com/php/news/article/11733.html) which, despite being a bit older, is still a very good source of information and served as the inspiration for this document.

[edit] Contact people and clans?

Coming Soon ...

[edit] PDC formats

[edit] What are the PDC formats?

The two most often used formats for PDC games and events are Classic which is appreciated by veterans for its wide card pool and Standard which is usually easier for new players to get into and is kept fresh by rotations. Extended is considered too similar to Classic by most players to consider distinguishing but that will surely change with the Extended rotation in 2008. However, PDC games and events are being played in almost every Constructed format, from Block to Prismatic including more exotic formats you may not even have heard of.

[edit] How do I tell which cards are legal in a specific PDC format?

The PDC Legality Rule: A card is legal in a PDC format if it is a common in that format.

For example, the PDC Standard card pool consists of cards that are common in a Standard set (at the moment: Ninth Edition, Coldsnap, Ravnica Block and Time Spiral Block). This means that Nantuko Husk is not PDC Standard legal even though it is Standard legal (being in Ninth Edition) and is a common in Onslaught, since it only appears as an uncommon in Standard.

Applied to the Classic format, this rule implies that the Classic PDC format consists of all the cards that appear as commons online.

Note that, as in all Magic formats, proxies are allowed in PDC. This means that if a card is legal, any version of that card is legal. For example, the Invasion uncommon Cremate can be used as a proxy in Standard PDC since it is a common in a Standard set (Guildpact).

[edit] What about Time Spiral timeshifted (purple) cards, Planar Chaos colorshifted cards and Ice Age/Alliances cards from Preconstructed decks?

Common colorshifted and Ice Age/Alliances cards are legal in formats where those sets are legal.

Timeshifted (purple) cards are rares for PDC purposes (since that is their equivalent rarity, from a frequency point of view) and so are not legal.

Note, again, that proxies are allowed, so, for example, a Time Spiral timeshifted (purple) Disenchant cannot be played in a Standard PDC deck, since since Disenchant is not a common in a Standard set, but it can used as a proxy in PDC Classic, since Disenchant is a common in Classic sets (7th Edition, Ice Age and Mirage).

[edit] Is there a banned or a restricted list in PDC?

Yes. Cranial Plating is banned and the artifact lands (Ancient Den, Great Furnace, Seat of the Synod, Tree of Tales, Vault of Whispers, Darksteel Citadel) are restricted to one of each. This is to weaken Artifact Affinity decks, which are metagame-warping according to some, while allowing one of each artifact land to be used by decks that can find a use of them.

[edit] Aren't a small number of uncommons allowed in Pauper decks?

No. PDC was originally inspired by Peasant Magic, a mostly paper Magic format, which allows for a certain number of uncommons, which sometimes creates confusion.

[edit] PDC events

[edit] What are PDC events and why play in them?

PDC event are player-run events, usually hosted on a weekly schedule. Like most MTG events, they usually consist of Swiss system tournament (usually 3 or 4 rounds) followed by a single elimination for the leaders (usually top 4 or top 8). The events are free but donations for prizes are welcome. Apart from end of season championship events, they are open to everyone. Just like regular tournaments, they allow player to have fun while testing their skills in a more structured and competitive environment than casual games. There is also the chance of winning prizes and earning points towards participation in end of season championships.

[edit] How do I find out what PDC events are there?

Here are the currently running main PDC events and the format they usually use:

  • TPDC (Tuesday PDC) --> Tuesday at 8:30 PM EST (Classic).
  • Thursday Standard PDC --> Thursday at 8:30 PM EST (Standard).
  • MINI PDC --> Saturday at 8:30 AM EST (Classic).
  • EURO PDC --> Saturday at 2:00 PM EST (Classic).

There are also newer events being established and other events being run. Each such event has a thread in the PRE subforum on the Wizards boards and should be consulted before participating in an event to learn about the rules for the event or any last minute changes.

Note that some weeks, the Classic events use alternate formats. This will be announced and explained in the event thread.

[edit] How do I play in a PDC event?

These are usually the necessary steps:

  • Read the event thread on the PRE forum and make sure you have read and understand the rules.
  • Have a deck ready that satisfies the deck-building constraints for the event.
  • Near the starting time, join the MTGO chat room for this event, which is listed in the thread. For example, to play in TPDC, you must type "/join tpdc".
  • At some point, the host will ask players who intend in participating to say so, by saying "register".
  • The host will explain the rules. You will be asked to join a separate chat room for match result posting, "/join tpdc_results" for example.
  • Each round, the host will announce pairing in the event chat room. Matches are played in the Anything Goes room and must be timed, watchable and labelled.
  • At the end of each match, players must post their result in the result chat room, "WIN 2-1" for example.

IMPORTANT: A player who wishes to drop from the tournament must notify the host. Posting "Drop" in the results room is the most common way.

If you have questions or problems, contact the host who will help you. Remember that hosts run these events voluntarily so respect them and try not to make their job harder unnecessarily. Also, proper behaviour is expected from all participants in PDC events. PDC players pride themselves on having a great community and players who abuse it will not be tolerated. Hosts have final say on any process as without them, there is no event.

[edit] Can I win prizes in PDC events?

Some events will award prizes to top finishers. This is usually announced in the event thread and the host is in charge of this. Prizes are donated by players to the host. Everyone is encouraged to donate, just contact any event host if you are interested.

[edit] What do season points mean?

Regular PDC events are divided into seasons of sixteen weeks. Players accumulate season points for a particular event series (TPDC, for example) by partipating and performing in events of that series throughout the season. At the end of the season, the players with most season points for that event are invited to a championship for that event series.

Note that event series calculate season points separatly. For example, participating in a TPDC event earns you season points for the TPDC championship, but not for the Euro PDC championship.

[edit] How does rating work?

Match results from regular PDC events are used to calculate a rating for PDC players using the Elo rating system, just like in regular MTG. Event hosts send the results to a rating coordinator and the calculated ratings are posted on www.paupermagic.com. Currently the list is anonymous but you can find your rating by logging on paupermagic with the same username that you use on MTGO.

[edit] PDC cards

[edit] Where can I get cards I need to play PDC?

-1:1, bots, trade

[edit] What cards are often needed to play PDC?

For Standard Pauper events, it's often necessary to stay abreast of the metagame, or perhaps just seek playsets of as many cards as you can. However, players of Classic Pauper have assembled a list of the most commonly seen cards, which serves as a great starting point for aspiring Paupers to develop a collection.

[edit] White

[edit] Creatures
[edit] Spells

[edit] Blue

[edit] Card Draw
[edit] Counters
[edit] Bounce
[edit] Creatures
[edit] Other

[edit] Black

[edit] Removal
[edit] Discard
[edit] Graveyard Recursion
[edit] Beatdown
[edit] Tutors

[edit] Red

[edit] Burn
[edit] Beatdown
[edit] Land Destruction

[edit] Green

[edit] Mana Fixing/Acceleration
[edit] Beatdown
[edit] Others

[edit] Multicolored

[edit] Artifacts

[edit] Creatures
[edit] Equipment
[edit] Other

[edit] Lands

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