"Standard Pauper:Pilgrims Selesnya"

 "Standard Pauper:Pilgrims Selesnya"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

Heliods Pilgrim is a game changer in the world of pauper. I love the fact that it is an Aura Tutor in the common slot that allows players to have access to key cards. I believe that mono white is the best place for her but there are a lot of variations where she can be used such as this Selenyan version which stars a lot of Aura Creatures and the awesome Setessan Oathsworn.

After passing by SM north Edsa and hoarding the 3 pesos Heliod's Pilgrim and 1 peso Setessan Oathsworn I could now go back to my lab and start cooking again.Here is the deck list for Heliod's Pilgrim powered Selesnyan deck:

4 x Selesnyan Guildgate

9 x Forest

9 x Plains

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22 Lands

4 x Heliods Pilgrim

4 x Elvish Mystic

4 x Nyxborn Shieldmate

4 x Nyxborn Wolf

4 x Hopeful Eidolon

4 x Setessan Oathsworn

2 x Observant Alseid 

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26 creatures

4 x Ethereal Armor 

4 x Armament of Nyx  

4 X Karametra's favor  

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12 spells

White/Green is actually a great combination of little things. There is greens mana acceleration in Elvish Mystique to cast 3 mana creatures on turn 2 or allow you to Bestow much faster than usual and then there are the great Aura creature cards that have been a constant cast of characters in the decks that I have been building the last couple of months.

This is a creature driven deck so there are a total of 26 creatures , 14 of which are Aura creatures. One of the creatures I want to focus on is the 3 to cast Nyxborn Wolf who at 3/1 could be a bit fragile. It is one of the reasons why I included Armament of Nyx in the deck. When it is attached to the wolf all of a sudden you are looking at a Double Striking creature.Meaning that defensibly it could kill any attacker because it has the inherent first strike and on the offensive you could deal 6 damage when you have a clean hit.

Since I have already mentioned the Armament of Nyx  , I would also like to point out that it serves another defensive purpose when it attaches to a non-enchantment creature.The enchanted creature is not able to deal any damage. So much for all those giant monsters lurking around , one armament of nyx and they are useless as attackers.Although they could still block they would not be able to kill anything. The defense of the card is not perfect but at least it does give you a meaningful advantage in a deck that packs a lot of Enchantment Creatures.

Karametra's favor is just one of those seemingly out of place cards in this deck but it serves as card advantage in a deck that is badly in need of card draws. And if you find yourself in a situation is not beneficial for any of your creatures to attack not only do you have an available mana producer but may actually draw a card like Ethereal armor that could change the shape of the present situtation. It also adds up to the enchantment count as well so as oddly placed as it is this card will be staying.

I imagine using an Ethereal Armor on Setessan Oathsworn and you see an instant giant even if the EA is the only enchantment in the field. A 4/4 First Striker.

Heliod's Pilgrims main role here is to fetch your utility auras. EA for offense , Armament of Nyx for Defense and Offense and Karametras favor for card advantage and mana acceleration. 

So give this one a spin for the cult of Selesnya.Who knows how far it will take you.