Pauper
The commons-only format that proves cheap doesn’t mean weak. Pauper builds decks entirely from cards printed at common rarity — accessible to build, but competitively deep.
What is the Pauper format?
Pauper is a non-rotating constructed format with one defining restriction: every card in your deck must have been printed at common rarity at some point in Magic’s history. That single rule makes Pauper the most affordable competitive format to build, since commons are cheap and plentiful, while still delivering deep, high-skill gameplay. Pauper began as a Magic Online community format and is now officially supported. Its low barrier to entry and surprising power level have made it a favorite for players who want serious competition without a large financial investment, and it has a passionate community that follows its metagame closely.
Card pool and what counts as common
A card is Pauper legal if any printing of it was released at common rarity, whether in a paper set or on Magic Online. This is a subtle but important point: a card originally printed at uncommon or rare can become Pauper legal if it is later downshifted to common in a reprint, and cards that were only ever common online still count. As a result the Pauper pool is broader than many expect, spanning the whole history of the game’s commons. This depth is why Pauper supports archetypes across every strategy — aggressive one-drop decks, controlling card-advantage engines, and combo builds all exist within the commons-only pool.
Iconic and banned cards
Despite being commons-only, Pauper has an active banned list because certain cheap commons enable degenerate strategies. Over its history Pauper has banned cards tied to oppressive decks — fast-mana lands like Cloudpost, efficient storm and affinity enablers, and cards such as Chatterstorm, Sojourner’s Companion, and Prophetic Prism have all been addressed to keep the format balanced. Iconic legal staples include efficient burn, card-advantage engines, and resilient tempo threats that punch far above their common rarity. Because the banned list is maintained to prevent any single combo from dominating, checking a card’s current legality is the safest way to build a competitive, tournament-legal deck.
How to check if a card is Pauper legal
Scan a card with Tappr and the legality table, sourced from Scryfall, tells you whether it is legal or banned in Pauper. Because Pauper legality depends on whether any printing of the card was common — not just the copy in your hand — this is genuinely hard to determine by eye, and the scanner does the work for you. Tappr also shows the current market price, so you can quickly confirm both that a card is Pauper legal and that it fits your budget, making it easy to build a strong deck from inexpensive commons.
Common questions
01 What makes a card Pauper legal?
A card is Pauper legal if any printing of it was released at common rarity, including online-only sets. Since a later common reprint can qualify a card, scanning it with Tappr is the reliable way to check.
02 Is Pauper actually cheap to build?
Yes. Because every card must be a common, Pauper is the most affordable competitive constructed format, though a handful of in-demand commons can still carry a modest premium.
03 Does Pauper have a banned list?
Yes. Even though it is commons-only, Pauper bans cards that enable oppressive combo, affinity, and fast-mana strategies to keep the format balanced.
04 How do I check if a common is Pauper legal?
Scan it with Tappr. The Scryfall-sourced legality table shows the card’s current Pauper status, accounting for whether any printing was common.
Related Formats
The deep, non-rotating format built on the modern card frame. Modern spans two decades of powerful cards, from 8th Edition forward, and rewards specialized, highly-tuned decks.
LegacyThe eternal format where nearly every card ever printed is legal. Legacy is powered by dual lands, Force of Will, and decades of the game’s most efficient spells.
StandardThe rotating, ever-fresh entry point to competitive Magic. Standard uses only the most recent sets, so the card pool renews every year and yesterday’s bombs eventually rotate out.
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