The Untouchable

Best card in Pauper Standard?

     

Eight people showed up to dip their toes into the newly formed pauper standard format and it didn't take long for one strategy to emerge as the most powerful.  While most went the red route and splashing either white or black, the champion Ian Go crafted a white/green deck around the aura Ethereal Armor.  He paired it with Gladecover Scout and set about casting Theros' enchantment creatures to buff the hexproof elf some more. It usually didn't take long for most decks to succumb, especially when a second Armor came down.

The 1/1 that could.

This two-card combo is actually taken from a Modern archetype popularized by famous and skilled professional Magic player Reid Duke.  Although both commons, the synergy is powerful as opponents are left scrambling to find ways of interacting with the elf who usually gains first strike, lifelink, and a bunch of other abilities courtesy of auras.  Then with bestow creatures, there is the added benefit of salvaging a creature or two if the Scout meets its demise somehow.

Is this the answer?

While Devour Flesh can also get rid of a pest that can't be targeted, Celestial Flare is a better solution as it doesn't give up life points to the opponent.  A full set is recommended in the sideboard or maybe even a couple in the maindeck if this archetype gains widespread use.  However, it might not prove sufficient as evidenced by Ian's match against his finals foe who boarded in thirteen cards out of a possible fifteen.

So Magic players better load up their arsenal with the appropriate weapons as people dig deeper into this exciting new way to enjoy the game.