For today’s deck tech we are going to head to the format where the common is king, with a brew that makes use of not one but two new cards from Magics recent history. It’s a deck that has for the longest time been a non-entity in Pauper, but thanks to a few chose cards from both Modern Horizons 2 and Strixhaven it might just be ready for a return. That’s right, it’s time to get nutty and look at Pauper Chatterstorm.

Before we begin, lets have a bit of a refresher on Storm in case we have any newer players looking for inspiration on a deck. Storm is a mechanic that is infamous in Magic the Gathering for been one of the most busted keywords ever put to paper. Whenever you cast a card with Storm, the spell is copied a number of times equal to the number of spells previously cast that turn. Combined with ritual spells to produce extra mana and cantrips to dig for win conditions, Storm decks can achieve ridiculous triggers and easily allow you to win in a single turn.

As a result of their power level, Storm decks have often been the subject of bans and restrictions in order to make the eternal formats healthier and more diverse. This is especially true in Pauper, as a lot of the key cards to making a Storm deck work just so happen to be legal in the format. Enablers like Gitaxian Probe and payoffs like Empty the Warrens and Grapeshot have long been on the formats banlist, keeping the deck from really been viable and potentially ruining the format.

So imagine everyone’s surprise when Modern Horizons 2 came out with brand new payoff for Storm that was not only playable, but was also printed at common. That card is of course Chatterstorm, and it might just be the most busted ways to win in the format.

A two mana sorcery in green, Chatterstorm is essentially a half sized Empty the Warrens that can easily drown your opponent in a metric ton of deadly squirrels with which to overwhelm your opponents. Combined with cards like Rite of Flame, Pyretic Ritual and Desperate Ritual to chain spells and produce mana, it is completely possible to get five or more furry critters out on the field with even the most subpar of opening hands (provided you have a Chatterstorm in hand of course). Now while this is good, it isn’t really game breaking, as a handful of 1/1’s is hardly going to win you the game on the spot. But that is where First Day of Class comes in.

A card that most players only saw as a way to grab a Lesson in draft, First Day of Class is a major part of this decks potential power. Cast before we resolve a Chatterstorm, it makes all those 1/1 Squirrels into 2/2’s with Haste, which can be a game busting combo when added to the end of a chain of ritual spells. What’s more, it can also be used to grab a useful Lesson card from our sideboard which can be cast to increase the Storm count even further.

Now mind you, I’m not the only one to put this combo together. A lot of other players have pointed out the potential of this deck, including the Professor over at Tolarian Community College. As a result, there have been no end of Storm decks floating around MTGO this past week. However, I think I’ve come up with a fun and interesting take on the idea, combining it with one of my favourite decks from Modern. No, not Burn, but rather 8 Whack. Let me show you what I mean.

Now this might seem like an odd brew, and it is. But trust me when I say I have had a great amount of success and fun playing this deck over the last week or so. So much so that I have actually been able to pull off wins against other more complex Storm brews that are making the rounds. Guess there is something to be said about simplicity after all.

As you can see, the deck has a decent ritual package with the above-mentioned Rite of Flame, Pyretic Ritual and Desperate Ritual, as well as a couple of copies of Seething Song and a playset of Manamorphose. But it also adds to this package Burning-Tree Emissary. Not only does this give us another body on the board, but along side Manamorphose it allows us to have the green mana we need for Chatterstorm should we need to scrap every last drop out of our available mana. It also has a back up to our First Day of Class plan, with a couple of copies of Goblin Bushwhacker in order to make sure we can get in for as much damage as quickly as possible.

Card draw comes in the form of Faithless Looting, as well as the rather interesting Galvanic Relay. Another Storm card, this allows us to roll the dice and use up our hand with the possibility of been able to ‘go off’ next turn with pseudo hand of exiled cards. Its not perfect, but I have to admit it has won me my fair share of games. Lastly, we have a playset of Simian Spirit Guide. Now some of you will be asking why I’m taking Simian Spirit Guide over Lotus Petal, a card that is arguably better in a Storm deck. The answer is simple. A playset of Guides is 0.08 Tixs, while a playset of Petals is 88 Tixs. If you have them, use Lotus Petal. But if like me you don’t want to blow our monthly budget on four cards, Spirit Guide is a viable alternative. Add in sixteen lands and you have your self a deck.

In the sideboard we have a couple of copies of both Environmental Sciences and Introduction to Prophecy, two Lesson cards to add to our combo chain after casting a First Day of Class. For actual sideboardable cards we have two copies of Red Elemental Blast to protect our combo from those ever present Blue decks, as well as some Lightning Bolts to get ride of pesky creatures like Crypt Rats. Return to Nature takes care of Artifacts, Enchantments and graveyards, while Weather the Storm keeps us alive vs the inevitable Burn match up.

And that is Pauper Chatterstorm. I really like the deck, but I have to admit I am slightly worried that Chatterstorm itself could end up on the banlist in the never future. Hopeful it doesn’t and the meta game adapts to this new Storm payoff, because I’m not finished overrunning my opponents with deadly critters just yet.

But I would love to know what you think about today’s deck. Is this the kind of brew you would like to play? Or have you a different version you want to try out? Please let me know in the comments below, and while you’re there you could like and subscribe to keep up to date with all we do here at Master of Magics.

We also have a Patreon so if you want to support future content for the site, consider becoming one of our Patrons. Just a $1 a month would do so much to help us create more of the content you enjoy. If you have any ideas for Modern Horizon 2 brews you want to see, you can contact me directly @TenguPlaysGames over on Twitter or in the comments. But until next time remember no matter the game you play or where you play it, Good Luck and Have Fun.

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