Common Ground MtG
A Magic The Gathering podcast focused on the best (and our favorite) format: Pauper! Tune in every Thursday for metagame updates, tournament reports, lots of laughter, and interviews with members of the Pauper community! Hosted by Cameron Schindler, Thomas Gunn, and James "Hippo" Hieronimus.
Episodes
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week we invite Jake AKA Kalikaiz AKA saidenraiken on MTGO to join us once again for an end of the year review of the Pauper format, detailing the cards that stood out from each set release and how the format shifted throughout the year. From Pactdoll Terror to Cryogen Relic, the end of Broodscale and Kuldotha's reigns, plus an unbanning and reban of High Tide, there was a lot to reflect on. We&apo...
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week the boys answer an email prompt (thank you Skye!) and dive into the dynamics of mirror matches, both in terms of general heuristics and for a number of specific Pauper archetypes. We hope you enjoy this in-depth discussion and thank you as always for listening!
Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/kdvSavFkpz
Check out our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CommonGroundMTG
Upcoming Pauper Event...
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week Cameron and Hippo dissect the results from last weekend's Paupergeddon at the European Eternal Weekend. It was a diverse metagame with some splashy results and overall we think a good place for the meta to be sitting post-Tide ban. Links to decklists and the tournament coverage VODs are below, thank you as always for listening!
Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/kdvSavFkpz
Check out our YouTu...
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week Cameron and Thomas sat down with returning guest (and Common Ground Cup 2 Champion) Zach Geraets to discuss how Hasbro and WotC's relationship with Magic and design has changed over the last few years and what that means for Pauper and the Magic community at large. It's a wide-ranging conversation that we hope you'll find insightful. We're thankful for our amazing community of ...
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week we sit down with our good friend and local Legacy advocate Carson Bispels to chat about the age-old Pauper label of "Legacy Light". It's a great conversation about card and gameplay comparisons, plus insight on the community-centered nature of both formats. We also chat about some recent MTGO developments! Big thanks to Carson for joining us and thank you as always for listening!
Joi...
Welcome back Pauper fam! Well, the dust has settled and the PFP has decided that High Tide should return to the banlist. We spend the first half of this week's show discussing this decision and the reasoning explained in Gavin's article. The rest of our time this week is dedicated to the new Avatar cards that will be available shortly! Will any of these new UB cards break through? We'll have to wait and see. Thank yo...
Welcome back Pauper fam! For the big 100th episode we wanted to celebrate Pauper with 100 of our favorite interactions and things we love about the format. There are so many cool things to do in Pauper and one of them also happens to be strolling down memory lane with your friends. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for hanging out with us for 100 episodes of Common Ground MtG. We wouldn't be here without y'all and we'r...
Welcome back Pauper fam! It's finally time. You've all been wondering it and now we have the decklists to prove that Bant Terror can be more than just a meme! All three co-hosts brewed their own lists with some spicy includes. As much as this is a payoff for a long-running podcast lore joke, it's still another great brewing-focused episode and we hope you'll enjoy listening!
Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/k...
Welcome back Pauper fam! Or should we say, Cube fam? It's that time of year again: The CubeCon 2025 Recap Episode! This time around we had SEVEN people in the room to record and Thomas was the only one who wasn't in Madison last weekend! There were so so many stories to share and much laughter to be had. We hope you'll enjoy another laid-back, MtG gameplay story-driven, weekend recap, explicit tagged episode of the p...
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week we take a look at the Pauper format in broad terms to discuss the current top decks, why new or returning decks are seeing success, and the impact that the SpiderMan cards have had on the format. It's a more laidback episode on an already pretty laidback show so we hope you'll enjoy our candid takes and analysis! Thank you as always for listening!
Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/kdvS...
Welcome back Pauper fam! It's time for another Cube episode! This week, we invited our dear friend Ana Paterson onto the show to talk about her cube "The Vintage Cube Retirement Home" (aka The Boomer Cube) which has been selected for the main event at CubeCon next weekend! We're super psyched for her and we hope this discussion about the cube environment will be helpful to anyone looking forward to drafting the ...
Welcome back Pauper fam! Hippo has returned from Atlanta to tell us all about his adventures at MagicCon! Several friends (and one alum!) of the pod did very well in the Pauper Cup, congratulations to all! Cameron also updates us on his first time playing Rally Red. Thank you as always for listening!
Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/kdvSavFkpz
Check out our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CommonGroundMTG
Upcoming Pauper ...
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week we answer a listener question with some help from our friend and yours, TeasdaleMTG! Teasdale is a UK-based Pauper content creator and co-host of the Casting Commons podcast! Together we discuss brewing, the varying contexts of the format, and how to approach Pauper with these ideas in mind. Make sure y'all give Casting Commons a listen!
Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/kdvSavFkpz
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week we discuss what your opponent's first land can tell you about what deck they're playing and what their gameplan might be. It might seem like a small thing but it has cascading effects on the game and is an important tool to help you gain crucial information. Thank you as always for listening!
Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/kdvSavFkpz
Check out our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube...
Welcome back Pauper fam! It's that time again, spoiler time! This week we discuss the truly infamous Marvel: Spiderman set and its potential impact on the Pauper format. Will enough cards rise to the top that we have to endure their awkward vibes? Or will these Universes Beyond newcomers meld seamlessly with our Squadron Hawks and Writhing Chryslers? Only time will tell. Thank you as always for listening!
Join our Discord! http...
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week we reached deep into the mailbag to answer more of your questions about Pauper and Magic. Plus a weekend recap of the MTGO challenges featuring a win with the newest version of the Sacrifice deck! Thank you as always for listening!
Join our Discord! https://discord.gg/kdvSavFkpz
Check out our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CommonGroundMTG
2nd CG Cup 8/2 VOD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week we answer a long overdue listener question about how to navigate your very first event at your local game store. With Pauper growing in popularity in the States, it's important to set reasonable expectations for newer players and to remind seasoned local communities how best to welcome new folks into the fold. Hippo then walks us through his recent showing with Gardens at the Murray KY event ...
Welcome back Pauper fam! This week Cameron and Thomas revisit Pauper's Red deck and how it has evolved since the Kuldotha Rebirth banning. Whether you like sacrificing Mountains with Guttersnipe in play or casting Burning-Tree Emissary into Rally at the Hornburg, there is a powerful red deck for everyone in this format! We'll also be recording another mailbag episode soon so send in your questions about Pauper, our co-hos...
Welcome back Pauper fam! The day after the 2nd Common Ground Cup, Cameron sat down with good friend and fellow South Dakotan Zach Geraets who not only won the whole tournament but is also a BG Fog afficionado in his own right. It's a great chat about Zach's tournament experience and his insights on the deck. If you've been thinking about picking up Fog for your next event, then this is a must-listen ep!
Welcome back Pauper fam! The 2nd Common Ground Cup was a smashing success! We doubled our attendance from January and had an absolute blast bringing quality Pauper coverage to y'all. Listen in as Cameron, Thomas, and Hippo share stories from the weekend and outline the decks and players that crushed the whole thing. Tune in next week for an interview with our winner and an in-depth discussion on the Fog deck!
Join our Discord! ...
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