While Wizards of the Coast has stated that mythic-rarity cards are strictly not better than other rarities, the desire for those cards in active formats certainly is an outlier. There is at least one format, however, that strays in the complete opposite direction. The pauper format requires the use of only common-rarity cards, and offers an alternative to formats whose meta game deck values reach into the hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. "Legacy Light" retains the competitive edge of other formats while cutting down on the cost-but at what price? There are several kinks in the budget-friendly armor of pauper holding it back. A budget-friendly format doesn't look to be a profitable market to act upon, and the lack of support from WotC can potentially doom any format. Pauper is not a format supported by a specific tailored product, an issue that may have caused the format to struggle in getting traction. With other formats like Modern and Commander, Wizards of the Coast has released specific products (Modern Masters and the annual Commander pre-constructed decks are some strong examples) to encourage growth and awareness, something Pauper lacks almost entirely. As we've seen with formats like Tiny Leaders and Giant Leaders-both fan formats-failed to gain the right attention from WotC and rapidly faded into obscurity. The other major concern is the profit-or rather lack thereof. While there certainly are common rarity cards worth more than a few bucks, pauper decks as a whole regularly cost less than most other deck's land base. How is a local game store supposed to make money off of a format that focuses on being less expensive? When you can use the secondary market to build a deck for $30-$100 in a format that (while the meta is wide) can remain reasonably consistent eternally, there are few ways to push and keep the format profitable and lock down staple cards. The answer, of course, is not as black and white (nor blue, red or green) as it may seem. Despite the lack of formal product support, Pauper as a format has apparently thrived, with many sites and game stores keeping deck lists, meta reports and even offering deck tech advice. There are dozens of combinations and synergies that the pauper format has and continues to utilize effectively while remaining relevant, allowing it to be diverse in its player's options for success. Additionally, the initial buy-in for the format-which, it should also be pointed out, is eternal and allows decks stay fairly consistent-to build or buy a deck from scratch is incredibly low; players who have amassed collections over the years may even be able to build one or more pauper decks with ease, and for no additional cost! Unlike Standard, Magic's flagship format, the lack of a rotating card pool in pauper only helps the format continue to grow over time. So, how do local game stores balance the scales with this? The answer, put plainly, is support. Formats act similar to forms of plant life: they need adequate space to grow, sunlight and a place to spread roots. The Pauper format already has the room to grow (the metagame and the continual expansion of MtG products), but cannot truly thrive without the other two. The sunlight is a spotlight to shine on the format, giving it a moment to shine in the right way-whether it be at a major event, or your local game store where you hope to make pauper a regular occurrence-which forms the roots. In order for this process to work though, it takes...well, work. Plants typically don't grow overnight, and nor does the popularity and regularity of a format. If you truly wish to see Pauper take root in your LGS, consistency and support on both ends will be key. Reach out to other players and gauge interest, find others who are interested or even have decks built, and are just waiting for that push. Connect with your LGS owner and see if they can advertise and/or hold an event, all while building momentum. A word of caution though-make sure you're not pushing anything else to the side (other formats or game schedules, for instance)-making a new formats presence felt without causing chaos is challenging, but upsetting other gamers in the interest of what you're doing does not make a great first impression. It all comes down to support, on both ends. The LGS supports via events, product and promotion; the players support by purchasing product, consistently showing up to events and using the promotions to gain interest in the format. Regardless, the first steps will need to be taken together; otherwise, with one dragging the other along, getting Pauper rooted in your LGS is a futile attempt to begin with. So search your couch for spare change, dust off that collection, and check those massive 10 cent bins that stores inevitably collect. There's a whole format waiting to be explored and enjoyed for pocket change-so what are you waiting for? It's your turn.
