It's Arcum's Astrolabe's world; we're just living in it. That's the distinct feeling I got after looking at the June 16th Pauper Challenge results. The winning Murasa Tron deck featured four copies of the card and there were 16 copies in the Top 8 - 40 across the Top 32. Why is this trinket so attractive?
For years, Pauper players bemoaned how hard it was to play multiple colors. Before Khans of Tarkir gain lands and before Gates, trying to build a multicolor deck that could function would often mean relegating the second or third color to a splash or running a card like Prophetic Prism to stitch things together. Over time Prism became less a necessity and more a luxury if not an outright engine piece. The lands got better and so too did the mana bases. One only needs to look at a deck like Dimir Flicker, which runs both Chittering Rats and Counterspell, and finds slots for Radiant Fountain, as to the strength of Dismal Backwater and Dimir Aqueduct. In this way, Arcum's Astrolabe represents opportunity.
Prophetic Prism is a fine card. It replaces itself and it can fix your mana. It still costs two mana and in eats a turn of development. Tron decks are fine with this as they can afford to take turn two off since their third turn is more like a seventh turn with regards to mana development. Glint Hawk decks enjoyed the opportunity to build their own Mulldrifter. But it still costs you two mana. Arcum's Astrolabe cuts the cost in half and has the exact same effect, but requires you to run a Snow mana base.
In my set review I said that Astrolabe would find a home in Boros decks but that Tron would struggle to include it. One out of two ain't bad, but it isn't good either. I underestimated how Tron would contort their mana base to fit in another cantrip fixer. It appears as if Astrolabe fueled Tron decks are here to stay as all four Tron decks in the Top 32 ran the new addition.
All that being said, I think the card is overrated. Running Arcum's Astrolabe alongside non-Snow lands leaves you often with a card that can be impossible to cast. That is not to say that decks should not run the card but rather care has to be taken in crafting a mana base. Ideally you want to cast it on the first turn and trying to shoehorn in too many other specialty lands could impact a decks ability to cast key spells. Should Astrolabe continue seeing play in Boros? Absolutely. Tron, I'm less sold but considering how I was wrong before I am willing to be wrong again. But I think many of the three and four color decks that are being held together by Astrolabe, duct tape, and a dream are prone to poor draws. Take the Top 4 deck from Sakkra. While this deck can churn through cards quickly, its main win condition is Bonesplitter. These kinds of decks can (and do) win, but personally I would much rather run a deck that draws one too many land than one too few.
We are still very early in the Modern Horizons season and yet it is already almost over. Given how soon Core 2020 will be upon us, figuring out the best deck might be a challenge. That being said, I am still very high on cards like Manic Vandal (provided they don't hurt your own board in the process).
2019 is going to be a banner year for Pauper. I want to continue to be at the forefront of the metagame. If you like the work I do, please consider becoming a Patron. Thank you!
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