Affinity vs Turbo Initiative | Semifinals 1 - Quest for the Best Pauper Deck Ever

Magic the Gathering cards have various rarities, from common commons to mythic rares, and popper is a format that is played only with common

deck

s, they are cheap but can be very powerful. We had our viewers vote for a

deck

to represent each year of the popper format. and we had a field of the strongest popper content creators test them in a five round tournament and finally we have it, we have a top eight of what could possibly be the

best

POA decks of all time and we will bring you all the rounds playoffs. and after seven videos we will finally be able to name the

best

popper deck of all time and the first match of the

semifinals

.

I haven't played against you in a long time. Now I have to avenge my friend. Yes, you are in the pl because Walker. I had a higher score than I have achieved so far in this tournament. I can play all the games. I guess I picked the right decks. I'll keep my deck of choice is just Guy Affinity, all leaders, this is the most powerful card. of poer right now and my deck plays Four once again, it's the present 2024 deck, my starting ending is very good, I have raw ginger which is super important against the

initiative

deck and I even have interaction with all the Glitters, It is maintenance.

Keep it up, so now we are in the semi-finals playing Turbo Initiative, a deck that was banned for almost a month played by Sultan Popper in Switzerland and we are against Daming Gucci and the most recent deck in the Turbo Initiative format, as we know. try putting a creature with

initiative

on the board early and delving into the dungeon at first you just get a basic line in your deck, then you get a plus two plus two counter on one of your creatures, then you deal five damage to an opponent, then you draw a card and then put a creature onto the battlefield, all of that is kind of harmless on its own, but together it's an insurmountable amount of pressure RTI Bridge, I know you have a lot of tap lands, I don't know why I'm surprised , Yeah.

I'll play a swamp and pass in this case yes, I'll play with your best friend, it's not Ginger gross. I'll do an attack that's so good at stealing initiative yeah, I basically stayed because I had you, bro, I'm the best. Land and go, draw a card, play an island, cover my swamp and play Dark Ritual. Well, add three black mana to my manol and then this dodge we call find clast. I will play a fierce battle with Ranger, it is A5 when he enters the battlefield you and I embark on an adventure. I have the initiative, so I go first on this adventure.

I played very little with this car because it was banned, I lock it so quickly

ever

y time it locks. I take five lives. I'll play Unders City because I have initiative I'll go in and go find a basic land and put it in my hand I'll put an island in my hand and spend a turn I don't know if my deck has a basic land, it doesn't, so if you have initiative, uh, you don't do anything for a turn, okay, well, I have to do what my deck does. I'll play an All That Glitters giving my brute Ginger plus 5 + 5 and then attack using the pants trick.

Is it the pen that is deceiving me? You can go, you don't even have a blocker right now. I'll go to the forge, which will allow me to put two counters under a creature's control and then draw your turn, so if you have another Ginger boot, it'll be unblockable anyway. normally I keep a blocker for you don't steal initiative now I'm attacking you in the face and I'll play a tap PE POG I'll untap and draw two top lands and play reckless push I'll exile the first two and I can play them this turn or the next Also, yeah, that's what makes this card so good.

Reveal one, it will be good for the next turn, for now I will only play one, Mana 3, three, my friend, who is strong, I will do it on top. and what room I will venture into. I feel like right now I want to go to the trap. I'm just going to time, draw a card. Would he attack here? Sometimes with the initiative deck, you don't always want to attack the It's not always worth losing initiative with three damage, especially when your opponent can play blockers and then your deck isn't as good at regaining initiative again. In this case, I could attack and then play an initiative blocker, but the problem with that is that all the blockers I was able to play from my hand die from the galvanic blast and I don't want Andrea to untap, remove my blocker attack and steal initiative because then potentially with more blockers I can't get it back so Let's just relax we can take our time we're going deeper into a dungeon I'll play on an island I'll float two black and one blue and I'll exile a Simeon spirit guide from my hand which will add a red to my mana pool.

I'm doing this to keep MTH open because you have four men with my four. I'll play a sneaky Acker. Yes, when he enters the battlefield. I take the initiative, allowing me to advance further in the dungeon draw. a card, yeah, I'll pass, oh, don't attack me, no, my turn to draw, so the first thing I do is cast reckless impulse from here. I throw two more cards, let's talk. I could try to steal a land right now, but come on. play it safe, let's know, use my mana this turn to cast spells and next turn go draw.

Okay, I don't have a land drop, which is pretty convenient because I can go link to Haw, return this land, and then do it. like a ground drop mhm and then I play a blue one but I won't play the thinkcast. I'll play this cho ooh, very cute. I'll make it unblockable and ban you from the last chapter of initiative 14. and I'll give it to you, it's not like monarchy, you don't have a crown or anything, this gives you a chance to shuffle your deck because we know there are no basic lands in it. I'll double check, you n

ever

will.

I know if initiative was in the format I would have a basic land, but since initiative is banned you can go. I'm glad you didn't finish your dungeon with this maintenance. I know, I'm going to draw normally. attack and potentially get initiative before playing your spells to then go deeper into the dungeon and have two initiative triggers, but in this case if I get my initiative creature I can now look at the top 10 cards in my library and if there are rats crypted in it. I can play it, it has counters and I can spend two and clear most of its board and then attack with it, so just because we can get crypt rats, we're going to play before we attack, but normally.

It would be more correct to play it after attacking in case it doesn't block I'll play an island and another sneak arra I'm going to visit the throne of the dead three I don't know who the three of us are I'll see if they're at the top of my library. I will exile the top 10 cards from my library and then reveal them. Actually, I'll just reveal them. I don't think I exile them at all, yes, and I put a creature of theirs into play under my control. I have the option to choose between a shaper and a fierce Battle Ranger.

I want a 44 five five actually yes five five. It can block your Glind Haw if you put two hexproof candles on it until the next turn. Rotate the battlefield. I'll draw two cards. I think I still attack with the battle rer, so if I block it, you take five damage. If I don't block it, you take three damage. No block, this sounds good. It's okay, too. draw to start I'm going to cast yes, you draw two cards you draw two cards for one mana for one mana someone said that's pretty good someone would be right. I'll start with an experimental synth reviewing the top card for this turn only.

Funny, this is exactly the same thing that happened against tofl in the 5th quarter, so do you have all those Glitters in your hand? I have all those Glitters in my hand and I choose not to play that because in some ways I'm playing it as a combo deck. in exactly the same place. I'll touch all the Glitters on raw Ginger, yeah, giving you more much more much that I'll only count if you don't have a snus. I don't have a snus. I give it unblockable, yes. and attack let's count together nine you go to Five I do I will take the initiative you do and then I wonder if I should go to the forge or the skry I'm going to go to the forge I'll put 2 plus 1 plus a counter on I think my ging bir is big enough.

I pumped up the AR recruiter and then you'd think I was done. I have nothing to do, yes, you are not there, you play The Line, fortunately. the

affinity

mechanic can I cast a zero mana for how did they spell your seven mana C zero mana Andrea that's a Mir enforcer power oh no it's an

affinity

power for artifacts that's okay too okay Andrea I think I'm dead unless this is unblockable and doesn't have any creatures with haste, so it's actually unblockable. I need to draw a removal spell, little spal, let's turn it over, do you want to turn it over, oh oh no, but I like it, I like the art, I like it though.

It would be better if the art was something like a takedown, but the trap is fatal, I mean, it's potentially fatal for you too ooh, well, so I'll be dead at the next right turn, yeah, so I'll leave it to you. math to you, okay, let's block, I mean, there's not much to block, I just block M Drifter, okay, so you take five five and you won initiative, woohoo, and I win a land, yeah, you get a land , I mean, you have enough for your initiative. I'll go look for one. swamp and I would say it didn't seem like it, but that dark ritual is actually pretty good, so I'll play a swamp and a dark ritual three mana, I have three mana, make five five, make nine nine, no, I'll play. a dark, dark Explorer going to Mana in my Mana pool.

I'll go to the dungeon. You can put counters on my creatures. five damage for you wow, good game, good game, we have a really interesting package that we are aiming for in the sideboard where we want to bring two CP rats to go up to three and three unexpected fangs. What does this do in the deck? The Crip Usually if I only pay three mana, for example, I'll do three damage to creatures and each player so I can clear their board, which is usually pretty good against Andre, but with unexpected fangs I can give him a counter LIF Le very often.

I can simply pay a clear most of the board on him and gain one life for each creature he hits with this pyrotechnic blast. It is important that there is a sake aroka mold. Homeless. Those two cards may not be that many, but it is so important to stop them that I feel it is worth signing it from the bench, come on. I'm in the play this time after a very close one. You were also the last. Will you maintain? I will maintain. This hand is a bit risky. I have a land. The entrance is open, it will let me play maybe a ritual, but I don't have much to do and this land is going to be sacrificed, so we'll just send it in, okay, this Mulligans deck does that too sometimes. has the nuts, it's a necessary evil.

I have two sneaks and two islands in this hand, so if I had a ritual I could play a sneak, but I can't because the originals cost black, so we'll send this one too. go again no, how do you say no, you're not really excited, there you go, you go, you go, okay, this one might be better. I believe in us, yeah, I think so too, good luck, it's not great, but it's better than four, okay, I'm going to do it. get rid of this and this. I'll start with the well. NE won AR recruit metalcraft plus 2 plus two currently it's one one but soon as wild and won that's the wild cattle will be a three three yes I will play tapped land It's crazy and scary so go in with two counters and every time When I touch it I get two blue ones, but I eliminate a counter and when there is no more, I sacrifice it and draw, I will play a ginger, I don't. like that I'll play a top land oh what does that do?

It doesn't do anything just an artifact land no plus two plus two. I know I'll take four on top. I will take out and remove a counter. Thank you. I will have two blue mana. I will exile this spirit guide Simon and I have one red and two blue. I'll exile spirit guide S and now have two reds and two blues and play a sneak arra when he enters the battlefield. I have the initiative. I'm going to the under City, I'm going to go find a land, a swamp, okay and I'm going to put it in my hand, yeah, and I'm going to play it, yeah, I'm going to untap and draw, so I'm going to start with an ancient lair that will activate the metacraft for thought , now four artifacts, so I take out two and give Ginger Brute unblockable.

Oh, you want to look for a basic line in your deck, that's exactly what I was thinking about and I'll attack you for one. I'll take four, kill the Ginger Brute yeah, and then play a shiny AR that returns an ancient then to my hand oh elap I'll move to the forge this 14 yeah now it's a 36 I'll take your turn I'll play a p Bo okay and then unfortunately I won't attack you can stay behind. I can, it's not a game attack game I can move look at this guy oh it's an old attack game Dan dale unblockable Z I'll take four wait, take four Is it another one off?

I'll turn it off again oh no, him, yes, you. can go well, now I can do something very good, usually you always set a trap when you are going deeper into the dungeon, you deal five damage, it's a huge clock, but here we are going to go to a room we have never been in . go to his wheel because normally that's what's going to pressure us, it's going to be difficult because his fire will attack our creatures, if he removes them or has two creatures, he can easily steal the initiative, but nowcome on. let him stay back and we're going to go to his short wheel that's going to force him to attack with both it's going to steal his initiative but then I ate his wheel so I can attack and steal it again, potentially play a creature at this point, I just ate it one of his creatures.

I still have the initiative and I want to win the long game, so get rid of him. of the creatures from it is probably the best way I can do it. I haven't been in the arena this entire tournament, but I'll go to Glen HW, this is forced to attack, yes, it must attack next turn, we'll play like this because it's attack. I'll leave the turn, yeah, sure, I'll pass the top turn and steal, okay, okay, it could have been worse, it could have been worse, so jumper RFI. I will attack with both. I'm going to block here, okay, I'll take three.

Yes, welcome. Yes to initiative, okay, unfortunately, once again, I don't have a basic mountain in my deck. I wish I had it, so I shuffle and then pay three fantastic mana to play four more. I'll take it out, we can do this for a long time. You will attack without blocks first blood blood you can regain initiative thank you and I have the decision to make you want to get a skeleton 41 or a card a card can be anything just a skeleton 41 can be a skeleton 41 that's a very good blocker from my enforcer Mir here yeah play a dark ritual okay three mana black lose a counter to make two mana on this and play a cruel battle range no way you finished nether city.

I finished the city UND. I have completed the mission. I won the game, no, oh, I'm going here to the Throne of the Three Dead and I'm going to get 10 cards from the top of my library. Wa oo, while I want crypt rats, I don't think I have enough health to get the crypt rats to get one. three with no skills, sorry it's an 86, yes, 86 with Menace and don't forget, I'm going to get a basic, you have a basic land, I'll get an island, I'll actually play it this turn, okay, you just had a 14. and now you have 70,000 power, it was a 36 36, that's a correct pass.

I'll start with a reckless impulse. I need a way to get through, so galvanic blast is currently out of the way unless you take out a big furnace, your blockers, okay, I'll do it. I start with a to land. I'll play a drum sprint. In fact, you have a galvanic explosion. A red mana. This shift is available to me. I can not do much. I'll pass it on to you. You can launch it whenever you want. I'll go to the forge, yes, it will allow me to put this last die for a reason. After that die, you can no longer put any dice on the battlefield.

Hopefully, I won't need more. I'll put two counters. On this cute one, I'll leave your turn, I'll declare attack, these two Red Zones float red, okay, and I'll play Power Blast on the snack, that works, so I take 10, that's pretty good because now the Trap doesn't catch you. have a turn there yes, straighten, draw, okay, I'll start with thought thrown one, blue, draw two, I'll continue with another thought thrown, okay, draw two, okay, then my output was a second galvanic burst or the redheaded brute, so with this I'm going to be able to play it, give it unblockable damage plus the four from the galvanic blast, that's five, let's go for the win, okay, I found what I was looking for.

It's A N Ginger gross, my third in this game, oh wow, dale unblockable, yeah. I'll attack you for one only for one only with that yes no no I'm going to put these two in the graveyard I'm going to get four men I'm going to put out, you had, you played with three brutes Ginger and I I had three eliminations for each of them Gan destroy your skeleton, yes, and then I will play with another ENT recruit ooh, you will go to the trap. I do that too. I need to draw something good. I'm going to double block you, yeah.

I'll touch an island to go to the top draw you're still on five I'm still on five you're on two I'll start with the reckless imp which is a good start podcast synth but I never finished the guas I'll touch a thought yeah I'll draw two third lines of the cemetery. I'll play the synth, yeah, I'll flip the top, it's a top land. I'll touch it, then I'll touch a recruiter ardan and I'll touch a mirror, oh wow, on top of that I'll draw a card yeah, this is it, oh man, the pressure, very good game.

I will steal and then steal in turn. I'll attack I'll always be timing, wait actually, that's right, so I can block twice like this and trade, it happens, woo, it died, I'm out. of snuff outs, well I'll play a Pete Boog, draw an experimental synth sacrifice, get a Samurai and reveal the top card would be better, luster, but okay I'll take it, you just create infinite creatures, yeah I mean. I play Gan talk I return a card to my hand this spring LIF drum and then I play L for the turn, I repeat the spring lip drum and we will also play another spring lium one card in hand one card in hand your turn one mana open red I I'm in five, you finished the top 10 cards in town for the second time.

Yes, Andrea now has a flyer, so she would normally encourage me to take an ARA streak because she flies and can block her fly and prevent her from taking the lead. For me the problem is that Andre isn't casting the last card in his hand and is keeping a red mana open and I'm pretty sure it's a red elemental burst that just eats the arrn and we lose our creature so what do we do? to do? What we need to do is get a ground creature because it has Threat and you will still have to keep blocking it so as not to die if it doesn't have a pyrotechnic explosion.

This is a much worse play, it's still okay, but it's a much worse play, but if it has a pyrotechnic explosion then this prevents us from losing the game not again the 53 53 is actually in this case an 8 six oh that's it True, we are almost forgetting the very important part of obtaining a basic land. I'll attack you for one I'm going to one you're going to one I'll hit the Lotus pedal and I'll pass it's time to give me the fire the fire the explosion to give me the explosion not the explosion of power although it's a great card it's like face no when you said that I thought that you were lying, actually you are, yeah, you're going to attack, I'm super dead, I can't believe I made it through that zen blast that was breaking my back, I thought I had this game, I thought.

I was going directly to the final. I was pretty confident, but okay, this time we're in the game and this deck really benefits from playing first, so let's get into this, we can do it salt and pop, you put this deck in the top eight. This is for you Andrea, yes, the first game I thought I lost and I won and the second game I thought I won and you won. The first game was a long time ago. I don't remember what happened. I'll go first. I'll stick with this. I decide against. This is probably one of the first times in my life that I'm only going to have three lands and four spells.

This hand here is not very good. My lands are all used up and my spells aren't even that good. Let's send it. Let's search. better six let's go for the second time I believe in you I'll put this one down and you can go I'll play SW I'll go up and draw oh that's go one of the many I'll draw, that's not bad. I will play on an island. I'll play two. We're going to get dark. I'll play the Kabbalah ritual. I'll add three mana to my mana pool. I'll play the Lotus pedal. Although it is a treasure token.

I will loot my treasure token I will make a blue I will play a cruel battle The victory of the ranger enters the battlefield we know it, we love it I don't I don't know you at home I love it, but that's a shame because I have this Fez to represent it. I thought it would be festive and entered the UND city. I will go and get a land from my deck, this swamp, and I will put it in my hand. I touch and draw. No? I look great. play old man then I want it in the upper land I didn't know Giger had this deck brother oh no hurry Z hurry I love it gimme gimme gimme I don't have this you just wanted the hat we all know you love the initiative after all thank you you can go to look for a basic line in your oh, I'll look, maybe I said it in one, okay, I'm really glad you didn't this time, I can't always have it ooh wait, what happened, I'll play one, okay, I'll play a Lotus pedal, yes, I'm so smart.

I'll take out the Lettus pedal, yes I'll add a black, okay I'll pay three and get a CP C. oh no it's one, I pay X where X can only be black. Each player's creature takes one damage. Unfortunately, when I do this, it dies. I'll attack you for one. I take one. Suddenly I will become more fashionable. Oh wait, will you? This, I've always wanted this. I'll go to the forge and put two counters in my crypts. Yeah, I'll pass, draw, okay, I'll play a to mix and then I want galvanic. Explosion of your breath in response.

I'll pay one. black and I deal damage to all magja brute dies and then I have another real one yes this video is not a magic game it's musical hats you look so handsome with that I'll put two characters on it it's on my brute and it's your turn I'll take out, I'll attack for one 17, you know, we'll do it again. I'll give you five. I'll play a tap PE bog draw first. The divination is fine for only an M, although that is not a divination like two3 of a. ancestral Recall plays a springy drum and then I'll play an old That Glitters, yeah that's pretty good, this is pumping it for seven so it'll be 10 damage, you give me two with the snare and you can go, I'll draw if I don't find one way to get rid of that brute Ginger, I lose the game, yeah, you have to find a way to get rid of this galvanic blast too.

I don't believe you, okay, okay, then start with a tie. start by putting your opponent at 11 life and recovering the EDF potentially for the last time don't say that I'll go to the archives I'll draw an island there's nothing I can do here I could win the initiative and enter the Three Kings dungeon or whatever, but there is nothing in the first 10 cards of my library that is a creature and saves me from that brute Ginger. I just need to get out a removal spell that I didn't do, so let's save some game. actions here and let's prepare to bypass this Fez forever.

I'm sorry, no, I'm not sorry. I'll be spending more time with The Fez so I'll be taking some in-game actions, yes I'll do it SLO. three Mana yeah, I'll play this tap land, okay, I'll do it with a FS, it feels really good, give me the turn, I'll pass unap, I'll draw, attack damage on the stack, I'll get the hat and no, at least I went down. lost style what a superior deck this was. I upgraded it to kill the R. steal the ini. You are superior. which I defeated fairly. the initiative deck. the finals.