Over the last few weeks, I've covered a ton of older classic cards that need reprints when it comes to the Pauper format. Many of those cards have seen few - if any - reprints. That leads to numerous cards being expensive, accessibility issues in trying to find copies, or both.

If you're interested in reading those, you can check them out here:

• Ten Old Pauper Cards That Need Reprints
• Ten More Old Pauper Cards That Need Reprints
• Ten Old Pauper Roleplayers That Need Accessibility Reprints

This week, however, I'm looking at a different angle on this topic. While older cards should certainly be the biggest focus for Wizards to reprint, there are plenty of cards from the modern era that also could stand to see some serious reprints as well. In the past articles, I looked mainly at cards that predated Eighth Edition. This time, I'm looking at cards printed between Mirrodin and Avacyn Restored that need meaningful reprints. Essentially, I'm covering the sets that came before Pioneer sets, Return to Ravnica, and the boom in card availability.

For this criteria, the following do not qualify as what I would consider "meaningful reprints:"

• Commander decks (unless printed in several)
• Secret Lairs
• Mystery Boosters
• The List
• Special Guests
• Select bonus sheets (Final Fantasy, Marvel)
• Jumpstart
• Promos

What I do count as meaningful reprints are when cards show up in Standard releases, a bonus sheet card in each of those packs, or a special ancillary release like Battlebond or a Masters set. Generally, I'm looking for ones that had reprints within the last decade. A card reprinted in Modern Masters 2013 or similar may not be quite as available as it was then, after all.

With that criteria set, let's jump in and look at a bunch of powerful common cards!

Honorable Mention: Ophidian Eye

Ophidian Eye isn't really a serious Pauper card at this time, but it has a niche use and is rather expensive. All the reason to get it onto this list, if only in an honorable mention capacity. This card has been making some appearances in fringe strategies using Magmatic Artillerist to set up a complicated combo kill. It didn't pan out quite as well as players hoped it would, but getting more copies in the wild would be welcome - particularly given its additional heavy demand in Commander.

10. Pili-Pala

Speaking of niche combos, this one is a little more noteworthy compared to Ophidian Eye. Pili-Pala combo works by putting Careful Cultivation on the deck's namesake. You tap for two mana and then use that mana to untap for one mana of any color, which allows you to retap for two mana, and next thing you know you have infinite mana. You can then use that mana to kill with something like Engine Rat. It's a bit fringe, but has enough play to it that it's gotten a lot more attention lately. Since this is another casual favorite as well, it could stand to have a serious reprint.

9. Gut Shot

No Red mana? No problem! Shove some Gut Shots into your sideboard and you can pick off all manner of pesky creatures. It's a great way to deal with things like elves, Spellstutter Sprites, Krark-Clan Shamans, and more. Thanks to its Phyrexian mana utility, though, Gut Shot has become a multi-format mainstay, and as such often goes a couple dollars a pop despite its Modern Masters 2015 reprint. That set came out over a decade ago now, though, and it's quite overdue for another major printing.

8. Skred

Skred is an all-time Pauper classic. For years, players would utilize it in Izzet Faeries/Delver lists and then later in a variety of midrange and control lists. These days, it doesn't show up quite as much as it used to. Despite this, it could still use some more reprints regardless given that it's only ever been printed in its original Coldsnap and The List.

7. Essence Warden

Essence Warden is constantly a mainstay of Elves decks, particularly when aggro decks are heavily dominating the meta. However, Soul Warden effects are extremely popular among casual players as much as they are casual players, which has led to copies of Essence Warden getting pretty pricey. Not to mention the fact that it's only ever had a real printing in Planar Chaos and some supplemental Commander releases. A new printing would go a very long way - especially if it brings with it some new artwork.

6. Mwonvuli Acid-Moss

Gruul Ponza has grown to become a fan favorite of Pauper players everywhere over the last few years. In the first of these reprint articles, I noted the need to get Thermokarst a proper reprint. It's not the only land destruction card from the deck that could use one, though, as Mwonvuli Acid-Moss was strangely absent from Time Spiral Remastered. That means that it's only shown up in its original release and on The List, and as such desperately needs a major reprint to get a stronger supply of the card into players' hands.

5. Goblin Bushwhacker

It's honestly rather remarkable that Goblin Bushwhacker hasn't seen a more serious reprint. Not only does this card have a very long history in Pauper - to the point of being a ban contender at times - but it's also got history with 8-Whack decks in Modern. Thus far, though, the only reprints have come from a Secret Lair, The List, and Special Guests - none of which is a particularly reasonable reprint. Give it a proper reprint and give it some better accessibility in the process.

4. Mortician Beetle

Generally, I'd exclude this because it had a pretty good reprint in the last decade thanks to its downshift in Modern Masters 2017. That's the thing, though - it was a downshift from a rare in Rise of the Eldrazi. As a result, its original printing was quite smaller than many other cards and with the rising popularity of Mono-Black Sacrifice, it's quickly becoming a card that needs another real reprint for some better accessibility.

3. Deglamer

As artifact decks have become all the rage, players look for ways to deal with this powerful card type. For quite some time, the option of choice for Green decks was Gleeful Sabotage since you could blow up two permanents with one card. Thanks to the printing of the indestructible bridges, however, players need to get more innovative, which is where Deglamer comes in. This card has tragically only received a single printing plus inclusion in The List, making it extremely overdue for a proper reprint.

2. Faerie Macabre

If you play a competitive format where Faerie Macabre is legal, chances are you need copies of it. It's a powerful card in just about everything, including Modern, Legacy, and of course Pauper. With the rise of Spy Walls in particular, it's become more necessary than ever to run copies. The last major reprint was in Modern Masters 2013 twelve years ago with a smaller white bordered printing in Mystery Booster 2. With such a tremendous need for copies in so many formats, this is definitely a card that is overdue for a major reprint - hopefully in Lorwyn Eclipsed.

1. Krark-Clan Shaman

There's possibly an argument that Krark-Clan Shaman is one of the most important cards in the entire Pauper format right now. Unlike most sweeper effects the format has access to, Krark-Clan Shaman can be used in such a way that if your opponent has a way to stop it, you can simply activate the Shaman again to keep it going. Even more important, cards like Toxin Analysis and Hunter's Blowgun have made it easier than ever to wipe out boards while sacrificing minimal numbers of artifacts.

For how important it is, it's shocking that the card has only ever seen a single printing in the original Mirrodin. The name locks it to a rather specific setting, but that doesn't mean it can't still find a home in a reprint set somewhere down the line. At roughly $5 a pop - a number that has steadily increased over the last year - a reprint is very much in order for this crucial card.

Paige Smith

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