by Chris Cottrill
When we first announced that WWE pieces were going to be legal in the Pauper Circuit, there was a lot of concern that they were going to overpower and take over the format. We had some deep discussions concerning what their impact might be and how best to deal with them, but as we started to see them in play, it seems our concerns might have been a bit overblown. They are definitely strong pieces in the format, and cause players to have to rethink builds and strategies, but they are not the game breakers that Medusa was. The impact is significant, though, and there are a few changes to players’ approaches to Pauper that I’d like to highlight.
Be Prepared to Get Close: Pauper already had a leaning towards close combat, but the WWE pieces are going to 
increase that focus. I mean, if you can’t target them from range, what else are you going to do to them? That doesn’t mean you have to build a close combat team to succeed; it just means you have to have a plan in place for dealing with it when you’re put in the situation. The good news is that there’s still a lot of ways to approach the problem.
Strategic planning can be your first approach. The odds you’re going to see a pure WWE team are actually kind of slim, so the plan to pick off a non-WWE piece from range and play keep-away is a workable strategy. Going this route, I would still recommend having some call-in options to help if they do build that all WWE team – Skin is a great option if you have some perplex on the team, and the Sprite ID will give you some flexibility.
A mixed bag approach works, too. Having something that can punch through the protected clicks so you can get that ranged damage through can work out great, especially with a TK piece to get your close combatant in. This could be a great option for an X-Men team, using the Phoenix colossal to TK out a Wolverine or Beast for the initial hit, and follow up with a Cable or Cyclops.
Perplex is Vital: Defenses for WWE pieces are averaging a bit higher than the average Pauper piece, which of course means they’re going to be harder to hit. Prob can help with this, but Perplex is the surer route in my mind to get that initial hit in. Better yet, have both ready. While you may not be able to outwit those WWE pieces initially, there’s nothing stopping you from perplexing down their defenses, making it easier for your whole team to beat the Rock “like a government mule.”
Map Choice is Bigger Than Ever: Well, that’s not much of a headline, is it? I mean, Juggernaut already had us being careful about our map choices, but now we have to worry about our hindering terrain, too, so as not to give too many rope opportunities. You may not be too worried about the placement options ropes give, but then elevation versus WWE pieces can put you in a pretty good spot if you’re built to exploit it. While Juggernaut is easy to get the initiative edge on, WWE is going to make that a bit more difficult. Monster themes are going to be big (WWE pieces pair really well with Exodus) and celebrity has a lot of potential, too.
If you’re wondering about a map you should have on your build sheet, Galador Promenade is highly recommended. The lack of blocking makes it great against Juggernaut already, but the limited hindering terrain and tons of elevation changes make it nice against WWE. You’re also limited in where you can place the ring.
Exploit Weakness Has Become More Valuable: People were already starting to warm up to using the Bloodaxe in Pauper, but WWE pieces lack of Invincible combined with the inability to Outwit them initially makes the choice even stronger. You limit the effectiveness of outwit and psychic blast, and something will need to fill the void to get that damage through. Combine this with a suitable amount of perplex, and those wrestlers look a lot more manageable.
So, considering all this, I would have to say again, you’re going to feel the presence of the WWE in Pauper, but it’s not going to be an overbearing presence. A lot of the things you need to focus on were already important – they’ve just become a tad bit more important than they already were. It allows for some new, troublesome combos (like Fast Forces Shredder with a couple of martial artist wrestlers), but nothing that I see that is broken. I look forward to a lot of variety and creativity out of States this month.
