Pauper: Aggressive strategies cause player attrition.

Pauper finds itself in a strange duality this week. While the Final Health Index settles at a middling 57.0, masking stability, the underlying data screams a dire warning about player engagement. The format is showing massive signs of attrition, with participation trending down severely.

Looking at the metrics, Metagame Diversity scores are strong at 76.2, and Archetype Distribution is excellent at 87.9. This suggests a good variety of competitive strategies are viable. However, this positive picture is undermined entirely by the participation numbers: both the Event Growth Score and Player Growth Score sit critically at 0.0, reflecting an observed decline of -100.0% in Paper and MTGO engagement. The current meta is heavily tilted toward aggression, with AGGRO strategies consuming 74.3% of the Super-Archetype breakdown, significantly higher than the historical 5-year average of 66.5%.

The top tables are currently ruled by Mono Blue Aggro, which claims 14.5% of the field. Beyond that primary threat, the format is widely distributed, with Burn, Red Deck Wins, and Jund all tied closely at 8%. Affinity rounds out the major players at 7%. This spread confirms that while the field is diverse, the primary strategic approach to winning is aggressive, relying on quick clocks like Mono Blue Aggro, Rakdos Aggro, and Gruul Aggro.

Community discussions are highly polarized. Competitive players appreciate the skill-testing nature of the powerful environment dominated by artifact and blue threats, while newer players feel gatekept. Key rising strategies include Jund Cascade, leveraging *Violent Outburst* into heavy hitters like *First-Sphere Gargantua*. Regarding format maintenance, the council decided to postpone a decision regarding *High Tide*, signaling confidence in the B&R Health Score of 70.0. Despite this confidence, players remain fixated on specific card complaints, with *Kenku Artificer* currently drawing immediate ire for creating resilient, fast artifact-land creatures that bypass traditional removal.