I am probably too excited to see this format coming to Twist in February, especially considering that it'll likely turn into a one- or two-deck Curvestone format but I still want to give my thoughts on the cardpools and possible decks available to each class based on what I've been able to see digging through the Collection. From my understanding, all Common cards from Core, Caverns of Time, and Naxx through Galakrond's Awakening are legal - if I'm wrong about any of that some of this analysis will be incorrect. Just kidding, all of this analysis is incorrect regardless.
Key Neutral Cards
Lot of good 1-Drops are legal, including Dire Mole, Blazing Battlemage, Fire Fly, and Zombie Chow. Also, get your klaxons blaring because Undertaker is not only legal but back to its original text. Pair it with stuff like Haunted Creeper, Dancing Swords, Hench-Clan Hogsteed, some eggs, etc. for a big ol' blowout. If I was guessing what card would be banned in the first week, it would be Undertaker. Look out for Fungalmancer and Bonemare as well.
Druid
Token Druid looks VERY viable: Rat Sensei, [Hearthstone Card (Anodized Robo-Cub) Not Found], Living Roots, Mark of Y'Shaarj, Mark of the Lotus, Enchanted Raven, Acornbearer, Blessing of the Ancients, Soul of the Forest to name a few. Druid might be one of the few classes with the ability to go long with Ramp into Jade summons and Armor gain from Ferocious Howl.
Hunter
Let's get the Huntertaker cards out of the way: Webspinner, Fiery Bat, Kindly Grandmother, Play Dead. Mad Scientist also pairs with the Deathrattle package, but can do damage in a Secret shell thanks to Explosive Trap, Freezing Trap and Bear Trap alongside Cloaked Huntress. Glaivezooka is useful. Bottom line: don't expect Hunter to be anything other than aggressive.
Mage
Mage is on the verge of playing with Secrets... except the Secrets she has access to are all pretty bad (Ice Barrier and [Hearthstone Card (Flame War) Not Found] are solid, but Duplicate and Frozen Clone are slightly less so). Burn Mage is cute, but might need help staying alive against other, more aggressive, decks.
Paladin
Y'all, I really want Secret decks to be a thing and Paladin might have the best shot at it with Avenge, Never Surrender!, [Hearthstone Card (Autodefence Matrix) Not Found] and the buffed Hydrologist to go along with Mad Scientist. [Hearthstone Card (Shielded Mini-bot) Not Found] is also a thing, and with the buffs Paladin has in his quiver (Seal of Champions, Hand of A'dal, Silvermoon Portal), it might be unwise to count Uther out.
Priest
Priest has some... viable cards, probably. A lot of buffs, and we shouldn't overlook Radiant Elemental except there isn't a whole lot to do with Elemental. Maybe there's a [Hearthstone Card (Topsy Turvy that I'm overlooking.
Rogue
Pirate Rogue looks like it could be real: Buccaneer, Bloodsail Flybooter, Southsea Squidface can all team up with the neutrals Ship's Cannon and Parachute Brigand for a good time on the high seas. Secret Rogue is also kind of a thing, thanks to Cheat Death and no thanks to Sudden Betrayal. Oil Rogue might also work with Tinker's Sharpsword Oil and Deadly Poison, but might lack the card draw to be really good. And no one should ever forget to mention Shadowstep when it's legal.
Shaman
I, for one, welcome our new Shaman overlords. When you can start your deckbuilding with Tunnel Trogg, Totem Golem and Flamewreathed Faceless in a format where most other classes are scraping the bottom of the barrel for playables, it feels like it's going to be hard to top you. With Novice Zapper, Crackle, Sandstorm Elemental and Surging Tempest as other options, Overload Shaman looks like a top threat for Pauper Twist. However, there is some hope for Evolve Shaman, with Mutate and Explosive Evolution, although not enough to be worth building around.
Warlock
Zoo, as was expected, should have some legs in this format. Flame Imp, Kobold Librarian, Malchezaar's Imp - they're all here. Darkshire Councilman can pair with Possessed Villager, Doubling Imp Imp Gang Boss, and Fiendish Circle for a huge body. Demonfuse, as a 2-Cost, can be palatably included, as can [Hearthstone Card (Darkbolt) Not Found] and Demonbolt.
Warrior
Warrior is probably our best hope for a Control deck, with Execute, Ravaging Ghoul, Death's Bite, and Blast from the Past. Finishers are a problem, but maybe Fatigue can be a real thing. Pirate Warrior, while probably not as good as Pirate Rogue, still has a chance with guys like N'Zoth's First Mate, Sword Eater and Sky Raider.
Not gonna lie - I'll be surprised if anyone reads the whole thing. I also won't be that disappointed if I'm the only person who cares enough about Pauper to analyze the format before it comes out, but here's the quick fix if you scrolled all the way down here to see how long I blathered:
TL;DR: Shaman and Druid have a lot of good cards for familiar archetypes (Overload Aggro and Tokens, respectively). Undertaker is probably going to be a problem and my guess is that Hunter takes advantage of it the best. Paladin and Warlock have enough power to be a threat in the right context and Rogue (if it can scramble together enough card draw) might have a good time with an Oil build or just go straight Pirates. I don't think other tribes like Dragons and Elementals have enough support, but maybe Mechs (which I didn't mention above) will be a decent midrange deck. Priest and Mage look completely lost, while Warrior could have a chance if it canf figure out the best way to Control the meta.
Your thoughts?
) Not Found]
