How to beat Familiars in Pauper
Over the last 90 days of recorded Pauper matches, the decks with the best results against Familiars are Mono-Blue Faeries (63% over 8 matches). Mono-Blue Faeries's 63% sits in a 95% range of 31%–86%, which is the range a 8-match sample actually supports. The decks with the best records against it most often carry Blue Elemental Blast, Steel Sabotage and Hydroblast in the sideboard — those are their sideboards in general, not cards chosen for this matchup.
Best records against Familiars
Matches played in the last 90 days, from events that publish round-by-round pairings. Ranked by the bottom of each 95% range, not by the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one.
| Deck | Win rate vs Familiars | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono-Blue Faeries | 62.5% | 5-3 | 8 | Medium sample | 31%–86% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
21 further pairings (36 matches) fall below the 5-match floor and are not given a percentage. Full history, retired archetypes included, is on Familiars's archetype page and in the Pauper matchup matrix.
What the decks that beat Familiars bring
Sideboard cards run by Mono-Blue Faeries. This is not a sideboard guide for this matchup. We record who beat whom, not what either player boarded, so these are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play — a hint about the kind of card that punishes Familiars, not a list to bring in.
| Card | Decks running it | Average copies | Which decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Elemental Blast | 1 of 1 | 2.8 | Mono-Blue Faeries |
| Steel Sabotage | 1 of 1 | 2.6 | Mono-Blue Faeries |
| Hydroblast | 1 of 1 | 2.3 | Mono-Blue Faeries |
| Annul | 1 of 1 | 1.5 | Mono-Blue Faeries |
| Relic of Progenitus | 1 of 1 | 1.1 | Mono-Blue Faeries |
| Envelop | 1 of 1 | 0.9 | Mono-Blue Faeries |
| Dispel | 1 of 1 | 0.8 | Mono-Blue Faeries |
Average copies is expected copies per deck — average copies played multiplied by the share of that archetype's lists running the card — so a 4-of in half the lists reads as 2.0.
Decks Familiars beats
The other end of the same table. If you are choosing a deck to attack Familiars with, the record argues against these.
| Deck | Win rate vs Familiars | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spy Combo | 20.0% | 1-4 | 5 | Low sample | 4%–62% |
| Mono Red Madness | 40.0% | 2-3 | 5 | Low sample | 12%–77% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
Questions
What beats Familiars in Pauper?
Across the last 90 days, Mono-Blue Faeries (63% over 8 matches) hold the best recorded results against Familiars. Records come from events that publish round-by-round pairings, and both decks in a match have to be identified for it to count, so these are the pairings we can see rather than every match played.
What should I bring in against Familiars?
We do not have sideboard choices tied to individual matches, so this is not a sideboard guide. What the data supports is narrower: the 1 deck with the best records against Familiars — Mono-Blue Faeries — most commonly run Blue Elemental Blast, Steel Sabotage, Hydroblast, Annul and Relic of Progenitus in their sideboards. Those are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play.
What does Familiars beat?
Familiars's best recorded matchups over the same window are Spy Combo (80% across 5 matches) and Mono Red Madness (60% across 5 matches). If you are picking a deck to attack Familiars with, these are the ones the record argues against.
How reliable are these Pauper matchup numbers?
Not very, and the page says so per row rather than in aggregate. Every pairing shows its match count, its sample band and a 95% range; the strongest band we award is 20+ matches, which is still roughly a ±20-point range around the figure shown. Pairings under 5 matches are counted but never given a percentage — there are 21 of those for Familiars right now. Rankings use the bottom of each range rather than the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one it has not earned.
What period does this cover?
Matches played in the last 90 days, filtered on when each match was actually played. Archetypes that have dropped out of the Pauper metagame are excluded from the ranking — their historical records are still on Familiars's own archetype page and in the format matchup matrix.
What each number on this site measures, and where it is least reliable, is set out on the methodology page.