How to beat Gruul Ponza in Pauper
Over the last 90 days of recorded Pauper matches, the decks with the best results against Gruul Ponza are Mono Red Madness (67% over 9 matches). Mono Red Madness's 67% sits in a 95% range of 35%–88%, which is the range a 9-match sample actually supports. The decks with the best records against it most often carry Pyroblast, Relic of Progenitus and Smash to Smithereens in the sideboard — those are their sideboards in general, not cards chosen for this matchup.
Best records against Gruul Ponza
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 Gruul Ponza | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono Red Madness | 66.7% | 6-3 | 9 | Medium sample | 35%–88% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
27 further pairings (47 matches) fall below the 5-match floor and are not given a percentage. 1 pairing against archetypes that have left the Pauper metagame is excluded. Full history, retired archetypes included, is on Gruul Ponza's archetype page and in the Pauper matchup matrix.
What the decks that beat Gruul Ponza bring
Sideboard cards run by Mono Red Madness. 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 Gruul Ponza, not a list to bring in.
| Card | Decks running it | Average copies | Which decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyroblast | 1 of 1 | 3.6 | Mono Red Madness |
| Relic of Progenitus | 1 of 1 | 2.3 | Mono Red Madness |
| Smash to Smithereens | 1 of 1 | 2.1 | Mono Red Madness |
| Red Elemental Blast | 1 of 1 | 1.5 | Mono Red Madness |
| Cast into the Fire | 1 of 1 | 1.2 | Mono Red Madness |
| End the Festivities | 1 of 1 | 1.1 | Mono Red Madness |
| Searing Blaze | 1 of 1 | 1.1 | Mono Red Madness |
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 Gruul Ponza beats
The other end of the same table. If you are choosing a deck to attack Gruul Ponza with, the record argues against these.
| Deck | Win rate vs Gruul Ponza | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grixis Affinity | 0.0% | 0-5 | 5 | Low sample | 0%–43% |
| Ephemerate Tron | 16.7% | 1-5 | 6 | Low sample | 3%–56% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
Questions
What beats Gruul Ponza in Pauper?
Across the last 90 days, Mono Red Madness (67% over 9 matches) hold the best recorded results against Gruul Ponza. 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 Gruul Ponza?
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 Gruul Ponza — Mono Red Madness — most commonly run Pyroblast, Relic of Progenitus, Smash to Smithereens, Red Elemental Blast and Cast into the Fire in their sideboards. Those are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play.
What does Gruul Ponza beat?
Gruul Ponza's best recorded matchups over the same window are Grixis Affinity (100% across 5 matches) and Ephemerate Tron (83% across 6 matches). If you are picking a deck to attack Gruul Ponza 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 27 of those for Gruul Ponza 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, which removes 1 pairing here — their historical records are still on Gruul Ponza'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.