How to beat Spy Combo in Pauper
Over the last 90 days of recorded Pauper matches, the decks with the best results against Spy Combo are Mono Red Madness (94% over 18 matches), Elves (80% over 5 matches) and Familiars (80% over 5 matches). Mono Red Madness's 94% sits in a 95% range of 74%–99%, which is the range a 18-match sample actually supports. The decks with the best records against it most often carry Pyroblast, Cast into the Fire and Vandalblast in the sideboard — those are their sideboards in general, not cards chosen for this matchup.
Best records against Spy Combo
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 Spy Combo | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono Red Madness | 94.4% | 17-1 | 18 | Medium sample | 74%–99% |
| Elves | 80.0% | 4-1 | 5 | Low sample | 38%–96% |
| Familiars | 80.0% | 4-1 | 5 | Low sample | 38%–96% |
| Jund Wildfire | 57.1% | 4-3 | 7 | Low sample | 25%–84% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
25 further pairings (47 matches) fall below the 5-match floor and are not given a percentage. Full history, retired archetypes included, is on Spy Combo's archetype page and in the Pauper matchup matrix.
What the decks that beat Spy Combo bring
Sideboard cards run by Mono Red Madness, Elves, Familiars, Jund Wildfire. 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 Spy Combo, not a list to bring in.
| Card | Decks running it | Average copies | Which decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyroblast | 2 of 4 | 2.8 | Mono Red Madness, Jund Wildfire |
| Cast into the Fire | 2 of 4 | 1.1 | Mono Red Madness, Jund Wildfire |
| Vandalblast | 2 of 4 | 0.7 | Familiars, Jund Wildfire |
| Weather the Storm | 1 of 4 | 3.6 | Jund Wildfire |
| Monstrous Emergence | 1 of 4 | 3.0 | Elves |
| Hydroblast | 1 of 4 | 2.9 | Familiars |
| Duress | 1 of 4 | 2.8 | Jund Wildfire |
| Smash to Smithereens | 1 of 4 | 2.4 | Mono Red Madness |
| Relic of Progenitus | 1 of 4 | 2.4 | Mono Red Madness |
| Faerie Macabre | 1 of 4 | 2.1 | Elves |
| Dust to Dust | 1 of 4 | 1.9 | Familiars |
| Vitu-Ghazi Inspector | 1 of 4 | 1.7 | Elves |
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 Spy Combo beats
The other end of the same table. If you are choosing a deck to attack Spy Combo with, the record argues against these.
| Deck | Win rate vs Spy Combo | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono Red Rally | 16.7% | 1-5 | 6 | Low sample | 3%–56% |
| Ephemerate Tron | 25.0% | 2-6 | 8 | Medium sample | 7%–59% |
| Esper Affinity | 40.0% | 2-3 | 5 | Low sample | 12%–77% |
| Mono-Blue Faeries | 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 Spy Combo in Pauper?
Across the last 90 days, Mono Red Madness (94% over 18 matches), Elves (80% over 5 matches) and Familiars (80% over 5 matches) hold the best recorded results against Spy Combo. 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 Spy Combo?
We do not have sideboard choices tied to individual matches, so this is not a sideboard guide. What the data supports is narrower: the 4 decks with the best records against Spy Combo — Mono Red Madness, Elves, Familiars and Jund Wildfire — most commonly run Pyroblast, Cast into the Fire, Vandalblast, Weather the Storm and Monstrous Emergence in their sideboards. Those are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play.
What does Spy Combo beat?
Spy Combo's best recorded matchups over the same window are Mono Red Rally (83% across 6 matches), Ephemerate Tron (75% across 8 matches) and Esper Affinity (60% across 5 matches). If you are picking a deck to attack Spy Combo 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 25 of those for Spy Combo 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 Spy Combo'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.