May 2022 build:

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4787741#paper

All 2020 builds sideboard Dust to Dust
Archeomancer over Mnemonic Wall in some builds

New Base in 2020:

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3349049#paper

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pauper/comments/ijv903/pauper_challenge_20200830/

I subbed in 2 Prismatic strands for 2 of the Stonehorn Dignitary in sideboard, mostly because I did not have enough Stonehorns. Also made a few other very minor changes.



Old Base: Mathonica's 7th place Pauper Challenge:

https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/mtgo-standings/pauper-challenge-2020-03-30

(note: after customizing the deck to my own tastes, it ended up being even closer to this one: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2691094#paper  )

video Guide:

??

Excellent text guide:

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/uw-familiars-4/


https://www.reddit.com/r/Pauper/comments/ewm9wv/how_to_play_uw_familiars_deck_tech_sideboarding/

And side boarding guide:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vT65CPH7wKwDKo5K6BnWFVtQGKxQEcdOV4XkF3Mhge2Mev7rZ5qLGOMnmKklmnJGefu8LprchHknNn_/pub

In case he ever takes down that document, here it is copied here:

UW Ephemerate familiars sideboard guide and strategy tips

The UW Familiars deck is trying to assemble the combo of 2 sunscape Familiars, 1 ghostly flicker, 3 islands, 1 sanctuary, and 1 mulldrifter.  In this case you can flicker drifter and sanctuary and draw your deck.  Once done, you can win through milling the opponent with sage row triggers, or though attacking after snapping their board etc.


Quick tips:

During the combo turn always snap all God-Pharoah’s faithfuls to hand to save on time (fewer triggers)

Always hotkey the OK and Yes buttons so that during combo you can spam them to speed it up.  For example, the sanctuary trigger resolves and then you must click yes to put flicker on top.  During this, you can simply spam the “Yes” button and it will resolve with no time ticking off your clock.

Fastest mill is with Archaeomancer flickering islands.  Tap all blue sources you have and then flicker each island individually to untap them all in order.  Once all are untapped, tap them all and repeat.  This speeds the mill because you can tap them all at rapid fire and save time

When running the combo, put your “Triggers” window next to your graveyard where the flicker will be.  This saves mouse distance and time clicking.  Put the “stack” window in a different area.
Always use the graveyard in the middle popped out mode where it is a large column.  This allows you to see the entire yard.

Combos that get used a lot

        Draw the deck: 2 fam, flicker, drifter, active sanctuary

        Infinite Snaps: 1 familiar, bounceland, flicker, drifter, active sanctuary, archaeomancer

Tap chancery and sanc for WUU, flicker sanc and mancer, put snap from graveyard on top of deck and flicker in hand
Tap sanctuary again for UU, flicker drifter and sanctuary, drawing two.
Tap sanctuary again for U, snap a creature, and untap chancery and sanctuary (mana neutral)
        Infinite snaps: 2 familiars, 2 mancers, 1 flicker, 1 snap

                Tap two island for UU, snap a creature and untap both

                Flicker both mancers and get back snap and flicker

       

On upkeep if you have 1 familiar, you can flicker two sanctuary and redraw 1 of the two spells (mana neutral)


Sideboard Guide and matchup plan

Deck: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3101950#paper


General sideboard strategy:

In general you can remove deep analysis and sage row denizen in fast matchups, and faithfuls and snaps in slow control matchups.  Post board we want 4-7 counters in control matchups and use whatever ones are the best for the matchup.


Tron


Game one is a race.  You want to slam an early faithful if possible while trying to not play directly into any of their counterspells (exclude, prohibit, condescend).  Keep a careful eye on how many colored sources they have and note that they can’t play more spells than colored sources.  Be sure to not play into dinrova horror with a bounceland if possible.


Out:

4 Faithful

1 Echoing Truth


In:

        1 Exclude

        1 Remove Soul

        1 Dispel

        2 Negate


Post board the plan is to be the control deck.  The game goes in phases. Part one, we try to deny them Tron while setting ourselves up.  If you have extra counters then counter impulses, maps, prism, etc.  In the midgame we need to be sure to leave up mana to counter a dinrova horror.  In the late game look for an opening to get them tapped low on colored sources so that you can deterministically win the game.


UR Fae/Delver


This matchup is somewhat dependant on the opponent deck but generally game 1 you want to try and stick a Faithful to block ninjas and stay out of range of their 1/1 beats.  Try to play the long value game and don’t play into spellstutter sprite.  If they have 2 mana up count on them having 1 or both of counterspell and sprite in hand.  This is a match where you just bide your time and play your land drops.  Don’t let them bury you under deprive lock, but deep analysis can break you free


Out

        1 Counterspell

        2 Ephemerate

        1 Sage’s Row Denizen


In

        1 Serrated Arrows

        2 Negate

        1 Dispel


Post board you want to play the control deck and just not let them kill you.  You will focus on biding your time and then attacking with mulldrifters to close.  Remember that you can flicker arrows to reset the counters and keep killing 1/1s


UB Delver/Mono U delver


For each of these, the game plan is the same.  Try to stick faithfuls and out-value them.  The UB delver matchup will require good use of snaps to keep anglers off the board. Post board game plan is the same as UR Fae


Out

        1 Counterspell (in mono u matchup, keep in UB)

        2 Ephemerate

        1 Sage’s Row Denizen


In

        1 Serrated Arrows (in mono U matchup, not UB)

        2 Negate

        1 Dispel


Affinity


Game 1 just try to work your way to combo them out asap.  Likely they will be too fast and overwhelm you.  You can win here by infinite life, infinite snaps, or mill but it takes them stumbling.


Out

        4 Faithfuls

        1 Sage Row

        1 Counterspell

        2 Deep Analysis

In

        1 Nature’s Chant

        4 Stonehorn Dignitary

        2 Negate

        1 Dispel


Post board the plan is to stonehorn lock them and not get killed with flings.  I am not brining in hydroblast here because fling is an instant but they will be backing it up with a lot of dispels.  You need to just get them locked asap then slowly beat down.


Boros Bully (boros tokens)


Bully is trying to be the aggro deck in this matchup and kill you with a big rally the peasants.  The game plan is to land faithfuls and get out of range of their attacks via lifegain.  Don’t be afraid to snap a 1/1 bird token to have 1 less flyer in the air.  If they haven’t played a squadron hawk yet and you have prohibit, try and save it to stop their hawk train.


Out

        2 Deep Analysis

        1 Counterspell


In

        2 Negate

        1 Dispel


Post board their plan is to kill you with a bunch of pyroblasts.  I remove deep analysis because it can be too slow.  I don’t bring in stonehorns because it will water you down too much in the face of so much countermagic.  Be aware they will also bring in molten rain and you need to play around it or hold negate up on turns 3-5.  Watch how many lands they have and remember that when they flash back rally a 1/1 becomes a 5/1.


Boros Monarch


In this matchup you want to try and counter their value birds and just play the long game.  Look for an opening to go off.  Don’t overcommit familiars because their deck is all removal.


Out:

        1 Snap

        2 Deep Analysis


In:

        1 Exclude

        2 negate


Post board try to focus hard on countering their creatures.  Try to not let a second relic resolve and try to play around them landing a monarch.  Remember that echoing truth can bounce their journeys on your combo turn.


Mono Green Stompy


The game plan is to land faithfuls and get out of range of their attacks with lifegain.  You can close the game with the infinite snap combo and mulldrifter attacks.  Play around Savage swipe when possible, and be aware that they probably will also be holding up vines.  Sometimes they also play Hunger of the Howlpack in response to you evoking a drifter and letting it die, which can be bad.  Don’t snap their creatures without a counterspell backup unless they are tapped out or indicating they don’t have a vines.  Don’t play out a familiar without a backup or without them having already used the swipe.


Out:

        1 Sage Row

        3 Deep Analysis

        1 Counterspell


In       

        4 Stonehorns

        1 Natures Chant


Post board the plan is to land and cycle the stonehorns.  If possible, either bait the swipe with an early faithful or hold up countermagic so they can’t swipe it when you play it.  Once the lock is achieved, play around 1-2 fight cards if possible and take it slow.  Just attack in the air with drifters.


Burn


This is a scary deck but we are relatively favored.  The way you win is sticking an early Faithful and then riding the life gain to victory.  I focus on holding snaps to bounce the thermo alchemist or holding prohibits to counter it when possible.  Just don’t die.


Out

        1 Sage Row

        3 Deep Analysis

        1 Prohibit


In

        3 Blue blast

        2 Negate


Post board they might have keldon marauders but the game plan is relatively the same


Mono Black Control


This deck is trying to 1-for-1 you and then win with a resolved monarchy.  Don’t run familiars out without having a second creature to sacrifice to their edicts.  Be aware of Gray Merchant possibly burning you out.  Snap their witches to gain tempo when possible.  A great play on the play is turn 3 familiar, snap witches, play sea gate.  Don’t fight over their removal on your value creatures.  Save your counterspells for more impactful times. 


Out:

        1 Sage Row

        2 Snap


In

        1 Exclude

        2 Negate


Post board the plan is to out value them and then win with drifter beats.  Negates are very important as they plan on bringing in land destruction against you. Be very careful to leave up mana to counter turn 4 monarch if you can.


Elves


This matchups is an absolute race, but they are much faster.  Try to use snaps to keep timberwatch off the board, or priest of titania if there are no timbers.  You have to try to just stall them until turn 5-6 and then win with the mill combo.


Out:

        4 Faithfuls

        1 Counterspell

2 Prohibit

1 Deep Analysis


In:

        4 Stonehorn

        2 Negate

2 Nature’s Chant



Game plan is much the same post board but now you can try and save your negates for either longbow or one of their draw spells.  Always be holding up negate if possible.  Try to block as much as possible.  Don’t forget you can block, then ephemeral or flicker.



Other resources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pauper/comments/9mpnrk/playing_the_pauper_challenge_with_uw_familiars/

https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/gge1tj/an_introduction_to_paupers_uw_familiars_combo_deck/ which refers to this saidin.raken deck that is very similar to mine:

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2894525#paper

https://youtu.be/DcM8QUU1F4g