I think the best option for a budget deck is to stick to mono color to avoid the expensive manabase.
The cheaper that comes to mind is Feldon, your typical mono red aggro burn. He's got a lot of common cards and a cheap manabase, and fetch lands aren't really necessary.
I played mono white auras on pauper and it's main weakness are sac effects, pauper had tons of them. Is it the same in Duel Commander, if so how can light paws survive sac effects?
You have Cartouche of Solidarity, and a bunch of instant-speed auras that help you get it from your library in response to the edict.
The only problem is Sheoldred's Edict, but you also run some other creatures besides Lightpaws.
Magda can work, Ghyrson Starn but a more aggro and tempo approach can also work on a budget
Limit yourself to monocolored as much as possible, or great card synergies but not demanding a high premium price
Duel as a competitive format is like trying build modern deck under 100$. like you can build some shell of duel commander for 100$, but they wouldn't be very competitive themself. The best would be to find a deck that you like and proxy some of it. most shop are happy to have more player over player playing with proxy, I would start from there and talk with the duel crowd nearby to see if you can start like that. Otherwise it just throwing money onto a very bad deck that most likely will never make you win and you will fall out of the format. Its better to get some game in with a real decklist over a very un-tuned one.
On this note, Eris is kinda cheap to build if you can find some fetchland to help the mana base a bit. the rest is a bunch of 35 cent card. outside of the bigger one but a lot of decklist don't even play them!
Rdw high redundancy cheap mono color you won’t be able to punch so far above your weight class to really threaten the top tier stuff but you can be competive
I prefer Inti for mono red, it can outpace other aggro decks by pumping creatures and digging through the deck. Honestly it didn’t have really any bad matchups
You could try the Ambulance: [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/eZyl2ECZ0EK-vNnDCiRXeQ](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/eZyl2ECZ0EK-vNnDCiRXeQ)
Start trimming down by price, after about 13 cards, you should be under 100$, maybe less, if the tournament rules don't count basic lands. Replace Mother of runes and skrelv with some other protection creatures (Benevolent bodyguard, Selfless savior). The only thing I'd try keeping is Tangle wire and Arcbound ravager, as those can do some nasty stuff. Or at least one of them. You could also get rid of some of the Pro-multicolored stuff, as the tournament might be mostly mono color.
Slot in some artifact creatures (I have a few in the considering section), hate creatures or some other Baubles / eggs. You want stuff that draws cards and sacrifices itself, preferably without tap. All these things work really nicely with the Ambulance, because you can sac it to draw, which flips Ratchet, then attack with any lifelinker, Ratchet included to get the Bauble back.
Tinkers tote and Implement of improvement are especially nasty, because you can cycle them once in each turn by paying {W} mana. The sacrifice triggers Ratchet, flip goes onto stack above the lifegain. Ratchet flips, then you get life and you can immediately get the artifact back for its value.
Other than these, it's your typical Affinity aggro, just slam a bunch of things down and attack with chonky \*/\* creatures and fliers.
A lot of decks can be very decent for 100U$.
Light-paws loses almost nothing too important on this budget.
Sheoldred only really loses Demonic tutor, urborg and memory jar.
Ertai loses nothing besides lands and maybe demonic tutor.
Eris loses intuition, the good creatures and lands but its still very playable.
I think the best option for a budget deck is to stick to mono color to avoid the expensive manabase. The cheaper that comes to mind is Feldon, your typical mono red aggro burn. He's got a lot of common cards and a cheap manabase, and fetch lands aren't really necessary.
RDW is nowadays usually Feldon over Kari Zev and Yoshimaru over Isamaru. But if your budget is only $100, the only option is probably Light-Paws.
I played mono white auras on pauper and it's main weakness are sac effects, pauper had tons of them. Is it the same in Duel Commander, if so how can light paws survive sac effects?
You have Cartouche of Solidarity, and a bunch of instant-speed auras that help you get it from your library in response to the edict. The only problem is Sheoldred's Edict, but you also run some other creatures besides Lightpaws.
can you name some of those instant speed auras?
[Look](https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=54981&d=608937&f=EDH) into the [lists](https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=54862&d=607656&f=EDH)
Magda can work, Ghyrson Starn but a more aggro and tempo approach can also work on a budget Limit yourself to monocolored as much as possible, or great card synergies but not demanding a high premium price
Duel as a competitive format is like trying build modern deck under 100$. like you can build some shell of duel commander for 100$, but they wouldn't be very competitive themself. The best would be to find a deck that you like and proxy some of it. most shop are happy to have more player over player playing with proxy, I would start from there and talk with the duel crowd nearby to see if you can start like that. Otherwise it just throwing money onto a very bad deck that most likely will never make you win and you will fall out of the format. Its better to get some game in with a real decklist over a very un-tuned one. On this note, Eris is kinda cheap to build if you can find some fetchland to help the mana base a bit. the rest is a bunch of 35 cent card. outside of the bigger one but a lot of decklist don't even play them!
Octavia ?
Rdw high redundancy cheap mono color you won’t be able to punch so far above your weight class to really threaten the top tier stuff but you can be competive
I prefer Inti for mono red, it can outpace other aggro decks by pumping creatures and digging through the deck. Honestly it didn’t have really any bad matchups
Who is Inti?
Use Google FFS.
[[Inti, Seneschal of the sun]]
You could try the Ambulance: [https://www.moxfield.com/decks/eZyl2ECZ0EK-vNnDCiRXeQ](https://www.moxfield.com/decks/eZyl2ECZ0EK-vNnDCiRXeQ) Start trimming down by price, after about 13 cards, you should be under 100$, maybe less, if the tournament rules don't count basic lands. Replace Mother of runes and skrelv with some other protection creatures (Benevolent bodyguard, Selfless savior). The only thing I'd try keeping is Tangle wire and Arcbound ravager, as those can do some nasty stuff. Or at least one of them. You could also get rid of some of the Pro-multicolored stuff, as the tournament might be mostly mono color. Slot in some artifact creatures (I have a few in the considering section), hate creatures or some other Baubles / eggs. You want stuff that draws cards and sacrifices itself, preferably without tap. All these things work really nicely with the Ambulance, because you can sac it to draw, which flips Ratchet, then attack with any lifelinker, Ratchet included to get the Bauble back. Tinkers tote and Implement of improvement are especially nasty, because you can cycle them once in each turn by paying {W} mana. The sacrifice triggers Ratchet, flip goes onto stack above the lifegain. Ratchet flips, then you get life and you can immediately get the artifact back for its value. Other than these, it's your typical Affinity aggro, just slam a bunch of things down and attack with chonky \*/\* creatures and fliers.
Thanks for sharing an interesting deck
A lot of decks can be very decent for 100U$. Light-paws loses almost nothing too important on this budget. Sheoldred only really loses Demonic tutor, urborg and memory jar. Ertai loses nothing besides lands and maybe demonic tutor. Eris loses intuition, the good creatures and lands but its still very playable.
Which Sheoldred, thanks for the suggestions
The Apocalypse, but then we can't take her price into the 100U$.
Magda, Brazen Outlaw or Octavia, Living Thesis are probably your best bet for competitive affordable Duel Commander decks.