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Okay, let's get the first and most obvious question out of the way. Why in the name of all that is good and wholesome would you want to let this little maniac lead your army?
- You want to build Goblin tribal but don't wanna go the more grindy way of Wort, Boggart Auntie (like me!), the more ramp and burn route of Wort, the Raidmother, and you don't want to draw the heat from running Krenko, Mob Boss (who has become one of the most feared aggro generals out there).
- You love going all-in! There aren't many plays in Magic more all-in than sacrificing all your lands to make 1/1 Goblins, pumping them, and swinging to your heart's content. Odds are, you're either going to win or lose on the spot and you're gonna be having too much fun to care which it is.
- You don't mind losing for the sake of having fun. This little guy is a blast to play, but it is very easy to go off a bit too early (not gonna touch the low-hanging fruit there), kill one or two people and then quiver helplessly at the feet of the remaining player who has a Wrath in hand and lands in play. That said, this deck deals a ton of damage, swings with a ton of creatures, and makes some of the most memorable plays of any deck I have ever played lol.
- You enjoy a general that comes down as a late game bomb. When Ib hits the battlefield, things getting moving.
- You like the prospect of playing a general that's probably drunk at wheel. Just look at him!
Now all that's well and good, but admittedly Ib isn't for everyone.
- The thought of going all-in makes people uncomfortable. People like to hold back in case their plans go awry. Smart players generally hold up creatures in case of a Wrath, they'll keep cards in hand to bluff an answer, they'll keep mana open to be able to play an answer at instant-speed, etc etc. This deck forgoes that in favor of lighting the whole damn world on fire and seeing how things pan out once the flames die down.
- Ib Halfheart is very clearly Mono-Red. Mono-Red is often viewed as the weakest color in EDH. I know people who won't consider playing Mono-Red and some who dislike playing Red in any form. Red's style isn't for everyone, EDH's social contract often takes mass land destruction out of the picture and EDH's higher life totals, larger creatures, and multiplayer setting negates a lot of the usefulness of efficient burn spells. Oh. And you also lack almost all forms of tutoring and card draw. *shrugs* So it goes.
- If you enjoy accruing massive amounts of card advantage look elsewhere. Damia, Sage of Stone, Karador, Ghost Chieftain, Thraximundar...these are the generals that can bury people alive under the sheer weight of their card advantage. Ib will not. Ever. You have to be willing to throw card advantage out the window for the sake of dealing damage or this deck is gonna be a miserable experience. However, I find it to be a very refreshing approach to EDH after playing a bunch of grindy games in which everyone is trying to eek out just a tiny bit more card advantage out of their various engines. Might just be my opinion though.
- Krenko, Mob Boss is undeniably more powerful than Ib. Both are Mono-Red Goblin-tribal decks (usually), but Krenko is clearly the more powerful of the two. He's faster and far more resilient (funny how not blowing up your own lands lets you recover more easily). Choosing to play Ib Halfheart is a step in a blatantly less powerful direction.
With all that out of the way, let me show you the decklist I've been using:
The concept of this deck is not complicated. Build up a board state, keep from drawing the ire of too many people, and then pull the trigger. Play Ib, play rituals, play Goblins, blow up your own land to make more Goblins, pump all those adorable little psychopaths, and then hope for the best.
- Beetleback Chief: Obvious inclusion. 4 mana gives me three bodies totaling four power.
- Gempalm Incinerator: Sometimes you really need to burn out a blocker. Sometimes that damn Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary just needs a .45 caliber slug to the head. Sometimes you get 8 Goblins out, Repercussion in play, and then you top deck this guy. Sometimes you just need to draw a card in the early game. This is a rare source of card advantage for the deck.
- Goblin Bushwhacker: He is neither a one-drop nor a two-drop, he is a two mana mass pump spell. Drop Ib into play, nuke your Mountains, and then drop this guy to swing with a ton of Hasty 2/1's.
- Goblin Chieftain: Oh Goblin Chieftain...a three mana 2/2 with no activated abilities, no ETB effect, and yet whenever he hits the battlefield the whole table starts flipping nervously through their hands looking for a way to kill it. Sure, there are other ways to give Goblins Haste in this deck (Goblin Warchief, Goblin Bushwhacker, and In the Web of War), but this guy gives Haste and a permanent buff which can turn respectable boardstate into a pretty nasty one real quick.
- Goblin King: One of the many Goblin lords. He's not the best, but +1/+1 to all Goblins is nice and on the occasion that someone else is playing Red this guy goes from being unimpressive to being the Murder-King of Goblintown.
- Goblin Matron: One of the things that makes Goblins such a powerful tribe is its tutors. Three mana gets you a body on the field and a Goblin of your choice in hand. She plays particularly well with Goblin Lackey and Warren Instigator which basically let you tutor that Goblin straight into play. She's also a way to chain tutor Goblin Recruiter into Goblin Ringleader into whatever unholiness tickles your fancy (including infinite combos if you so choose).
- Goblin Pyromancer: Hi-larious! The ultimate all-in play is dropping this guy after nuking all your lands without a sac outlet available. You're gonna be swinging for astronomical amounts of damage but if you don't kill the table you're gonna be left with nothing. However, if you do have a sac outlet in play then you get to pump all your Goblins and then get rid of him before the nasty "Destroy all Goblins" clause comes into effect. Eldrazi Monument works as will, since it does say "destroy" not "sacrifice".
- Goblin Recruiter: He lets you stack the top of your library with all the Goblins your heart desires. He sets up possible infinite damage combos, he lets you draw four Goblins next turn if you put Goblin Ringleader on top, and he's one of the most strategic cards in the deck. You can reliably set yourself up for a few turns if you order things right.
- Goblin Ringleader: It's fitting that this guy follows Goblin Recruiter alphabetically 'cuz these guys are best friends. He's also single-handedly got me considering Mimic Vat for this deck...oh the value...
- Goblin Sledder: Most obviously he's another free sac outlet to avoid getting beaten to death with your own creatures in the event of an Insurrection hitting the board or to kill Goblin Pyromancer before he kills your minions. However, his ability to pump other creatures comes in handy when you want to make Spikeshot Elder a force of nature or if only one of your creatures gets through and you still wanna deal big damage.
- Goblin Tinkerer: Oh dear lord this guy is one of my favorite cards in the deck. Removal is at a premium in this deck and this guy is pretty solid. He's amazing once you start pumping him because he can survive to smash some more artifacts. It's especially funny when you blow up a Mox Diamond, followed by a Sol Ring, and then a Chrome Mox on turns 3, 4, and 5. I've also killed Steel Hellkite and survived on more than one occasion.
- Goblin Warchief: Haste is wildly underrated and it's in any aggressive deck, but it's truly amazing in this one. His cost-reduction ability is also plenty relevant. This deck wants to puke out a ton of Goblins and this guy lets you puke out more Goblins even faster and then immediately turn your gibbering, slavering horde sideways.
- Goblin Wardriver: He's another anthem-effect. Plus I love the art...look at that crazy little devil flying through the air! Look at him!
- Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker: Not only is Kiki-Jiki one of the best Goblins, he's also one of the best Red creatures ever printed. There aren't too many cards in this deck that could be played as generic "good stuff", but this guy can. Anything that you enjoy having one of, he gives you another. Another body in combat, another ETB trigger, another blocker...whatever you need. Plus, stacking your deck nine cards deep with Goblin Recruiter, following it up with Golbin Ringleader and then copying the Ringleader is just amazing. However, beware of the FtV: Legends version of him...that art is an abomination...why?! Dear God in heaven, why is he farting fire?!
- Krenko, Mob Boss: Krenko is terrifying as a general. He's fast and he gets out of hand very quickly. He serves a very similar purpose as one of the 99 in this deck. Four mana isn't much to pay and an early Sol Ring gets him into play two turns earlier. He doubles your Goblins every single turn he's in play and if you get him and Ib out at the same time then you're either gonna win big or burn out in a fiery blaze of suicidal glory. He’s also far and away the biggest removal magnet in the entire deck.
- Mogg War Marshal: Pretty self-explanatory. He brings a friend when he hits the board and leaves one around after he goes. I find myself paying his Echo cost more than I thought I would. It's comforting to have at least one Goblin left after a Wrath lol.
- Sensation Gorger: I've always held a certain fondness for Kinship. It's a fun mechanic that encourages tribal builds. I like fun and I like tribal. This little guy is especially good because I'm running so many Goblins and because he does something that this deck doesn't generally do very well: draws cards. This deck pukes its hand out quite frequently so a Wheel effect is rarely wasted.
- Siege-Gang Commander: Seeing this guy in hand is almost never a bad thing. Krenko gives him a ton of fodder to toss, Ib gives him a ton of fodder to toss, playing out this deck gives him a ton of fodder to toss. He drops a few other Goblins into play and gives you a way to deal damage without having to deal with blockers and Fogs and other such tomfoolery. Plus, it's hilarious to drop this guy on turn two off of a turn one Goblin Lackey lol.
- Skirk Fire Marshal: This fella's one of my favorite cards in the deck. He deals a whole lotta damage while bypassing that troublesome red zone. Five Goblins isn't a whole lot for this deck and I've found myself able to active his ability two or three times before. My playgroup went from not knowing what this guy does to fearing his shenanigans really quickly. Oh, and if you stick this guy alongside Repercussion don't be surprised to deal well over a hundred damage in one go. Well over a hundred.
- Skirk Prospector: He's a free Goblin sac outlet. His mana production is a nice plus sometimes, but I generally just use him as a sac outlet.
- Spikeshot Elder: Three mana is a lot to pay to ping something for one damage, but it's really easy to start dealing a whole lot of damage with this guy. For one, he doesn't tap to activate. He's also a Goblin which means there are about 7.39 million ways to pump him. Coat of Arms, Goblin Sledder, Goblin Chieftain, Caged Sun, etc etc. I've dealt 18 damage with him as a death blow without too much effort.
- Stingscourger: God bless Time Spiral block, it gave us so many oddities. This guy isn't exceptionally powerful (and his Echo cost is annoyingly high), but he is great utility. A 2/2 Goblin for 2 that bounces an opposing creature lets you delay that Mono-Green guy from Rofellosing the boardstate into oblivion or keep Sheoldred, Whispering One from recurring It That Betrays for another turn. Red doesn't get this kinda card often.
- Tuktuk Scrapper: He's a bit overpriced when compared to Manic Vandal and its ilk, but his relevant creature type more than makes up for it. Plus, I run a couple ways of cutting down on his mana cost. Sometimes artifacts just need to go boom.
- Warbreak Trumpeter: He's not the best card in this deck, but he does shore up the deck’s difficulty recovering from Wraths.
- Warren Instigator: He's two Goblin Lackeys stapled together. Two red mana and double strike makes him dangerously explosive with the right hand. Once you drop a turn three Siege-Gang Commander and Skirk Fire Marshal onto the board with this guy you’ll probably grow to love him lol.
- Chancellor of the Forge: Bonkers. This guy is flat-out bonkers. The opening hand bit is cute and helps an early game Krenko, but let's be honest, I'm playing this guy for his ETB ability. He takes 5 Goblins and turns them into 10 Goblins and a 5/5, he takes 10 Goblins and turns them into 20 Goblins and a 5/5. He's expensive to cast, but he's absolutely worth it. And it’s worth noting that all the tokens he creates have Haste. That’s really easy to overlook, but it’s a huge deal.
- Mogg Catcher: Amazing. Pay three, tap, and tutor up a Goblin of choice straight onto the battlefield. Yeah, he has to go around the table once but his effect is so powerful. His place in this deck is pretty well unassailable.
- Patron of the Akki: It’s another anthem effect, it comes with one of the biggest bodies this deck has to offer, and you can eat a Goblin to cast him on the cheap. He's probably the first anthem effect on the chopping block, but he's been good to me so far.
- Voracious Dragon: Devour 1 isn't a big deal on its own, but add to that the damage it does when it comes into play and the rarity of evasion in this deck makes him a valuable commodity and a bit of a surprise. I really wish this guy had Haste though...
- Battle Hymn/Brightstone Ritual: Two low cost ritual spells that can easily produce 10+ mana each. When the deck starts rolling these cards just give it a swift kick in the ass. If you can follow one of these up with a Wheel effect then you've just achieved pyromaniac bliss. With that said, don't be afraid to pull the trigger on these guys for just two or three mana; if it lets you play one more Goblin or one more anthem then it was well worth it.
- Comet Storm: The two above rituals, Koth of the Hammer, and Mana Echoes make this card insanely lethal. It's really handy to be able to kill people without worrying about Wraths or Fogs.
- Savage Beating: This card is exactly what the name suggests. Either of its effects are pretty powerful in a token/swarm deck and entwining it is just backbreaking.
- Burn at the Stake: Another alternative way to deal damage. Spawning a ton of tokens without haste isn't nearly as big a deal when you can just tap them all to deal a ton of damage.
- Blasphemous Act: I'm of the opinion that having at least one Wrath up your sleeve is always a good thing. Sometimes your opponents are going to outrace you and you need to slow them down. Plus, it and Repercussion are bestest buddies.
- Goblin Offensive: Nothin' fancy or tricky about this card, it just makes a whole lotta Goblins all at once.
- Mogg Infestation: Generally this is gonna be used to blow up your own board and double your Goblins, but it can be used to screw with someone with a few big, nasty creatures that you can't otherwise deal with.
- Reforge the Soul/Wheel of Fortune: This deck generally pukes its hand up pretty quickly and it doesn't have a whole lotta ways to draw cards. These are exceptionally good because they draw you cards and they make other people discard their hands (which are most definitely larger than yours was).
- Blood Moon: This was a stellar card when I was running R/B and it's even better now that I'm Mono-Red. I have very few basics and a couple of them are fetches. This is not gonna hurt me very often and when it does, it won't hurt very badly. Other people however...yeah, this is gonna hurt. 5-color decks curl up and die, a fair few three color decks will have to search for an O-Stone to play much of anything, and some two color decks are gonna have trouble hitting their triple colored spells. It's land hate without destroying everyone's lands.
- Breath of Fury: Such a fun card. Yes, it's an Aura. Yes, it relies on getting through on the combat step. Yes, it requires you to sacrifice a creature. So? This deck makes a lot of creatures and if I can hit someone who can't block then I'm golden. Krenko and Goblin Warrens are amazing with Breath of Fury.
- Goblin Bombardment: It's a free sac outlet with a Goblin theme that gives me a little more reach. I can swing for a lot and then sac some of them to deal more damage.
- Goblin Warrens: This is a little bit slow, but it's a great way to incrementally build up your token army. Swing in at someone with mana open and you can hit for damage and then sacrifice any blocked tokens to make more of 'em. "EoT: Goblin Warrens" has become one of my favorite plays in the mid-game. People don't often see it as a threatening play but it sets you up well.
- Gratuitous Violence: On the other end of the threatening spectrum is Gratuitous Violence. The second this hits the board you become the guy to kill. It interacts well with Ib's first ability, it interacts well with hordes of Goblins swinging in, it interacts well with Spikeshot Elder and Goblin Bombardment, and it is absolutely terrifying with Repercussion on the field. This wins games.
- In the Web of War: The two extra mana this costs over Fervor is worth it in almost any aggressive deck, but token/swarm decks make even better use of it. When you dump twelve Goblins onto the field, they now have Haste and +2/+0...that is easily the difference between killing one person and killing two or chipping away at someone's life and eating them whole.
- Mana Echoes: This card throws up red flags in most people's minds. It's combo-tastic. It's so rarely used outside of infinite combos that people will not believe you if you say otherwise. This is one of the few decks that doesn't use it to go infinite. I just love the prospect of playing a ton of Goblins then Comet Storming someone(s) out before stampeding all over everyone else. It's also a good ritual spell because once you start playing Goblins, you'll be able to keep playing Goblins.
- Quest for the Goblin Lord: Cards that bolster your damage output are good. Cards that bolster your damage output while by encouraging you to do what you already want to do are golden. This card wants you to play Goblins. Play enough Goblins and you've got yourself another anthem effect. Simple.
- Repercussion: This card makes me smile every time I draw it. It does one thing: deals damage. This deck loves to do one thing above all else: deal damage. Ib's first ability, Blasphemous Act, Skirk Fire Marshal, Gratuitous Violence, and Comet Storm are the most obvious interactions in this deck but really this whole deck plays well with Repercussion.
- Vicious Shadows: The amount of damage this card facilitates is incredible. People won't want to block and kill your Goblins because they'll deal more damage in death than they would've in life. People won't want to Wrath the board because they'll just die. If they can't kill this enchantment, they're in trouble.
- Akroma's Memorial: This card is pretty freaking expensive at 7 mana, but I'm running enough land that I can generally get this out. It's a late game bomb that usually comes down around the same time (and often the same turn) as I'm blowing up my lands with Ib. It gives everyone Haste and evasion which is a huge deal when I'm trying to blow the whole table up all at once. Plus, that Pro-Red is really, really relevant when Skirk Fire Marshal hits the board.
- Caged Sun/Gauntlet of Power: Everyone knows what these cards do. The buff they offer is more relevant in this deck than it usually is.
- Coat of Arms: This deck is tribal. This artifact makes tribal lethal. 20 20/20s is a whole lot better than 20 1/1s.
- Eldrazi Monument: +1/+1 is good. Flying is amazing. Indestructible is terrifying. Sacrificing one creature is irrelevant. This card is all upside.
- Sensei's Divining Top: This deck has had trouble with hitting pockets of land at the exact wrong times so I'm including Top to help filter out those bad draws. It's one of the best ways to filter in the format.
- Skullclamp: This card is busted in pretty much every format. This deck has a lot of X/1s and not a lot of card draw. What's not to love?
- Urza's Incubator: Pick Goblins. Play Goblins for cheap. It's better in Vampires or Zombies or other tribes with higher CMCs, but it's still really good here.
- Koth of the Hammer: He's a four mana ritual. Drop him, -2 him, and puke out more Goblins. If he somehow survives another turn without you murderizing the entire table or taking one damage then feel free to turn someone else's Mountain into a 4/4 during the second main phase to get him back into ritual range but I've never really had this particular problem lol.
- Spinerock Knoll: Dealing seven damage isn't hard. It happens all the time in this deck. It happens all the time that other people trigger it. A free card for such a low opportunity cost is never a bad thing.
- Terramorphic Expanse, et al.: I've got seven fetch lands in here in hopes of smoothing out some of the land troubles I've had with this deck. I want access to plenty of Mountains, but I've got a low enough curve that getting flooded would be easy. Land thinning has been mathematically shown to do next to nothing unless you really go whole hog, so that's what I did. Seven fetches plus a little top deck shenanigans with Top and I'm hoping I'll get a little more consistency. Mono-red landbases should NOT be this complicated lol.
- Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle: I'm a big fan of this land in aggressive decks. Sometimes you just need a liiittle bit more reach to win a game or you need to burn out a blocker and for a really low opportunity cost this does that. Plus, there's nothing funnier than going back and forth with the last opponent in an epic struggle to kill them while they barely survive only to drop a Mountain into play next turn and say "Valakut you. Game?"
- Vesuva: Because sometimes I want a Maze of Ith to give myself a little more time to setup for a suicidal alpha strike or because two Valakuts are better than one.
- Lightning Crafter: I ran the Kiki-Jiki/Lightning Crafter combo in the Wort deck that this evolved from, but I never really enjoyed winning with this combo, especially considering how easy it was to tutor up if I wanted.
- Alpha Brawl: 8 mana is a lot to pay but it can clear someone's board entirely letting my Goblin hordes pillage and plunder that person to death. Plus it's yet another card that just gets out of hand when Repercussion hits play.
- Anger/Fervor/Urabrask the Hidden: Haste really makes this deck hum. I've had plenty of games where I've sat around having to try and jump through too many extra hoops when being able to give all my critters Haste would've solved my problems much more easily.
- Chandra Ablaze: Another Wheel effect (miniature though it may be) is always welcome, plus I've found myself in situations where I just need 2 or 3 more damage to kill someone. Admittedly her ultimate is pretty useless in this deck.
- Codex Shredder: This deck runs all of zero ways to recur anything. While I won't be able to recur Shredder itself to keep bringing things back, even bringing one bomb back to my hand at a key moment might make this card worthwhile.
- Crucible of Worlds: This could be a big deal. It lets me reload after going off with Ib (-albeit slowly) and that could be pretty useful. The biggest downside to Crucible is the price tag. $25 is a bit steep if I can't find someone to trade with.
- Door of Destinies: Another massive anthem. The biggest upside this has over something like Coat of Arms is that the counters stick around even if all my creatures get Wrathed away.
- Ensnaring Bridge: I'm really not sure about this card. On the one hand, my Goblins are often just 1/1s or 2/2s and I can hold back a land or two to let them keep attacking but it could become a serious problem for me when I pump all my Goblins to ridiculous proportions. I dunno. Might be worth testing.
- Goblin Charbelcher: This is a fun, goofy deck and a combo piece this random that is Goblin-related and plays nice with Mountains seems like a solid fit. Goblin Recruiter every Goblin in the deck to the top of the library then flip til you (hopefully) kill someone.
- Goblin Marshal: Another Goblin that romps into battle and brings a few friends. He'd be one of the most expensive cards in the deck (yes, six man is high in this deck) and also one of the biggest bodies (yes, three power is big in this deck...shut up.)
- Goblin Wizard: Pro-White is more cute than anything else, but it can help push damage through. The big deal here is dropping a Goblin into play for free. It's a relatively rare card and it cost a few dollars so I haven't looked for it, but it could be pretty good.
- Hellrider: If this guy was a Goblin not only would he be in this deck he would've been one of the first cards in the deck. He's amazing in swarm decks and decks that want to attack early. It's so good I'm considering using one of the deck's rare "Honorary Goblin" slots for this guy...
- Invasion Plans: This is going to be pretty one-sided. I don't have too many utility creatures that are gonna sit back and be forced to block (and probably be killed) by my opponents. I'll be swinging with all my Goblin-y minions almost unfettered (though the one Goblin that is getting blocked is gonna be smashed into a fine pink paste) and probably dealing significantly more damage than my opponents.
Rings of Bighthearth: Pay two colorless and: sacrifice two mountains to make four Goblins, tap five untapped Goblins to deal 20 damage to all creatures and players, tap and double my Goblins, make two copies of a Goblin, grab two mountains, etc etc. Rings could do soooo much for this deck. When it was brought to my attention that Illusionist's Bracers would be great in this deck, I figured this would be too.
- Rummaging Goblin and Squee, Goblin Nabob: An easily tutorable draw engine in a color that lacks draw engines. If I find a copy of Squee then I'll prolly test it out.
At the moment, this deck runs relatively well. It's a whole helluva lotta fun and it's quite capable of winning. It's got some resiliency in that it can survive without any of the individual pieces and it can easily recover from an early Wrath (though Wraths after the deck's gone off are an entirely different beast lol). One of the biggest problems I'm running into is land count. It's Mono-Red Goblins with a relatively low curve so my first thought was to lower my land count. However, Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician wants lots of Mountains to blow up. I decided I'd err on the side of keeping Ib fueled and threw in 39 lands. That's definitely too many. At least 80% of my games have had me hitting a killer land pocket that slows me down or gets me killed. I'm thinking of lowering it to 36-37 lands, testing that out, and then deciding what to do from there but I was wondering if anyone else had any thoughts or experiences that might help me smooth out my land count.
This is one of my favorite decks at the moment and I'm looking for feedback to see how I can make it better/more wildly, psychotically entertaining. Whadya think?
I like how your deck is looking! I am interested in making one in the future.
I've started listening to CommanderCast, and in one episode (#26) they suggested cards for an Ib Halfheart deck and they apparently attest to it's greatness now. I also find their suggestions good so here's some possible inclusions in your deck.
Invasion Plans: Forces players to block your goblins and you get to decide how they block. Aka, you can force your goblins to blow up your opponents creatures when Ib is on the field.
Shared Animosity: Coat of Arms on the offense. Sounds good to me.
Furnace Celebration: When you sac your creatures, you can get even more damage in.
Confusion in the Ranks: Now I actually built a deck around abusing this and it can be a lot of fun and a lot of crazy. Giving creatures you control haste is a must since summoning sickness occurs after swapping around. So it's a possible option if your play group likes crazy shenanigans and you like having your opponent's Consecrated Sphinx's
Great deck lol. I find Ib to be much cooler then most goblin generals. His flavor text is so funny and represents goblins so well.
I don't think there is much to suggest here...
Do you ever get flooded with lands? 39 is a tad high for my generic land count. That being said I'm sure you want to hit all your drops and you don't really have any way to filter for more lands.
Great deck lol. I find Ib to be much cooler then most goblin generals. His flavor text is so funny and represents goblins so well.
I don't think there is much to suggest here...
Do you ever get flooded with lands? 39 is a tad high for my generic land count. That being said I'm sure you want to hit all your drops and you don't really have any way to filter for more lands.
Anyway, great deck and thread.
Thanks for the compliments. Ib's definitely my favorite Goblin general because of just how well he displays the Goblin way lol.
I definitely do get flooded. Far too many games involve me hitting a brutal land pocket right when I need to be drawing into more gas. I'm thinking of trimming down 2-3 lands and seeing how that goes. I want to hit all my early land drops and have enough Mountains to let Ib go off, but I can't keep topdecking 3-5 straight lands every game lol. It's just a matter of tweaking the numbers 'til things smooth out.
Maybe something as simple as cut a land for Sensei's Diving Top. Boring, but it could work wonders. I assume you're going for a more budget build though so it might be hard to justify its price tag. I wouldn't cut too many mountains though because Ib needs his playgrounds.
Maybe something as simple as cut a land for Sensei's Diving Top. Boring, but it could work wonders. I assume you're going for a more budget build though so it might be hard to justify its price tag. I wouldn't cut too many mountains though because Ib needs his playgrounds.
Yeah, I am working on a budget. I can trade for most things given enough time, but it takes some work. That said, I do have a Top sitting around after taking one of my decks apart. I'd be wondering where to put it...quick question though: Top or Crystal Ball? Yes, Top is almost strictly better but Crystal Ball Scrys which lets me put the excess Mountains on the bottom of my library so I don't have to draw into them later.
Top isn't a bad draw late game, you can turn it into whatever for just two mana. Crystal Ball is a bad draw late game and sort of awkward in the opening hand because hopefully you're casting powerful goblins turn three. So this begs the question, when is Crystal Ball better then top? Well only when you're in a huge clump of stuff that you can't get rid of as easily with top. Otherwise its just meh. It taps, doesn't draw a card if needed, and costs a lot of mana to cast.
But if you want to use your top in another deck then crystal ball should work just fine. Faithless Looting is an option as well. You will get less uses out of it then crystal ball but its cheap filter.
Top isn't a bad draw late game, you can turn it into whatever for just two mana. Crystal Ball is a bad draw late game and sort of awkward in the opening hand because hopefully you're casting powerful goblins turn three. So this begs the question, when is Crystal Ball better then top? Well only when you're in a huge clump of stuff that you can't get rid of as easily with top. Otherwise its just meh. It taps, doesn't draw a card if needed, and costs a lot of mana to cast.
But if you want to use your top in another deck then crystal ball should work just fine. Faithless Looting is an option as well. You will get less uses out of it then crystal ball but its cheap filter.
Well said. I've got a Crystal Ball that I've never tried out so I figured I'd ask lol. Top's going in.
Well, the deck performed pretty well tonight. Won on turn five with Krenko, Mob Boss and Breath of Fury in one game lol.
I'm thinking I need more ways to give all my Goblins Haste. There were a couple times when giving all my creatures Haste would've changed things in my favor in a biiig way. Fervor's the obvious choice (followed by Anger), but I was hoping to get something with a little more utility. Maybe I'll add Urabrask the Hidden in there instead of Voracious Dragon for one of my scarce non-Goblin spots.
I'm also still having land woes. Hit a couple big land pockets that caused me some trouble...
Aggravated Assault and other such cards are insane with Ib. So is Mana Echoes. Rings of Brighthearth can copy his sac ability, and Goblin War Drums is a grat card. Lackey and Warren Instigator are AMAZING in goblins. Gamble and mana doublers are also good, and another mono R staple is Wild Ricochet.
The list didn't load on my computer.... so i just named a bunch of good cards from my Ib deck.
Well, the deck performed pretty well tonight. Won on turn five with Krenko, Mob Boss and Breath of Fury in one game lol.
I'm thinking I need more ways to give all my Goblins Haste. There were a couple times when giving all my creatures Haste would've changed things in my favor in a biiig way. Fervor's the obvious choice (followed by Anger), but I was hoping to get something with a little more utility. Maybe I'll add Urabrask the Hidden in there instead of Voracious Dragon for one of my scarce non-Goblin spots.
I'm also still having land woes. Hit a couple big land pockets that caused me some trouble...
What do you guys think?
I like Urabrask as another haste outlet. I might run Fervor because it is harder to kill though. It also costs less mana. Why don't you try and run some fetch lands? They shuffle your deck and thin out lands. You really need the ones that grab mountains untapped but if you don't have extras then you can always run the shards block Panoramas or things like Evolving Wilds.
Aggravated Assault and other such cards are insane with Ib. So is Mana Echoes. Rings of Brighthearth can copy his sac ability, and Goblin War Drums is a grat card. Lackey and Warren Instigator are AMAZING in goblins. Gamble and mana doublers are also good, and another mono R staple is Wild Ricochet.
I'm a big fan of extra combat steps in general (Savage Beating is in this deck and it is incredible), but I dunno where I'd put them.
I'd have to check to see what else Rings interacts with. I'd like to get a bit more out of it than just working with Ib (no matter how good that interaction may be lol). If I go with Xeroxed's suggestion of fetches galore then Rings gets even better.
Goblin War Drums could be pretty powerful. It won't do much when I've already got enough Goblins to murderize everyone all at once, but it seems like a pretty good way to get some damage in when my board state is more modest.
I like Urabrask as another haste outlet. I might run Fervor because it is harder to kill though. It also costs less mana. Why don't you try and run some fetch lands? They shuffle your deck and thin out lands. You really need the ones that grab mountains untapped but if you don't have extras then you can always run the shards block Panoramas or things like Evolving Wilds.
Yeah, Onslaught/Zendikar fetches are a bit pricey in a deck that doesn't need them for color fixing but Wilds/Expanse and the Alara block fetches might be helpful substitutes. The Mirage fetches might be solid too. I'll throw a bunch of them in and see if it helps the deck's land issues a bit. Thanks for the suggestion, it never occurred to me for some reason haha.
I have an ib deck of my own that's very new, and I unfortunately don't have a ton of playtesting time at this point. I'm curious however about a few omissions and a few inclusions of yours and am wondering if you have tested some of these options out. Of the cards you run that aren't in my list:
Mana Echoes (Could be nuts with mana dumps like comet storm, but there's no way to tutor that. Would just suck if you were floundering and had no cards in hand)
I have an ib deck of my own that's very new, and I unfortunately don't have a ton of playtesting time at this point. I'm curious however about a few omissions and a few inclusions of yours and am wondering if you have tested some of these options out. Of the cards you run that aren't in my list:
Mana Echoes (Could be nuts with mana dumps like comet storm, but there's no way to tutor that. Would just suck if you were floundering and had no cards in hand)
Explanations for my cards:
Goblin Sledder is another one drop. He's a sac outlet for Goblin Pyromancer, a way to buff a certain Goblin if I need to get in for damage and my opponent can't block them all, and he plays really nicely with Spikeshot Elder.
Tinkerer is one of my few answers because if he drops early he can keep people from getting too far ahead with Sol Rings and Mox Diamonds. It also scales as the game goes on. With a couple anthems out I can take out more mana rocks or even some bigger artifacts like Steel Hellkite while still surviving. He's become a bit of a pet card as well.
Skirk Fire Marshal is a win-con that I've had a lot of success with. He routinely burns the world down for 20-30 points of damage and he interacts really well with Akroma's Memorial and Repercussion. He's a favorite of mine because of how recklessly red he feels.
Spikeshot is a one drop, he can clear out token blockers (and even bigger blockers if I get an anthem or two out), and he's a mana sink for the times when I've got more mana than god but nothing to really do with it. The fact that he can come down late in the game when someone's almost dead and just snipe them really quickly is a little bit of reach that I'm sure I overvalue lol.
Comet Storm has won me a game. I've only drawn it a couple times, but I like having a way to end a game that's gone a little long when I'm low on resources. I have plenty of rituals and mana doublers so I can theoretically generate tons of mana. I've not drawn it enough to really know how great it is in this deck but it's got a lot of upside.
Koth is another ritual. I'm on the fence about him because he is relatively expense for a ritual. I also don't blow up my Mountains until I'm going for the kill so I don't plan on playing with 0 Mountains too often lol.
Memorial's only downside has been it's cost. I love the Haste, I love the evasion, I love the interaction with Skirk Fire Marshal. Every time I've dropped it it's either been removed immediately or I've won the game.
Vicious Shadows is very costly but it's a lot like Memorial. It flat out wins games. I usually have more mana available than most Goblin decks so casting it can be troublesome, but it never feels impossible.
Quest for the Goblin Lord isn't the best anthem in the deck, but it's been really good the few times I've dropped it. I've gotten it online every time I've played it but one (and that game was a disaster for a number of reasons lol) and two extra power can be pretty painful.
Mana Echoes is isn't busted, but it can be really good. It's obviously great with Comet Storm or Goblin Offensive, but it's good when you've got a bunch of Goblins in hand to dump. It takes you from dropping 3 Goblins to dropping 6 pretty easily. It's one of the reasons I'm thinking about putting the Rummaging Goblin/Squee, Goblin Nabob draw engine in the deck. However, it can be kinda dead when I'm low on cards (which isn't uncommon) so it's definitely being looked at.
Gratuitous Violence is destructive. The difference between a horde of 2/2s and a horde of (for all intents and purposes) 4/2s has been killing one player and killing the table at times. Without any other anthems this is really good, with even a single pump it is insane.
Warrens isn't infinite with Mana Echoes because Warrens requires one red mana for each activation. It's in here because it's a good way to slowly build up my army without drawing too much attention. I have had problems with it though because it doesn't help me recover from a board wipe unless I've got another way to play Goblins in addition to it. It's place in the deck is still up in the air.
Breath of Fury is in as a fun card. It is pretty damn situational, but I've only gotten to play it once and that one time let me kill the table by turn five. It's probably not gonna be good enough otherwise, but I have to test it more to be sure.
Blood Moon is great disruption. I never drop it in the early game cuz it just pisses everyone off and gets me stomped on, but dropping it before I go off can really hamstring my opponents. I puking out a bunch of Hasty, 2/2 or 3/3 Goblins and no one can do anything about it because their B/G deck is producing mostly red mana.
Burn at the Stake kills people. It isn't the best win condition in the deck because it can only hit one person but I'm more than willing to pay five mana to kill the most dangerous player in the game or to kill the last person left in the game with me.
Thoughts on your cards:
Caterwauling Boggart is really interesting, but I think I'd rather run Goblin War Drums to get this effect. Enchantments are harder to kill and it's cheaper to cast. Yes, Boggart is a Goblin but I don't want an effect like this getting removed so easily. That does remind me that War Drums would be worth looking into...
Grappler seems cute, but he seems like he'll whiff too often. Might be worth looking into if I really wanted more creature removal.
Yeah, I've thought about Goblin Marshal but I don't think I want another six mana card. He's worth considering though.
Hoarding Dragon has plenty of good targets in this deck, the only reason I'm not running him is because I want as few non-Goblin creatures as I can. That said, swapping him in for Voracious Dragon should probably happen. I even have a copy of Hoarding Dragon that I'm not using. Definitely gonna try this guy out.
Marton isn't in because I don't own one and I don't know anyone that does lol. He'd be worth testing though, even if he isn't a Goblin.
Tears of Rage seems good, but I'm not sure if it's better than the game winners I'm running now. How's it been for you?
Shared Animosity is sitting at the very top of my maybe pile right now. It's screaming at me to be in this deck. It's gonna be in once I figure out what I want to take out.
Squee is probably going in the deck when I find a copy of him. He's great with Skullclamp (which I'm adding a way to tutor up) and he's part of a Goblin draw engine with Rummaging Goblin.
Taurean Mauler isn't in because I'm running him in my Dragon tribal deck and in my upcoming Radha land hate deck. I don't wanna run him in three decks lol.
Tuktuk is hilarious and I have the 5/5 token but I never see him as making much of an impact. What makes him worth a slot over anything else?
Zealous is a non-Goblin and I'm not all that interested in infinite combos in this deck. I took Lightning Crafter out specifically because of the combo with Kiki.
Solemn isn't in for the reason you said, it's completely off-theme. I also don't have any trouble getting all the land I need. I actually tend to have too much mana in this deck.
Decree would probably be amazing in this deck, but I originally built this deck purely for fun and Decree isn't the most fun card for my opponents. Most of my playgroup wouldn't mind, but I do enjoy this decks reputation as surprisingly powerful, but mostly just hilariously fun.
I've had nothing but bad experiences with Wheel of Fate. Maybe it'd be better in this deck but it never seems to go off when I want it to or I end up getting beat on by the people who don't want it to go off. Might test it out since I have an unused copy sitting around.
Memory Jar could be really good in this deck. I'll look for a copy.
Staff of Nin seems okay. I'd rather run the Goblin draw engine I mentioned above.
Stranglehold is one of my favorite red cards ever, but I'm already using both of my copies elsewhere.
Lemme know if there's something I'm not seeing with any of my comments lol. I'm quite fallible.
And yeah, you're too controlling. I generally like being able to answer things, but that's absolutely not the point of this Ib deck. If I'm having to spend my mana and my cards answering other people's shenanigans then I'm in a lot of trouble. Plus, I do not wanna run a lot of boardwipes in a deck that is generally very anti-Wrath.
Thanks for such an in-depth response. I love this deck and I'm always wanting to make it more fun and powerful.
I updated my decklist to show all the low-end fetches I've crammed in there and I figured I might as well broadcast my thoughts about Gatecrash as it pertains to this deck:
Legion Loyalist looks delightful. He's a one drop Goblin with Haste and he's a team player. Trample and First Strike will be really handy when my Goblin army has a little meat on its bones, but isn't large enough to just ignore the fact that my opponents have blockers and there are a couple decks I see frequently that like to poop out tokens.
Thespian's Stage is Valakut #3. I actually like it better than Vesuva in this deck because I can drop it early and either tap it for colorless until I find Valakut or have it copy and Mountain and then copy Valakut when it finally hits play, something Vesuva can't do. Either way, this is going straight into the deck.
Five-Alarm Fire is more of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand it's a three mana enchantment that has big time damage potential. On the other hand, it'll be slow in the early game and it requires my creatures to hit to do anything so it's not gonna help me out of any games that I'm really struggling in. Still, this deck likes nothing more than dealing lots of damage and setting things on fire so...yeah.
Hellraiser Goblin is another source of Haste, but it doesn't give any other buff or discount instead opting to make my Goblins even more suicidally reckless. If I find myself in need of another source of mass Haste maybe, but I think there are better options.
Tin Street Market: 5 mana for this is just obnoxious. Red deserves better than this. Not only is it an Aura (2-for-1 anyone? Who wants an easy 2-for-1?? Please, please, please blow up my land!!), it's card disadvantage, and it's overpriced. Dammit Wizards, give Red some love."
So Five-Alarm Fire worked pretty well for me yesterday. I got to swing and kill one guy before he could combo out and then sacrifice my creatures to trigger Vicious Shadows to nearly kill the other guy before he combo'd out and then I pulled ten counters off of Five-Alarm Fire to finish him off. If it keeps giving me reach like that or the ability to burn out problematic creatures then I'm gonna love this card lol.
It also just occurred to me as I was skimming through my collection that Madblind Mountain might be pretty good in this deck. Unfortunately it comes into play tapped, but worse things have happened. It is a Mountain, so it's Ib-able and I can search it up with my Mirage fetches. It's great in combination with Top and it's good when I've hit land pockets which is less common than before, but still on my list of things to watch out for. Thoughts?
I had considered five-alarm for my list, but I don't even have the deck finished yet. So I took that self suggestion and placed it neatly in my back pocket somewhere. Madblind Mountain's usefulness seems to end after top, but it's pretty powerful. Honestly, as long as you're not running too many CIPT lands I don't see it being a problem.
I had considered five-alarm for my list, but I don't even have the deck finished yet. So I took that self suggestion and placed it neatly in my back pocket somewhere. Madblind Mountain's usefulness seems to end after top, but it's pretty powerful. Honestly, as long as you're not running too many CIPT lands I don't see it being a problem.
What kinda list are you building? Another Ib-alanche or are you taking a different angle?
An ib-alanche is such a perfect explanation for the deck, heh. Did you consider illusionist's bracers at all? They're a bit reliant on Ib, but they seem decent. Twice the mileage!
You already have Goblin Bombardment, why not good old Furystoke Giant? (except that he's not a goblin... could be that those little pesky goblins annoyed the giant that much, that he was enraged and made it his life goal to destroy them all)? éh voila, story ^^
Slapping it on Krenko or Skirk Fire Marshal sounds bonkers lol. Thanks for the suggestion, it sounds kinda broken in half.
Furystroke Giant is interesting, but he's competing for a non-Goblin creature slot, of which there are only four haha. So far Hoarding Dragon hasn't been impressing me though, so maybe Furystroke Giant is the way to go. It's either him or Hellrider getting tested next.
I just wanna say your list and strategy makes me want ro proxy this together and work on trading for the pieces. It looks like a riot and is semi competitive enough to survive at my tables, as well as be something different and fun. And thats what i try to look for in my edh decks.
However i do wanna run kiki jiki just because i never have.
Thanks to Rivenor for the amazing banner! Check the bottom of the post for a link to the shop.
Okay, let's get the first and most obvious question out of the way. Why in the name of all that is good and wholesome would you want to let this little maniac lead your army?
- You want to build Goblin tribal but don't wanna go the more grindy way of Wort, Boggart Auntie (like me!), the more ramp and burn route of Wort, the Raidmother, and you don't want to draw the heat from running Krenko, Mob Boss (who has become one of the most feared aggro generals out there).
- You love going all-in! There aren't many plays in Magic more all-in than sacrificing all your lands to make 1/1 Goblins, pumping them, and swinging to your heart's content. Odds are, you're either going to win or lose on the spot and you're gonna be having too much fun to care which it is.
- You don't mind losing for the sake of having fun. This little guy is a blast to play, but it is very easy to go off a bit too early (not gonna touch the low-hanging fruit there), kill one or two people and then quiver helplessly at the feet of the remaining player who has a Wrath in hand and lands in play. That said, this deck deals a ton of damage, swings with a ton of creatures, and makes some of the most memorable plays of any deck I have ever played lol.
- You enjoy a general that comes down as a late game bomb. When Ib hits the battlefield, things getting moving.
- You like the prospect of playing a general that's probably drunk at wheel. Just look at him!
Now all that's well and good, but admittedly Ib isn't for everyone.
- The thought of going all-in makes people uncomfortable. People like to hold back in case their plans go awry. Smart players generally hold up creatures in case of a Wrath, they'll keep cards in hand to bluff an answer, they'll keep mana open to be able to play an answer at instant-speed, etc etc. This deck forgoes that in favor of lighting the whole damn world on fire and seeing how things pan out once the flames die down.
- Ib Halfheart is very clearly Mono-Red. Mono-Red is often viewed as the weakest color in EDH. I know people who won't consider playing Mono-Red and some who dislike playing Red in any form. Red's style isn't for everyone, EDH's social contract often takes mass land destruction out of the picture and EDH's higher life totals, larger creatures, and multiplayer setting negates a lot of the usefulness of efficient burn spells. Oh. And you also lack almost all forms of tutoring and card draw. *shrugs* So it goes.
- If you enjoy accruing massive amounts of card advantage look elsewhere. Damia, Sage of Stone, Karador, Ghost Chieftain, Thraximundar...these are the generals that can bury people alive under the sheer weight of their card advantage. Ib will not. Ever. You have to be willing to throw card advantage out the window for the sake of dealing damage or this deck is gonna be a miserable experience. However, I find it to be a very refreshing approach to EDH after playing a bunch of grindy games in which everyone is trying to eek out just a tiny bit more card advantage out of their various engines. Might just be my opinion though.
- Krenko, Mob Boss is undeniably more powerful than Ib. Both are Mono-Red Goblin-tribal decks (usually), but Krenko is clearly the more powerful of the two. He's faster and far more resilient (funny how not blowing up your own lands lets you recover more easily). Choosing to play Ib Halfheart is a step in a blatantly less powerful direction.
With all that out of the way, let me show you the decklist I've been using:
1x Beetleback Chief
1x Gempalm Incinerator
1x Goblin Bushwhacker
1x Goblin Chieftain
1x Goblin King
1x Goblin Lackey
1x Goblin Matron
1x Goblin Pyromancer
1x Goblin Recruiter
1x Goblin Ringleader
1x Goblin Ruinblaster
1x Goblin Sledder
1x Goblin Tinkerer
1x Goblin Warchief
1x Goblin Wardriver
1x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1x Krenko, Mob Boss
1x Mogg War Marshal
1x Sensation Gorger
1x Siege-Gang Commander
1x Skirk Fire Marshal
1x Skirk Prospector
1x Spikeshot Elder
1x Stingscourger
1x Tuktuk Scrappers
1x Warbreak Trumpeter
1x Warren Instigator
1x Mogg Catcher
1x Patron of the Akki
1x Voracious Dragon
1x Battle Hymn
1x Brightstone Ritual
1x Comet Storm
1x Savage Beating
1x Burn at the Stake
1x Blasphemous Act
1x Goblin Offensive
1x Mogg Infestation
1x Reforge the Soul
1x Wheel of Fortune
1x Blood Moon
1x Breath of Fury
1x Goblin Bombardment
1x Goblin Warrens
1x Gratuitous Violence
1x In the Web of War
1x Mana Echoes
1x Quest for the Goblin Lord
1x Repercussion
1x Vicious Shadows
1x Akroma's Memorial
1x Caged Sun
1x Coat of Arms
1x Eldrazi Monument
1x Gauntlet of Power
1x Gilded Lotus
1x Sensei's Divining Top
1x Skullclamp
1x Sol Ring
1x Urza’s Incubator
1x Evolving Wilds
1x Ghost Quarter
1x Grixis Panorama
1x Jund Panorama
26x Mountain
1x Mountain Valley
1x Naya Panorama
1x Rocky Tar Pit
1x Spinerock Knoll
1x Strip Mine
1x Tectonic Edge
1x Terramorphic Expanse
1x Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1x Vesuva
The concept of this deck is not complicated. Build up a board state, keep from drawing the ire of too many people, and then pull the trigger. Play Ib, play rituals, play Goblins, blow up your own land to make more Goblins, pump all those adorable little psychopaths, and then hope for the best.
- Beetleback Chief: Obvious inclusion. 4 mana gives me three bodies totaling four power.
- Gempalm Incinerator: Sometimes you really need to burn out a blocker. Sometimes that damn Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary just needs a .45 caliber slug to the head. Sometimes you get 8 Goblins out, Repercussion in play, and then you top deck this guy. Sometimes you just need to draw a card in the early game. This is a rare source of card advantage for the deck.
- Goblin Bushwhacker: He is neither a one-drop nor a two-drop, he is a two mana mass pump spell. Drop Ib into play, nuke your Mountains, and then drop this guy to swing with a ton of Hasty 2/1's.
- Goblin Chieftain: Oh Goblin Chieftain...a three mana 2/2 with no activated abilities, no ETB effect, and yet whenever he hits the battlefield the whole table starts flipping nervously through their hands looking for a way to kill it. Sure, there are other ways to give Goblins Haste in this deck (Goblin Warchief, Goblin Bushwhacker, and In the Web of War), but this guy gives Haste and a permanent buff which can turn respectable boardstate into a pretty nasty one real quick.
- Goblin King: One of the many Goblin lords. He's not the best, but +1/+1 to all Goblins is nice and on the occasion that someone else is playing Red this guy goes from being unimpressive to being the Murder-King of Goblintown.
- Goblin Lackey: There's nothing I enjoy more than seeing an opening hand of three Mountains, a Goblin Lackey, and a couple other Goblins. Dropping a Siege-Gang Commander on turn two and a Goblin Chieftain on turn three is hilarious.
- Goblin Matron: One of the things that makes Goblins such a powerful tribe is its tutors. Three mana gets you a body on the field and a Goblin of your choice in hand. She plays particularly well with Goblin Lackey and Warren Instigator which basically let you tutor that Goblin straight into play. She's also a way to chain tutor Goblin Recruiter into Goblin Ringleader into whatever unholiness tickles your fancy (including infinite combos if you so choose).
- Goblin Pyromancer: Hi-larious! The ultimate all-in play is dropping this guy after nuking all your lands without a sac outlet available. You're gonna be swinging for astronomical amounts of damage but if you don't kill the table you're gonna be left with nothing. However, if you do have a sac outlet in play then you get to pump all your Goblins and then get rid of him before the nasty "Destroy all Goblins" clause comes into effect. Eldrazi Monument works as will, since it does say "destroy" not "sacrifice".
- Goblin Recruiter: He lets you stack the top of your library with all the Goblins your heart desires. He sets up possible infinite damage combos, he lets you draw four Goblins next turn if you put Goblin Ringleader on top, and he's one of the most strategic cards in the deck. You can reliably set yourself up for a few turns if you order things right.
- Goblin Ringleader: It's fitting that this guy follows Goblin Recruiter alphabetically 'cuz these guys are best friends. He's also single-handedly got me considering Mimic Vat for this deck...oh the value...
- Goblin Ruinblaster: Vault of the Archangel, Gaea's Cradle, Cabal Coffers, and Kessig Wolf Run are all extremely powerful and extremely problematic lands. This guy fits right into the deck while offering something that this deck is rather light on: answers.
- Goblin Sledder: Most obviously he's another free sac outlet to avoid getting beaten to death with your own creatures in the event of an Insurrection hitting the board or to kill Goblin Pyromancer before he kills your minions. However, his ability to pump other creatures comes in handy when you want to make Spikeshot Elder a force of nature or if only one of your creatures gets through and you still wanna deal big damage.
- Goblin Tinkerer: Oh dear lord this guy is one of my favorite cards in the deck. Removal is at a premium in this deck and this guy is pretty solid. He's amazing once you start pumping him because he can survive to smash some more artifacts. It's especially funny when you blow up a Mox Diamond, followed by a Sol Ring, and then a Chrome Mox on turns 3, 4, and 5. I've also killed Steel Hellkite and survived on more than one occasion.
- Goblin Warchief: Haste is wildly underrated and it's in any aggressive deck, but it's truly amazing in this one. His cost-reduction ability is also plenty relevant. This deck wants to puke out a ton of Goblins and this guy lets you puke out more Goblins even faster and then immediately turn your gibbering, slavering horde sideways.
- Goblin Wardriver: He's another anthem-effect. Plus I love the art...look at that crazy little devil flying through the air! Look at him!
- Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker: Not only is Kiki-Jiki one of the best Goblins, he's also one of the best Red creatures ever printed. There aren't too many cards in this deck that could be played as generic "good stuff", but this guy can. Anything that you enjoy having one of, he gives you another. Another body in combat, another ETB trigger, another blocker...whatever you need. Plus, stacking your deck nine cards deep with Goblin Recruiter, following it up with Golbin Ringleader and then copying the Ringleader is just amazing. However, beware of the FtV: Legends version of him...that art is an abomination...why?! Dear God in heaven, why is he farting fire?!
- Krenko, Mob Boss: Krenko is terrifying as a general. He's fast and he gets out of hand very quickly. He serves a very similar purpose as one of the 99 in this deck. Four mana isn't much to pay and an early Sol Ring gets him into play two turns earlier. He doubles your Goblins every single turn he's in play and if you get him and Ib out at the same time then you're either gonna win big or burn out in a fiery blaze of suicidal glory. He’s also far and away the biggest removal magnet in the entire deck.
- Mogg War Marshal: Pretty self-explanatory. He brings a friend when he hits the board and leaves one around after he goes. I find myself paying his Echo cost more than I thought I would. It's comforting to have at least one Goblin left after a Wrath lol.
- Sensation Gorger: I've always held a certain fondness for Kinship. It's a fun mechanic that encourages tribal builds. I like fun and I like tribal. This little guy is especially good because I'm running so many Goblins and because he does something that this deck doesn't generally do very well: draws cards. This deck pukes its hand out quite frequently so a Wheel effect is rarely wasted.
- Siege-Gang Commander: Seeing this guy in hand is almost never a bad thing. Krenko gives him a ton of fodder to toss, Ib gives him a ton of fodder to toss, playing out this deck gives him a ton of fodder to toss. He drops a few other Goblins into play and gives you a way to deal damage without having to deal with blockers and Fogs and other such tomfoolery. Plus, it's hilarious to drop this guy on turn two off of a turn one Goblin Lackey lol.
- Skirk Fire Marshal: This fella's one of my favorite cards in the deck. He deals a whole lotta damage while bypassing that troublesome red zone. Five Goblins isn't a whole lot for this deck and I've found myself able to active his ability two or three times before. My playgroup went from not knowing what this guy does to fearing his shenanigans really quickly. Oh, and if you stick this guy alongside Repercussion don't be surprised to deal well over a hundred damage in one go. Well over a hundred.
- Skirk Prospector: He's a free Goblin sac outlet. His mana production is a nice plus sometimes, but I generally just use him as a sac outlet.
- Spikeshot Elder: Three mana is a lot to pay to ping something for one damage, but it's really easy to start dealing a whole lot of damage with this guy. For one, he doesn't tap to activate. He's also a Goblin which means there are about 7.39 million ways to pump him. Coat of Arms, Goblin Sledder, Goblin Chieftain, Caged Sun, etc etc. I've dealt 18 damage with him as a death blow without too much effort.
- Stingscourger: God bless Time Spiral block, it gave us so many oddities. This guy isn't exceptionally powerful (and his Echo cost is annoyingly high), but he is great utility. A 2/2 Goblin for 2 that bounces an opposing creature lets you delay that Mono-Green guy from Rofellosing the boardstate into oblivion or keep Sheoldred, Whispering One from recurring It That Betrays for another turn. Red doesn't get this kinda card often.
- Tuktuk Scrapper: He's a bit overpriced when compared to Manic Vandal and its ilk, but his relevant creature type more than makes up for it. Plus, I run a couple ways of cutting down on his mana cost. Sometimes artifacts just need to go boom.
- Warbreak Trumpeter: He's not the best card in this deck, but he does shore up the deck’s difficulty recovering from Wraths.
- Warren Instigator: He's two Goblin Lackeys stapled together. Two red mana and double strike makes him dangerously explosive with the right hand. Once you drop a turn three Siege-Gang Commander and Skirk Fire Marshal onto the board with this guy you’ll probably grow to love him lol.
- Chancellor of the Forge: Bonkers. This guy is flat-out bonkers. The opening hand bit is cute and helps an early game Krenko, but let's be honest, I'm playing this guy for his ETB ability. He takes 5 Goblins and turns them into 10 Goblins and a 5/5, he takes 10 Goblins and turns them into 20 Goblins and a 5/5. He's expensive to cast, but he's absolutely worth it. And it’s worth noting that all the tokens he creates have Haste. That’s really easy to overlook, but it’s a huge deal.
- Mogg Catcher: Amazing. Pay three, tap, and tutor up a Goblin of choice straight onto the battlefield. Yeah, he has to go around the table once but his effect is so powerful. His place in this deck is pretty well unassailable.
- Patron of the Akki: It’s another anthem effect, it comes with one of the biggest bodies this deck has to offer, and you can eat a Goblin to cast him on the cheap. He's probably the first anthem effect on the chopping block, but he's been good to me so far.
- Voracious Dragon: Devour 1 isn't a big deal on its own, but add to that the damage it does when it comes into play and the rarity of evasion in this deck makes him a valuable commodity and a bit of a surprise. I really wish this guy had Haste though...
- Battle Hymn/Brightstone Ritual: Two low cost ritual spells that can easily produce 10+ mana each. When the deck starts rolling these cards just give it a swift kick in the ass. If you can follow one of these up with a Wheel effect then you've just achieved pyromaniac bliss. With that said, don't be afraid to pull the trigger on these guys for just two or three mana; if it lets you play one more Goblin or one more anthem then it was well worth it.
- Comet Storm: The two above rituals, Koth of the Hammer, and Mana Echoes make this card insanely lethal. It's really handy to be able to kill people without worrying about Wraths or Fogs.
- Savage Beating: This card is exactly what the name suggests. Either of its effects are pretty powerful in a token/swarm deck and entwining it is just backbreaking.
- Burn at the Stake: Another alternative way to deal damage. Spawning a ton of tokens without haste isn't nearly as big a deal when you can just tap them all to deal a ton of damage.
- Blasphemous Act: I'm of the opinion that having at least one Wrath up your sleeve is always a good thing. Sometimes your opponents are going to outrace you and you need to slow them down. Plus, it and Repercussion are bestest buddies.
- Goblin Offensive: Nothin' fancy or tricky about this card, it just makes a whole lotta Goblins all at once.
- Mogg Infestation: Generally this is gonna be used to blow up your own board and double your Goblins, but it can be used to screw with someone with a few big, nasty creatures that you can't otherwise deal with.
- Reforge the Soul/Wheel of Fortune: This deck generally pukes its hand up pretty quickly and it doesn't have a whole lotta ways to draw cards. These are exceptionally good because they draw you cards and they make other people discard their hands (which are most definitely larger than yours was).
- Blood Moon: This was a stellar card when I was running R/B and it's even better now that I'm Mono-Red. I have very few basics and a couple of them are fetches. This is not gonna hurt me very often and when it does, it won't hurt very badly. Other people however...yeah, this is gonna hurt. 5-color decks curl up and die, a fair few three color decks will have to search for an O-Stone to play much of anything, and some two color decks are gonna have trouble hitting their triple colored spells. It's land hate without destroying everyone's lands.
- Breath of Fury: Such a fun card. Yes, it's an Aura. Yes, it relies on getting through on the combat step. Yes, it requires you to sacrifice a creature. So? This deck makes a lot of creatures and if I can hit someone who can't block then I'm golden. Krenko and Goblin Warrens are amazing with Breath of Fury.
- Goblin Bombardment: It's a free sac outlet with a Goblin theme that gives me a little more reach. I can swing for a lot and then sac some of them to deal more damage.
- Goblin Warrens: This is a little bit slow, but it's a great way to incrementally build up your token army. Swing in at someone with mana open and you can hit for damage and then sacrifice any blocked tokens to make more of 'em. "EoT: Goblin Warrens" has become one of my favorite plays in the mid-game. People don't often see it as a threatening play but it sets you up well.
- Gratuitous Violence: On the other end of the threatening spectrum is Gratuitous Violence. The second this hits the board you become the guy to kill. It interacts well with Ib's first ability, it interacts well with hordes of Goblins swinging in, it interacts well with Spikeshot Elder and Goblin Bombardment, and it is absolutely terrifying with Repercussion on the field. This wins games.
- In the Web of War: The two extra mana this costs over Fervor is worth it in almost any aggressive deck, but token/swarm decks make even better use of it. When you dump twelve Goblins onto the field, they now have Haste and +2/+0...that is easily the difference between killing one person and killing two or chipping away at someone's life and eating them whole.
- Mana Echoes: This card throws up red flags in most people's minds. It's combo-tastic. It's so rarely used outside of infinite combos that people will not believe you if you say otherwise. This is one of the few decks that doesn't use it to go infinite. I just love the prospect of playing a ton of Goblins then Comet Storming someone(s) out before stampeding all over everyone else. It's also a good ritual spell because once you start playing Goblins, you'll be able to keep playing Goblins.
- Quest for the Goblin Lord: Cards that bolster your damage output are good. Cards that bolster your damage output while by encouraging you to do what you already want to do are golden. This card wants you to play Goblins. Play enough Goblins and you've got yourself another anthem effect. Simple.
- Repercussion: This card makes me smile every time I draw it. It does one thing: deals damage. This deck loves to do one thing above all else: deal damage. Ib's first ability, Blasphemous Act, Skirk Fire Marshal, Gratuitous Violence, and Comet Storm are the most obvious interactions in this deck but really this whole deck plays well with Repercussion.
- Vicious Shadows: The amount of damage this card facilitates is incredible. People won't want to block and kill your Goblins because they'll deal more damage in death than they would've in life. People won't want to Wrath the board because they'll just die. If they can't kill this enchantment, they're in trouble.
- Akroma's Memorial: This card is pretty freaking expensive at 7 mana, but I'm running enough land that I can generally get this out. It's a late game bomb that usually comes down around the same time (and often the same turn) as I'm blowing up my lands with Ib. It gives everyone Haste and evasion which is a huge deal when I'm trying to blow the whole table up all at once. Plus, that Pro-Red is really, really relevant when Skirk Fire Marshal hits the board.
- Caged Sun/Gauntlet of Power: Everyone knows what these cards do. The buff they offer is more relevant in this deck than it usually is.
- Coat of Arms: This deck is tribal. This artifact makes tribal lethal. 20 20/20s is a whole lot better than 20 1/1s.
- Eldrazi Monument: +1/+1 is good. Flying is amazing. Indestructible is terrifying. Sacrificing one creature is irrelevant. This card is all upside.
- Gilded Lotus/Sol Ring: Good mana rocks are good.
- Sensei's Divining Top: This deck has had trouble with hitting pockets of land at the exact wrong times so I'm including Top to help filter out those bad draws. It's one of the best ways to filter in the format.
- Skullclamp: This card is busted in pretty much every format. This deck has a lot of X/1s and not a lot of card draw. What's not to love?
- Urza's Incubator: Pick Goblins. Play Goblins for cheap. It's better in Vampires or Zombies or other tribes with higher CMCs, but it's still really good here.
- Koth of the Hammer: He's a four mana ritual. Drop him, -2 him, and puke out more Goblins. If he somehow survives another turn without you murderizing the entire table or taking one damage then feel free to turn someone else's Mountain into a 4/4 during the second main phase to get him back into ritual range but I've never really had this particular problem lol.
- Ghost Quarter/Tectonic Edge/Strip Mine: Some lands need to die. These lands kill those lands.
- Spinerock Knoll: Dealing seven damage isn't hard. It happens all the time in this deck. It happens all the time that other people trigger it. A free card for such a low opportunity cost is never a bad thing.
- Terramorphic Expanse, et al.: I've got seven fetch lands in here in hopes of smoothing out some of the land troubles I've had with this deck. I want access to plenty of Mountains, but I've got a low enough curve that getting flooded would be easy. Land thinning has been mathematically shown to do next to nothing unless you really go whole hog, so that's what I did. Seven fetches plus a little top deck shenanigans with Top and I'm hoping I'll get a little more consistency. Mono-red landbases should NOT be this complicated lol.
- Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle: I'm a big fan of this land in aggressive decks. Sometimes you just need a liiittle bit more reach to win a game or you need to burn out a blocker and for a really low opportunity cost this does that. Plus, there's nothing funnier than going back and forth with the last opponent in an epic struggle to kill them while they barely survive only to drop a Mountain into play next turn and say "Valakut you. Game?"
- Vesuva: Because sometimes I want a Maze of Ith to give myself a little more time to setup for a suicidal alpha strike or because two Valakuts are better than one.
- Lightning Crafter: I ran the Kiki-Jiki/Lightning Crafter combo in the Wort deck that this evolved from, but I never really enjoyed winning with this combo, especially considering how easy it was to tutor up if I wanted.
- Alpha Brawl: 8 mana is a lot to pay but it can clear someone's board entirely letting my Goblin hordes pillage and plunder that person to death. Plus it's yet another card that just gets out of hand when Repercussion hits play.
- Anger/Fervor/Urabrask the Hidden: Haste really makes this deck hum. I've had plenty of games where I've sat around having to try and jump through too many extra hoops when being able to give all my critters Haste would've solved my problems much more easily.
- Chandra Ablaze: Another Wheel effect (miniature though it may be) is always welcome, plus I've found myself in situations where I just need 2 or 3 more damage to kill someone. Admittedly her ultimate is pretty useless in this deck.
- Codex Shredder: This deck runs all of zero ways to recur anything. While I won't be able to recur Shredder itself to keep bringing things back, even bringing one bomb back to my hand at a key moment might make this card worthwhile.
- Crucible of Worlds: This could be a big deal. It lets me reload after going off with Ib (-albeit slowly) and that could be pretty useful. The biggest downside to Crucible is the price tag. $25 is a bit steep if I can't find someone to trade with.
- Door of Destinies: Another massive anthem. The biggest upside this has over something like Coat of Arms is that the counters stick around even if all my creatures get Wrathed away.
- Ensnaring Bridge: I'm really not sure about this card. On the one hand, my Goblins are often just 1/1s or 2/2s and I can hold back a land or two to let them keep attacking but it could become a serious problem for me when I pump all my Goblins to ridiculous proportions. I dunno. Might be worth testing.
- Goblin Charbelcher: This is a fun, goofy deck and a combo piece this random that is Goblin-related and plays nice with Mountains seems like a solid fit. Goblin Recruiter every Goblin in the deck to the top of the library then flip til you (hopefully) kill someone.
- Goblin Marshal: Another Goblin that romps into battle and brings a few friends. He'd be one of the most expensive cards in the deck (yes, six man is high in this deck) and also one of the biggest bodies (yes, three power is big in this deck...shut up.)
- Goblin Wizard: Pro-White is more cute than anything else, but it can help push damage through. The big deal here is dropping a Goblin into play for free. It's a relatively rare card and it cost a few dollars so I haven't looked for it, but it could be pretty good.
- Hellrider: If this guy was a Goblin not only would he be in this deck he would've been one of the first cards in the deck. He's amazing in swarm decks and decks that want to attack early. It's so good I'm considering using one of the deck's rare "Honorary Goblin" slots for this guy...
- Invasion Plans: This is going to be pretty one-sided. I don't have too many utility creatures that are gonna sit back and be forced to block (and probably be killed) by my opponents. I'll be swinging with all my Goblin-y minions almost unfettered (though the one Goblin that is getting blocked is gonna be smashed into a fine pink paste) and probably dealing significantly more damage than my opponents.
Rings of Bighthearth: Pay two colorless and: sacrifice two mountains to make four Goblins, tap five untapped Goblins to deal 20 damage to all creatures and players, tap and double my Goblins, make two copies of a Goblin, grab two mountains, etc etc. Rings could do soooo much for this deck. When it was brought to my attention that Illusionist's Bracers would be great in this deck, I figured this would be too.
- Rummaging Goblin and Squee, Goblin Nabob: An easily tutorable draw engine in a color that lacks draw engines. If I find a copy of Squee then I'll prolly test it out.
- Shared Animosity: It's a Coat of Arms-style anthem and everyone knows how good that card is.
- Evolving Wilds + Sensei's Divining Top
- Terramorphic Expanse + Akroma's Memorial
- Swapped 7 Mountains for 7 fetch lands
At the moment, this deck runs relatively well. It's a whole helluva lotta fun and it's quite capable of winning. It's got some resiliency in that it can survive without any of the individual pieces and it can easily recover from an early Wrath (though Wraths after the deck's gone off are an entirely different beast lol). One of the biggest problems I'm running into is land count. It's Mono-Red Goblins with a relatively low curve so my first thought was to lower my land count. However, Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician wants lots of Mountains to blow up. I decided I'd err on the side of keeping Ib fueled and threw in 39 lands. That's definitely too many. At least 80% of my games have had me hitting a killer land pocket that slows me down or gets me killed. I'm thinking of lowering it to 36-37 lands, testing that out, and then deciding what to do from there but I was wondering if anyone else had any thoughts or experiences that might help me smooth out my land count.
This is one of my favorite decks at the moment and I'm looking for feedback to see how I can make it better/more wildly, psychotically entertaining. Whadya think?
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I've started listening to CommanderCast, and in one episode (#26) they suggested cards for an Ib Halfheart deck and they apparently attest to it's greatness now. I also find their suggestions good so here's some possible inclusions in your deck.
Invasion Plans: Forces players to block your goblins and you get to decide how they block. Aka, you can force your goblins to blow up your opponents creatures when Ib is on the field.
Shared Animosity: Coat of Arms on the offense. Sounds good to me.
Furnace Celebration: When you sac your creatures, you can get even more damage in.
Shivan Harvest: Recurring Goblin Ruinblaster to deal with pesky non-basics.
Confusion in the Ranks: Now I actually built a deck around abusing this and it can be a lot of fun and a lot of crazy. Giving creatures you control haste is a must since summoning sickness occurs after swapping around. So it's a possible option if your play group likes crazy shenanigans and you like having your opponent's Consecrated Sphinx's
They also mentioned Repercussion (which is awesome), Vicious Shadows (which is good), Mana Echoes (which is awesome).
Hope this helps
—Lazav
_______________________________________________
Mafia Stats
Summary:
Total Win %: 40%
Total Scum Win %: 60%
Total Town Win %: 20%
Total Neutral Win %: 0%
Invasion Plans is hilarious. One Goblin's gonna eat it hard lol, but the rest'll have a delightful romp over the bodies of my dying enemies.
Shared Animosity is on my watch list. It and Door of Destinies are both ridiculously powerful.
Furnace Celebration is interesting. I'll definitely test it out, see if it's too mana-intensive or not. I always love dealing more damage lol.
Shivan Harvest is so brutal lol. Another card worth testing.
Confusion in the Ranks merits testing as well. I've never played with or against it so I have no idea how it'll work out.
Those last three you mentioned are already in the deck and yeah, they're all really good.
EDIT: Thanks, Weebo.
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I don't think there is much to suggest here...
Do you ever get flooded with lands? 39 is a tad high for my generic land count. That being said I'm sure you want to hit all your drops and you don't really have any way to filter for more lands.
Anyway, great deck and thread.
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Thanks for the compliments. Ib's definitely my favorite Goblin general because of just how well he displays the Goblin way lol.
I definitely do get flooded. Far too many games involve me hitting a brutal land pocket right when I need to be drawing into more gas. I'm thinking of trimming down 2-3 lands and seeing how that goes. I want to hit all my early land drops and have enough Mountains to let Ib go off, but I can't keep topdecking 3-5 straight lands every game lol. It's just a matter of tweaking the numbers 'til things smooth out.
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Yeah, I am working on a budget. I can trade for most things given enough time, but it takes some work. That said, I do have a Top sitting around after taking one of my decks apart. I'd be wondering where to put it...quick question though: Top or Crystal Ball? Yes, Top is almost strictly better but Crystal Ball Scrys which lets me put the excess Mountains on the bottom of my library so I don't have to draw into them later.
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But if you want to use your top in another deck then crystal ball should work just fine. Faithless Looting is an option as well. You will get less uses out of it then crystal ball but its cheap filter.
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Well said. I've got a Crystal Ball that I've never tried out so I figured I'd ask lol. Top's going in.
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I'm thinking I need more ways to give all my Goblins Haste. There were a couple times when giving all my creatures Haste would've changed things in my favor in a biiig way. Fervor's the obvious choice (followed by Anger), but I was hoping to get something with a little more utility. Maybe I'll add Urabrask the Hidden in there instead of Voracious Dragon for one of my scarce non-Goblin spots.
I'm also still having land woes. Hit a couple big land pockets that caused me some trouble...
What do you guys think?
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The list didn't load on my computer.... so i just named a bunch of good cards from my Ib deck.
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I like Urabrask as another haste outlet. I might run Fervor because it is harder to kill though. It also costs less mana. Why don't you try and run some fetch lands? They shuffle your deck and thin out lands. You really need the ones that grab mountains untapped but if you don't have extras then you can always run the shards block Panoramas or things like Evolving Wilds.
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I'm a big fan of extra combat steps in general (Savage Beating is in this deck and it is incredible), but I dunno where I'd put them.
I'd have to check to see what else Rings interacts with. I'd like to get a bit more out of it than just working with Ib (no matter how good that interaction may be lol). If I go with Xeroxed's suggestion of fetches galore then Rings gets even better.
Goblin War Drums could be pretty powerful. It won't do much when I've already got enough Goblins to murderize everyone all at once, but it seems like a pretty good way to get some damage in when my board state is more modest.
Yeah, Onslaught/Zendikar fetches are a bit pricey in a deck that doesn't need them for color fixing but Wilds/Expanse and the Alara block fetches might be helpful substitutes. The Mirage fetches might be solid too. I'll throw a bunch of them in and see if it helps the deck's land issues a bit. Thanks for the suggestion, it never occurred to me for some reason haha.
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I'd like to hear your thoughts on those cards as you obviously play them!
Would like to hear your opinions on these, if you considered, or tested them.
Explanations for my cards:
Goblin Sledder is another one drop. He's a sac outlet for Goblin Pyromancer, a way to buff a certain Goblin if I need to get in for damage and my opponent can't block them all, and he plays really nicely with Spikeshot Elder.
Tinkerer is one of my few answers because if he drops early he can keep people from getting too far ahead with Sol Rings and Mox Diamonds. It also scales as the game goes on. With a couple anthems out I can take out more mana rocks or even some bigger artifacts like Steel Hellkite while still surviving. He's become a bit of a pet card as well.
Skirk Fire Marshal is a win-con that I've had a lot of success with. He routinely burns the world down for 20-30 points of damage and he interacts really well with Akroma's Memorial and Repercussion. He's a favorite of mine because of how recklessly red he feels.
Spikeshot is a one drop, he can clear out token blockers (and even bigger blockers if I get an anthem or two out), and he's a mana sink for the times when I've got more mana than god but nothing to really do with it. The fact that he can come down late in the game when someone's almost dead and just snipe them really quickly is a little bit of reach that I'm sure I overvalue lol.
Comet Storm has won me a game. I've only drawn it a couple times, but I like having a way to end a game that's gone a little long when I'm low on resources. I have plenty of rituals and mana doublers so I can theoretically generate tons of mana. I've not drawn it enough to really know how great it is in this deck but it's got a lot of upside.
Koth is another ritual. I'm on the fence about him because he is relatively expense for a ritual. I also don't blow up my Mountains until I'm going for the kill so I don't plan on playing with 0 Mountains too often lol.
Memorial's only downside has been it's cost. I love the Haste, I love the evasion, I love the interaction with Skirk Fire Marshal. Every time I've dropped it it's either been removed immediately or I've won the game.
Vicious Shadows is very costly but it's a lot like Memorial. It flat out wins games. I usually have more mana available than most Goblin decks so casting it can be troublesome, but it never feels impossible.
Quest for the Goblin Lord isn't the best anthem in the deck, but it's been really good the few times I've dropped it. I've gotten it online every time I've played it but one (and that game was a disaster for a number of reasons lol) and two extra power can be pretty painful.
Mana Echoes is isn't busted, but it can be really good. It's obviously great with Comet Storm or Goblin Offensive, but it's good when you've got a bunch of Goblins in hand to dump. It takes you from dropping 3 Goblins to dropping 6 pretty easily. It's one of the reasons I'm thinking about putting the Rummaging Goblin/Squee, Goblin Nabob draw engine in the deck. However, it can be kinda dead when I'm low on cards (which isn't uncommon) so it's definitely being looked at.
Gratuitous Violence is destructive. The difference between a horde of 2/2s and a horde of (for all intents and purposes) 4/2s has been killing one player and killing the table at times. Without any other anthems this is really good, with even a single pump it is insane.
Warrens isn't infinite with Mana Echoes because Warrens requires one red mana for each activation. It's in here because it's a good way to slowly build up my army without drawing too much attention. I have had problems with it though because it doesn't help me recover from a board wipe unless I've got another way to play Goblins in addition to it. It's place in the deck is still up in the air.
Breath of Fury is in as a fun card. It is pretty damn situational, but I've only gotten to play it once and that one time let me kill the table by turn five. It's probably not gonna be good enough otherwise, but I have to test it more to be sure.
Blood Moon is great disruption. I never drop it in the early game cuz it just pisses everyone off and gets me stomped on, but dropping it before I go off can really hamstring my opponents. I puking out a bunch of Hasty, 2/2 or 3/3 Goblins and no one can do anything about it because their B/G deck is producing mostly red mana.
Burn at the Stake kills people. It isn't the best win condition in the deck because it can only hit one person but I'm more than willing to pay five mana to kill the most dangerous player in the game or to kill the last person left in the game with me.
Thoughts on your cards:
Caterwauling Boggart is really interesting, but I think I'd rather run Goblin War Drums to get this effect. Enchantments are harder to kill and it's cheaper to cast. Yes, Boggart is a Goblin but I don't want an effect like this getting removed so easily. That does remind me that War Drums would be worth looking into...
Grappler seems cute, but he seems like he'll whiff too often. Might be worth looking into if I really wanted more creature removal.
Yeah, I've thought about Goblin Marshal but I don't think I want another six mana card. He's worth considering though.
Hoarding Dragon has plenty of good targets in this deck, the only reason I'm not running him is because I want as few non-Goblin creatures as I can. That said, swapping him in for Voracious Dragon should probably happen. I even have a copy of Hoarding Dragon that I'm not using. Definitely gonna try this guy out.
Marton isn't in because I don't own one and I don't know anyone that does lol. He'd be worth testing though, even if he isn't a Goblin.
Tears of Rage seems good, but I'm not sure if it's better than the game winners I'm running now. How's it been for you?
Shared Animosity is sitting at the very top of my maybe pile right now. It's screaming at me to be in this deck. It's gonna be in once I figure out what I want to take out.
Squee is probably going in the deck when I find a copy of him. He's great with Skullclamp (which I'm adding a way to tutor up) and he's part of a Goblin draw engine with Rummaging Goblin.
Taurean Mauler isn't in because I'm running him in my Dragon tribal deck and in my upcoming Radha land hate deck. I don't wanna run him in three decks lol.
Tuktuk is hilarious and I have the 5/5 token but I never see him as making much of an impact. What makes him worth a slot over anything else?
Zealous is a non-Goblin and I'm not all that interested in infinite combos in this deck. I took Lightning Crafter out specifically because of the combo with Kiki.
Solemn isn't in for the reason you said, it's completely off-theme. I also don't have any trouble getting all the land I need. I actually tend to have too much mana in this deck.
Decree would probably be amazing in this deck, but I originally built this deck purely for fun and Decree isn't the most fun card for my opponents. Most of my playgroup wouldn't mind, but I do enjoy this decks reputation as surprisingly powerful, but mostly just hilariously fun.
I've had nothing but bad experiences with Wheel of Fate. Maybe it'd be better in this deck but it never seems to go off when I want it to or I end up getting beat on by the people who don't want it to go off. Might test it out since I have an unused copy sitting around.
Memory Jar could be really good in this deck. I'll look for a copy.
Staff of Nin seems okay. I'd rather run the Goblin draw engine I mentioned above.
Stranglehold is one of my favorite red cards ever, but I'm already using both of my copies elsewhere.
Lemme know if there's something I'm not seeing with any of my comments lol. I'm quite fallible.
And yeah, you're too controlling. I generally like being able to answer things, but that's absolutely not the point of this Ib deck. If I'm having to spend my mana and my cards answering other people's shenanigans then I'm in a lot of trouble. Plus, I do not wanna run a lot of boardwipes in a deck that is generally very anti-Wrath.
Thanks for such an in-depth response. I love this deck and I'm always wanting to make it more fun and powerful.
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Legion Loyalist looks delightful. He's a one drop Goblin with Haste and he's a team player. Trample and First Strike will be really handy when my Goblin army has a little meat on its bones, but isn't large enough to just ignore the fact that my opponents have blockers and there are a couple decks I see frequently that like to poop out tokens.
Thespian's Stage is Valakut #3. I actually like it better than Vesuva in this deck because I can drop it early and either tap it for colorless until I find Valakut or have it copy and Mountain and then copy Valakut when it finally hits play, something Vesuva can't do. Either way, this is going straight into the deck.
Five-Alarm Fire is more of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand it's a three mana enchantment that has big time damage potential. On the other hand, it'll be slow in the early game and it requires my creatures to hit to do anything so it's not gonna help me out of any games that I'm really struggling in. Still, this deck likes nothing more than dealing lots of damage and setting things on fire so...yeah.
Hellraiser Goblin is another source of Haste, but it doesn't give any other buff or discount instead opting to make my Goblins even more suicidally reckless. If I find myself in need of another source of mass Haste maybe, but I think there are better options.
Tin Street Market: 5 mana for this is just obnoxious. Red deserves better than this. Not only is it an Aura (2-for-1 anyone? Who wants an easy 2-for-1?? Please, please, please blow up my land!!), it's card disadvantage, and it's overpriced. Dammit Wizards, give Red some love."
Massive Raid is a cheaper, worse version of Burn at the Stake. Eh. I'd much rather run Stake.
Whatever I build from my Box-o-EDH stuff
Legacy
Sneak and Show
UR Delver
Scapeshift Nic Fit
Modern
Merfolk
It also just occurred to me as I was skimming through my collection that Madblind Mountain might be pretty good in this deck. Unfortunately it comes into play tapped, but worse things have happened. It is a Mountain, so it's Ib-able and I can search it up with my Mirage fetches. It's great in combination with Top and it's good when I've hit land pockets which is less common than before, but still on my list of things to watch out for. Thoughts?
Whatever I build from my Box-o-EDH stuff
Legacy
Sneak and Show
UR Delver
Scapeshift Nic Fit
Modern
Merfolk
What kinda list are you building? Another Ib-alanche or are you taking a different angle?
Whatever I build from my Box-o-EDH stuff
Legacy
Sneak and Show
UR Delver
Scapeshift Nic Fit
Modern
Merfolk
Neheb
Marath
Yidris
Sharuum
Yidris
Slapping it on Krenko or Skirk Fire Marshal sounds bonkers lol. Thanks for the suggestion, it sounds kinda broken in half.
Furystroke Giant is interesting, but he's competing for a non-Goblin creature slot, of which there are only four haha. So far Hoarding Dragon hasn't been impressing me though, so maybe Furystroke Giant is the way to go. It's either him or Hellrider getting tested next.
Whatever I build from my Box-o-EDH stuff
Legacy
Sneak and Show
UR Delver
Scapeshift Nic Fit
Modern
Merfolk
However i do wanna run kiki jiki just because i never have.
GB [Primer][Competitive][Stax][Combo] Meren of Clan Nel Toth 95% RETIRED
UW [Primer][Competitive][Combo][Stax] Brago, King Eternal RETIRED
BR Rakdos, Lord of Riots (75%)
G Titania - 75%
W SRAM - Welcome to the cheeri0s jam 95%
U Teferi - stax 100%
R Neheb - janky mono red eggs combo 90%
B Gonti - 50% valuetown