The advantage this deck has is that over other decks of this style is that it can search for both efficient removal or efficient creatures. Goblin Matron seems to offer more variety than any other tutor in Pauper.
Goblin Outlander and Goblin Replica also seem like cards you could include either MB or SB to fight specific strategies. Splashing U lets you have Goblin Electromancer and Razorfin Hunter on top of said trinket package. I think the deck is overall solid if you remove the "aggro" part of it (like Bushwhacker and Bannerets) and focus on a more midrange-value approach.
I'm not scared of White decks one bit, and Goblin Replica seems too inefficient to be worth including. Do you think the Electromancer is worth including? I figured the Banneret already reduces the cost of the Goblin Spells (Weirding and Inversion), on top of all the Goblin creatures, he just seemed like the better choice. Razorfin Hunter would be an excellent tutor target if I ever decide to add Blue (most likely for it and Mulldrifter).
The banneret reduces the cost of non-creature spells, and makes playing Matron and Pilferers a lot less painfully slow, so I'm going to keep them for now. The Bushwhacker I'm not 100% on either; Goblins decks running Matron that I've seen mostly seemed to tutor for him as a finisher, so I thought it would be a good idea (especially with Mogg War Marshal).
Honestly, I haven't tested the deck very much yet, but plan on getting a few more games in to have more insight.
I goldfished the deck a few times and it felt really solid, so I took it for a spin and played against a Delver deck, and won 2-1. I lost the first game to a double Delver of Secrets opening backed up with a large amount of Countermagic. Game two I locked out the player by fetching some edicts and then a Warren Pilferers (I drew three Matrons that game!). Game three was really close, but I managed to get the necessary removal and beat him in a couple turns with double Mogg War Marshal and a few Matrons.
This deck really feels good from the start. I haven't had any problems with the mana base so far. I think I might cut some of the Springleaf Drums or Prisms, but I'm not sure. I could use the other two Flame Slashes.
I haven't fetched for either the Scuzzback Marauders or the Torch Slinger yet, so I'm starting to wonder if they're really worth including.
EDIT2: Okay, seriously now. After a bit of testing, so far I've gone 2-1 against Delver, 2-1 against Izzet Fiend, 1-3 against Stompy, 2-0 against Tron and 2-0 against Hexproof. Maybe I'm just getting really lucky, but this deck just feels insane...
I continued testing and have found a pretty substantial disadvantage against MBC. While our creatures create value, they will still manage to out-value us in the long game. I'm currently looking for ways to improve this matchup. Do you have any suggestions?
Here is my sideboard so far (it's still missing 3 cards):
Well, I definitely feel like I am the beatdown in this matchup, which is a bit problematic.
I do have some aggro tools at my disposal if I choose. Frogtosser and Pilferers are hasty creatures, which is really useful. Using Warren Weirding on myself and sacrificing a Matron or War Marshal can allow me to create a sizable army in very little time.
So while I am somewhat forced to take the proactive role in the matchup, the game is a lot more focused on out-valuing in the opponent than beating them down quickly. The absolute best way that I've found to win was to chain Warren Pilferers into each other, so that he eventually runs out of removal to deal with them. A haste 3/3 every turn on top of whatever else I play is eventually enough to kill them, provided they don't kill me first with Corrupts and Merchants.
The extra Mog War Marshals in the sideboard were my initial idea to help get more value in this matchup, but because they're only 1/1s, they usually just get pinged off or can't attack into their 2/2 creatures. I suppose Sylvok Lifestaff would help with that a lot, actually, so maybe that's the way to go.
I was actually taking the Sparksmiths out, because they were so fragile, needed lots of creatures in order to work and ended up dealing plenty of damage to me anyways. Should I keep them in?
Maybe the fourth Warren Pilferers would be a good idea, considering how hard they are to deal with?
I think I'll be adding a 2:2 split of artifact lands in order to support the Shaman in the sideboard. With my other artifacts, it should be plenty to get one or two activations out of him.
Thanks for the comment. A lot of the stuff you mentioned will really help me out in the actual playing of the game. I did tend to get blown out by a timely Crypt Rats. I'll try a little harder to get Sparksmith to do some work.
Here's the deck and the sideboard in one place, for reference:
So I got to this thread because I was looking for some interesting ways to deal with artifacts in a more casual environment (and on the cheap). I remember Goblin Tinkerer from back when I first picked up paper magic and it seems like it's pretty viable, especially considering Gorilla Shaman costs a small fortune. I saw that you ended up removing it from your sideboard, any reason? I'm brewing up an impact tremors deck and am just using Smash to Smithereens for now but the Tinkerer seems like it could off artifact lands easily, is this the case or can he only target non-land artifacts? Also, any thoughts on Tinkerer vs. shatter/smash/etc?
I haven't tested Goblin Tinkerer in ages, but if I remember correctly, I decided not to use him because of the summoning sickness making him too unreliable and susceptible to removal. Hooligan is fairly easy to activate, and acts immediately, which is why I've been using it instead. I think Smash to Smithereens is probably your best bet when looking for general artifact destruction in general.
As for the Goblin Matron deck at this time, I'm re-thinking the idea a lot. Although I've been having good results, I'm noticing after a few dozen games that the Frogtossers are not all that great, neither are the Marauders. I'm also finding Springleaf Drum a little useless most of the time. At least the Prisms draw me a card.
I'll probably be adding more removal to the deck, as well as Gurmag Anglers.
What about a Beetleback Chief in place of the Marauders to go a bit wider? It can also be fished back with the Pilferers. I see your point with the drum, perhaps a Bonesplitter would be more versatile/helpful?
That's not a bad idea, yeah! I would probably try it, but unfortunately it was only ever printed as an uncommon online, which means that my playgroup does not accept it. Gurmag Angler seems like an excellent replacement. Pilferers can recur any creature, not just goblins, but it just won't get haste.
I don't think Bonesplitter is what the deck wants, but maybe if more token stuff was included, it could be really useful.
Beetleback Chief was common online for vintage masters wasn't it? In any event it's being printed at common in eternal masters come June 17th. Also, just as a total weird card, Blades of Velis Vel might be an option to pump your goblin army...or at least part of it. Although if you're going for a more slow-roll/control style that might not be the best. Goblin Medics might work with the Drum, although that may be getting a little far afield.
I'm Obermeir on Blackborder, actually. Jason and I have been mutually inspired by Goblin Matron Control since his last article on Grixis builds.
Since you're new, you're likely not overly familiar with how these forums work, and when it comes to Pauper Forums, it's a little bit more complicated. Essentially, the forum you linked is focused on the MTGO portion of Pauper (the only place where sanctioned tournaments happen), while over here in the casual forums, things are a little more free-form and we deal with people with all sorts of Format specificities. I prefer these forums, but I occasionally foray into the others when I feel the need for it.
My initial instinct was also to go RB, as you can see in the OP from last year. However, I found it hard to grind certain matchups without some of the classic Blue pieces.
As for your deck, one of the best lessons I've learned when building this deck is that you don't need tons of sub-par tutor targets to make the deck efficient. What I mean by sub-par is that removal spells like Tarfire and Nameless Inversion are bad versions of better but non-tutorable cards. If they're tutorable, then that means you don't need that many in your deck and you're much better off splitting their numbers with better cards instead. The only exception to this for me has been Warren Weirding, because it's such a strong card both defensively and offensively.
As you can see in my own version, I'm using no Nameless Inversions and only one Tarfire, but I'm using 4 Flame Slashes. The latter isn't tutorable, but it's a much better card to have in multiples than the others.
I'm also re-thinking Marauders, and I'm likely going to be switching for Gurmag Anglers, like Jason does. I'm also contemplating a very small amount of countermagic (2-4).
Having a singleton Birthrite in the main is not a bad idea, as it can get back removal or creatures. I definitely wouldn't run anywhere near a playset, however.
Like I mentioned before, the Banneret seems less and less useful to me, and I'll be switching them out for more removal.
Lastly, I don't think the Lifestaffs are all that useful in the maindeck. Seems like a decent sideboard card, nothing more.
EDIT: I've updated the original post with my most recent list.
4 Goblin Matron
1 Sparksmith
2 Mogg War Marshal
2 Warren Pilferers
4 Mulldrifter
1 Gurmag Angler
Removal/ Countermagic (14)
4 Flame Slash
1 Tarfire
3 Warren Weirding
2 Chainer's Edict
2 Terminate
2 Counterspell
4 Preordain
4 Ponder
1 Deep Analysis
Lands (23)
4 Ash Barrens
2 Dimir Aqueduct
2 Izzet Boilerworks
5 Island
5 Mountain
4 Swamp
1 Bojuka Bog
4 Duress
2 Electrickery
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Negate
2 Pyroblast
1 Gorilla Shaman
2 Syphon Life
There are tons of options for Goblins to fetch. Stingscourger, rummaging goblin, Scuzzback Marauders, Shambling goblin, Slingshot Goblin, Caterwauling Boggart, Goblin Heelcutter, and Goblin Tinkerer. I kinda feel like testing out Grenzo's Cutthroat. I you use the online-only commons, you get Goblin General, Beetleback Chief and Goblin Commando
The advantage this deck has is that over other decks of this style is that it can search for both efficient removal or efficient creatures. Goblin Matron seems to offer more variety than any other tutor in Pauper.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
Thanks to DNC from Heroes of the Plane Studios for the sig
Check my Pauper Cube!
The banneret reduces the cost of non-creature spells, and makes playing Matron and Pilferers a lot less painfully slow, so I'm going to keep them for now. The Bushwhacker I'm not 100% on either; Goblins decks running Matron that I've seen mostly seemed to tutor for him as a finisher, so I thought it would be a good idea (especially with Mogg War Marshal).
Honestly, I haven't tested the deck very much yet, but plan on getting a few more games in to have more insight.
I really wish I could use Goblin Commando. I think he'd feel a lot like Flametongue Kavu. Beetleback Chief also seems really good here.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
I decided to pick the deck up again! This time I tried the Blue splash. It's been surprisingly good!
4 Goblin Matron
3 Frogtosser Banneret
3 Warren Pilferers
2 Sparksmith
2 Mogg War Marshal
1 Torch Slinger
1 Razorfin Hunter
1 Scuzzback Marauders
4 Mulldrifter
4 Flame Slash
4 Warren Weirding
1 Tarfire
Fixing (6)
4 Prophetic Prism
2 Springleaf Drum
Land (24)
1 Island
8 Mountain
6 Swamp
4 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
4 Bloodfell Caves
I goldfished the deck a few times and it felt really solid, so I took it for a spin and played against a Delver deck, and won 2-1. I lost the first game to a double Delver of Secrets opening backed up with a large amount of Countermagic. Game two I locked out the player by fetching some edicts and then a Warren Pilferers (I drew three Matrons that game!). Game three was really close, but I managed to get the necessary removal and beat him in a couple turns with double Mogg War Marshal and a few Matrons.
This deck really feels good from the start. I haven't had any problems with the mana base so far. I think I might cut some of the Springleaf Drums or Prisms, but I'm not sure. I could use the other two Flame Slashes.
I haven't fetched for either the Scuzzback Marauders or the Torch Slinger yet, so I'm starting to wonder if they're really worth including.
EDIT: Trying out -1 Nameless Inversion, -1 Springleaf Drum, +2 Flame Slash.
EDIT2: Okay, seriously now. After a bit of testing, so far I've gone 2-1 against Delver, 2-1 against Izzet Fiend, 1-3 against Stompy, 2-0 against Tron and 2-0 against Hexproof. Maybe I'm just getting really lucky, but this deck just feels insane...
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
Here is my sideboard so far (it's still missing 3 cards):
2 Mogg War Marshal
1 Tin Street Hooligan
1 Krark-Clan Shaman
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Electrickery
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
I do have some aggro tools at my disposal if I choose. Frogtosser and Pilferers are hasty creatures, which is really useful. Using Warren Weirding on myself and sacrificing a Matron or War Marshal can allow me to create a sizable army in very little time.
So while I am somewhat forced to take the proactive role in the matchup, the game is a lot more focused on out-valuing in the opponent than beating them down quickly. The absolute best way that I've found to win was to chain Warren Pilferers into each other, so that he eventually runs out of removal to deal with them. A haste 3/3 every turn on top of whatever else I play is eventually enough to kill them, provided they don't kill me first with Corrupts and Merchants.
The extra Mog War Marshals in the sideboard were my initial idea to help get more value in this matchup, but because they're only 1/1s, they usually just get pinged off or can't attack into their 2/2 creatures. I suppose Sylvok Lifestaff would help with that a lot, actually, so maybe that's the way to go.
I was actually taking the Sparksmiths out, because they were so fragile, needed lots of creatures in order to work and ended up dealing plenty of damage to me anyways. Should I keep them in?
Maybe the fourth Warren Pilferers would be a good idea, considering how hard they are to deal with?
I think I'll be adding a 2:2 split of artifact lands in order to support the Shaman in the sideboard. With my other artifacts, it should be plenty to get one or two activations out of him.
Something like this:
1 Tin Street Hooligan
1 Warren Pilferers
1 Mogg War Marshal
4 Duress
2 Electrickery
2 Nihil Spellbomb
3 Sylvok Lifestaff
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
Here's the deck and the sideboard in one place, for reference:
4 Goblin Matron
3 Frogtosser Banneret
3 Warren Pilferers
2 Sparksmith
2 Mogg War Marshal
1 Torch Slinger
1 Razorfin Hunter
1 Scuzzback Marauders
4 Mulldrifter
Removal (9)
4 Flame Slash
4 Warren Weirding
1 Tarfire
4 Prophetic Prism
2 Springleaf Drum
Land (24)
1 Island
8 Mountain
6 Swamp
4 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Swiftwater Cliffs
4 Bloodfell Caves
1 Krark-Clan Shaman
1 Tin Street Hooligan
1 Warren Pilferers
1 Mogg War Marshal
4 Duress
2 Electrickery
2 Nihil Spellbomb
3 Sylvok Lifestaff
I think against MBC, I'd sideboard like this: -3 Frogtosser Baneret, -1 Razorfin Hunter, +3 Sylvok Lifestaff, +1 Warren Pilferers. I'd maybe like to include Duress, but I'm not sure what would come out at this point, or if they'd even be better.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
Thanks in advance!
As for the Goblin Matron deck at this time, I'm re-thinking the idea a lot. Although I've been having good results, I'm noticing after a few dozen games that the Frogtossers are not all that great, neither are the Marauders. I'm also finding Springleaf Drum a little useless most of the time. At least the Prisms draw me a card.
I'll probably be adding more removal to the deck, as well as Gurmag Anglers.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
I don't think Bonesplitter is what the deck wants, but maybe if more token stuff was included, it could be really useful.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
Other super weird options might include:
Goblin Arsonist
Goblin Balloon Brigade
Goblin Deathraiders
Goblin Chirurgeon
Goblin Firestarter
Goblin Lookout
There are just so many funky options when it comes to goblins
I really liked Goblin Chirurgeon and thought about including it as a regenerator, but I didn't feel like the space was worth it in the end.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio
I'm Obermeir on Blackborder, actually. Jason and I have been mutually inspired by Goblin Matron Control since his last article on Grixis builds.
Since you're new, you're likely not overly familiar with how these forums work, and when it comes to Pauper Forums, it's a little bit more complicated. Essentially, the forum you linked is focused on the MTGO portion of Pauper (the only place where sanctioned tournaments happen), while over here in the casual forums, things are a little more free-form and we deal with people with all sorts of Format specificities. I prefer these forums, but I occasionally foray into the others when I feel the need for it.
My initial instinct was also to go RB, as you can see in the OP from last year. However, I found it hard to grind certain matchups without some of the classic Blue pieces.
As for your deck, one of the best lessons I've learned when building this deck is that you don't need tons of sub-par tutor targets to make the deck efficient. What I mean by sub-par is that removal spells like Tarfire and Nameless Inversion are bad versions of better but non-tutorable cards. If they're tutorable, then that means you don't need that many in your deck and you're much better off splitting their numbers with better cards instead. The only exception to this for me has been Warren Weirding, because it's such a strong card both defensively and offensively.
As you can see in my own version, I'm using no Nameless Inversions and only one Tarfire, but I'm using 4 Flame Slashes. The latter isn't tutorable, but it's a much better card to have in multiples than the others.
I'm also re-thinking Marauders, and I'm likely going to be switching for Gurmag Anglers, like Jason does. I'm also contemplating a very small amount of countermagic (2-4).
Having a singleton Birthrite in the main is not a bad idea, as it can get back removal or creatures. I definitely wouldn't run anywhere near a playset, however.
Like I mentioned before, the Banneret seems less and less useful to me, and I'll be switching them out for more removal.
Lastly, I don't think the Lifestaffs are all that useful in the maindeck. Seems like a decent sideboard card, nothing more.
EDIT: I've updated the original post with my most recent list.
UGTurboFogGU
BRSacrificial AggroBR
16The Paper Pauper Battle Bag16
EDH
BRRakdos, Lord of PingersBR
GTitania, Protector of ArgothG
UB Ramses OverdarkUB
Sig by Ace5301 of Ace of Spades Studio