Perhaps Legacy's oldest aggro/tribal deck, Goblins is a deck filled with decisions, synergy, and Goblins of course.
Far too many creatures to name outside of a decklist, the deck has mana curve that allows it to take advantage of Aether Vial to 'cheat' creatures into play alongside the classic Turn 1 Goblin Lackey. Lists also have Wasteland and Rishadan Port to slow down or outright color lock the opposing player. And the ability of the deck to splash colors, and being the most popular, gives Goblins a little more adaptability that ensures it'll be around the meta one way or another.
Ok, fininshed the primer. Was not sure where to post it.
What ya' think?
Vial Goblins: A Primer
By Black_Lotus
Legacy,
Perhaps the most diverse, exciting, and arguably fun format in the world of M:tG.
In constructed magic players are constantly faced with two questions:
What deck should I play? And why?
In the world of Legacy there is an additional question that a player needs to address before entering battle:
Can I beat Goblins?
Goblins have a very deep and rich history in this format, and we will explore the roots of this archetype, and the developing ideas that are taking shape to make this archetype grow stronger and retain its competitive edge.
Part 1: Brief Origins of Little Green Men
Goblins have been and continue to be a big facet of the world of M:tG. Upon it’s inception, Goblins were present in the Legacy format. The actual birth of the archetype as we know it today, began in 2002 with the printing of the Onslaught block. It gave us the core of the competitive Goblin archetype: ~Goblin Warchief ~Goblin Piledriver ~Gempalm Incinerator ~Siege-Gang Commander ~Goblin Sharpshooter
With the introduction of Goblin Warchief, it instantly gave Goblins an inherent “brokenness” to be exploited….and it was. All of a sudden those Goblin Ringleaders became tempo swinging win conditions, and the world of Legacy was haunted by the dreaded turn one Goblin Lackey into turn 2 Siege-Gang Commander. Goblins became the deck of the format. It was wrecking havoc. But what was more surprising was the painfully slow response of the community to adapt to this new beast. The cementing of the modern Goblins Archetype took place in 2004 with the printing of Darksteel. It gave us Aether Vial. A card which gave Goblins even more power, and consistency…..
Part 2: Building the Deck
Goblins are a deck that has a core, a base, a foundation if you will. The core rarely, if ever, changes. And shouldn’t.
The core is a work of synergistic aggro. But what a lot of people forget, don’t know, or don’t want to acknowledge for what ever reason, is that Goblins is also an aggro/control deck. Goblins a control deck you say? Yes. It not only boasts one of the most brutal aggro packages, but offers the pilot an incredible disruption package within the mana base.
It can not be stressed enough how important Wasteland and RishadanPort are to this deck. Games are literally won on laying a few cheap beats, and then locking down an opponent’s mana development.
Mana Base
To be consistent, Goblins requires a tight and generous mana base. The accepted number for this deck is 23 lands. It often will resemble: 4x Wasteland 4x Rishadan Port 4x Bloodstained Mire 4x Wooded Foothills 4x Mountain (7x if playing Mono-Red) 3x On color dual land (if splashing a color)
The list of options and combinations goes on and on. Essentially only add or replace things with synergistic cards, or cards that shore up the deck against perceived threats.
Part 3: To Splash? Or not to Spalsh?
Perhaps one of the most disagreed on, agreed on, argued, and accepted points of Goblins deck construction is whether or not to add a splash color. There is nothing wrong with running mono red Goblins, but a splash generally gives you a little more flexibility and options against problematic match ups.
Blue is rarely splashed for, instead it can be used to create the “Counter Goblins” archetype. Choosing if you want to splash a color, or play mono red, is really up to what you feel comfortable with. Generally though, Green is most solid splash colour. This is because it gives the pilot answers to Goblins worst enemies, Enchantments and Artefacts. Believe me, playing through multiple Engineered Plagues, Humility, Solitary Confinement, etc; can be the most frustrating experience you can encounter with this deck. While white does have Disenchant, and other answers to these two problems, green offers Split Second removal in Krosan Grip against control matches, and mass removal in the form of Tranquil Domain. Also, it gives the pilot a MD answer to artefacts in Tin Street Hooligan.
Part 4: The Sideboard
When I prepare to go to a Tournament and invest my entry fee, the very first thing I do is work on my sideboard. Every single time I have played Goblins in a tournament, the Sideboard has never been the same. I simply can not stress how important this aspect of the deck is. A poorly constructed sideboard will ensure poor results. A good Sideboard is created through experience with the deck, understanding of the meta game, and following it’s shifts and developments. For example, when preparing for Grand Prix Columbus 2007, the sudden unrestricting of Flash shortly before the event, immediately altered the Global meta game. In response to this, our team redesigned the entire deck structure of our Goblin deck’s. We knew Flash would be thick in the field, and this would create a torrent of “anti-flash” decks. So, we needed to know and predict what cards would be in Flash (Flash, duh…) and in the anti Flash decks. We expected things like Stifle would be rampant, so we changed the mana base. We expected that the majority of the Flash kill conditions would be Kiki-Jiki/Karmic Guide, so we altered the base to include more removal, etc; Here is what we came up with: 4x Wasteland 4x Rishadan Port 13x Mountain 4x Goblin Ringleader 4x Goblin Warchief 4x Goblin Piledriver 4x Goblin Lackey 4x Gempalm Incinerator 4x Goblin Matron 4x Mogg Fanatic 3x Siege-Gang Commander 4x Pyrokinesis 4x Aether Vial
As you can see, this build and sideboard were geared for a specific meta game. And out of almost 900 players, both I and one other team member playing Goblins made it in to the money and pro points. It’s this adapting that is so crucial to making a competitive build.
Basics for a Splash color Sideboard: ~Enchantment and Artefact removal ~Combo disruption
Part 5: New Ideas
Allot of people like to say Goblins is on the decline, and is a shadow of its former self. This is simply not true. It is still run in large numbers, and still makes top 8’s and takes down prizes all around the world. The deck however is facing new threats that are really hurting the deck. With the printing of Futuresight, Threshold, one our archetypes arch nemesis gained a creature that, unless you have been living under a rock, has taken Magic by storm……Tarmogoyf. Now, allot of people have speculated about fighting this enemy with…..well, himself. Adding Goyf to Goblins has been widely discussed, and will probably see fruition. His mana cost, coupled with Vial, make him really good here. Example deck list: Vial Tarmo Goblins:
Another exciting card that came with the Lorwyn expansion is Thorn of Amethyst. It potentially gives Goblins a better answer to Combo and Control decks.
Also of note from Lorwyn is the plethora of new Goblin cards. They are probably not powerful enough to replace any “core” cards, but deserve an examination.
Part 6: Playing the Deck
Who wants to be lectured on how they play this game? Nobody. Play style is the expression of each individual player, and like allot of things in life, people play this game differently. In a game of Magic, things change, there are in game variables, and uncounted for circumstances, no game is the same. I, nor no one else can tell you how to play a deck. However, we can analyze the two goals of this deck:
1. The opening hand. 2. Cheating mana. 3. Tempo
The opening hand for this deck is crucial. You need gas, period. This in turn allows us to do #2. This deck has 12x one drop’s, you should rarely be keeping hands with no “business” on turn 1. That being said, allot of newer players to this archetype believe Goblin Lackey is the best opening play, and will keep sketchy one land hands in hopes of hitting that turn 2 trigger. The fact is, Lackey is no longer that turn one unanswerable play it once was. Only go for the turn 1 Lackey play if you have a plan B. If the Lackey get’s countered, or removed, and you kept a one land hand with only big drops, you are now in deep trouble. But, if you can follow up a failed Lackey with another land, and a 2 drop, or another one drop, you are in much better position. Aether Vial is generally the best opening you have. It allows you to cheat, yes cheat. Once it sticks, you essentially get double your mana production. In addition, Vial coupled with Wasteland and Port is brutal efficient, and is the most desired “lock” you can hope for. Basically, you need to base your opening hand on how aggressive it is, and judge what the right opening play is from there. Remember, tempo, tempo, and tempo. This deck thrives on tempo. Keep hands, and make plays that consistently keep pressure on your opponent, or else the deck defeats itself. See above points.
Well, thanks for reading. If you have any input, or idea's please feel free to share.
Looks great from my point. I only have one thing to disagree with, or something that should be noted. Tinstreet Hooligan is not a great card. When you have warchief on the table you can not use its ability, and I have seen many people try and fail. It can be a good card, but rarely is better than Tinkerer.
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How many games have you lost to artifacts with a Warchief in play anyways?
Good thread, although I think you might want to add the Lorwyn-stuff for the black options (Boggart Mob, Wort) and probably mention Goblin Goon in the red section too. Also, Patron of the Akki has proven to be a superb anti-Plague tool as it doesn't die to Bolts et al. and makes for very fast games when it comes down.
I have won many games because my opponent could not blow up my artifacts, maybe it is because I'll continue to take 2 from the warchief instead of kill it that wins me the games rather than trying to wipe their board.
I think the Black splash for the new cards from Lorwyn might create a completely different style of play, while the addition of 3 into those meta slots could be interesting.
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Looks good. Couple of inclusion questions: How come Blood Moon/Magus of the Moon have been excluded from the sideboard options? Same question for Anarchy.
Also I've been of the habit to run at least 1 Zo-Zu, the punisher, in my main when playing goblins. He beats up Eternal Garden and 42 Land well enough, and I'm never upset to see him in just about any match up. I'm not saying everyone should run out and do this or anything, just throwing it up for debate.
As to the black goblins, Knucklebone Witch and Boggart Mob would be the ones I'm looking at. Knucklebone seems to denote a different play style entirely, likely including Patriarch's Bidding, because it fits. But the mob looks like a solid beater. Coming in at 3 off a warchief, and reusing a Matron or Ringleader and saving it from mass removal at the same time... Seems good to me... Not to mention the 5/5 body and token generation.
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Currently Running Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
Blood Moon is an option for those decks that do not run Wasteland and Rishaden Port. Often Blood Moon can be more influencial against some decks, those usually being the decks that will not lose quickly, but rather drag the game into the late game..
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So knocking off 2-3 lands is better than all of them? A resolved Moon (either) beats thresh... just about hands down, same for any deck in high quantity of colours or non-basics. Even with port and waste, I don't see why this wouldn't be a valid sideboard option. There is no detriment to the goblin player, and a grave deficit for the opponent.
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Currently Running Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
Let's discuss the Tarmogoyf option more thoroughly. What do you guys think about goofy main, and putting Tin-street hooligan in the side? Also, I've seen some lists with Magus of the Moon in the main deck as a 2-of or 3-of.
Lately, I've been testing a R/b build with three Thoughtseize main, one additional in the side, and 4 Cabal Therapy in the side (for combo). I'm not really happy with it though. The combo match-up is better (a little), but it screws up your first-turn drops.
What deck has relevant artifacts and can afford to take the brunt of Goblin-offense including cheap Ringleaders, SGCs and Matrons? I'm seriously curious here. But ya, if I need to destroy artis THAT bad, I simply hold back my Warchief for alpha anyways. Once I had to destroy my own Warchief, but that didn't matter as it was just an Ensnaring Bridge, which left him wide open once I destroyed it.
I often only see that against me when I play my Welder Survival. An early Warchief means my Artifacts are safe, and I can play them then the following turn I can combo out. I often take a huge amount of damage, but can stablize, and control the game after that.
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You'll have to admit that Welder Survival is hardly a metagame concern though, but I'll give you that there Tinkerer could be better. Still, I wonder if they can't kill you regardless with a Warchief in play. I guess you'd know, it just sounds weird that they don't have any Ringleaders or Matrons to chain into stupidity.
Welder Survival is quick enough to race goblins to that critical turn 3/4 win/lock. Depending who goes first, with both decks having the best hand possible, it is the deck on the play that has the advantage game one. Thus being able to play that fast, Ringleaders and Matrons are not coming in multiples, but rather maybe once before I lock them out.
I do agree that Welder Survival is hardly a metagame concern, but I've seen it happen against other decks, but often I think the blame should fall onto the pilot of the Goblins deck for something like that happening.
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Is Tarfire worth consideration MD in the 3 meta slots for its synergy with Ringleader (and the fact that it can go to the dome), or is artifact distruption too important? I haven't tested it enough in my monored version but drawing into burn has seemed decent enough so far. Does it deserve SB slots? Sure it's not as powerful as Bolt but at least it can be tutored with Matron and drawn with Ringleader.
Your thoughts?
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In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.
-Is still tutorable
-Can be vialed in as another creature
-Can be played if need be
-Cantrips
-Can help thin your deck if absolutely necessary (note that his deal damage ability is "may")
Tarfire:
-Costs one less, and can be pointed at the face. Whoopie, you can still play incinerator and pseudo-point him at the face
-Costs a card.
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-Is still tutorable
-Can be vialed in as another creature
-Can be played if need be
-Cantrips
-Can help thin your deck if absolutely necessary (note that his deal damage ability is "may")
Tarfire:
-Costs one less, and can be pointed at the face. Whoopie, you can still play incinerator and pseudo-point him at the face
-Costs a card.
I'm convinced. It'll save me time now that I won't be testing Tarfire any more
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Far too many creatures to name outside of a decklist, the deck has mana curve that allows it to take advantage of Aether Vial to 'cheat' creatures into play alongside the classic Turn 1 Goblin Lackey. Lists also have Wasteland and Rishadan Port to slow down or outright color lock the opposing player. And the ability of the deck to splash colors,
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
1 Skirk Prospector
1 Tin Street Hooligan
2 Mogg War Marshal
2 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Gempalm Incinerator
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Goblin Matron
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Ringleader
4 Goblin Warchief
2 Mental Misstep
Artifacts [4]
4 Aether Vial
Lands [23]
2 Taiga
4 Arid Mesa
4 Rishadan Port
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Wasteland
5 Snow-Covered Mountain
3 Relic of Progenitus
1 Stingscourger
1 Tin Street Hooligan
3 Krosan Grip
1 Mental Misstep
3 Pyroblast
3 Pyrokinesis
1 Goblin Chieftain
1 Goblin Tinkerer
2 Mogg War Marshal
2 Siege-Gang Commander
2 Warren Instigator
3 Gempalm Incinerator
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Goblin Matron
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Ringleader
4 Goblin Warchief
3 Warren Weirding
Artifacts [4]
4 Aether Vial
Lands [22]
4 Badlands
4 Rishadan Port
4 Wasteland
4 Wooded Foothills
6 Mountain
1 Boartusk Liege
3 Chalice of the Void
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Perish
3 Pyrokinesis
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
1 Stingscourger
1 Tin Street Hooligan
2 Goblin Chieftain
2 Siege-Gang Commander
2 Warren Instigator
3 Gempalm Incinerator
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Goblin Matron
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Ringleader
4 Goblin Warchief
2 Warren Weirding
Artifacts [4]
4 Aether Vial
Lands [22]
1 Bloodstained Mire
2 Badlands
2 Rishadan Port
2 Taiga
3 Arid Mesa
3 Scalding Tarn
4 Wasteland
5 Mountain
3 Pyrostatic Pillar
2 Krosan Grip
1 Nature's Claim
2 Pyroblast
3 Pyrokinesis
1 Red Elemental Blast
3 Perish
(Siggy adapted, DarkHunter1357 (deviantART))
Ok, fininshed the primer. Was not sure where to post it.
What ya' think?
Vial Goblins: A Primer
By Black_Lotus
Legacy,
Perhaps the most diverse, exciting, and arguably fun format in the world of M:tG.
In constructed magic players are constantly faced with two questions:
What deck should I play? And why?
In the world of Legacy there is an additional question that a player needs to address before entering battle:
Can I beat Goblins?
Goblins have a very deep and rich history in this format, and we will explore the roots of this archetype, and the developing ideas that are taking shape to make this archetype grow stronger and retain its competitive edge.
Part 1: Brief Origins of Little Green Men
Goblins have been and continue to be a big facet of the world of M:tG. Upon it’s inception, Goblins were present in the Legacy format. The actual birth of the archetype as we know it today, began in 2002 with the printing of the Onslaught block.
It gave us the core of the competitive Goblin archetype:
~Goblin Warchief
~Goblin Piledriver
~Gempalm Incinerator
~Siege-Gang Commander
~Goblin Sharpshooter
With the introduction of Goblin Warchief, it instantly gave Goblins an inherent “brokenness” to be exploited….and it was. All of a sudden those Goblin Ringleaders became tempo swinging win conditions, and the world of Legacy was haunted by the dreaded turn one Goblin Lackey into turn 2 Siege-Gang Commander.
Goblins became the deck of the format. It was wrecking havoc. But what was more surprising was the painfully slow response of the community to adapt to this new beast.
The cementing of the modern Goblins Archetype took place in 2004 with the printing of Darksteel. It gave us Aether Vial. A card which gave Goblins even more power, and consistency…..
Part 2: Building the Deck
Goblins are a deck that has a core, a base, a foundation if you will. The core rarely, if ever, changes. And shouldn’t.
Goblins Core
4x Goblin Warchief
4x Goblin Lackey
4x Goblin Ringleader
4x Mogg Fanatic
4x Gempalm Incinerator
4x Goblin Matron
4x Goblin Piledriver
2x Siege-Gang Commander
4x Aether Vial
The core is a work of synergistic aggro. But what a lot of people forget, don’t know, or don’t want to acknowledge for what ever reason, is that Goblins is also an aggro/control deck.
Goblins a control deck you say? Yes. It not only boasts one of the most brutal aggro packages, but offers the pilot an incredible disruption package within the mana base.
Disruption Core
4x Wasteland
4x Rishadan Port
It can not be stressed enough how important Wasteland and RishadanPort are to this deck. Games are literally won on laying a few cheap beats, and then locking down an opponent’s mana development.
Mana Base
To be consistent, Goblins requires a tight and generous mana base. The accepted number for this deck is 23 lands. It often will resemble:
4x Wasteland
4x Rishadan Port
4x Bloodstained Mire
4x Wooded Foothills
4x Mountain (7x if playing Mono-Red)
3x On color dual land (if splashing a color)
When you combine the mana base with the “core”, you have a total of 57 cards. It is the remaining three slots that are generally configured to the current overall meta game, and/or your local meta game.
For mono red Goblins, popular and effective options for these slots are:
~1x Kiki-Jiki, The Mirror Breaker, 1x Goblin King, and a third Siege-Gang Commander.
~3x Goblin Tinkerer
~1x Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician, 1x Goblin Sharpshooter, 1x Goblin Tinkerer
~3x Pyrokinesis
~4x Pyrokinesis, -1 Gempalm Incinerator
The list of options and combinations goes on and on. Essentially only add or replace things with synergistic cards, or cards that shore up the deck against perceived threats.
Part 3: To Splash? Or not to Spalsh?
Perhaps one of the most disagreed on, agreed on, argued, and accepted points of Goblins deck construction is whether or not to add a splash color.
There is nothing wrong with running mono red Goblins, but a splash generally gives you a little more flexibility and options against problematic match ups.
Popular splash colors include:
White for - Swords to Plowshares, Armageddon, Disenchant, Orim’s Chant.
Green for – Tin-Street Hooligan, Krosan Grip, Tranquil Domain, Naturalize.
Black for – Cabal Therapy, Duress, Extirpate, targeted removal.
Blue is rarely splashed for, instead it can be used to create the “Counter Goblins” archetype.
Choosing if you want to splash a color, or play mono red, is really up to what you feel comfortable with.
Generally though, Green is most solid splash colour. This is because it gives the pilot answers to Goblins worst enemies, Enchantments and Artefacts. Believe me, playing through multiple Engineered Plagues, Humility, Solitary Confinement, etc; can be the most frustrating experience you can encounter with this deck.
While white does have Disenchant, and other answers to these two problems, green offers Split Second removal in Krosan Grip against control matches, and mass removal in the form of Tranquil Domain. Also, it gives the pilot a MD answer to artefacts in Tin Street Hooligan.
Part 4: The Sideboard
When I prepare to go to a Tournament and invest my entry fee, the very first thing I do is work on my sideboard. Every single time I have played Goblins in a tournament, the Sideboard has never been the same.
I simply can not stress how important this aspect of the deck is. A poorly constructed sideboard will ensure poor results.
A good Sideboard is created through experience with the deck, understanding of the meta game, and following it’s shifts and developments.
For example, when preparing for Grand Prix Columbus 2007, the sudden unrestricting of Flash shortly before the event, immediately altered the Global meta game.
In response to this, our team redesigned the entire deck structure of our Goblin deck’s.
We knew Flash would be thick in the field, and this would create a torrent of “anti-flash” decks. So, we needed to know and predict what cards would be in Flash (Flash, duh…) and in the anti Flash decks.
We expected things like Stifle would be rampant, so we changed the mana base. We expected that the majority of the Flash kill conditions would be Kiki-Jiki/Karmic Guide, so we altered the base to include more removal, etc;
Here is what we came up with:
4x Wasteland
4x Rishadan Port
13x Mountain
4x Goblin Ringleader
4x Goblin Warchief
4x Goblin Piledriver
4x Goblin Lackey
4x Gempalm Incinerator
4x Goblin Matron
4x Mogg Fanatic
3x Siege-Gang Commander
4x Pyrokinesis
4x Aether Vial
Sideboard:
4x Leyline of the Void
4x Pithing Needle
4x Goblin King
3x Red Elemental Blast
As you can see, this build and sideboard were geared for a specific meta game. And out of almost 900 players, both I and one other team member playing Goblins made it in to the money and pro points.
It’s this adapting that is so crucial to making a competitive build.
Basics for the Mono Red Sideboard:
~Pyrostatic Pillar
~Goblin Sharpshooter
~Goblin King
~Tormonds Crypt
~Pithing Needle
~Red Elemental Blast
~Pyroblast
~Pyrokinesis
Basics for a Splash color Sideboard:
~Enchantment and Artefact removal
~Combo disruption
Part 5: New Ideas
Allot of people like to say Goblins is on the decline, and is a shadow of its former self. This is simply not true.
It is still run in large numbers, and still makes top 8’s and takes down prizes all around the world.
The deck however is facing new threats that are really hurting the deck. With the printing of Futuresight, Threshold, one our archetypes arch nemesis gained a creature that, unless you have been living under a rock, has taken Magic by storm……Tarmogoyf.
Now, allot of people have speculated about fighting this enemy with…..well, himself.
Adding Goyf to Goblins has been widely discussed, and will probably see fruition. His mana cost, coupled with Vial, make him really good here.
Example deck list:
Vial Tarmo Goblins:
4x Wasteland
4x Rishadan Port
3x Wooded Foothills
3x Bloodstained Mire
6x Mountain
3x Taiga
4x Aether Vial
4x Tarmogoyf
4x Goblin Warchief
4x Goblin Ringleader
4x Goblin Matron
4x Goblin Piledriver
4x Goblin Lackey
4x Gempalm Incinerator
3x Mogg Fanatic
2x Siege-Gang Commander
Another exciting card that came with the Lorwyn expansion is Thorn of Amethyst.
It potentially gives Goblins a better answer to Combo and Control decks.
Also of note from Lorwyn is the plethora of new Goblin cards. They are probably not powerful enough to replace any “core” cards, but deserve an examination.
Part 6: Playing the Deck
Who wants to be lectured on how they play this game? Nobody.
Play style is the expression of each individual player, and like allot of things in life, people play this game differently.
In a game of Magic, things change, there are in game variables, and uncounted for circumstances, no game is the same. I, nor no one else can tell you how to play a deck.
However, we can analyze the two goals of this deck:
1. The opening hand.
2. Cheating mana.
3. Tempo
The opening hand for this deck is crucial. You need gas, period. This in turn allows us to do #2.
This deck has 12x one drop’s, you should rarely be keeping hands with no “business” on turn 1.
That being said, allot of newer players to this archetype believe Goblin Lackey is the best opening play, and will keep sketchy one land hands in hopes of hitting that turn 2 trigger. The fact is, Lackey is no longer that turn one unanswerable play it once was.
Only go for the turn 1 Lackey play if you have a plan B. If the Lackey get’s countered, or removed, and you kept a one land hand with only big drops, you are now in deep trouble. But, if you can follow up a failed Lackey with another land, and a 2 drop, or another one drop, you are in much better position.
Aether Vial is generally the best opening you have. It allows you to cheat, yes cheat. Once it sticks, you essentially get double your mana production. In addition, Vial coupled with Wasteland and Port is brutal efficient, and is the most desired “lock” you can hope for.
Basically, you need to base your opening hand on how aggressive it is, and judge what the right opening play is from there.
Remember, tempo, tempo, and tempo. This deck thrives on tempo. Keep hands, and make plays that consistently keep pressure on your opponent, or else the deck defeats itself. See above points.
Well, thanks for reading. If you have any input, or idea's please feel free to share.
Nothing says budget help like receiving $5000 in recommendations.
I guess leaving out Time Walk, Timetwister, and Ancestral Recall is budget.
I have won many games because my opponent could not blow up my artifacts, maybe it is because I'll continue to take 2 from the warchief instead of kill it that wins me the games rather than trying to wipe their board.
I think the Black splash for the new cards from Lorwyn might create a completely different style of play, while the addition of 3 into those meta slots could be interesting.
Nothing says budget help like receiving $5000 in recommendations.
I guess leaving out Time Walk, Timetwister, and Ancestral Recall is budget.
Also I've been of the habit to run at least 1 Zo-Zu, the punisher, in my main when playing goblins. He beats up Eternal Garden and 42 Land well enough, and I'm never upset to see him in just about any match up. I'm not saying everyone should run out and do this or anything, just throwing it up for debate.
As to the black goblins, Knucklebone Witch and Boggart Mob would be the ones I'm looking at. Knucklebone seems to denote a different play style entirely, likely including Patriarch's Bidding, because it fits. But the mob looks like a solid beater. Coming in at 3 off a warchief, and reusing a Matron or Ringleader and saving it from mass removal at the same time... Seems good to me... Not to mention the 5/5 body and token generation.
Currently Running
Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves
Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave
Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
No mana disruption =
Nothing says budget help like receiving $5000 in recommendations.
I guess leaving out Time Walk, Timetwister, and Ancestral Recall is budget.
But this is an excellent primer! Great work!
So knocking off 2-3 lands is better than all of them? A resolved Moon (either) beats thresh... just about hands down, same for any deck in high quantity of colours or non-basics. Even with port and waste, I don't see why this wouldn't be a valid sideboard option. There is no detriment to the goblin player, and a grave deficit for the opponent.
Currently Running
Legacy: Burn; Various Stompy's; Food Chain Goblins; FC Elves
Standard: Junk Super Friends, Elf-Wave
Elder Dragon Highlander: Animar, Skithiryx, Bosh, Konda, Wort, Ezuri, Patron of the Moon
Lately, I've been testing a R/b build with three Thoughtseize main, one additional in the side, and 4 Cabal Therapy in the side (for combo). I'm not really happy with it though. The combo match-up is better (a little), but it screws up your first-turn drops.
On the non-basic hate discussion: Price of Progress is boss!
Here are some lists I'm working with:
4 Goblin Warchief
4 Tarmogoyf
4 AEther Vial
2 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Goblin Ringleader
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Mountain
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Rishadan Port
3 Taiga
1 Forest
4 Wasteland
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Goblin Matron
4 Gempalm Incinerator
4 AEther Vial
4 Goblin Warchief
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Goblin Ringleader
2 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Forest
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Rishadan Port
4 Mountain
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Mogg Fanatic
4 Wasteland
3 Taiga
4 Goblin Matron
3 Magus of the Moon
3 Gempalm Incinerator
3 Thoughtseize
[High~Light Studios]
Do we put disruption into the deck (Thorn, discard, etc.), or keep it aggro (Tin-Street, Tarmogoyf)?
[High~Light Studios]
I often only see that against me when I play my Welder Survival. An early Warchief means my Artifacts are safe, and I can play them then the following turn I can combo out. I often take a huge amount of damage, but can stablize, and control the game after that.
Nothing says budget help like receiving $5000 in recommendations.
I guess leaving out Time Walk, Timetwister, and Ancestral Recall is budget.
Welder Survival is quick enough to race goblins to that critical turn 3/4 win/lock. Depending who goes first, with both decks having the best hand possible, it is the deck on the play that has the advantage game one. Thus being able to play that fast, Ringleaders and Matrons are not coming in multiples, but rather maybe once before I lock them out.
I do agree that Welder Survival is hardly a metagame concern, but I've seen it happen against other decks, but often I think the blame should fall onto the pilot of the Goblins deck for something like that happening.
Nothing says budget help like receiving $5000 in recommendations.
I guess leaving out Time Walk, Timetwister, and Ancestral Recall is budget.
Your thoughts?
Evidence would be nice.
Fair enough. Believe it or not, my meta doesn't have a lot of Goyfs for some reason. I think one player runs them. *shrug*
Incinerator:
-Is still tutorable
-Can be vialed in as another creature
-Can be played if need be
-Cantrips
-Can help thin your deck if absolutely necessary (note that his deal damage ability is "may")
Tarfire:
-Costs one less, and can be pointed at the face. Whoopie, you can still play incinerator and pseudo-point him at the face
-Costs a card.
I'm convinced. It'll save me time now that I won't be testing Tarfire any more