[Deck] Goblins

[chrisnagy]

Ya I know Goblins...They have been neutered from Legacy to Modern but I love the little guys. Here is my attempt at a viable Modern Goblins deck list.

Land (21)
4x Auntie's Hovel
4x Blood Crypt
2x Dragonskull Summit
11x Mountain

Others (8)
4x Lightning Bolt
4x Aether Vial

Creature (31)
3x Goblin Arsonist
4x Goblin Chieftain
4x Goblin Guide
4x Goblin King
3x Mad Auntie
4x Mogg War Marshal
2x Spikeshot Elder
3x Stingscourger
2x Warren Instigator
2x Wort, Boggart Auntie

Because of the loss of Ring Leader and no real good red sources of card advantage I tried to make Goblins more defensive with the combo of MWM, lords, and Auntie/Wort. Green might be a better splash for Lead The Stampede. Anyway this was my attempt, please help

Thanks

[Phoenix Ignition]

You're going red/black goblins and there's no Warren Weirding?

[chrisnagy]

Warren Weirding is a good card no doubt. I run three of them in my Legacy deck http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/legacy-goblins-21/ I really wanted to make room for some burn though. Maybe I should take out the Stingscourgers and put Warren Weirding in?

[chrisnagy]

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/modern-rb-goblins-2/

http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/modern-rg-goblins/

Have two different versions posted here. Comments welcome.

Thanks

[SpikeyMikey]

I was thinking about putting something together. I think I was looking in a different direction from you, going a little more aggressive.

4 Goblin Guide
4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Warren Instigator
3 Mogg War Marshal
3 Goblin Wardriver
4 Goblin Chieftain
3 Mad Auntie
3 Sensation Gorger
2 Wort, Boggart Auntie

4 Aether Vial
3 Warren Weirding
3 Tarfire

4 Mountain
4 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Arid Mesa
4 Dragonskull Summit

Sideboard

4 Thoughtseize
3 Earwig Squad
3 Goblin Ruinblaster
3 Tin-Street Hooligan
2 Goblin King

The main deck uses Sensation Gorger the way you wanted to use Lead the Stampede (but it's a goblin and red, which I think is a plus). I'm not sure about Wardriver, it's basically a bad lord, but it helps the curve of 15/13/10/2. If I were to go to more lords, I'd be at 15/10/13/2 which is less ideal. I think testing will tell if the deck has enough 2 drops. With Gorger, you definitely want to keep CMC's low, but with Instigator, you want big flashy goblins, so 6 of 1, half a dozen of the other.

I think Thoughtseize and Earwig Squad in board are an absolute must. Extirpate and/or Surgical Extraction wouldn't be bad either, but I want to see how Tin-Street does. Maybe I won't need it. It's nice to have answers, but sometimes you have to accept that some things just can't be dealt with. Ruinblaster out of the board is also imperative, I think, for dealing with Punishing Fires decks.

I'm not sure about Auntie's Hovel vs. Dragonskull Summit. On one hand, Hovel is never dead when it's relevant (if you don't have Goblins in hand, you don't need the mana so it doesn't matter that it's cipt). On the other hand, giving away free information is never good, and Dragonskull Summit is *rarely* going to cipt, as the only non-mountain, non-fetch lands in the deck are the 4xDskull's. Which is better in the long run, giving away less information or occasionally having a multiple Summit hand you have to mull?

[Just me]

No Goblin Grenade? That card is pretty nutsy, 5 damage is a lot.

End of turn Lightning Bolt you for 3.
Attack for some damage.
Goblina Grenade for 6 (with Arsonist).

I think it speeds up the whole deck by a turn! (well vs a goldfish anyway).
And with the Aunt, you can even recur the sacced creature if you fancy doing so.

[SpikeyMikey]

No Goblin Grenade? That card is pretty nutsy, 5 damage is a lot.

End of turn Lightning Bolt you for 3.
Attack for some damage.
Goblina Grenade for 6 (with Arsonist).

I think it speeds up the whole deck by a turn! (well vs a goldfish anyway).
And with the Aunt, you can even recur the sacced creature if you fancy doing so.

Hadn't paid attention to the fact it was reprinted in M12. I think that's a direct replacement for Tarfire. Can't recur it with Wort, but that should be irrelevant with 5 damage vs. 2. Good anti-goyf card.

Still haven't had a chance to test (was working last night, have plans tonight and will probably be too busy this weekend) but I did a little more thinking about the deck and what it wants to do and I've changed the listing.

The advantage of Goblins over a non-tribal aggro deck like Zoo in Legacy is that Goblins is extremely resilient to board resets and removal, has excellent disruptive capabilities and has the ability to severely screw with combat math through the haste of Warchief and the pseudo-haste of Vial, especially when combined with Piledriver. It is, however, slower out of the gate than other aggro decks, especially on a vial draw (Vial doesn't actually accelerate until turn 3 or 4). It also can't match the size of other aggro decks (everything in the deck dies to Nacatl) and lacks the ability to run hate bears.

In Modern, you're missing Port and Wasteland, meaning you can't afford to run as high of a land count. In turn, this makes top end drops like Kiki or SGC far riskier, especially since you can't find a miser's Siege-Gang with Matron or Ringleader (they're not in the format). Since you're not running the explosive 5-drops and you can't run Ringleader, the Lackey effect of Instigator loses some oomph. Piledriver is unavailable, taking away Goblin's biggest threat.

Sensation Gorger is your best way to refill your hand to drop cards off Instigator, but since Instigator is a turn slower than Lackey, it's important to have enough removal to get Instigator through. Sharpshooter is unavailable, but Warren Weirding is always good and with enough lord effects, Instigator can be a threat all on it's own. I considered running Hearth Hobgoblin to get more mileage out of lords, but it would've given me a glut at the 3-drop spot. I think that's the biggest problem with constructing this deck in Modern; everything you want to run costs 3 mana. I ended up moving Thoughtseize to the main, as well as a pair of Ruinblasters. If Ruinblaster was 3 to blow up a land instead of 4, it'd be much better. As it is, I'm not sure if it'll stay in the main; it's a little too slow to be useful against combo. Wizards avoidance of decent land destruction since Masques is frustrating and will probably grow more frustrating as they print stronger and more relevant lands.

I also cut Goblin Guide, after some reflection. Guide is fantastic, which is why I had it in there originally. It's good enough that non-goblin decks run it. But Goblins in Modern is not going to be able to goldfish optimally. If you want the fastest aggro goldfish in the format, you should be playing Steppe Lynx, not Aether Vial. So I replaced Guide with Knucklebone Witch, a card which fits into the plan of 'aggressive, but with disruption and late game potential' a little better than the hyper-aggressive Guide, which is strictly for early game decks.

New list is:

4 Thoughtseize
4 Aether Vial
3 Goblin Grenade
3 Warren Weirding

3 Knucklebone Witch
4 Warren Instigator
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Chieftain
3 Mad Auntie
3 Sensation Gorger
2 Goblin Ruinblaster
3 Wort, Boggart Auntie

4 Auntie's Hovel
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Blood Crypt
4 Mountain
3 Mutavault
1 Contested War Zone

SB
4 Earwig Squad
3 Vexing Shusher
2 Goblin Razerunners
2 Goblin Ruinblaster
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Mad Auntie
1 Warren Weirding

I think this gives the deck a slightly better G1 against combo with Thoughtseize (still not ideal) and a little more stability against Zoo with the Ruinblasters main. The curve is less elegant, at 14/11/12/3 (hell, not really a curve at all at this point) but eventually I'll get to sit down with it and see how it works out.

[chrisnagy]

Good list/ideas guys, thanks for input. Great work =). I've almost given up on goblins in modern. Modern RDW (red deck wins) kinda destroys any goblin lists I had tried to make. I think you are on the right track with the addition of Sensation Gorger. I was finding that no matter how I did my list I would just run out of goblins when playing burn. It's not like legacy where I basically have infinite goblins.

Instead of knucklebone witch what about prickly boggart? Do you guys think tuktuk the explorer has any room in this deck? I like Goblin arsonist too, hes either a creature people want to leave alone or can combo nicely with grenade or can potentially on his own take out 2 creatures. There's also a black goblin thats a 5/5 (costs 4). He champions a goblin but something about if your goblins deal dmg you get 1/1s..can't remember card name now. Anyway I think goblins needs a heavier focus on card advantage/creating multiple goblins. Seems like modern is just taking all the good cards in the meta and mashing them together like Zoo. Not sure if tribals have enough in their card pool to compete against decks with all the best cards in the meta put together.

I think lead the stampede is out, without gempalm I'm forced to get non-creature removal and I end up drawing like 1 or 2 creatures with it and end up putting other needed spells on the bottom of the library. I'd love to know how your play testing is going with the goblins.

Thanks,
Chris

[SpikeyMikey]

Good list/ideas guys, thanks for input. Great work =). I've almost given up on goblins in modern. Modern RDW (red deck wins) kinda destroys any goblin lists I had tried to make. I think you are on the right track with the addition of Sensation Gorger. I was finding that no matter how I did my list I would just run out of goblins when playing burn. It's not like legacy where I basically have infinite goblins.

Instead of knucklebone witch what about prickly boggart? Do you guys think tuktuk the explorer has any room in this deck? I like Goblin arsonist too, hes either a creature people want to leave alone or can combo nicely with grenade or can potentially on his own take out 2 creatures. There's also a black goblin thats a 5/5 (costs 4). He champions a goblin but something about if your goblins deal dmg you get 1/1s..can't remember card name now. Anyway I think goblins needs a heavier focus on card advantage/creating multiple goblins. Seems like modern is just taking all the good cards in the meta and mashing them together like Zoo. Not sure if tribals have enough in their card pool to compete against decks with all the best cards in the meta put together.

I think lead the stampede is out, without gempalm I'm forced to get non-creature removal and I end up drawing like 1 or 2 creatures with it and end up putting other needed spells on the bottom of the library. I'd love to know how your play testing is going with the goblins.

Thanks,
Chris

I played it a bit this weekend. I just couldn't make myself like it. It was too reliant on the lords because the rest of the creatures, while interesting on their own, just didn't pack a punch. Warren Instigator is NOT Goblin Lackey. He ate removal constantly. I think I managed to hit someone with him once, at which point it was just a win-more anyway.

I'm not sure if there's a way to make the deck competitive, but compared to playing Splinter Twin, I felt like I was piloting a Dodge Neon compared to a Corvette...

[Mr. Safety]

I've been trying to pilot a mono-green elves aggro list, and I came across Lead the Stampede. It isn't in the colors typically found in goblins, but I draw on average 3 elves every time I cast it. It's not Sylvan Messengaer or Goblin Ringleader, but it may be an option considering the lack of good creatures. I think Sensation Gorger is about as good as you'll get though...

Other options in black:

Footbottom Feast
Phyrexian Arena
Dark Tutelage


The other option I was thinking of using was a tokens-focus along with Bloodmark Mentor and Shared Animosity.

Rough Goblin Tokens list:

4x Goblin Guide
4x Dragon Fodder
4x Mogg War Marshal
3x Bloodmark Mentor
4x Goblin Chieftain
4x Goblin King
4x Boggart Ram-Gang
2x Siege-Gang Commander
3x Shared Animosity
4x Goblin Grenade
3x Sensation Gorger
19x Mountain
2x Ghost Quarter

[chrisnagy]

I played it a bit this weekend. I just couldn't make myself like it. It was too reliant on the lords because the rest of the creatures, while interesting on their own, just didn't pack a punch. Warren Instigator is NOT Goblin Lackey. He ate removal constantly. I think I managed to hit someone with him once, at which point it was just a win-more anyway.

I'm not sure if there's a way to make the deck competitive, but compared to playing Splinter Twin, I felt like I was piloting a Dodge Neon compared to a Corvette...

My thoughts exactly too..=(

I like your list Mr. Safety, if you get time to test it let me know your results. Ultimately though I don't think goblins have it in this format to compete in tourneys. I think some nice well put together lists can be created but just aren't going to "pack a punch" as SpikeyMikey said. *tear

[Mr. Safety]

I agree...and I feel the same thing about aggro elves without a splash. It just can't get there.

I've tested my list extensively in casual games, but not against the current modern metagame, on MWS. The token producers are pretty badass, but I forgot the main reason to be playing tokens: Goblin Bushwhacker! I'm not sure about Devastating Summons, but anything that makes 2 dudes or more with one card (Empty the Warrens, Dragon Fodder, Mogg War Marshal, Siege Gang Commander) makes Bushwacker pretty much awesome. Shared Animosity is the nuts with a bunch of little dudes on the table. Still, it all folds to a well placed Firespout, and even has trouble with a slow-rolled Grim Lavamancer.
*sigh* Goblins in modern need some new tech, for sure.

[Mr. Safety]

Updated list, this one might be worth playing:

4x Goblin Guide
4x Goblin Arsonist
4x Mogg War Marshal
4x Goblin Bushwhacker
4x Goblin Chieftain
4x Goblin King
3x Sensation Gorger

4x Dragon Fodder
4x Shared Animosity
4x Goblin Grenade
1x Devastating Summons

19x Mountain
1x Ghost Quarter


You sacrifice your late game (Siege Gang) for a more explosive early/mid game with all the lords. You get better incremental advantage with this list, which is what tribal is supposed to do really well. I took out Bloodmark Mentor, feeling it was only good in the aggro matchup. Put it in the sideboard so you can outmuscle zoo's dudes easier. Reverberate or Shunt may be some sneaky tech for the sideboard as well. I think a 1-of Devastating Summons could be really good considering the lack of instant speed whipers, and your elementals will be out of Firespout range anyways.

I may be testing this out, it has promise. The big card I left out is Gobin Assault...but it isn't a goblin to feed Sensation Gorger, and there is already 13 non-goblin cards in the list already.

[chrisnagy]

Hey man,

Would Tarfire be acceptable in your list? I looked at the rulings and you can get it with Sensation Gorger. I like your new list though so I don't know what you could take out or if it even fits at all. If you decide to play test, please share your results

[Mr. Safety]

You could squeeze in Tarfire by doing this:

-2 Dragon Fodder
-1 Shared Animosity
-1 Devastating Summons

+4 Tarfire

Honestly, that may be a smarter option. With Sensation Gorger being so important, having a critical mass of goblin cards to reveal with him is pretty crucial.

[paeng4983]

Finally a thread for goblins in modern.
To begin with, let me share what's i have:

lands
4 dragonskull summit
3 aunt hovel
3 mutavault
10 mountain
1 swamp

4 goblin king
4 goblin chieftain
4 goblin guide
4 goblin wardriver
2 goblin bushwacher
2 spikeshot elder
3Mogg War Marshal
1 adaptive automation


3 dismember
4 lightning bolt
3 goblin granade

4 duress
1 bloodmoon


Errrr... I know my build looks a little-off from what you have (vial base), what can you say? ^_^

[perm]

Every modern goblins deck needs 4x Mogg War Marshal, 4x Chieftain, and possibly quest for the goblin lord. So hard to stabilize against that.

[perm]

Every modern goblins deck needs 4x Mogg War Marshal, 4x Chieftain, and possibly quest for the goblin lord. So hard to stabilize against that.

[Mr. Safety]

Every modern goblins deck needs 4x Mogg War Marshal, 4x Chieftain, and possibly quest for the goblin lord. So hard to stabilize against that.

Repeated for posterity. I was using Shared Animosity, but Quest for the Goblin Lord seems like a strict upgrade on mana requirements alone.

[Zupponn]

Been testing on MTGO with good success using this list:

4x Goblin Chieftain
4x Goblin Bushwhacker
4x Mogg War Marshall
4x Goblin Wardriver
4x Warren Instigator
4x Simian Spirit Guide
4x Siege-Gang Commander
4x Goblin Guide

4x AEther Vial
4x Dismember
4x Lightning Bolt

16x Mountain

Sideboard:
4x Blood Moon
4x Leyline of Punishment
4x Relic of Progenitus
3x Shattering Spree

If Warren Instigator connects early and you drop two decent goblins, then that's usually game.

[Maagler]

Hey thought I might post this deck for you guys. With some initial testing this has been doing really well for me. can pull off some quick kills before the opponent can do very much.

Gobs:

16 Mountain

2 Greater Gargadon
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Chieftain
2 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Goblin Guide
2 Simian Spirit Guide

4 Empty the Warrens
4 Seething Song
3 Gitaxian Probe
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Goblin Grenade
3 Rift Bolt
3 Lightning Bolt

[Litorers]

Is that list 60 cards?
I'm guessing that it might be missing some land - with the right amount, that list looks explosive!

[Maagler]

Yeah I forgot two lands and the goblin guides. fixed that. I am having a little trouble coming up with a side for this though anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking maybe Leyline of Sanctity, but I am unsure what else to add. I have found that this deck does the best against control decks, but does poorly against things that can produce a lot of big blockers or things that gain life. there must be something that prevents lifegain. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[JeroenC]

How big is your average EtW? Seems interesting.

[Maagler]

Depends on the hand. Its usually between six and eight, but with the probes and suspended stuff i have gotten it much larger. I actually got a first turn kill yesterday, but that was with an exceedingly rare hand.

[paeng4983]

Here's what i've been working on all month long.

3 warren instigator
4 goblin guide
4 goblin chieftain
4 goblin king
4 siege gang commander
4 goblin wardriver
4 mogg war marshall
3 goblin bushwacher
1 magus of the moon

4 bloodmoon
4 goblin granade
4 lightning bolt

17 mountain

SB
3 surgical extraction
4 dismember
3 shattering spree
3 pithing needle
2 (meta call)

[SpikeyMikey]

Here's what i've been working on all month long.

3 warren instigator
4 goblin guide
4 goblin chieftain
4 goblin king
4 siege gang commander
4 goblin wardriver
4 mogg war marshall
3 goblin bushwacher
1 magus of the moon

4 bloodmoon
4 goblin granade
4 lightning bolt

17 mountain

SB
3 surgical extraction
4 dismember
3 shattering spree
3 pithing needle
2 (meta call)

Only 3 Warren Instigators and no Vial, but a full 4 Siege Gangs... on 17 lands?

[brianw712]

I've been having a lot of fun (and success) on MWS with this list:

Lands (20):

8 Mountain
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Steam Vents

Creatures (32):

4 Goblin Guide
4 Tattermunge Maniac
4 Frenzied Goblin
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Goblin Wardriver
4 Goblin Chieftain

Burn (8):

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Goblin Grenade

SB (15):

3 Blood Moon
3 Relic of Progenitus
3 Shattering Spree
4 Spell Pierce
2 Permafrost Trap

Without top of the curve card advantage engines like Goblin Matron/Ringleader, I think for Goblins to be viable it has to be based around speed. I would say average goldfish would be turn 4, but it's also surprisingly resilient (to spot removal, at least). I've had a few games where people have played a bunch of spot removal and I've gotten in for a few points with just a couple of goblin tokens a turn, and eventually finished with a slurry of burn. I'm playing around with the sideboard right now, there are so many different splashes you could make. White for Burrenton-Forge Tender/Path to Exile? Green for Ancient Grudge? Black for Thoughtseize? Blue for what I have now? A combination of the above?

What do you guys think?

[Zupponn]

Here's what I've been working on recently:

Mainboard:
4x Goblin Guide
4x Goblin Bushwhacker
4x Goblin Chieftain
4x Warren Instigator
4x Goblin Wardriver
4x Hearthfire Hobgoblin
4x Spikeshot Elder

4x Lightning Bolt
4x Goblin Grenade
4x Brute Force

16x Mountain
4x Teetering Peaks

Sideboard:
3x Leyline of Punishment
3x Dragon's Claw
3x Goblin Ruinblaster
3x Relic of Progenitus
3x Shattering Spree

The sideboard is a little tentative so far, but the list is loosely based around an old extended list that I saw that was around right when after Extended was snipped and right before Modern came into being. Right now I like how the list plays, but might exchange Spikeshot Elder for Tattermunge Maniac for some more aggression. Teetering Peaks and/or Brute Force plus a double striker is just insanely fun and good and gives the deck a huge kill range. You're opponent's at 15? No problem. Hearthfire Hobgoblin+Brute Force+Goblin Grenade. Now he's toast.

[Davran]

Here's my version:

4x Goblin Guide
4x Goblin Bushwhacker
4x Tattermunge Maniac
2x Spikeshot Elder
4x Warren Instigator
4x Goblin Wardriver
3x Mogg War Marshal
4x Goblin Chieftain

4x Lighting Bolt
4x Pillar of Flame
3x Goblin Grenade

16x Mountain
3x Teetering Peaks
1x Keldon Megaliths

Sideboard:
4x Leyline of Punishment
3x Blood Moon
3x Goblin Ruinblaster
2x Shattering Spree
2x Relic of Progenitus
1x Grafdigger's Cage

I like the idea of Pillar of Flame in here. Kitchen Finks is the premier 3 drop in the format, and 4 life plus a blocker that trades twice with any member of our team is a little annoying. Plus, exiling Finks and/or Murderous Redcap is quite relevant against Pod.

Brute Force is cute, but as long as Path to Exile is the removal of choice I'd rather be sending my "burn" directly at the player than setting up a nice neat 2 for 1.

Hearthfire Hobgoblin is an interesting choice. What about Boggart Ram-Gang? Is a 3/3 with haste more relevant than a 2/2 double strike?

The sideboard is a little shaky...I can't decide between Ruinblaster and Blood Moon. I think in the match-ups where we want some sort of land control effect, Blood Moon is strictly better...but Blood Moon doesn't attack.

I definitely think we want 4x Leyline though - there's really no other way we can beat Proc.

I also think some number of Pyroclasm/Volcanic Fallout is worth considering. It absolutely wrecks plenty of decks in the format, and it's easy for us to play around if we know it's coming. Plus, Pyroclasm into a Goblin Guide or other hasty goblin can be pretty back breaking.

[Zupponn]

I feel that Brute Force is too good to pass up in a deck like this. The potential to have Lightning Bolt 5-8 or double Bolt is insane. I'm not really not worrying about Path too much with it though because in testing, most people will blow all their Paths much earlier than you would be using Brute Force. People are more apt to spend their Path on a Goblin Guide early than to leave that Guide sitting around and using it on something else.

About the Boggart Ram-Gang, I have thought about using it, but not for the haste, which is nice to have, but for the Wither. Cards with Wither destroy Persist creatures like Finks. If I'm using Brute Force though, then it is nowhere near as good as the Hobgoblin.

Last night I changed the sideboard around after I found that the Burn matchup is favorable again with the addition of the Hobgoblin and Brute Force. Here's what I'm running now:

4x Leyline of Punishment
4x Relic of Progenitus
4x Goblin Ruinblaster
3x Shattering Spree

Ruinblaster vs Blood Moon is something that I'm testing right now. It's sort of like having tempo vs having a soft lock. Smash to Smithereens is another card that I've been thinking to try out in place of Shattering Spree. The Spree is most likely better, but the 3 damage and Instant speed from Smash might be worth it.

[Davran]

I feel that Brute Force is too good to pass up in a deck like this. The potential to have Lightning Bolt 5-8 or double Bolt is insane.

If you're looking for double bolt, just run something like Incinerate. It's much more flexible in that you can always shift to burn mode if the ground gets clogged up, or proactively remove problematic creatures that your opponent may not otherwise block with (i.e. Dark Confidant, a flipped Delver etc.) I think the instances where you really "get them" with a Brute Force are far less common than the times 3 direct damage is useful.


About the Boggart Ram-Gang, I have thought about using it, but not for the haste, which is nice to have, but for the Wither. Cards with Wither destroy Persist creatures like Finks.

Not really though - Finks is a 3/2, so it will always trade for your Ram-gang unless it already had a counter on it. In that situation, your opponent traded his creature for an effective 5 life plus your guy. Using a Brute Force in this situation also works out in your opponent's favor.


Ruinblaster vs Blood Moon is something that I'm testing right now. It's sort of like having tempo vs having a soft lock. Smash to Smithereens is another card that I've been thinking to try out in place of Shattering Spree. The Spree is most likely better, but the 3 damage and Instant speed from Smash might be worth it.

Ruinblaster vs. Moon is probably meta dependent. There are certain decks that Moon just straight up beats (i.e. Jund), while in other cases Ruinblaster is enough.

Smash to Smithereens is a nice choice if all you're really worried about is the occasional Sword of X and Y. I prefer spree because it is nigh uncounterable, and it gives us a way to break up Metalcraft in the affinity match-up. If you're going to stick to the Brute Force + Beater approach, Smash will probably give you the little bit of extra reach you need in certain matches. You'll just have to be aware of what the real threats are instead of just using it as a one sided wrath.

One last thing that occurred to me is that this deck probably wants a playset of Cavern of Souls. There's no real Wasteland effect in this format, and they're still mountains under a Blood Moon. There's really no reason not to run them.

[Zupponn]

If you're looking for double bolt, just run something like Incinerate. It's much more flexible in that you can always shift to burn mode if the ground gets clogged up, or proactively remove problematic creatures that your opponent may not otherwise block with (i.e. Dark Confidant, a flipped Delver etc.) I think the instances where you really "get them" with a Brute Force are far less common than the times 3 direct damage is useful.
When I said double bolt, I meant that it was 6 damage for 1 mana with a double striker. Also, I believe that the 1 mana difference between Brute Force and Incinerate is a huge deal in a deck that strives to play as few lands as possible. For me, the pros far outweigh the cons when using this card.



Not really though - Finks is a 3/2, so it will always trade for your Ram-gang unless it already had a counter on it. In that situation, your opponent traded his creature for an effective 5 life plus your guy. Using a Brute Force in this situation also works out in your opponent's favor.
Yes, so you trade creatures 1 for 1 when your opponent was thinking that they would get a 1 for 0. The Finks doesn't come back, which is a big plus in my opinion. When you're running an aggressive deck, trading 1 for 1 is usually okay.



Smash to Smithereens is a nice choice if all you're really worried about is the occasional Sword of X and Y. I prefer spree because it is nigh uncounterable, and it gives us a way to break up Metalcraft in the affinity match-up. If you're going to stick to the Brute Force + Beater approach, Smash will probably give you the little bit of extra reach you need in certain matches. You'll just have to be aware of what the real threats are instead of just using it as a one sided wrath.
Oh, definitely. The thing I've been thinking about is that Affinity can get blown out by the Spree, but Smash can win you the game too, just not by blowing the opponent out. It's something to think about in an aggressive deck, as a little burn can go a long way.


One last thing that occurred to me is that this deck probably wants a playset of Cavern of Souls. There's no real Wasteland effect in this format, and they're still mountains under a Blood Moon. There's really no reason not to run them.
Probably. The only drawback is that you cannot cast your removal with it, which could cost you a game if you only get Caverns.

[saucy]

Hi, I started watching this thread a month ago after I had sold myself on getting into Modern having been a long time legacy goblins player.

I've been tinkering with the list and sideboard for some time and play testing against the deck database on scg with a partner. Here is what I have come up with:

Main:

Land: 22
4x Arid Mesa (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Arid%20Mesa)
4x Auntie's Hovel (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Auntie%27s%20Hovel)
4x Blood Crypt (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Blood%20Crypt)
4x Cavern of Souls (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Cavern%20of%20Souls)
2x Mountain (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Mountain)
4x Mutavault (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Mutavault)

Creatures: 29
4x Knucklebone Witch (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Knucklebone%20Witch)
4x Mogg War Marshal (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Mogg%20War%20Marshal)
4x Warren Instigator (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Warren%20Instigator)
2x Boggart Harbinger (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Boggart%20Harbinger)
4x Goblin Chieftain (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Goblin%20Chieftain)
4x Goblin King (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Goblin%20King)
4x Mad Auntie (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Mad%20Auntie)
3x Sensation Gorger (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Sensation%20Gorger)

Spells: 9
4x Aether Vial (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Aether%20Vial)
3x Tarfire (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Tarfire)
2x Warren Weirding (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Warren%20Weirding)

Sideboard:
2x Grafdigger's Cage (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Grafdigger%27s%20Cage)

Against birthing pod effects and some graveyard strategies.
3x Shattering Spree (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Shattering%20Spree)

Affinity is scary, applicable against other artifact strategies
2x Terminate (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Terminate)

I want instant speed removal for infect, and splinter twin at a minimum
3x Thorn of Amethyst (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Thorn%20of%20Amethyst)

seems like a house against storm-esq decks and burn/rdw
2x Wort, Boggart Auntie (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Wort,%20Boggart%20Auntie)

I think that an aggro deck keeping pace will lose to a resolved auntie
3x Earwig Squad (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Earwig%20Squad)

I originally had ruinblasters in these slots, but I figured that in match ups I want nonbasic hate like the urza decks removing their win conditions is more effective

The primary game plan is overrunning with exponentially stronger lords. To get me there I want great value creatures, instigator gets out of control with pump effects, knucklebone has been great at getting value from removal and war marshal is a house.

The removal package is a little small but I figure you'll be winning on the ground anyways and would don't need much to kill creatures an opponent blocks with or the ones they want to keep back.

The harbinger is nothing compared to the goblin matron I want it has been proving itself useful fetching spot removal or acting as lord 13-14, in fringe cases it sets up gorgers. I think that it justifies its 2 slots.

Finally, taking inspiration from an earlier post the gorger has been a really interesting card there are 34 goblin cards to trigger off of where a quarter of the deck is lords yields some scary combat phases on your turn. Gorger has been a beast in disrupting control and (some)combo game plans but something to keep in mind is that the trigger is optional and generally not good against a deck that will dump it's hand better/faster then you.

My playtesting has stopped due to exams, but I can bring some feedback and match analysis in 2 weeks.

Please let me know what you're feedback is and for some additional discussion what do you think about Rakdos Charm (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Rakdos%20Charm) in the current field.

Edit:

The pros of leaving monored is the ability to get 4 3CC lords from black on top of the other tech above, with those lords board sweeps like pyroclasm you can laugh at. Wrath like effects still present a problem, but for the time being they aren't seeing a huge amount of play.

As for my manabase, I really want more coloured sources and I think the correct drop is Cavern of Souls (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Cavern%20of%20Souls) x2 for Blackcleave Cliffs (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Blackcleave%20Cliffs)

[saucy]

Ruinblaster vs Blood Moon is something that I'm testing right now. It's sort of like having tempo vs having a soft lock.

Have you considered Magus of the Moon (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Magus%20of%20the%20Moon), since there isn't a strict tribal bind outside of chieftain which makes ruinblaster vs magus +1P for -R manacost.


When I said double bolt, I meant that it was 6 damage for 1 mana with a double striker. Also, I believe that the 1 mana difference between Brute Force and Incinerate is a huge deal in a deck that strives to play as few lands as possible. For me, the pros far outweigh the cons when using this card.

Quest for the Goblin Lord (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Quest%20for%20the%20Goblin%20Lord) was mentioned on page 1, it seems relevant if you're hedging on double strike, with 8 of those creatures, having a permanent for power seems interesting especially with Spikeshot Elder (http://deckbox.org/mtg/Spikeshot%20Elder). Or do you find the setup time isn't worth it for the quest

[Phoenix Ignition]

Here is what I have come up with:


Wow, on a whim I just decided to throw this together on MTGO and it's actually extremely powerful.

I'll first post my adapted list:

Main:

Land: 22Didn't want to spend the $$$ on more Blood Crypts, but this didn't cause me any problems yet and I like 1 Swamp for Path to Exile purposes
4x Arid Mesa
4x Auntie's Hovel
2x Blood Crypt
2x Cavern of Souls
5x Mountain
1x Swamp
4x Mutavault

Creatures: 29
-4x Knucklebone Witch I took these out, after playing them a few times I realized they're just not good. Either your guys get Path to Exile or you run into GR tron and they get Pyroclasmed with the rest of it, or you're racing a combo deck that you'd rather have something else with
4x Mogg War Marshal
4x Warren Instigator
-2x Boggart Harbinger Straight up too slow. I wish we had a replacement for Goblin Matron, I really do, but the utility of this guy isn't really worth the slowness, and now with 12 lords this deck is pretty consistent without it
4x Goblin Chieftain
4x Goblin King
4x Mad Auntie
3x Sensation Gorger
4x Goblin Ruinblaster (buys you time against non-tron decks, extremely good in that you don't need to wait for 4 lands like with Tec edge. Great against Blue control decks or manlands)
1x Wort, Boggart Auntie (I like the 1-of for the really grindy late game, and more than 1 can run into legendary rule. May not be worth it later)
2x Earwig Squad (It's soooo good against Tron and other unfair decks, while being bigger than a tarmagoyf against everything else)

Spells: 9
4x Aether Vial
4x Tarfire (Weirdings just aren't good enough in the current meta, everyone either has mana dorks, Lingering Souls, or no creatures, and the +2 goblin token wasn't worth it)

Sideboard: Haphazardly thrown together
1x Earwig Squad, because he's so good against the unfair decks
4x Thoughtseize, because they're so good against the unfair decks
2x Seige-Gang Commander, they go in for the Earwigs against the fair decks
2x Thorn of Amethyst
3x Grafdigger's Cage
3x Relic of Progenitus

I'm having a blast with the deck. I might look for a 1 drop to replace the Witch, Mogg Fanatic might be the best choice just to take out Dark Confidant/ Noble Hierarch/ whatever else. I'll update once I've done more testing, but for now this has been way better than I thought. I've beaten 3 Tron decks just by outracing them and Ruinblaster (+ some awesome Sensation Gorger triggers when they used their Expedition Map or Sylvan Scrying and I vial him in).

[ScatmanX]

Have anyone tested Krenko on these lists yet?
How has he performed?

[saucy]

-4x Knucklebone WitchI took these out, after playing them a few times I realized they're just not good. Either your guys get Path to Exile or you run into GR tron and they get Pyroclasmed with the rest of it, or you're racing a combo deck that you'd rather have something else with
...
-2x Boggart Harbinger Straight up too slow. I wish we had a replacement for Goblin Matron, I really do, but the utility of this guy isn't really worth the slowness, and now with 12 lords this deck is pretty consistent without it

I really like the idea of Mogg Fanatic I think it hits enough things to win over Knucklebone, not to mention putting less stress on the manabase and favouring more caverns. Having 4x Fanatics and 4x Tarfire reduces the need for Harbinger to fetch removal which is probably the most used tutor target so I'm sold on that.



4x Goblin Ruinblaster (buys you time against non-tron decks, extremely good in that you don't need to wait for 4 lands like with Tec edge. Great against Blue control decks or manlands)


My main issue with Ruinblaster is the inability to kick using Aether and Instigator and I really would like to see it in combination with other resource hate, perhaps Thalia, I'd say Magus of the Moon but it nukes Mutavault. Either way Ruinblaster's tempo shouldn't be ignored.


Have anyone tested Krenko on these lists yet?
How has he performed?

I totally forgot about Krenko, in my mind Krenko >= Wort, I'll try and 1-1 mix.

I'm excited to try everything out. There is a {cards} tag :/, I went and manually found the deckbox links in my first post.

[Anusien]

To be worth it, these decks need to either goldfish on turn 3, or goldfish on turn 4-5 with disruption.

[saucy]

It seems like we are attempting to make tribal goblins work in modern, with that we should identify the core of the list much like the primers do.

Lands: 20-24
0-8x Fetchlands
0-4x Mutavault
0-8x Mana Denial
8-24x Mana producing lands
X acceleration

Core: 16
4x Mogg Fanatic
4x Warren instigator
4x Mogg War Marshal
4x Goblin Chieftain

Other: 20-24
0-8 removal
0-24 other creatures

From each colour we can then analyze what cards are the most relevant and enforce our game plan maindeck, sideboard hate is its own reply altogether.

Red:
Sensation Gorger: Solid addition useful to gain card advantage, can dismantle some opponents
Goblin Guide: Better replaced with fanatic as the extra 3-5 damage doesn't come with utility of killing targets for instigator
Goblin King: Ruled out do to having a better curve with boartusk, possible mix with boartusk or lord 13+
Tarfire, Lightning Bolt: One of the more powerful removal cards for us period, can't justify tarfire with the amount of gofy, tarfire wil only kill a 1T gofy since tribal will grant a bonus on resolution during game state check
Goblin Ruinblaster, Magus of the Moon: Sweet Non basic Hate on a body, note that the kicker cost cannot be paid when Instigating or Vialing it in versus the alternative of no tribal binding
Krenko, Mob Boss: Huge card, resolved Krenko folds over creature strategies and gives a good clock
Siege-Gang Commander: A ton of utility, back breaking when played off of Instigator
Quest for the Goblin Lord: too slow, too many conditionals to be effective

White:
Hearthfire Hobgoblin: Worse replacement for instigator
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben: Soft lock with a decent body thanks to first strike
Path to Exile: solid removal, doesn't play well with our mana denial options

Green:
Boartusk Liege: Huge body, I'd rate as the worst lord purely due to 4CC
Tattermunge Maniac:Can't be justified over guide, and guide struggles for a spot
Tin Street Hooligan:Too costly to maindecks gameplan in numbers, no tutor for sparse amounts

Black:
Terminate, Dismember: Serious instant speed removal, can be steep cost for :r::b: or -4Life
Knucklebone Witch: Decent one drop, less utility then Mogg Fanatic
Frogtosser Banneret: Really interesting card, might make the black splash the most powerful
Mad Auntie: Second best lord, easy to handle manacost
Earwig Squad: House against some decks, and a huge beater against others, can prowl for :b: with a frogtosser in play
Wort, Boggart Auntie: Interesting card for recycling cards late game, gives the option for recurring Tarfire or Weirding
Boggart Harbinger: Too dam slow
Warren Weirding: Interesting narrow removal, sorcery speed really hurts its effectiveness

Lands:
Tectonic Edge, Ghost Quarter: Mana denial lands, seems effective with other mana denial
Mutavault: Utility land with lord effects, at least 12 lords is the number I'd shoot for

Artifacts:
Aether Vial: under performing, not enough card advantage to make full use, too narrow usage when hedging on manlands or destruction lands, testing is finding a preference to higher threat density in modern DTB's

I think this is a good pool to test from, please suggest more, additionally we can start removing cards if and when they are really underperforming

Edit: added goblin guide
Edit2: preliminary testing removed cards

[Davran]

Maybe I missed it...but why no consideration of Goblin Guide?

[Phoenix Ignition]

I'm using him now in my newest version, along with lightning bolts main.

[ScatmanX]

I'm using him now in my newest version, along with lightning bolts main.
And Goblin Grenade I hope!
Share the list later!

[Phoenix Ignition]

Alright I've done enough testing, I'm not entirely sold on this being a tier 1 or even 1.5 deck, but I can still keep the win rate up around 45% or so.

I don't know what the best direction to take is, I feel like the one I have now with all out speed is slightly better just because you can actually race combo. Believe it or not I'm 3-0 against UR storm combo with the current set up (all were Pyromancer's Ascension).

Land: 22
4x Arid Mesa
3x Scalding Tarn
3x Auntie's Hovel
2x Blood Crypt
2x Cavern of Souls
4x Mountain
4x Mutavault

Creatures: 29
4x Mogg War Marshal
4x Warren Instigator
4x Goblin Chieftain
2x Goblin King
4x Mad Auntie
4x Goblin Guide
2x Goblin Arsonist
3x Mogg Flunkies
2x Krenko, Mob Boss

Spells:9

4x Lightning Bolt
4x Goblin Grenade
1x Dismember


Sideboard:
2x Earwig Squad, because he's so good against the unfair decks
1x Dismember
3x Smash to Smithereens
2x Thorn of Amethyst
2x Grafdigger's Cage
3x Relic of Progenitus
2x Goblin Ruinblaster

So the best thing is being able to race Tron and UR Storm, and also the feeling of having 10 damage in your hand with only 2 cards is pretty awesome. The negatives are, as you'd imagine, the matchup against the grindy decks is worse, and a lot of control decks can stall for a long enough time to win (Path to exile -> Snapcaster +path -> Kitchen Finks -> Resto Angel).

That's probably all the testing I'm doing on this one for now, going on to other pet deck projects of mine.

[ScatmanX]

List
That list looks great.
I wonder what Boggart Shenanigans or Fodder Launch can do to help against the grindy matchups.

[saucy]

I went to the weekly modern event at my LGS with the below list, pillars were a last minute addition and I cannot say enough good things about it.

Land: 23
4x Arid Mesa
4x Auntie's Hovel
3x Blood Crypt
4x Cavern of Souls
4x Mountain
4x Mutavault

Creatures: 30
3x Mogg Fanatic
2x Spikeshot Elder
4x Mogg War Marshal
4x Warren Instigator
4x Goblin Chieftain
3x Goblin King
4x Mad Auntie
1x Krenko, Mob Boss
3x Murderous Redcap
2x Siege-Gang Commander

Spells: 7
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Dismember

Sideboard:
2x Electrickery
3x Pithing Needle
4x Relic of Progenitus
1x Rakdos Charm
2x Warren Weirding
3x Earwig Squad

Edited List, not what was played below

0-0 M1: Adam with rogue R/B discard synergy deck
G1: playing against heavy discard, he hits my removal x2 and a lord, lands Nezumi Shortfang followed by Liana which gets outdone by MWM and Mutavault. He plays Nyxathid which eats a dismember and I land liege which eats removal. Following turn I topdeck gorger, next turn it activates on my empty hand versus a fist of what I can only imagine is 3 discard spells, activation seals the deal on his second Nyxathid with a lord pumped swing and removal off gorger.
1-0

+2 magus
-2 lieges
I note that liege is awful with auntie and mutavault, it comes out. I notice he is rather nonbasic heavy for RB but I only see 1 burn spell and lots of BB casting costs.

G2: keep vault and MWM plus auntie liege. I play it out slowly, I see ratchet bomb that ticks up and he inquisitions a topdeck chieftain. I sandbag my liege and play it into Rachet Bomb with potential 4 counters. He takes the bait and I follow up with Wort and auntie. A second Rachet bomb is too slow and he's pushed out of the game, chumping with his creatures to stay in.
1-0

1-0 M2: Giles with Kikipod
G1: Takes considerable amount of damage from duals to get out Wall of Omens and Finks. Finks eats a pillar and Omens perma blocks Instigator but Fanaticx2 threatens his vital creatures, I drop a gorger first activation it whiffs but he can't/doesn't play combo elements. Gorger activates I end the game with my 5 cards drawn, laying Chieftain and a post combat bolt to the face.
1-0

+2 Cage
+3 Earwig
-4 Liege
-1 Pillar

G2: I lead Fanatic. He Wall of Omens. Blocks my follow up Instigator, but He misses a land drop T3. I come in with vaultx2. The game stalls as he plays a second Wall. Next turn he Pods in finks from the second Wall of Omens. However I get a second instigator and a lord out, the instigator eats Redcap CITP as he pods it in from a finks, I pillar the redcap it on my turn. Another instigator blocked by Omen and vaultx2 Lord pump kills the finks. He untaps and passes, I Come in for a swing he flashes in Exarch to kill instigator which eats a bolt. Informing me that he top decked his 2 of Kiki post game that he could play with a Birds of Paradise postgame, I don't think he could have arranged blockers in a way that post combat bolt wasn't lethal.
1-0

We play a third game for fun, he finally combos out as I keep a shaky MWM heavy, removal absent hand.

2-0 M3: Matt with affinity
G1: I keep 2 fanatics and MWM with vault and singleton removal. T2 he comes in with Battle cry x2 Thopter. T3 my board is wiped with Whipflare and I never recover as he eventually plays an Overseer which gets dismembered, a second overseer, and Master of Etherium but more importantly a lethal Plating on Inkmoth Nexus.
0-1

-2 Liege
-2 Gorger
-1 Pillar
+2 Magus
+2 Shatterstorm
+1 Rakdos Charm

G2: I think we both mull to 6, I keep MWMx3 + bolt + vault + mountain. He opens with x2 thopter and battle cry critter. Turns into a slug fest with his thopters versus tokens and Mutavaults He played a Arcbound Ravager and puts tokens on a thopter to kill my vault. He gets plating and I get chieftain. Fanatic hits battle cry and come in with Goblin tokens. He gets an overseer but its too little too late as I come in for lethal, before combat life was 6 him - 9 me.
1-1

G3: I snap keep a hand with 3 lands shatterstorm and 2 bolts. He mulls to 5 and dumps his hand 2 thopters springleaf inkmoth. Drawing 2 more with thoughtcast. I play out MWM with the echo. On his play bolt a plated thopter. Repeat that play but on inkmoth pumped by a blinkmoth, but on my turn I'm trying to bait his last card in hand and also establish a board by laying chieftain with bolt mana, but he never plays it. I resolve shatterstorm on T5 and he concedes. After asking him I find out hes holding a second copy of Mox Opal, whoops.
2-1

3-0 M4: Andrew with JUND
G1: Total blowout, I see 3xLightning helix for my 2 lords, one being Liege which died from a blocking soul later on. I make a huge mistake by wasting 2 fanatics to kill 1 of his 2 Deathrite Shamans. I Concede after getting Wort Lightning Helix'd and he casts and flashes back Lingering Souls, followed by Casting a second Lingering souls the following turn.
0-1

-2 Gorger
-2 Liege
+2 Magus
+2 Electrickery

G2: This game grinds out, he opens Deathrite followed by Goyf. I dismember Goyf, he follows up with Geist. I have MWM or Vault to chump the swinging Geist, post combat he plays a second Geist. I play Liege on a naked board with a tapped Mutavault. He Bloodbraids revealing a third Geist, opts to not play it. He uses a Dismember on Liege and comes in for non lethal. I play Wort which gets killed by removal. I scoop.
0-2

Finish 3-1

Post tournament thoughts were that Liege is garbage with Mad Auntie and Mutavault, as almost every match Liege was in play and not interacting with one of those cards at some point.

Second thoughts were that modern combo is pretty soft to creature removal so I feel good about my creature pressure with vaults for extra reach and instant speed removal.

My third takeaway was, JUND is brutal, and I need to be more efficient to compete. So I opt to make the following changes, and the reasons for these changes is to improve value through CITP triggers in the face of heavy removal. I remove Liege's as they just don't work and add Goblin King to compensate, I also add SGC for a wicked top end of my curve and a killer trigger, I should note that both JUND games still got to 5 mana and beyond so SGC is very relevant there. Finally Wort is just too slow, every resolution a redcap would have been better and it works with lord effects and deals with their removal to an extent.

Finally I opted to swap Magus for moon as the RR is relevant with cavern never naming humans. I also have to consider that my lords can never save it from pyroclasm, I do have to say that under the mountain effect I'd rather have someone spot removal the magus versus my lords. I'll look into this whenever I actually see one of these cards in play on a larger test pool.

[raindrainxi]

Nice list. I'm interested how effective Sensation Gorger was for you. Is it relevant in majority of the matches that it warrants MD placement? Also, although this is in general, why no list with Goblin Bushwhacker? Haste and 1 less mana seems more effective than Goblin King.

[Davran]

Army Loyalist R

Haste

Batalion - Whenever ~ and at least two other creatures attack, all creatures you control gain first strike and trample until end of turn. They cannot be blocked by tokens this turn.

1/1


Nice Lingering Souls bro...

[Phoenix Ignition]

Army Loyalist R

Haste

Batalion - Whenever ~ and at least two other creatures attack, all creatures you control gain first strike and trample until end of turn. They cannot be blocked by tokens this turn.

1/1


Nice Lingering Souls bro...

Wow, this would actually be really good in either of the lists I posted. I'll commence testing once this set is released on MTGO, since that's the only place I can find Modern without a GPT (and the decks I posted weren't good enough for GPTs).

I'm loving the haste though, how unnecessary but still awesome is that?

[Davran]

Wow, this would actually be really good in either of the lists I posted. I'll commence testing once this set is released on MTGO, since that's the only place I can find Modern without a GPT (and the decks I posted weren't good enough for GPTs).

I'm loving the haste though, how unnecessary but still awesome is that?

I had the same thought...something like:

4x Army Loyalist
4x Goblin Guide
4x Mogg War Marshal
4x Warren Instigator
4x Goblin Chieftain

Seems like a pretty good start. Goblin Bushwhacker might actually be worth it too...

[saucy]

Went to another Modern event this time 2-2, I updated the list and sb in my above post.

White/Red landfall aggro
1-2: game 2 I won through 3 resolved Lightning Helix's, game 3 I lose to a top deck of the 1/1 that pseudo levels up into a huge flier while he's dead on board, this game went to 30~ cards in graveyard.
Blue/Black mill
2-0: got pretty hairy when Hedron Crab double landfall'd, into a mill for 10 instant, into double surgical extraction on Chieftain and Auntie. Consistency in creatures closes out both games.
Splinter Twin
0-2: game 2 sees a Snapcaster come down to flash block Mutavault against a lethal next turn with a topdeck of Chieftain, later he saves dispel mana to stop Lightning bolt on Exarch with 2 Mogg Fanatics for the last point of damage in play.
U/W control
2-0: Overwhelm him both games with 2 for 1's against his removal, threatens a Verdict game 2 but it does nothing with a Redcap MWM in play for a lethal counter swing.


Nice list. I'm interested how effective Sensation Gorger was for you. Is it relevant in majority of the matches that it warrants MD placement? Also, although this is in general, why no list with Goblin Bushwhacker? Haste and 1 less mana seems more effective than Goblin King.

Gorger, while very cool doesn't have a place in a world with low-mid range aggro decks and pod/twin redundant combo lists. To compete, Gorger didn't even make it into my sideboard overhaul.

I'm not a fan of bushwhacker at least in my pre-Gatecrash lists, while Goblin King is the weakest card maindeck a Bushwhackers haste often isn't relevant as I'm playing T2 it only hastes himself and trades with mana dorks(sometimes). In a later gamestate scenario I'm dropping Bushwhacker and swinging with one more body versus not swinging with King but offering better trades on the +toughtness. As for the mana cost, the list has a comfy curve at the moment when considering that Dismember is a 2 drop most of the time, the lords still push the curve to 3 CMC bias which I'm fine with.

The Boros goblin looks good with the modern goblin staples, I'll try and pick some up at my prerelease!

[kombatkiwi]

Also in modern a card which you may have missed because it doesn't have the word goblin in the rules text is the 2R 2/2 "All your creatures have haste and attack if able" goblin, which is huge, I know from playing the deck in legacy that having a large number of haste-lords to speed out krenko activations is very important/useful.

Unfortunately, without access to matron and ringleader, and with people in the thread dropping sensation gorger, I can't see a reason to play this deck.
It seems like a burn deck deck that is capable of more explosive starts but is less consistent a la Kuldotha Red, why not play Affinity or something else over it?

Cheers

[Phoenix Ignition]

Also in modern a card which you may have missed because it doesn't have the word goblin in the rules text is the 2R 2/2 "All your creatures have haste and attack if able" goblin, which is huge, I know from playing the deck in legacy that having a large number of haste-lords to speed out krenko activations is very important/useful.
Haste is a great quality, but I'm not sure the "always attacks every turn" is worth it. The creatures that do see play in Modern are generally larger than any specific Goblin, and having the ability to sit back and stockpile until you can alpha strike is important in a lot of matchups. Having a Goblin Arsonist on defense is great against a lot of decks.


Unfortunately, without access to matron and ringleader, and with people in the thread dropping sensation gorger, I can't see a reason to play this deck.
It seems like a burn deck deck that is capable of more explosive starts but is less consistent a la Kuldotha Red, why not play Affinity or something else over it?

Cheers

If this is a serious question and not rhetorical I'll take a stab at it (well, I'll take a stab at it even if it is rhetorical).

Playing any swarm deck gives you different advantages, but to compare it to just 2 options (burn and affinity):

Burn:
I'd rather play goblins than burn because of Kitchen Finks. There are enough decks that play KF, Jund and UW midrange, that it is something to consider, and often for each activation they get on KF you lose 1 card. Burn in Modern isn't as fast as it is in Legacy, and every time the opponent gains life you're one step closer to for sure losing. Burn has games it can't come back from, and sadly, in Modern, they MUST play creatures to be competitive. That means you aren't blanking the opponent's removal anymore, like you can in Legacy. It's just balls to the wall aggro that loses when it reaches turn X.

Affinity:
Although affinity has a few cards to keep it in the late game, Cranial Plating, Inkmoth Nexus, and the pro-color dude, it also has been very well known in the metagame, and as a result has dedicated sideboard slots in most matchups it plays against. This means that in a specific meta you can get absolutely crushed in every game 2 and 3 because everyone was scared of your deck. Basically losing to both creature and artifact hate is suboptimal.

With goblins you get a niche position of having access to extremely quick victories (Turn 3 is extremely possible if your Instigator connects, which isn't that unlikely given the amount of non-creature decks) and being able to grind out late game wins based on card advantage. You don't lose by any means to life gain, and sideboards usually don't have a ridiculous amount of extra sideboard hate. Late game gives you access to Krenko, Mad Auntie, or Siege-gang Commander, who even allows you to win through random things like Ensnaring Bridge, and swinging in for 30 damage isn't at all ridiculous if it gets to late game.

When I was playing this deck I was able to race combo, while still having game against things like UW midrange. People's litmus test of "But does it race burn and affinity while goldfishing" is just ridiculous. If you ever play a game against anyone that's the same as a goldfish, you probably would have beat them with either deck.

[kombatkiwi]

I get that you can get fast starts via instigators and such but the point that I am challenging (which i thought I made clear in my post) was the "grind them out with card advantage" aspect which seems questionable in the builds people are currently promoting which don't have any way of actually gaining extra cards

[Qweerios]

Lead the Stampede has been tested or not?

[saucy]

Went to another modern event this week and went 2-2. I was quite sick right before the tournament (even brought a kleenex box to the event) and my decision making just wasn't at a good place as a result, because at least 1 game in each match I lost rode on an awful keep, but I suppose its part of the learning experience.


I get that you can get fast starts via instigators and such but the point that I am challenging (which i thought I made clear in my post) was the "grind them out with card advantage" aspect which seems questionable in the builds people are currently promoting which don't have any way of actually gaining extra cards

Technically, its card advantage through unfavourable combat. It is quite possibly a fools errand, but I'm going to try and tune the deck for Toronto's PTQ's x2.


Lead the Stampede has been tested or not?

I have no experience with it, but I'm really intrigued as it would be more like legacy goblins.

Also fun fact, in paper I've had Instigator connect once in 3 events. I still love the card and wouldn't dream of cutting it.

[pocari79]

Went to FNM last week with this particular list that went 4-0 in a daily event last month.

19 Mountain
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Goblin Grenade
4 Goblin Guide
4 Goblin Cohort
4 Goblin Wardriver
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Bushwacker
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Goblin Chieftain
4 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Krenko, Mob Boss

4 Magus of the Moon
3 Thorn of Amythest
3 Spellskite
2 Stingscourger
2 Smash to Smithereens
1 Shattering Spree

The maindeck I didn't modify at all but I did an overhaul of the sideboard since there was a lot of combo when I was playing at the GPTs earlier last month. I went 2-2 with the deck which I thought was pretty good considering I hadn't even goldfished the deck before FNM and had no idea what to board out so I'm pretty sure I was sideboarding incorrectly all the time.

Round 1: B/G Zombievine (W:2-1)
- There was no dredge cards in the deck but it played a bunch of gravecrawlers and bloodghasts which CAN'T block which meant that I just kept on attacking without abandon and he was always on the backfoot.

Round 2: Tribal Zoo (L: 1-2)
- I lost games one and three pretty handily but game two was a crazy slugfest. Nothing much I can say about this matchup except that Lightning Helix is so backbreaking. There's no way you can win a game where the opponent manages to cast Lightning Helix three times no matter how much damage they're taking off their shocklands. This was also the game where I realized that Magus of the Moon was not the right sideboard card as I was able to land a turn two Magus and he had the red removal for it. Magus really needed to be Blood Moon since it's a lot harder to remove and if the Magus was a Blood Moon instead, I would have stole game 3 as he had no basics in play at all.

Round 3: Jund (L: 1-2)
- I don't think the Jund matchup is that bad. It's all about how aggressive your opening hand is and there are definately hands where you can just overwhelm them since all their removal are one for ones. That being said, I lost game three because I had to mulligan to three since my previous four hands contained ZERO lands. Maybe playing only 19 lands is not enough.

Round 4: WUR Delver (W: 2-1)
- I had been boarding out the Mogg War Marshals all night because I didn't understand why they were good and this time, I boarded out the Goblin Cohorts instead since they were inconsistent attackers. Plus this deck's removal is all one for one and that's where the War Marshal shines. Spellskites and Thorns shined in this matchup as they are so removal heavy and the majority of the removal are damage based so usually to get rid of Spellskite, they'll need to use two pieces of removal to get rid of which is key. I just ended up out grinding him as he ran out of removal at the end for my creatures.

Some observations about the deck:

- Mogg Fanatic vs Deathrite Shamans: Sigh. There were so many times where my early Fanatic did nothing since my opponent had a turn one Deathrite Shaman. I'm really not sure what to do about this other than maybe not play four Fanatics. They do kill a bunch of other useful creatures though like Confidants, Lavamancers, pre-flipped Delvers, etc so I think they should be in the deck.

- Goblin Bushwacker: Initially I thought this guy sucked since it's not really a one drop and I felt like I had a bunch of two drops. But then I got into situations where I had like three 1/1s on board and the opponent had a couple of Deathrites holding off my team. I then cast a kicked Bushwacker and all of a sudden attacked for eight and they really had to think of they wanted to chump with the Deathrites. I didn't realize how it could turn a game around by itself and neither did the people I played against until they saw what it could do. This guy's like a two drop Chieftain. Insane.

- Goblin Cohort: I believe that these are the first cards that come out when sideboarding as you are putting in more non-creatures. I also ran into situations where I dropped a Cohort onto an empty board but could not draw another creature in the next two turns so it couldn't attack for two turns which was extremely frustrating.

- Krenko, Mob Boss: I only drew him twice and one of the times, I couldn't cast him. The other time, it made two goblin tokens and then promptly died to a removal spell. I'm really not sure if it's worth it in a deck with only 19 lands.

- Goblin King: I found that I really wanted Goblin King in the deck somewhere. It seems that the majority of the decks are playing mountains and to have a creature who gives all of my other creatures mountainwalk seems like a good thing. The problem is what to cut for Goblin King? Maybe a Krenko and a Fanatic?

- Simian Spirit Guides: My opponents were also making fun of the Simian Spirit Guides and I kind of doubted them myself until I was able to make the following play. Turn 1, play a one drop. Turn 2, play a war marshal. Turn 3, don't pay echo, make the 3rd land drop, play another war marshal, exile spirit guide and play bushwacker with kicker, attack for 10+. Sometimes you'd also get hands like fanatic x2, spirit guide x2 and mountains x3 but I think the potential explosiveness that spirit guides can give you offset those weird hands.

- Magus of the Moon: I had copied the list from the daily and found that everytime that I played it, my opponent would be able to remove it immediately with some red removal spell. I feel that Blood Moon would be a much better play as it would be harder to remove.

- No fetchlands: Do you really want to help fuel Deathrite Shaman? There's also no need to thin out the deck as you play less lands than other people already.

I was really pleasantly surprised by the power level of this deck as I didn't think I would have a chance against any of the tier 1/1.5 decks at all. I really enjoyed seeing people's faces drop when they realize that they're losing to a virtual pauper deck.

Lastly, when Gatecrash comes out, I can imagine putting in some Legion Loyalists in the deck. My guys were getting chump blocked by spirit tokens a lot and this creature would help a lot against that.

[Pltnmngl]

Here's a list I'm going to be experimenting with:

4 Goblin Guide
4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Army Loyalist
4 Goblin Cohort
4 Tattermunge Maniac
4 Goblin Arsonist
4 Goblin Wardriver
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Chieftain
4 Simian Spirit Guide

4 Goblin Grenade

16 Mountain


Other cards I'm messing around with are Mudbutton Clanger and Lightning Bolt. I know Bolt seems like a no-brainer, but I want to push this as far as possible first and then start cutting back.

Also, I'm sure I'm cutting it dangerously close with 16 lands, but I'm hoping the extra explosiveness that Loyalist and extra one-drops bring justify it. Besides, I don't plan on playing anything more than 3, like Affinity decks. I'll let you guys know my results.

[Phoenix Ignition]

I have to say 16 lands is too few. You don't want to just cast 1 spell per turn, and you lose without hitting at least 2 lands.

The chance of your starting 8 cards getting at least 2 lands is only 69.1%. That's 3/10 hands that you don't get enough resources to overrun people. If you're worried about drawing too many lands late game just throw in 8 red fetches. yes, you'll take some extra damage, but not nearly as much as multi colored decks.

[Pltnmngl]

Yeah. Ill probably go to 18 by getting rid of 2 Maniacs. Not interested in fetched since Deathrite Shaman is a thing.

[Phoenix Ignition]

18 only bumps you up to 76.4% chance of getting 2 Mountains in the opening 8 cards. If interested, 20 brings you up to 82.4%.

Fetches may help DRS, but you could use something like Mutavault to make a land drop not terrible.

I dunno, I just wouldn't take a deck to a tournament that loses to itself more than 1 in 5 games.

[laststepdown]

Has anyone tried Frogtosser Banneret? Seems like it could be the speed-up this deck needs. Also, I'm seeing lists without Aether Vial and that seems wrong.

[Pltnmngl]

I'd hate to double-post, but the same player did decently on a daily with a similar list:


20 Mountain
1 Teetering Peaks
3 Ash Zealot
4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin Cohort
4 Goblin Guide
4 Goblin Wardriver
4 Magus of the Moon
4 Tattermunge Maniac
4 Goblin Grenade
4 Lightning Bolt

1 Ash Zealot
4 Dragon's Claw
3 Electrickery
3 Ratchet Bomb
4 Torpor Orb


When I get access to the cards, here's what I'm testing with:

4 Goblin Guide
4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Legion Loyalist
4 Goblin Cohort
4 Goblin Wardriver
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Chieftain
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Foundry Street Denizen

4 Goblin Grenade

20 Mountain


I know I might be going a bit too deep on the theme, but I think it makes sense with the new additions that Gatecrash gave us. Legion Loyalist pretty much takes the place that Zealot had, which mostly was there to deal with Lingering Souls. Foundry Street Denizen becomes an outright better creature than Tattermunge Maniac in most builds. I still think Simian Spirit Guide is a good "engine" for this deck due to the large number of hasty creatures.

It should also be mentioned that our sideboards could clear up a bit due to the bannings. Not guaranteed, but it's a thought.