Goblins kinda' COUNT as removal, as usually people are forced to block drivers, lackeys, ect. Auntie and sledder help a lot here, and the three MB removal spells are about on par with the lists that were run a year ago or so. IMO, 4 goblin edicts is too many, and though it IS powerful, and it will get lackey there against many decks, thresh still has daze and FoW for turn two edict, and I'd much rather have DRAWN and CAST drivers and TUTOR for my removal in a vacuum. (read: against combo or control decks) The main downfall of edict, and my reason for running just two, is that it can be COUNTERED. Everyone sees that it kills goyf, but people have recently failed to see why gempalm was run in the first place over smother (though more conditional) gempalm says 'no' to control/aggro/control. You have vial for your guys, and uncounterable removal. An edict is sorcery speed, can't use vial tricks in the middle of combat, and can be countered. Wort also makes your removal inevitable late game, and 1 edict in grave might as well be two in hand. Having the nuts start with an unblocked lackey, but if the deck is concentrated on that '2 card-ish' combo (also contingent upon having a ringleader or SCG in hand) then the late-game plan suffers, and goblins shines in the mid-late game with it's CA and vial-shenanigans. My build is fine with winning on a nuts lackey draw, but plans on winning a normal 4-7 turn game, and is very well prepared to go into the late game.
In my metagame, I want a fast clock against combo, not dead cards in hand. Against aggro-control and Thresh, I have no problems trading y attacking driver for their goyf, as goblins naturally has CA in the late game, and matrons and wort will ensure that your drivers come back for more while thresh has no recursion or CA, just CQ. Goyfs can't race drivers, and drivers serve at least to keep goyf on blocking detail until you can get into the lategame and win with CA. I find that 1 Auntie MD is enough, as she is very 'meh' to see in an opener, but the nuts to tutor for after you have a driver, or via vial to aid in a team block and regen whoever was assigned lethal damage.
My mentality has allways been as follows with multiples of cards:
4- if you want to see this card in every opener, and more than one of these during the course of a game.
3- You want to see one during the course of a game, and dont mind one in the opener.
2- You don't want this in your opening hand, and you would prefer not to see it twice during a game (EX: legendary lands like urborg, coffers, or vol's hold)
1- You are tutoring for it, otherwise you probably wont see it.
I want a therapy against combo and control decks, (or decks likely boarding in 4 E plagues) but an opener with 3 lands, 2 therapies, and 2 of card X is cuts. (I usually fetch basic mountain first, then swamps when needed, or fetch two mountains first if I have a dual in hand) Against storm or fast combo, I want to see two chalices or Thorns, as they both get better in multiples. However, C therapy in mults is only the nuts if you have something like SCG, which is more likely to happen late game, when you might see your second C Therapy. (I've tried Thoughtseize in this slot and am still on the fence, as therapy is better against thresh and in the mirror, but therapy has the potential for massive CA and can wreck in the mirror depending on how much info you have. (matrons, ringleaders, ect)
