Vial Goblins Primer
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0. Update notes
18:51 10/17/2019
* Major update, due to ever changing landscape of Legacy
* Renovated the Faces of Goblins.
* Several grammatical fixes.
* Match-ups are still out of date, but are next on the agenda. Curse you ever changing landscape of Legacy!
23:23 1/24/2019
* Thanks to the user GoblinLackey1: For having some information about the Grixis Control and Depths Matchups, along with the black splash in general.
* Added GoblinLackey1’s Goblins Match-Up Percentages and performances into Goblin Related Literature.
* Thanks to the discord user Dataspot: Noted a ruling mentioned in the primer that is no longer accurate.
* Separated Cratermaker and Trashman into their own categories in Shatter Goblins.
* Added a Stig on Rishadan Port and Wasteland.
03:14 10/11/2018
* Added a banner to lighten up the initial impact of the primer.
* Cleaning up wording all around.
* Added some to be tested cards.
18:19 10/10/2018
* Typos.
I. Introduction
a) History
b) Strategy
c) Why should I play Goblins?
II. Maindeck
a) Mana
b) The Core
c) Staples
d) The Finisher Goblins
III. Matchups & Strategy
a) Matchups
b) Sideboarding
V. Outside the Box
a) Already tested, bad card choices
b) To Be Tested Cards
c) Tested, Niche Potential
VI. Literature
a) Goblin Related
b) Legacy Related
c) General Magic Theory
VII. Final Addendum
I. Introduction
a) History
Here is a brief outline of the deck's development.
Vial Goblins exists since the very beginning of the format Legacy. It came to life with the printing of Goblin Warchief, Goblin Piledriver, Siege-Gang Commander, Goblin Sharpshooter and Gempalm Incinerator – all of which were included in the Onslaught block. Later, AEther Vial was released which made the deck one of the most dominant decks in the format. The deck gradually lost its dominant position with the power-creep that creatures since the Ravnica block are experiencing. In 2011 with the release of Stoneforge Mystic and Batterskull the deck was once again said to be "dead". Goblins faced the problem that any creature-based strategy was more efficient: while Goblins always relied on their synergistic abilities to spam high CMC creatures like Goblin Ringleader and Siege-Gang Commander, other creature-based strategies were able to just play with any combination of cards that were strong in their own rights while having very low mana costs.
However, people didn't lose interest in Goblins. Less than one year later (spring of 2012) some players were coming up with innovative deck lists and strategies to compete in the meta. Then, in May 2012 we were blessed with the printing of Cavern of Souls which initiated a come back for Vial Goblins. It had a tenuous lifespan though, as Deathrite Shaman made more decks play fair, but mostly at a disadvantage to itself, the whole while Sensei's Divining Top Miracles was dominant. We were in a 50-50 meta, beating Miracles and losing consistency to the shaman. As it turns out both of those cards were deemed unreasonable and have since been banned. With the release of War of the Spark and Modern Horizons a host of changes occurred in Legacy. A lot of it is driven by the new 2 drop walker in Wrenn & Six, acting as a pseudo Life from the Loam / Prodigal Sorcerer. This insulation of mana, and aggressive Wasteland lock mixed with the ability to knock out chip shot creatures like Thalia, Guardian of Thraben pushed RUG Delver back on top, while simultaneously punishing against many of the things goblins is good at. This meta is still shaking out, and we are excited to fight this new fair foe.
Additionally this thread itself has some history.
The First Thread.
The Second Thread.
b) Strategy
So what do Goblins do? Goblins have two major strategies: (1) beating our opponents as fast as possible. and (2) grinding out games to win in late game via card- (and board-) advantage. The first strategy is made possible by a combination of Goblin Lackey, Warren Instigator, and Goblin Piledriver, while the latter strategy makes use of the huge card-advantage which the deck can create with cards like Goblin Matron, Goblin Ringleader and Mogg War Marshal. Which strategy to use is highly dependent on the matchup and the meta – oftentimes you will find yourself using a mixture of both roles even in the same game.
c) Why should I play Goblins?
Most of all, you should play goblins when you are looking for a deck that can beat control decks on a regular basis. In this sense Vial Goblins is a meta deck. You will realize that there are goblin-friendly metas and goblin-hostile metas. Goblins rewards knowledge of the metagame because the deck has a relatively large number of playable cards in the MD as well as in the SB that you can or cannot use to tune your deck for the metagame you are expecting. Goblins is also a deck with many faces: there is not ONE, but at least TWO "stock-lists" all of which have a different strategy and perform differently against the field. This makes it hard for your opponents to get a good grasp on the deck. Next, Goblins is a very old deck and many newer players won't know how to play against it. The deck has a lot of play to it. It is very easy to play the deck wrong, but many of these less than perfect lines can lead to game win. It's similar to Affinity in Modern in this regard, but these decisions come in the mid-game instead of the early game. That is not to say that the deck is so strong that it will beat many decks while your brain is on 'standby-mode'. Furthermore there is a ton of decisions to be made during the deck building process, and they matter as much as your game play. As I said, there are plenty of 'playable' cards, but it is essential that your card choices really fit the metagame requirements. This will come back at you when you have to decide whether to play, let's say, Goblin Chieftain or Goblin Warchief. The devil is in the details. So, you should also play Goblins if you are willing to invest some time in working out the details of the deck (the first step has been set once you fought yourself through this deck primer).
If you enjoy a Midrange strategy that is a bit on the lean side, that has acceptable control AND combo elements to it, this deck is for you.
II. The Maindeck
a) Mana
Let's talk about mana first. Goblins is a very mana hungry deck which needs to be provided with lands in the first three turns to ensure a fast and solid start. The high mana costs of cards like Goblin Ringleader and mana consuming abilities like those of Rishadan Port "force" us to play a number of mana sources: 23-24.
This is generally spread between the RB mana base mixed with a suite of utility lands such as Cavern of Souls, Wasteland, Rishadan Port, and Karakas. Below is an example guide for a typical mana base.
4 Wasteland
0-4 Rishadan Port
4 Cavern of Souls
1-3 Utility Land
6 Red Fetches
3-4 Mountain
1-2 Badlands
0-1 Swamp
Regardless of how you build the manabase, be aware of how many colored/colorless sources you have in your deck. Goblins is very hungry for colored sources, and you can lose games because you were only able to cast 1 spell a turn. 16 red sources is considered the gold standard (including Caverns), and fewer than that may require concessions in your creature package (Looking at you Goblin Chainwhirler).
And if for some strange meta or budget reason you are still on 1 color, Please reference this article.
Mathemagics: Onslaught Fetchlands - Should You Run Fetch Lands?
Mana-denial is an important part of Goblins' gameplan. So what do we do when we are flooding? We attempt to cause our opponent to drought, or screw. This is why a playset of Wastelands + X Rishadan Ports find their way into most Goblin lists.
Wasteland simply put is one of the strongest tempo cards in the format. Since decks often run very few basic lands it usually simply acts as Strip Mine, a card not legal in Legacy, and sets your opponent back. You generally should not Wasteland when you are behind early as the mana advantage is important, but it does allow plays such as tagging the opponents only non-basic Island to play around Daze, or simply to stop them from playing the game at all if they don't have more mana sources in hand. Wasteland should be seen as a mana producing spell, and keeping your opening hand often involves making sure you can still play the game after using Wasteland, or worse, getting hit by one.
Rishadan Port is a really powerful way to mana deny your opponents without losing your land ala Wasteland. It is the best turn 2 the deck has access to sans builds than run Warren Instigator, and using it properly involves a lot of match-up experience and practice.
Generally you use Port during your opponent's upkeep, to prevent them from having mana on their main phase. It is strictly correct from a technical standpoint to resolve each port one at a time, waiting for the stack to empty, as it makes your opponent make all of their decisions at the time of activation. If they float any mana in response to the activation of port, let them draw a card for turn and hold priority in their draw step and port the next land in question. This is still before their main phase, and will dissipate any floating mana they had in their upkeep. Consider this situation carefully, because they might be able to use that mana in their draw step, such as a Miracled Terminus, or a freshly drawn instant speed kill spell.
If for some reason you deem it not correct to port during their upkeep, or simply forgot, you can still doing it during other critical points in the turn. Porting during combat comes up from time to time depending on the number of instant speed interactions you have on your opponent's turn. It should be noted that mana fizzles in between each phase of combat (Beginning of Combat, Declare Attackers, Declare Blockers, Damage, End of Combat). For instance a player might intend to Maze of Ith their own creature during the end of combat step, and you can port them before that occurs.
At the end of the opponent's turn you may choose to port a land that your opponent left up to use on your turn. In our deck the most common case of this scenario is when you have an AEther Vial at a card you want for your turns combat in hand. Your opponent passes with a single mana up for Lightning Bolt, Swords to Plowshares, or even Fatal Push. In this case you can port their one land down and have an unimpeded turn of combat and casting. Goblin Warchief, Cratermaker, and Goblin Lackey appreciate this the most.
Lastly you could port during your own upkeep or draw step, for the same reasons as above, to allow some creature to be useful later in the turn. Goblin Warchief is the obvious answer, but just not getting a lord (read Goblin Trashmaster or Goblin Chieftain) getting shot down mid combat helps a lot as well.
[b][u]Manadenial lands can be used to deal with problematic cards like:[b][u]
* so-called 'manlands': Mishra's Factory, Mutavault and Creeping Tar Pit
* Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
* Grove of the Burnwillows (in combo with Punishing Fire)
* Maze of Ith
* Dark Depths
Non-Mana Denial Lands
Cavern of Souls is an auto-include in every Goblin deck list. The default number if 4 copies. This card simply does so much for the deck, and it does it in a very subtle way.
As far as splash colors are concerned, success has been reported with EVERY additional color. That said the new additions from black have truly pushed the deck into wanting the black splash, while thinking about others. Given the limited space, there is usually room for only 1-3 dual lands to support your splash color.
And a non-comprehensive list of other options that are often run:
* Karakas - Protects your own legendaries like Krenko, Mob Boss and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker; and bounces legendaries commonly played in Legacy, like [cards]Marit Lage[cards], Iona, Shield of Emeria and Griselbrand).
* Volrath's Stronghold - Brings back cards like Gempalm Incinerator, Goblin Cratermaker, Goblin Matron, and Goblin Ringleader in the mid game allowing goblins to get ahead with more 1-1 or 2-1 value.
* Pendelhaven - Protects Lackey from Wrenn and Six and pumps it to get past early blockers like Mother of Runes and Delver of Secrets.
* Ancient Tomb - Acceleration that is not dependant on synergy. Tends to be better in post board games due to cards like Chalice of the Void. That said it is rarely run as a 4 of, and tends to be one or two utility lands.
b) The Core
AEther Vial
AEther Vial is one of the reasons why the deck can run such high CMC creatures. Oftentimes AEther Vial is ticked up every round, whereas one should carefully consider adding more than three counters.
Did you know that?
AEther Vial has an upkeep-trigger that reads "you may put a charge counter on AEther Vial." Therefore one should announce the trigger in each and every upkeep (you will NEVER forget that after a while) and then carefully think whether to add another counter or not. E.g.: It's our main phase and we control Vial with 2 counters on it (@2) – we have a Mogg War Marshal, Goblin Piledriver, and Goblin Ringleader on our hand and we want to cheat all of them through our opponent's counterspells. Actually we must leave AEther Vial @ 2 for two rounds to do that. At the end of our opponent's turn we tap it to bring in the 2 drop. In our next upkeep we announce the may-trigger and tap Vial in response to bring in MWM – after that, Vial's trigger resolves and we add another counter. So, in our next upkeep we can decide to bring in any cc3 Goblin or the 4 drop that is waiting in our hand.
Goblin Lackey
Cavern of Souls naming Goblin, Goblin Lackey, Go – is one of the best T1-play our deck has. His threatening, triggered ability enables fast and aggressive starts, even turn-3-kills. On the other hand he does very often not "connect" because opponents will try everything to throw removal, counter or Stifle at him. Placing creatures in his way is oftentimes a plan-B, because the creature in question could be removed to make sure that Lackey gets the party started.
Did you know that?
Lackey's oracle-text reads that he can bring in goblin-permanents, whereas Warren Instigator can only bring in goblin-creatures. This fact is often irrelevant because most goblin permanents have legs anyways. Also there is a nice interaction with Rakdos Charm that doesn't work for Warren Instigator.
Goblin Matron
Goblin Matron, along with Goblin Ringleader, is the backbone of the deck. Most often you will fetch a Goblin Ringleader with her ability, but you can also choose any other goblin, depending on what is needed at the moment she enters the battlefield. E.g. fetch Goblin Chieftain to counter Engineered Plague, or Goblin Cratermaker to destroy that pesky equipment.
Did you know that?
…a foil Goblin Matron is only available in the 7th Edition and costs a whole lot of money.
Goblin Ringleader
Sometimes Goblin Ringleader just reads "draw 4 cards". Goblin Ringleader has an immediate impact on the game by potentially creating huge card advantage. At the average low end he will replace himself (that is: you invest one card to get one card in return), but most of the time he creates raw card advantage. This card advantage ultimately leads to board advantage (most cards you reveal are creature cards), which means that you are winning the game. It is also important to play as many goblins as possible (34 goblins is the maximum number with 22 lands and 4 AEther Vials) in your maindeck to make the best card of the deck even better.
Did you know that?
Ringleader never lets you down. Have you ever revealed 4 lands in a row? Yes, almost certainly. Have you ever been disappointed about this fact? You shouldn't! Every time Ringleader reveals 0 Goblin cards, ask yourself how the game would have turned out if you had drawn those cards for the next 4 turns! However he usually should reveal 3 Goblin cards, with 4 and 2 cards lying within standards, while 0 or 1 is highly unlikely.
How you fill the remaining 14 land-slots and which set of spells you choose for the MD is dependent from the metagame you are playing in. In other words: these slots are very flexible. What follows now is an explanation of proven subtypes of Goblin decks as well as a list of playable and unplayable cards.
c) Staples
Goblin Warchief / Goblin Chieftain
Hastey goblins are happy goblins. Both, Goblin Warchief and Goblin Chieftain, make the deck more explosive and much harder to deal with. Players usually spend 3-7 slots on 'haste lords' Goblin Warchief and Goblin Chieftain, whereas Goblin Warchief is the more popular choice due his explosive ability, Goblin Chieftain tends to be a nod to Plague Engineer and Wrenn and Six.
Suggested reading about Warchief and Chieftain: here.
Cards you should NOT run instead: Goblin King, Mad Auntie, Goblin Wardriver, Frogtosser Banneret, Goblin Lookout
Goblin Piledriver
Goblin Piledriver is a common choice for the deck. His insane triggered ability causes heavy damage to opponent's life points, when unblocked. However this is often not the case, since opponents place creatures and removal in his way. He supports aggressive strategies and makes the deck more explosive. His triggered ability checks the number of Goblins on resolution. This has two implications: (1) Stifle turn an attacking PD into a Squire and (2) your opponent can destroy (or remove) goblins in response to the triggered ability and still weaken your PD. People usually run 2-4 copies in their decklists.
Mogg War Marshal
Mogg War Marshal is the best ancillary effect the deck has access to. It does exactly 1 thing, and that's put some goblins into play. This has a huge ripple effect across the course of a game: coupled with mana denial and their own ability to just chump for little loss, many creature based decks can be time walked while you set up mana and Vial in creatures; Gempalm becomes inherently more powerful due to the goblin count; and it puts you in a good spot against spot removal. I often joke that "Mogg War Marshal is the glue that holds the deck together." This glue comes at a cost though, and that's against Combo and Plague Engineer. Many of the creatures here can battle, and battle rather quickly when unchecked, such as against a creatureless combo deck, but War Marshal is not one of them. 1-3 are the commonly run numbers to see on this card.
Gempalm Incinerator / Munitions Expert
Gempalm Incinerator historically is the common spot removal of choice in Goblin lists and usually 2-3 of. But with the addition of Munitions Expert (ME) a split became preferable. Usually favoring ME. Both cards work effectively as a conditional Terminate. The split between the two is explained by the minor differences they have. Gempalm Incinerator is much better when you are ahead, as you get to continue playing the control tempo route via never running out of cards, but ME has the ability to come down off a Vial, while counting one higher for the total goblin count. Expert also gives you a flash body on board, and can target Planeswalkers. Both cards have one inherent weakness, in that they require board state to be effective, and generally should be paired with at least one other type of removal (like Goblin Cratermaker to make sure dangerous cards like Plague Engineer stop becoming issues.
By default you should play 2 copies of Gempalm Incinerator, and 3 copies of Munitions Expert.
here.
Cards you should NOT run instead: Path to Exile, Swords to Plowshares, Mogg Fanatic* (Some exceptions apply).
Goblin Cratermaker
Goblin Cratermaker is often in the maindeck due to his sheer versatility, everything with 1-4 copies being seen as successful, but commonly at 2-3. Cratermaker does way more than shatter artifacts though. His ability actually hits Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, allowing you to skimp on Stingscourger effects a little, and cards like Thought-Knot Seer. But that's just one of his abilities. His other ability is to deal 2 damage to target creature, and this mode gets used more often. Most creatures in Legacy actually die to 2 damage. Insectile Aberration, Stoneforge Mystic, Young Pyromancer, Plague Engineer none of these cards like seeing a Cratermaker come down from a Cavern or a Vial. This card is a staple of maindeck in addition to being a shatter.
Cards you should NOT run instead: Abrade
Pashalik Mons / Goblin Sharpshooter
Pashalik Mons (and to a lesser extent Goblin Sharpshooter) are common choices for Goblin decks. They help in the mirror-match, against hordes of Elves and counters a lot of strategies that rely on X/1 creatures (oftentimes tokens), such as Young Pyromancer, Monastery Mentor, Baleful Strix, and a ton of elves. They also have interactions with Skirk Prospector, Goblin Cratermaker, Goblin Trashmaster, and echo cards like Mogg War Marshal and Stingscourger. Pashalik Mons has overtaken the old staple of Sharpshooter for a couple of reasons. Pashalik does not suffer the terrible curse of being a 1/1. This is enormous, particularly because of Wrenn & Six and Plague Engineer. Pashalik’s other typical usage is to combo with Sling-Gang, as sacrificing one goblin will net 2 damage and 1 life for you, making it trivially easy to kill your opponent out of combat. It is typical to run 1-2 Pashalik Mons.
Did you know that?
Pashalik’s activated ability, although pricey, can generate lots of free bodies while pinging along the way, makes opposing removal spells awkward, and can conveniently kill a Plague Engineer.
Goblin Chainwhirler
Goblin Chainwhirler is a "faster" Sharpshooter with a stronger body and a harsher mana cost. In general Sharpshooter should be seen as a combo / lock piece, while the Whirly Girly should just be seen as a tempo piece that happens to also board wipe x/1s. They are comparable though, and can be run instead of, or in addition to each other. (R)(R)(R) is really, really hard to cast. You can get away with running 1, but the moment you start running two mana base needs real concessions to run it. More red sources for instance. This pay off can work in certain meta's but be very careful if you do it.
Cards you should NOT run instead: Lightning Crafter
Skirk Prospector
Skirk Prospector is an unassuming little guy that does way more than he looks like.
1) He's a sacrifice source. This allows you to dodge counters from Umezawa's Jitte, and / or life gain from combat with Batterskull, or Griselbrand. Simply sacrifice a creature after blocks are declared.
2) Prospector produces red mana. This is something that traditional lists actually can have a hard time doing. The power of Wasteland, Rishadan Port, and Cavern of Souls are usually worth the loss in use consistency for Gempalm Incinerator, or perhaps even Tarfire. This can come up in games where you can only use AEther Vial as mana source.
3) He is ramp. At his worst, Wild Cantor casts Goblin Warchief, a very important type of card for our deck, on turn 2. Sometimes he produces a lot of mana. Frankly, he enables the most powerful lines available to the deck with this ability. Sometimes you just get to play "everything" into a powerful, hasty, Goblin Piledriver chain for lethal. This is really good against The Tabernacle of Pendrell Vale allowing you keep more goblins than you have lands in play.
4) Pashalik Mons loves this guy. With both out you gain a very powerful form of board control. The rest of your deck just has a pile of synergy by being able to be sac'd to cause Pashalik to either remove all of your opponents threats, make them unable to attack, or just outright kill the enemy player (through a Moat if you are fancy).
Cards you should NOT run instead: There really is no other comparison here.
Stingscourger
Stingscourger is a typical 1-off (or silver bullet) in the 75, which gives you the flexibility to bounce huge blockers and go for the alpha strike. He is also a popular choice in fields where Dark Depths and Reanimate decks are around, since it can hold off the giant monsters. Even Emrakul, the Aeons Torn isn't protected against this card, as the spaghetti monster will be sent back by an ability, not by a spell. It notably does do well against Exhume because it turns the terrible Echo cost into an upside. Another nice thing about this 'removal' spell is that it usually circumvents counter magic with AEther Vial or Cavern of Souls. However, Stingscourger does have a significant cost. It will frequently be card disadvantage because it is a temporary solution to normal creatures, and is a dead draw in multiple matchups. If you’re not making serious use of the tempo it provides, it is usually a poor card.
If you want a card that actually handles large creatures permanently you are probably looking for Warren Weirding. It is only comparable to Stingscourger in that it is usually meant to handle the big guys, but other than that the cards are quite different in how you manage them during the game.
Goblin Trashmaster
This guy does two things, and he does them well. First, he is a reusable shatter, so one copy of him can often end match-ups like Steel Stompy, or The Antiquities War. This is very good, but beyond that he is maindeckable with zero shame simply because he is a lord. Goblins get +1/+1 is a relevant ability on a body that is not Abrupt Decayable. Goblins are kind of small to start, but +1/+1 dramatically changes most board states. Trashmaster being a 4 cost, and being a lord, puts him in the deck as a pseudo Finisher goblin as well, since he often comes down around the same time frame while boosting the field.
d) The Finisher Goblins
Finisher goblins are the the most impactful creatures the deck can afford to play. These guys usually have an immediate impact on the board and most importantly are must answers from the opponent's point of view due to how fast they tend to end games or accrue advantage. These guys are parity breakers.
You do not need to run them to win a game, and some have eschewed them in certain metas. But Goblin Matron's consistency makes it very tempting to run 1 or more of some of these cards due to their game ending abilities.
Sling-Gang Lieutenant
Sling-Gang Lieutenant is the new kid on the block, and has added an entire new dimension to our gameplan. Although strictly speaking it’s a worse rate than Siege Gang, four mana for three 1/1 goblins, compared to five mana for a 2/2 and three 1/1s, Sling Gang’s free activation has made it a staple in all RB builds. Most of the time, it effectively creates a situation where # of Goblins >= the opponent’s life total = instant speed victory through almost anything. Sling Gang isn’t even stopped by Glacial Chasm or Energy Field because it is life loss, not damage. Sling Gang also has serious utility in combo matchups; Against Storm and Depths, getting yourself to a higher life total whenever required can be game winning because of a potential Tendrils of Agony or getting hit by a 20/20 Marit Lage. It has quickly replaced Siege-Gang as the finisher of choice because of its much more potent closing speed and lower casting cost (which is especially relevant because of Aether Vial). Sling-Gang Lieutenant truly lets the deck be able to end a game on the Aristocrats.
Krenko, Mob Boss
Krenko, Mob Boss is one of the other common finisher goblins for the archetype. His ability to put so many tokens into play is by far, and large, one of the more powerful things you can be doing with a Goblin card. Many goblin pilots run an increased amount of "Haste Lords" to make sure that he can tap the turn he enters the battlefield. A hasty field with Krenko, Mob Boss can end a game in very, very short order. It should be noted that he is one of the best available tools against low removal fair decks like Eldrazi and Aggro Loam.
His biggest downside is his weakness to all sorts of 1 mana answers (Lightning Bolt, Swords to Plowshares, Fatal Push. He does nothing the turn he comes in, unless you have a haste lord out. Therefore those spells can be Time Walk for 1 mana. Since he does not naturally have haste, it's possible he may die before putting any goblin tokens into play. Additionally if you very few, or just Krenko, Mob Boss in play his first activation might not be enough to change the current game in a meaningful way. The last thing to be wary of when running this finisher is his Legendary status. He can be hit by Karakas, and over the course of a larger tournament, probably will be.
His raw power level is pinning the needle to the edge of the meter, and ends games very, very quickly. But he is more vulnerable. And being vulnerable at the cost of 4 mana this turns some people off of using him.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker is another Legendary Goblin who's fairly unique ability puts him up as a contender for a Finisher Goblin. Pilots running this finisher are able to boast some of the best card draw available in Legacy as re-abusing the already powerful Goblin Matron and Goblin Ringleader pushes the deck right past cards like Ancestral Visions. Pretty much every goblin that see's play in the deck is worth copying for one reason or another. Multiple Goblin Chieftains push the deck past most blockers, multiple Goblin Lackeys mean more cards put into play for free etc. He is often run alongside Warren Instigator as those builds of the deck tend to be more aggressive and can take the most advantage of the effect. Not to mention his ability with Goblin Settler can cause a total lock-out in some scenarios. He also facilitates a couple of the turn 3 kills available to the deck. He is vaguely resilient to removal if there is any goblin in play worth copying. Thanks to him naturally having haste, it would take 2 pieces of instant speed spot removal to blank him entirely. An important 'trick' for Kiki-Jiki is to use his ability in during a player's end step. After the "beginning of end step" make a copy of a creature and it will stick around until the next "beginning of end step". This way the copy will survive a whole turn. Do it during your own end step to have an extra blocker, or during your opponent's for another attacker.
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker is rather lackluster on an empty board or one with only tokens. The cost of 2 generic 3 red mana to cast him is nothing to scoff at either, as many lists run Wasteland and Rishadan Port. Since Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker is a Legendary creature he has a built in weakness to Karakas, but his natural haste mitigates this some. And lastly an AEther Vial at 5 tends to be turned off for the remainder of the game.
This finisher generates game winning advantages very quickly, but he is ultimately a 2/2, and doesn't really work when you have low board presence.
Siege-Gang Commander
Siege-Gang Commander was the most commonly seen finisher goblin for the deck. At the cost of 5 mana it's hard to run more than 1 or 2 of him, but he hands down gives the most consistent bang for your buck. He creates an instant board state. An early Goblin Lackey putting this guy into play usually puts your opponent so far behind, even if they deal with it, they've spent so many resources the game tends to fall in your favor. He is one of the best available top decks in the late game as he can put you from a losing board to either parity, or close, immediately. He also facilitates a couple of the turn 3 kills available to the deck. But he is more than that, he is also a re-usable burn spell. The cost of paying 2 mana and a goblin to shock target creature or player is the other powerful effect he presents. This kills numerous X/2's in the format, in addition to figuratively lobbing Goblins over a Moat as a way to finish the game without combat damage. Just like Mogg War Marshal he is also rather "good" against spot removal as killing the Commander leaves you with 3 Goblin tokens. He is one of the best instant board state cards that exist for Goblins.
AEther Vial does very little on 5 other than put this man into play though, and this reason alone is why many players eschew him. Additionally, he's simply not as powerful as some other options. He requires a mana investment to gain full use, and sometimes he's simply 4 chumps.
This card does many of the things the deck already wants to be doing, and he does most of it "alone." He is a solid, albeit expensive, choice.
Honorable Mentions
Some lists run more unorthodox methods to break parity and win though. Just running a high number of Goblin Chieftain or Goblin Trashmaster naturally helps this for instance.
Goblin Chirurgeon appears similar to Skirk Prospector, and is often run in place of him. He's still good at anything that sacrificing a creature is, but with the upside of turning opponents spot removal into Diabolic Edicts instead. He's at his best against damage and destroy based control strategies. Additionally he can sacrifice a goblin to save a non-goblin if that ends up mattering.
Grenzo, Havoc Raiser The most direct comparison that you can make is with a card like Thief of Sanity. He is ultimately an aggressive-bending card advantage engine. The more your deck focusing on going wide, the better he becomes, as he triggers [i]per creature that connects.[i] Exiling and casting your opponent’s spells off the top of their library will have widely varying value. In general, the more good-stuffy the opponent’s deck is, the better Grenzo becomes. Any creatures, planeswalkers, removal spells, or cantrips you can cast with him will net you some potent card advantage. He also has surprising utility against combo decks. You can dig for discard spells against Storm and Reanimator, and potentially find land tutors for your Wasteland or Karakas. There’s also always the chance of exiling a lone win condition and winning on the spot. Goad tends not to matter, though it can be nice when you want to get a big Tarmogoyf or Knight of the Reliquary to swing into you, allowing you to crack back for even more. Beware Flickerwisp effects though!
Earwig Squad runs a double role of being a rather large creature with a good anti-combo / anti-tutor package ability. This guy is usually run as a combo hoser. He is being mentioned here mostly because he tends to take up the slot of a finisher goblin, while still being a solid sideboard choice.
Lightning Crafter is an expensive goblin that has a few facets of use. The obvious ability to be a Lightning Bolt more than once is serious upside for the risk of being a Hill Giant. The second, and far less obvious use is to use the Champion ability to mitigate a board wipe or removal spell in to literally being card / board advantage with a Matron or Ringleader.
Grenzo, Dungeon Warden can accrue a lot of advantages and can be large, but is very mana intensive, and a little inconsistent. He can be played as a small or large creature at your convenience of mana. He has some anti-synergy with Goblin Ringleaders ability. Other than that he does everything Goblins wants to be doing, and fixes nothing the deck can't do. He does make the base gameplan better if you are truly trying to win a meta that is weak to goblins.
Sparksmith is another, tap-for-damage-spell that you can use multiple times. The downsides are basically the same as with Gempalm Incinerator with the addition that your opponent will oftentimes see him coming. The fact that he eats your life points has surprisingly little impact on the game, especially when you consider what you get in return.
Cards you should NOT run instead: Lightning Crafter
III. Matchups & Strategy (7:12 AM 12/8/2016)
a) Matchups
In this section I will present my view on a number of relevant MUs as well as some suggestions on how to play them right. I will try to update this regularly, but please keep in mind the date when I last edited the list. Also, this is but one view that is presented here, so please feel free to test the MUs yourself and work out strategies that are different from what I am presenting here.
I am using the following five "ratings" for MUs.
(1) Favorable: Most iterations of Goblins will have good chances of winning against most iterations of the deck in question. Usually you don't need to reserve any SB cards for this MU.
(2) Slightly Favorable: Your chances of winning range from even to good, depending on your version of the deck as well as some SB cards
(3) Even: Generally chances are evenly distributed. Sometimes the outcome of this is MU decided by certain MD or SB cards that you, or your opponents are playing. Skill and experience will be a more relevant factor in these matches.
(4) Slightly Unfavorable: Your list will need some specific tuning to win this MU. SB cards can turn the tides and drag the odds up to 50%. These MUs are usually what you need your SB cards for.
(5) Unfavorable: Most iterations of your opponent’s deck will have good chances of beating yours. In some cases you can dedicate a lot of SB cards to make this MU even, but sometimes it is better to accept that you can't beat every deck.
Grixis Delver – Slightly Favorable
How the matchups works: This is a Daze match up so they want to win fast, and win with you off kilter. A traditional game involves them starting with Delver of Secrets or Dreadhorde Arcanist with a supporting cast of Daze and Wasteland. Delver is consistently answerable, whereas Dreadhorde is very threatening, largely due to flashing back Lightning Bolt and Thoughtseize. If you can answer the Arcanist on curve, you’re likely very ahead because it is their only source of card advantage. They typically then follow up with Gurmag Angler or True-Name Nemesis. Post board you are likely to see 2 copies of Plague Engineer, Abrade, and perhaps a Blue Elemental Blast. The goal here should be to get your opponents creatures down to just 1 of the "phase two" cards mentioned. If that's the case their deck will be forced into a defensive position and it's not particularly good at being control. Doing this will lead to wins via swarm. A Gurmag or True-Name not attacking likely means that you’re winning. [cards]Sling-Gang Lieutenant[cards] will help you win close races, but beware the Engineer, and take pains to avoid it.
Cards that support this strategy: Pseudo wipes, Goblin Cratermaker, Finisher Goblins
Meaningful SB cards: Pyrokinesis Red Elemental Blast Magmatic Sinkhole and possibly Chalice of the Void if you have it.
Red Herrings: Blood Moon is not incredible against the tempo oriented strategies since we generally cast it on time instead of ahead of the curve. Also plays into Blue Elemental Blast.
Miracles – Favorable
How the matchups works: This, just like the original Miracles deck, is a breeze. The scary things to watch out for is a late game Entreat the Angels, a mid-game Back to Basics, or an early game Monastery Mentor. Other than that you can just grind as hard as you like and come out ahead in the long run. Don't over commit and keep socking them for 2-4 a turn. They run various card advantage sources, differing from list to list, but ours puts bodies on board giving us an advantage. Recently, Miracles has adopted Mystic Sanctuary to add fetchable copies of whatever is in the graveyard. Along with the graveyard reliance of Accumulated Knowledge, Relic of Progenitus has begun to look useful against them, though is currently untested. Sanctuary also indicates a lack of Back to Basics. Watch out for SB Supreme Verdict, or more likely a surprise Containment Priest, along with more Vendillion Cliques. The big one though is Back to Basics. Despite our mostly mono red deck, half of your lands in play are probably hit by this, and is an easy way to get got.
Cards that support this strategy: Goblin Matron, Goblin Ringleader, Rishadan Port, Finisher Goblins.
Meaningful SB cards: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Red Elemental Blast, perhaps 1-2 copies of Relic of Progenitus.
Red Herrings: Just don’t overcommit. Seriously, don’t do it. You win the long game.
4 Color Snow Control – Slightly Favorable
How the matchups works: This deck is the "Jund" of Legacy currently and thrives on the 2-1 advantage. One of the grindiest match-ups in the format, you are beatdown. The deck does not rely on any one piece to be powerful, and is truly difficult to hate out. Winning the match-up usually involves them being mana screwed in some way, hopefully with our help using Waste and Port. The most important cards from them to us are Liliana, the Last Hope and Hymn to Tourach with Kolaghan's Command being cleanup. Porting them off of double black is the number one priority, as Lili and Hymn to Tourach are the cards we fear in the match. The red for Kolaghan's Command is very good, it isn't why we lose.Their goal is to assemble a walker, or Gurmag Angler, and 5 lands. If they can achieve this state, then winning becomes very difficult as their 2-1 engine starts to take over because of Snapcaster Mage rebuying the 2-1's. They usually don't run any form of wipe mainboard, but post board expect 1-3 Toxic Deluge / Marsh Casualties type cards, possibly with a rare Darkblast, and the 2nd or 3rd Liliana. You really just need to keep on chugging. It's very hard to be up a beat, but thankfully they don't run their own Wastelands so you can run out any land you want.
Cards that support this strategy: Goblin Piledriver, Goblin Matron, Goblin Ringleader, Wasteland, Rishadan Port, Volrath's Stronghold
Meaningful SB cards: Oath of Ghouls (wins the match alone, super narrow), Cabal Therapy (good against Hymn to Tourach, and handles threats we can't answer easily on board), [cards]Red Elemental Blast[cards] / Pyroblast, Pyrostatic Pillar, Chalice of the Void
Red Herrings: Relic of Progenitus feels like it should do something, but frankly it just doesn't matter. You are better off drawing any goblin, even Stingscourger. Blood Moon traditionally is good against 3 color decks, but this one actually uses its red and runs multiple basic lands. You are 50/50 to have this be a dead card in the match-up, and it's not particularly a knockout punch, especially since it's coming down on turn 3 instead of faster like most decks than run it. Also any expensive Spells that are good in a grind. They have a lot of discard and usually tag it. The cost of making your top decks better comes at the cost of making openers anemic, it's not necessarily wrong, but respect your curve.
Storm Combo - ANT (Ad Nauseum Tendrils) – Unfavorable
How the matchups works: You can steal games by killing them on turn 3 or 4. However, your lack of disruptive elements usually makes you an easy target. When you evaluate your opening hands you should aim for a kill on turn 3 or 4. Every piece of hate should delay your opponent by at least 1 turn. If it doesn't then don't play it. Accept the idea of being killed on turn 1 or 2 without any interaction. Post board they bring in bounce spells or Abrade effects in order to combat permanent based hate. Your goal changes none, but if you have to choose between lock or clock, lock em.
Cards that support this strategy: Goblin Lackey, Warren Instigator, Goblin Piledriver
Meaningful SB cards: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Mindbreak Trap, Discard Spells, Chalice of the Void, Amulet of Safekeeping, Thorn of Amethyst, Cabal Therapy, Grafdigger's Cage and less spectacularly Relic of Progenitus.
Red Herrings: Surgical Extraction is 100% playable, but ultimately worse than Grafdigger's Cage, and Relic of Progenitus, here as they can run Threshold cards in addition to Past in Flames. Board it in, but don't keep a hand on it.
Death & Taxes – Favorable
How the matchups works: The worst thing that can happen is that they have an equipment at a moment when you can't deal with it yet. This would be the case when they have Stoneforge Mystic on turn 2 and you can't kill SFM before the equipment comes down. Try to grind them out, make favorable trades (or even one-for-ones). We have a way better draw engine, while they have Recruiter of the Guard + Equipment / Flickerwisp. You do have to respect Flickerwisp interaction with Recruiter of the Guard, as it often generates multiple 3/1 Flying creatures. Other potentially problematic cards in their deck are Mother of Runes and Phyrexian Revoker (which shuts down a range of valuable cards). All of that said, we have the ability to get 2 for 1'd a few of times and still keep chugging, where as they are generally at the mercy of the non-lands they drew only. This match-up really does come down to a skillful grind, and sideboard choices from both players. You will have a hard time if someone has a Kor Firewalker or Absolute Law, and an easier time against Sword of War and Peace as SB cards for instance.
Cards that support this strategy: Goblin Cratermaker, Goblin Trashmaster, and pseudo wipes.
Meaningful SB cards: Shatter affects, Pithing Needle, Pyrokinesis.
Red Herrings: Do not expose your shatter / Pithing Needle effects preemptively unless you are intending to get some major tempo or the game itself out of it. It's okay if they have nothing going on and you don't. You win that topdeck war thanks to natural card advantage draws; just hold it.
Eldrazi Stompy – Favorable
How the matchups works: In this MU your goal is to buy enough time until you can block their way with your hordes. Reality Smasher and equipment stand in the way of that plan. Their major weakness is their mana base. Their best spells cost 4+ mana and demand colorless mana, so any form of mana disruption is effective. Try to read what cards they have in hand. You can read that from the amount of mana they have available and what cards they played last turn. Watch out for some interactions of their spells and lands. A few examples: Eye of Ugin doesn't actually produce mana, but reduces the mana costs. So, no playing Umezawa's Jitte with Eye of Ugin. Make sure that they tap at least 1 colorless mana when casting their spells. Under a Blood Moon they will usually not be able to cast any spell with <> in their mana costs. Over a course of several games you will be favored, as their mana base is shaky and their mulligan decisions are more difficult - their deck is less consistent than yours. It should be noted that games with this deck tend to be lopsided, whether you win or lose.
Cards that support this strategy: AEther Vial, Wasteland, Rishadan Port, Mogg War Marshal, Goblin Cratermaker
Meaningful SB cards: Blood Moon, Pyrokinesis, Shatter Effects
Red Herrings: Kill spells that can't handle a Thought-Knot Seer. Often you can just use your board to handle any non 4 toughness creatures. Damping Sphere Often whiffs on doing anything due to them already having board presence.
Eldrazi Post – Favorable
How the matchups works: This match-up plays out similarly to Eldrazi Stompy, but with less creatures in the interim, and more absolute bombs against us like All is Dust, and Ugin the Spirit Dragon. These are brought into play with the power of Cloudpost and the like. For the most part Wasteland and Rishadan Port are even better than they are against the stompy build, as the payoff they run is more expensive, along with Gobln Cratermaker providing 1 for 1 outs against their best threats. Their end game is better than goblins so you are beatdown in this match-up. Don’t let it go too long. If All is Dust is not in the main it will be boarded in, and possibly Oblivion Stone. You are also likely to see Sorcerous Spyglass post board.
Cards that support this strategy: AEther Vial, Wasteland, Rishadan Port, Mogg War Marshal, Goblin Cratermaker
Meaningful SB cards: Blood Moon, Damping Sphere, Pithing Needle, Shatter Effects
Red Herrings: Pyrokinesis, while this card has text against the Eldrazi Stompy build, it doesn’t have nearly enough targets against the Cloudpost build.
Last edited by Olaf Forkbeard; 10-18-2019 at 03:13 PM. Reason: Updates
If I edit a post without an explanation, I am just correcting typos and / or formatting.
Legacy Goblins Records
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Show & Tell (Sneak Attack / Omniscience) – Slightly Unfavorable
How the matchups works: This is the most popular, and best performing, version of Show & Tell right now. Get a Stingscourger or Goblin Matron in your hand as quickly as possible, as this will effectively shut down the creature half of Show and Tell. They are more likely to get you in Game 1 than normal just Sneak & Show due to the spell based combo portion of their deck, but in turn the deck became a bit clunkier and can fall to itself a bit more often. Post board bring in all of your hate for both archetypes and rely on them having the creature portion, as it's 2/3s of their wins. You should be wary of Kozilek's Return in this match, via Cunning Wish. Take note that it is indeed an instant.
Cards that support this strategy: Stingscourger, Goblin Matron, Mana Acceleration, Goblin Lackey, Warren Instigator, Goblin Piledriver, Rishadan Port, Goblin Cratermaker.
Meaningful SB cards: Everything that works against the non-hybrid versions are good here. Cards that hit both are great. Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Damping Sphere, Red Elemental Blast, Demystify Effects, Cabal Therapy, etc. Confusion in the Ranks / Ashen Rider also do the job wonderfully, but are very, very narrow.
Sneak & Show (Sneak Attack / Through the Breach) – Slightly Unfavorable
How the matchups works: Get an Stingscourger or Goblin Matron in your hand as quickly as possible, as this will effectively shut down Show and Tell. The only card really left to care about is Sneak Attack. As with other combo decks, your plan is to kill them as fast as possible. Due to their lack of interaction with your setup (other than a little counter magic) you can usually go all-in. After Game 1 they will bring in some Pyroclasm / Kozilek's Return, and possibly Through the Breach (which work as additional copies of Sneak Attack). Your game plan doesn't change much though, only will you replace your spot removal with some hate cards. Generally speaking you have an easy time with Show and Tell and a poor time with Sneak Attack.
Cards that support this strategy: Stingscourger, Goblin Matron, Chrome Mox, Goblin Lackey, Warren Instigator, Goblin Piledriver, Rishadan Port, Goblin Cratermaker.
Meaningful SB cards: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Pithing Needle, Red Elemental Blast, Cabal Therapy, extra Stingscourgers matter a lot here. Confusion in the Ranks / Ashen Rider also do the job wonderfully, but are very, very narrow.
Omnitell (Omniscience) – Unfavorable
How the matchups works: This plays out similarly to Storm variants, but slower. You generally don't have a mainboard out to them going off. They still run Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, so you need to respect that card coming down in the first few turns, but ultimately they are trying to get an Omniscience into play to win with Cunning Wish into win cons. They have access to their SB game 1 so be wary of Kozilek's Return or Sudden Shock off of an end of turn Cunning Wish.
Cards that support this strategy: Stingscourger, Goblin Matron, Chrome Mox, Goblin Lackey, Warren Instigator, Goblin Piledriver, Rishadan Port
Meaningful SB cards: Red Elemental Blast, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Damping Sphere, Mindbreak Trap, Demystify Effects, Cabal Therapy. Confusion in the Ranks / Ashen Rider also do the job wonderfully, but are very, very narrow.
Stoneblade – Even
How the matchups works: As with all equipment based deck, you must be able to handle their package of Umezawa's Jitte, and often Sword of Fire and Ice. This IS the reason goblin lists run 1 shatter goblin in their maindeck. The majority of their deck is a control list, so you are favored when the equipment doesn't matter, and a properly built deck should have sufficient answers to the equipment. Remember Skirk Prospector can negate Umezawa's Jitte counters, and life gain from Batterskull. Things get harder when True-Name Nemesis lands, but their deck is rather clunky and will often just give you enough time to race with Goblin Piledriver. Post board they will bring in removal and most notably Toxic Deluge, or Zealous Persecution. Try not to get blown out. Just kill or Pithing Needle the Stoneforge Mystic, or your specific issues, and the rest of the match should just be about True-Name Nemesis. L
Which version to pick: Both versions will do equally well.
Cards that support this strategy: Goblin Cratermaker, Goblin Piledriver, Card Advantage.
Meaningful SB cards: [u]Shatter affects, Pithing Needle, Pyrokinesis, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben (They are ultimately a control deck with fewer to 0 Wastelands.), and possibly Red Elemental Blast for Back to Basics or snagging a TNN.
Aggro Loam – Slightly Favorable
How the matchups works: This match-up is all about Knight of the Reliquary, and Punishing Fire. They will try to stall you out with Abrupt Decay / Assassin's Trophy, Punishing Fire, and a smattering of main board creatures to go with their Green Sun's Zenith package, plus Dark Confidant. Either of the 3 mana Liliana's also makes a strong appearance in this match-up, but is usually not a problem unless it comes down on turn 2 via Mox Diamond. Ultimately this deck is a graveyard deck, and has a much harder time interacting post board. Leave in Stingscourger as the tempo in removing the Knight of the Reliquary is often instrumental.
Cards that support this strategy: Wasteland, Rishadan Port,Stingscourger.
Meaningful SB cards: Grave Hate, Blood Moon, Pithing Needle.
Death's Shadow – Even to Favorable
How the matchups works: This legacy deck runs shock lands to hurt itself in order to be able to play a large Death's Shadow. Thankfully their tempo orientation, and our natural deck design (The Blocking Deck) makes anything other than mainboard Delver of Secrets and sideboard Liliana, the Last Hope the only cards we truly care about. Don't race them, just try to block as much as possible and they will eventually succumb to our better top decks and draw engine. Especially since the alpha strike is often for 4-8 damage due to their self harm. You lose games where you don't get to flood the board. Post board expect Liliana, the Last Hope or Marsh Casualties to come in.
Cards that support this strategy: Mogg War Marshal, most of the rest of the deck too.
Meaningful SB cards: Chalice of the Void
Elves – Slightly Unfavorable
How the matchups works: In game 1 they are clearly favored. On the way of assembling one of their combo kills they can block the board with a bunch of 1/1 creatures and gain value with untaps, mana abilities and bouncing their own creatures (like Elvish Visionary). Their most effective enablers are Wirewood Symbiote, Quirion Ranger, and Heritage Druid – so usually you should kill one of these first. It is very rare that you can slowly build up an advantage that you can ride to victory. The MU tends to come down to whether or not you can wipe their board with clean with Pyrokinesis, Goblin Sharpshooter, or Perish, so your strategy should support finding one of these.
Which version to pick: The Winstigator list is the better choice as it support your plan of finding (and casting) board sweepers better. Also, with Warren Instigator you have a double strike creature that can engage in combat situations more easily.
Cards that support this strategy: Chrome Mox, Warren Instigator, Goblin Cratermaker, Mogg Fanatic (despite it being out of favor).
Meaningful SB cards: Goblin Sharpshooter, Pyrokinesis, Perish, Mindbreak Trap, Pithing Needle, Cabal Therapy, Grafdigger's Cage
Red Herrings: Chalice of the Void (They run main board shatters, and are actually capable of handling this relatively easily by morphing creatures, and using Green Sun's Zenith for a higher than average CMC. If you have it, still bring it in, but don't rely on it for the win.) Also Pithing Needle should probably just name Wirewood Symbiote. It powers everything their deck wants to do, and I've seen them go to some heavy lengths to get the card active again.
Turbo Depths – Unfavorable
How the matchups works: They try to play a Marit Lage via Dark Depths mixed with either Vampire Hexmage, or Thespians' Stage. They have a good amount of acceleration, and tutors, and are able to assemble on turn 2 rather consistently, putting us in a very rough spot. If they go off with Vampire Hexmage: let her effect resolve to remove counters from Dark Depths, and then with the trigger on the stack to make a 20/20, and go ahead and Wasteland it. They will not get the 20/20, and instead lose both cards. Similarly if they go off with Thespians' Stage: let them copy Dark Depths, they will put the original in the yard due to the Legend rule, and then a trigger will go on the stack to make a 20/20, and then you Wasteland it. If they manage to go off your only out is racing (good luck), and Stingscourger. If they have Not of This World, or Crop Rotation, for Sejiri Steppe, there really wasn't anything you could do about it. Additionally they run some mainboard Pithing Needle which is rather bad for both our Wastelands, and our AEther Vials. If you can, Stingscourger could get rid of the problem. This is tough as they can do the combo at the end of your turn, but an AEther Vial on 2 will allow you to interact there. It doesn't help that you really don't want many kill spells in the match, but part of their combo involves a 2/1 first striker that needs to go away. I'd strongly consider Pyrokinesis in this match-up to have a 0 mana, instant speed, way to pop the Vampire at a poor time.
Which version to pick: The WIstigator list is faster, and therefore favored. Rishadan Port is too slow to consistently matter.
Cards that support this strategy: Wasteland, Stingscourger, a shatter effect for Pithing Needle.
Meaningful SB cards: Pithing Needle, Pyrokinesis, Alpine Moon, Blood Moon (these last two still work, but read the Red Herrings)
Red Herrings: Blood Moon is often too slow, and Alpine Moon is fast enough but both succumb to the ruling that Dark Depths enters with 0 counters under them. If either moon is removed at that point then the 20/20 comes down immediately with no extra work.
Additionally there is a slow version of the deck that runs Sylvan Safekeeper, and some Dark Confidants This version is significantly easier to beat for us g1, that padded time is welcome. But post board they bring in Hymn to Tourach and Liliana, the Last Hope, so prepare for a longer Aggro Loam style match post board.
BR Reanimator – Unfavorable
How the matchups works: This surprisingly consistent deck can reanimate on turn 1. In game 1 you can get lucky and have Stingscourger in your opening hand and they didn't reanimate a creature that you can't bounce (Iona#Red or Sphinx of the Steel Wind). However, this scenario will only buy you some time and doesn't mean that you win. For G2 you can bring in all of your graveyard hate and/or combo hate, while they won't get any more dangerous than they already are. Tin Fins is a faster version of the Reanimator deck, but comes at the cost of folding to hate a bit harder. Multiple Stingscourgers are very, very good here.
Cards that support this strategy: Stingscourger, Warren Weirding, Chrome Mox, Goblin Lackey, Warren Instigator, Goblin Piledriver
Meaningful SB cards: any graveyard hate, Cabal Therapy, Chalice of the Void. Graveyard hate that works on their turn 1 is at a premium here, as the deck gets lots of free wins from just going off before you get to do anything. Surgical Extraction and Faerie Macabre being the best available for our deck, as they can come in in other match's. Leyline of the Void is hands down the best way to handle their deck specifically.
Red Herrings: Keeping fast hands without interaction. This deck's average turn to go off is turn 1.5. Your fastest kill is turn 3. Mulligan.
Moon Stompy – Favorable
How the matchups works: This match-up is easy to mis-identify with Mono Red Sneak Attack, figuring this out early is critical, as the match-ups difficulty is on opposite spectrums. They will attempt to lock you out with a turn 1 Chalice of the Void, or T2 Blood Moon. Since that really doesn't affect us G1 you take their lunch money usually. G2 and 3 though they will bring in more interaction. Fiery Confluence and Chandra, Torch of Defiance in tandem can cause problems, but usually you can just bury the deck with Good Ol' Ringleader. They will try to lock you under an Ensnaring Bridge, and then attack under it on their own turn, but thankfully most of your guys are small to begin with. Shatter it and move on. Post board the shatter's become more powerful as they bring in Needle like effects.
Cards that support this strategy: Goblin Ringleader, Shatter Effects, 3/3 bodies.
Meaningful SB cards: Pyrokinesis, Shatter Effects, Pithing Needle for walkers, Finisher Goblins
Red Herrings: You might play too aggressively thinking this is Mono Red Sneak Attack and get hit by Fiery Confluence.
Mono Red Sneak Attack – Unfavorable
How the matchups works: This match-up is easy to mis-identify with Moon Stompy, figuring this out early is critical, as the match-ups difficulty is on opposite spectrums. They will attempt to lock you out with a turn 1 Chalice of the Void, or T2 Blood Moon. At some point, early or late, they will deploy Sneak Attack or Through the Breach and smash you with some non-discriminant fat creature. The only real answers game 1 is a good bit of luck, and perhaps a Vial on 2 for a Stingscourger. Post board we still don't have much,
Cards that support this strategy: Stingscourger
Meaningful SB cards: Pithing Needle, Demystify effects, Containment Priest
Red Herrings: You might play too defensively thinking this is Moon Stompy and get hit by an Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
Burn – Unfavorable
How the matchups works: This match-up always feels close, but ultimately they just kind of have it due their deck design. With no mainboard ways to gain life or counter spells we are at the mercy of their draw. Awkwardly, heavy creature hands from them are the easiest thing to handle from our perspective, but do the most initial damage. Aggressively chump block, and try to make them do all 20 points with just spells, that's the hardest way for them to win. This does mean it's correct to keep kill spell heavy hands, even if the result is that they played few or no creatures. AEther Vial is critical in this match-up to speed our deck up. Goblins can handle creatures, not spells, so you were likely to lose the game anyway. Be wary of Price of Progress.
Which version to pick: WInstigator is naturally faster, and therefore better at racing.
Cards that support this strategy: AEther Vial, Mogg War Marshal, Kill Spells
Meaningful SB cards: Chalice of the Void, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Kill Spells.
b) Sideboarding
Sideboarding is one of the hardest things to do in competitive magic. Specifically figuring out what to take out is usually harder than figuring out what to bring in. The golden rule here is simple: "Your post board deck should be designed to beat their post board deck." That does mean determining what is important from their side, and counteracting it, all before you've even gone to the event. Knowledge is power here. The more lists you look at, main and side, the more likely you are to be less surprised by a sideboard card from a deck. Step in their shoes, would they board those in? How does it compliment their deck? How does it hurt yours? Do they even need to board anything? What can you do to stop it, combined with their maindeck? For instance Tarmogoyf is a card that has been causing headaches for goblin players since it was legal in the format. Do you intend to Kill it? Ignore it? Perhaps just race it? Whatever the case you need to be able to answer those questions long before you are faced with the problem itself, and that's not even a boarded plan. Imagine, now, that the Tarmogoyf is coupled with Toxic Deluge, or Rough // Tumble. That's a lot of pressure that wasn't there game 1. It is entirely possible you will run into situations where there is no good answer, where racing is the only out. And those tend to be the poor matchups, fast combo being the big one. Beyond this point are a small set of shortcuts to make your life easier when figuring things out.
I tend to cut Goblin Piledriver on against decks that care about creature combat, and sometimes Goblin Lackey on the draw for the same reason. You just won't get in. The exception here is Elves, as trading Lackey with any elf is good.
Try to leave in at least 1 Shatter effect against every fair deck. The reason is actually quite simple, and can be narrowed down to 1 card. Pithing Needle is an easily accessible, potent, piece of interaction pretty much any deck using mana wants to run. This card is usually brought in due to AEther Vial, but hits several cards in our deck beyond that. After that, you effectively gain outs to spicy sideboard tech such as Umezawa's Jitte, or Ensnaring Bridge.
Goblin Matron is one of the few bastions of deck consistency in red. We don't have access to Brainstorm, Ponder, or any other piece of consistency other than Mama Matron herself. Even if your toolbox happens to have the wrong tools in it, it's still going to be better than using your hands. Try to leave these in in every matchup.
AEther Vial is atrocious against decks that contain multiple Pernicious Deeds, or several Maelstrom Pulses. It's a bit counter intuitive, but you will actually hedge on card disadvantage by moving some or all of these out. With Pernicious Deed in particular Goblin Lackey gets a lot worse as well. I can also see shaving 1, maybe 2, against Chalice of the Void decks on the draw. I could also see an argument for shaving 1-2 against Chalice of the Void decks on the draw.
Against combo your deck’s basic gameplan is a wash. They are faster than you and basically intend to ignore you entirely if possible. For this reason the massive draw engine of the deck is no longer relevant. I tend to board out 3 Goblin Ringleaders against these decks. You should try to leave 1 in the deck as a back-up plan, in case things go awry. Goblin Lackey and Goblin Piledriver become far more important in these matchups due to their aggressive effects.
IV. Outside the Box
last update: 19/08/2016
This paragraph will focus on the future of the deck inasmuch that I hope to inspire people to test unconventional card choices and report their results.
a) Already tested, bad card choices
* Fecundity
* Wort, Boggart Auntie (she competes with Krenko, Mob Boss for 4 mana)
* Goblin Guide (doesn't jive with mana denial)
* Brightstone Ritual (better card choices: Mountain)
* Vexing Shusher (deck design change: Cavern of Souls)
* Smoldering Spires (better card choices: any removal spell)
* Soaring Seacliff (better card choices: any removal spell)
* Basilisk Collar (better card choices: any removal spell)
* Boros Charm (better card choices: any removal spell)
* Pestermite, Deceiver Exarch and Intruder Alarm (in combination with Kiki-Jiki
(Reference)
* Mirror Entity (requires too much investment)
* Contested War Zone (better card choices: Mountain)
* Sensation Gorger (too expensive for inconsistent results)
* Summoning Trap (outdated due to Cavern of Souls)
* Battle Squadron (better card choices: Krenko, Mob Boss)
* Fodder Launch (better card choices: Krenko, Mob Boss)
* Rest in Peace + Helm of Obedience (outdated)
* Root Maze (better card choices: Thalia Heretic Cathar)
* Tuktuk the Explorer (too inconsistent)
* Bloodmark Mentor (too small a body)
* Taurean Mauler (not needed in base gameplan)
* Chaos Warp (too expensive)
* Caller of the Claw (not a goblin)
* Gaea's Cradle (Ancient Tomb is generally better)
* Dark-Dweller's Oracle (too everything intensive)
* Fanatical Firebrand (Mogg Fanatic does more on average)
* Goblin Rabblemaster (downside is too high)
* Subterranean Scout (not enough impact)
b) To Be Tested Cards:
* Volley Veteran (competes with Redcap)
* Cheering Fanatic (very interesting ramp)
* Legion Warboss (just looks solid)
* Vial Smasher the Fierce (proactive out to Grixis Control?)
c) Tested, Niche Potential:
* Ancient Tomb (ramp is ramp)
* Grenzo, Dungeon Warden (does what the deck wants, not what it needs)
* Murderous Redcap (Usually better against Stoneblade, and match's you need to chump quite a bit. Cheaper than Siege-Gang, ETB effect unlike Krenko)
V. Literature
a) Goblin Related
https://thesaltminesite.com/2019/04/02/an-ode-to-mogg-fanatic/”]An Ode to Mogg Fanatic[/URL]
Goblins in 2018 by ScatMan
Goblins Match-Up Percentages and performances by Olaf Forkbeard
Goblins Match-Up Percentages and performances by GoblinLackey1
Leaving A Legacy: Goblins Are Great But Haters Gonna Hate
Funeral for a Friend
Vial Goblins in Legacy
Legacy's Allure - Ep. 12, Goblins with Jim Davis
Hot Topics of Vial Goblins
b) Legacy Related
Introduction to Legacy
An Introduction to Legacy in the Year 2016
Legacy Lessons: Tempo & The Best Delver Deck
Sideboarding in Legacy
c) General Magic Theory
Who's the Beatdown?
Synergy Vs. Protect the Queen
Puzzling Improvements
Mathemagics: Onslaught Fetchlands - Should You Run Fetch Lands?
VII. Final Addendum
You are probably asking yourself at this point: "Wait, they didn't post a completed deck?" That's correct, we did not, and it's intentional. This Primer isn't about netdecking. This primer was meant to educate you on deck construction for the archetype. Each decision and card choice is too important to NOT have thought out before taking to an event. If you can't put something together after reading this Primer, then I have failed on the Primer's design and philosophy.
And with that, thanks for reading the primer. Most of the work for this primer came from Gobolord; I am merely holding the torch. During the near entirety of the thread held by Gobolord the talk was civil, useful, and most of all engaging, which I find incredibly rare in a forum. Thanks for being reasonable, everyone.
And a very special thanks to GoblinLackey1, for adding so much to the community and helping me with updates on this primer. (You can find him on our Discord with the same name, or on his Twitter page found here.)
(And once again, don't forget about our Discord server!)
Last edited by Olaf Forkbeard; 10-18-2019 at 04:20 PM. Reason: Updates
If I edit a post without an explanation, I am just correcting typos and / or formatting.
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Hello fellow Warchiefs,
as you can see Olaf is now in charge of the opening post. Reason being that I am lacking the time to keep the opening post updated. I found Olaf to be the most suitable person to take over, because he has the necessary experience with the deck as well good writing skills. So I asked him directly if he wanted to do some extra work for all of us and I am glad that he willingly accepted.
We tried to find a solution that wouldn't include moving the old thread into the archive, but unfortunately there was no other way than for Olaf to set up a new thread, taking our original opening post as a basis. You will notice that Olaf already implemented some long overdue improvements. Huge THANK YOU for that.
I'm looking forward to continuing our discussions in this new, yet familiar environment.
-GL
MountainCaverns, Lackey, Go.
If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchanges our apples, we each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange our ideas, we each have two ideas.
Looks great! It's been a while since I read the last primer but this one read very clearly.
Two items I noticed:
-I believe with the Matron trigger you mean that it is not obligatory, as it is a "may" ability.
-Can Piledriver's trigger actually be Stifled, since it is pro-blue?
Hey Olaf what a primer!! Verry informative. You forgot one of the most important reason to play goblins. It is a blast to play!
My god... End of an era.
@ Gobolord: HUGE thank you for all you've done. I hope to see you somewhere at a tournament. If you ever down in Rotterdam, let me know :-)
@ Olaf: thank you for taking over and maintaining the OP. It's good that one of us takes the time.
Great looking OP, lads. Feels familiar too :-)
MountainCaverns, Lackey, Go.
If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchanges our apples, we each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange our ideas, we each have two ideas.
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Thanks for everything, Gobolord, i feel nostalgic now as i remember the first time i visited this forum years ago and i learnt how to play goblins well reading your primer. I hope you will continue to be among us in the future because your knowledge of this deck is invaluable and you're a very nice person.
And, of course, i'm glad that Olaf will keep the primer up to date and i'm sure he is the right one for this job.
Good update. Awesome how this deck is still alive and kicking, despite supposedly being dragged off to be put down depending who you ask.
Couple of things I noticed that might be relevant:
- There are no sample decklists in the opening post. Might be alright to give a sample Classic list and a sample WINstigator. I realize there are links to them at the bottom so this might be just my own anal-retentiveness shining through.
- I feel Gurmag Angler could be mentioned in the Grixis section since it's a significant roadblock in my experience.
- Many Show decks have moved away from Sneak/Show into the hybrid Omni-Sneak list. Curious about your thoughts on that matchup, as it may be more relevant than straight Sneak n Show moving forward. Seems much more problematic since Stingscourger doesn't remove Omniscience, perhaps necessitating Red Blasts from the board?
Very much appreciate the work you guys have put into this. It is very helpful.
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Great to see an update to the rather venerable primer on the original thread! Looking forward to brewing up some new variations of the deck to fit the modern legacy meta. Also looking forward to your update on Monday, Olaf!
Has anyone been testing Grenzo, Havoc Raiser yet? I'm been trying him out as a 2of so far, and he's been pretty decent in the fair matchups. My best hits so far have been against Nic Fit. Hit with 4 krenko tokens with a bunch of mana open (thanks to 2 veteran explorers dying earlier), cast siege rhino, cabal therapy, and an abrupt decay all at once, while also exiling my opp's only real out (toxic deluge). Therapied away the pernicious deed in his hand too, though pithing needle was already naming it. I do have a rules question regarding his wording though. Since it is "cast", can you not use an ancestral vision hit off it a grenzo trigger? Seems very relevant against shardless.
I'm not so sure I want him. He takes 2 red mana to cast, which is already pretty rough in this deck, and his two abilities only work when you are ahead. If I'm hitting my opponent it means 1 of 2 things.
1) I'm either at the point where I'm willing to lose board state to a Goyf / Gurmag, etc, and therefor don't need the Goad.
2) Or I'm hitting an empty board where Warren Instigator, Goblin Piledriver, and Goblin Wardriver all do more at this stage. That said, I don't want to run Wardriver.
I just can't see him being what the deck wants or needs.
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You would not be able to cast Ancestral Visions off of his ability, as it is not castable for it's casting cost.Originally Posted by http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=416811
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Honestly, Omnitell is pretty similar to Storm in how bad it is for us. Back when Omnitell was 7% of the meta I ran Confusion in the Ranks and Ashen Rider, and they were narrow, but solid answers. The closer you get to less specific hate the harder the match-up becomes. Obviously that's pretty bad since it's combo. An Enter the Battlefield trigger off of any goblin from Show and Tell + Krosan Grip / Tear / Red Elemental Blast would be the easiest way to fit it into your board without ruining your SB plan against other people. Additionally all of the playable hate bears are good here (Thalia, Guardian of Thraben, Ethersworn Canonist, and Spirit of the Labyrinth). But, honestly, don't sweat it that much. Have a plan, practice it, and let the people around you keep the deck down. You may not have Force of Will, but everyone else does.
The hybrid version is less rough and Omnitell itself, but doesn't change how you board very much.
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The best SB card you can have against OmniShow (the non-hybrid version) is Trinisphere as it usually delays their combo by 2 turns (unless they have 6 mana, or they put Emrakul into play off S&T). I actually think that the hybrid version is harder to deal with (as the specific hate is not the same for both types) although you can gain a lot of win%s from playing a Winstigator list. In this MU you are as much of a combo deck as they are - unfortunately their combo is a little more resillient.
MountainCaverns, Lackey, Go.
If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchanges our apples, we each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange our ideas, we each have two ideas.
Whats the thoughts on the new legend in C16 - Vial Smasher the Fierce ?
The random nature of the damage isn't relevant, up to 5 damage to the dome until it eats removal is relevant, considering you could Vial this in and cast whatever else after that. Any instants on our opponents turn mean damage to the dome too.
I'm not saying this card is amazing or anything, but I think I'm going to run it and see how it plays out, given that it doesn't matter if blue counters every card I play with Vial Smasher in play, damage still hits them.
Anyone else thinking about this card?
I also find the hybrid version harder to deal with, as Omniscience demands a completely different angle of response if it hits the table. I'm on mono-red WINstigator, and my current approach is to delay Show and Tell long enough to beat them down. My board contains a full four Thorns as it doesn't die to the creature hate the opponent is going to bring in, and it can hit the board first turn with Chrome Mox. Also have a Bridge, two P Needles and three REB/Pyros. When Sneak n Show proper was top dog, you could Needle Sneak Attack and then use their Show and Tell against them to pop Matron/Stingscourger. Not so anymore; if they drop Omniscience off Show and Tell, you're usually toast.
The way I've been viewing it has been similar to Piledriver. It generates pressure by sitting there, making opponents respect it. He's at his best when you are turning the corner. He is better at chip shotting than otherwise. BUT I wouldn't run a 3 mana Piledriver.
Anyone have a different view?
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I agree, Vial Smasher is much like Piledriver. I'm going to be cutting down to 0-1 piledriver to place 2 Vial Smashers in a more removal heavy build to see how I like going as much on the long grindy control game plan as I can. Personally, it is how I like to play goblins more than trying to make lackey connect a higher percentage of the time.
IMO Driver is best when there are 3 in your hand with a Warchief out on the field. Your opponent does something silly like tap out and attack with everything but one thing and then you get em on the swing back. That to me is the turning the corner.
Of course this all falls to pieces because DRS is capable of both draining off of that one land and of making the 2nd mana to cast a Decay on your Warchief so that you don't get to turn the corner. Fuck, reality is a wet rag.
I disagree. Vial smasher is nothing like Piledriver. In fact, Vial Smasher is in many ways the polar opposite of Piledriver. Piledriver lets you win quickly when you have a positional advantage in combat. Vial Smasher lets you win through board parity. In other words, Piledriver is a card you really want when you can attack aggressively because it can either force a trade or clock your opponent. Vial Smasher is a card you want when you CANNOT force a trade or clock an opponent. Piledriver helps you when you can attack profitably. Vial Smasher helps you when you cannot attack profitably.
Vial Smasher has a cool ability but I don't think he'll really make an impact and here's why: 1) Most Importantly, he is too narrow. He doesn't help you much when you're ahead and just need to kill your opponent before they kill you. He only really helps when neither you nor your opponent can get the upper hand in combat, and he then lets you win through burn rather than combat. A card like Piledriver is much more efficient in that roll. 2) Black splash. 3) No multiples. If you could play multiple Vial Smashers that would be ridiculous and overpowered. Only being able to play one at a time isn't powerful enough, especially since we're not cast FoW on our opponent's turn.
Vial Smasher is another goblin that's only good conditionally. Much like Piledriver sucks on defense, Vial Smasher ain't great on offense. If they had given him a second ability that mattered he could be really decent. As it is there are too many matchups where he just doesn't make an impact.
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