Anatomy of the deck
There are 2 main variants of Goblins. There's the traditional mono-red form, and the variant that splashes black for Lorwyn's Warren Weirding and black goblins. However, virtually all Goblins lists contain the synergy package of:4 Aether Vial
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Warchief
4 Goblin Matron
4 Goblin Ringleader
4 Gempalm Incinerator
1-3 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Wasteland
3-4 Rishadan Port
These have been locked in since the dawn of the archetype and that constitutes more than half the deck. Aether Vial and Lackey are huge threats that if left unhandled, will boost the Goblins player into a very favourable position. Lackey is deadly when it pops a Siege-Gang Commander into play turn 2. Goblin Ringleader often draws the player 2 or more goblins and is essential when engaged in a battle of attrition with an opposing Zoo deck or after a Wrath of God. Goblin Warchief and Goblin Piledriver forms a combo tag-team, as with a Warchief down, you can often get a 5/2 or more pro-blue hitter with haste. Finally, Goblin Matron ensures that you get that Ringleader after a Wrath, the Piledriver to combo kill someone, or removal in the form of Siege-Gang, Gempalm Incinerator, or Warren Weirding. It is also common to search out singletons goblins that work wonders in certain matchups. Wasteland is often paired with Rishadan Port to devoid the opponent of mana while your Aether Vial and Lackey floods the board with little red men.
Other cards that often appear in lists are:
Goblin Chieftain
Stingscourger
Warren Weirding
Earwig Squad
Wort, Boggart Auntie
Mogg War Marshal
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Goblin Sharpshooter
Cabal Therapy
Of these, Warren Weirding is often the only card that takes care opposing 5/6 Tarmogoyf and even Progenitus. Wort, Boggart Auntie recurring Gempalm Incinerator is an awesome source of card advantage and Stingscourger generates some tempo for you to win via beats. Apart from being a threat big enough to trade with Tarmogoyf, prowling Earwig Squad out give you random wins against certain combo decks. Goblin Sharpshooter fulfils its purpose against Elves and can prove to be useful in other matchups against weenies.
Here's a mono-red Goblins deck list for reference:
Goblins – Nicholas Montaquila (2nd place SCG Legacy Open, Indianapolis, 14th March 2010)
18 Mountain
4 Wasteland
Threats (27)
4 Goblin Lackey
3 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Warchief
4 Goblin Matron
4 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin Ringleader
Removal (8)
4 Gempalm Incinerator
3 Stingscourger
1 Siege-Gang Commander
Others (4)
4 Aether Vial
Sideboard (15)
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Boartusk Liege
3 Pyrokinesis
2 Anarchy
Boartusk Liege out of the sideboard pumps the team up against Tarmogoyf and is supported by Relic of Progenitus. Pyrokinesis secures the Merfolk matchup and Anarchy is your only chance against Moat and Humility other than racing.
Rb Goblins – David Sharfman (1st place SCG Legacy Open, Orlando, 28th March 2010)
6 Mountain
1 Swamp
2 Badlands
3 Bloodstained Mire
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Rishadan Port
4 Wasteland
Threats (24)
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Warchief
4 Goblin Matron
3 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin Ringleader
1 Earwig Squad
Removal (10)
3 Warren Weirding
4 Gempalm Incinerator
1 Stingscourger
2 Siege-Gang Commander
Others (4)
4 Aether Vial
Sideboard (15)
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Boartusk Liege
3 Blood Moon
3 Mindbreak Trap
3 Price of Progress
3 Pyrokinesis
The black list is now more commonly seen as the inclusion of Warren Weirding increases your chances against opposing fatties such as the prevalent Tarmogoyf, Knight of the Reliquary, Tombstalker, Terravore, and Countryside Crusher. Perish and Nature's Ruin from the sideboard also acts as 1-sided Wraths with irritating green creatures.
How the deck works
Step 1) Hope for a turn 1 Goblin Lackey or Aether Vial with Rishadan PortStep 2) Lay hasty beats with Warchief, and Piledriver, kill creatures with Gempalm Incinerator
Step 3) Refuel with Ringleader, repeat step 2 until the opponent is dead
Depending on the matchup, Goblins can play either the aggro or control role. Against opposing combo decks with a faster clock than them, Goblins have no choice but to rush and hope for a win. The black splash provides the option of Earwig Squad that may cripple deck if you survive to turn 3 (remember that Prowl costs are reduced by Goblin Warchief). Sideboard Thorn of Amethyst is mostly a one-sided sphere, and Cabal Therapy can slow the opponent down a little.
Goblins' small creatures are no match against other aggressive decks like Zoo and aggro Bant, thus Goblins usually have to play a match of attrition against them. Always remember that Gempalm Incinerator and some 2/2 Goblins on board can trade for a Tarmogoyf in combat. The key card for Goblins is its Goblin Ringleader as it refuels chumpers and removals. Some versions of Goblins seek to race the opposing deck, using tempo cards such as Stingscourger to create a window of opportunity for the Piledriver kill.
Against decks that contains mostly weenies like Merfolk, Goblins' Gempalm Incinerator often act as full fledged removal that cantrips. That Goblin Piledriver has protection from blue should not be underestimated by Merfolk piloters.
Against control decks such as Landstill, the best hope for Goblins is Aether Vial. Goblins have to race, but have to keep a Goblin Ringleader in hand to refuel immediately after the board is cleared by sweepers such as Firespout, Wrath of God, and Pernicious Deed. However, a Moat or Humility usually spells gg for the Goblins unless they are older versions with Plateau or Taiga for Disenchant/Seal of Cleansing or Nature's Claim/Seal of Primordium/Reverent Silence. White also brings with it Mirror Entity that can massively pump your creatures.
Goblins on a budget
Mono-red Goblins is no walletslayer and the only money cards in the list above are 4 Wasteland, 4 Aether Vial, 4 Goblin Lackey, 4 Goblin Piledriver. For a beginner aiming to get into legacy, I will advice getting the Wasteland and Aether Vial as you can readily form another deck – Merfolk by using proxies. Moreover, Wasteland and Aether Vial is used in many Legacy decks and their value will remain stable or rise in the long term. For those interested in the black build, Auntie's Hovel is an effective Badlands, although you still need perhaps 4 Dragonskull Summit to complete your manabase.Warren Instigator is not an effective replacement for Lackey as the lack of haste makes it much less explosive. However, innovative players make want to explore the double-strike ability by adding more lords to make it a Lackey-Piledriver hybrid. Addition of more lords also exploits the Lackey ability of Warren Instigator more as you have more cards worthy enough to cheat into play. However, one of the best Goblin to plop down is still Goblin Ringleader. For example, one interesting line of play is that after the First-Strike damage, you can plop down a Ringleader and draw into lords to slightly pump the Instigator's body. I wonder if Goblins will move in a Merfolk direction with more lords and recursion aiming for the long game? Maybe something like this:
Auntie Auntie!
10 Mountain
4 Auntie's Hovel
4 Badlands
4 Wasteland
Threats
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Goblin Piledriver
2 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin Warchief
2 Mad Auntie
4 Goblin Ringleader
2 Wort, Boggart Auntie
2 Siege-Gang Commander
Removal (6)
4 Gemplam Incinerator
2 Warren Weirding
Others (4)
4 Aether Vial
With Zoo being the premier aggro deck, Mad Auntie's regenerating abilities allows goblins to survive creature onslaughts and burn. The other auntie, Wort brings you Gempalm and Ringleader turn after turn. Having 6-lords allows Siege-Gang tokens to matter even if Siege-Gang is off-ed. And you can bring it back next turn with Wort. Warren Weirding is there against Progenitus, although the matchup is made worse without Matrons to fetch it out.
Further Reading
MTG The Source Vial Goblins thread
How Goblins players deal with Zoo Tweet this!
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