There is a point when you're playing Goblins when your opponent looks at your battlefield, looks at your hand, and realizes the reinforcements are still coming.

Gamelandia’s red-green Goblins loaner deck combines an aggressive start with creatures that find more creatures. It is a good choice if you enjoy attacking with a bunch of little dudes that can pack a serious punch, building an army, and having something useful to do after your opponent answers your first threat.

How Goblins wins

Your opening turns put pressure on the opponent. [[Goblin Lackey]] is especially threatening: when it deals combat damage to a player, it can put another Goblin permanent from your hand onto the battlefield. That makes an unblocked Lackey much more dangerous than its pint size suggests.

[[Goblin Warchief]] helps the army move faster by reducing the generic cost of your Goblin spells and giving your Goblins haste. [[Goblin Piledriver]] turns an attack with several Goblins into a much larger hit.

The deck can also keep playing after the initial rush. [[Goblin Matron]] searches for the Goblin you need, while [[Goblin Ringleader]] looks at your top four cards and puts the Goblins among them into your hand, helping you reload for the next assault. You can be aggressive without depending entirely on your opening seven cards.

Three cards to get to know

• [[Goblin Matron]]: Your toolbox. Look for Ringleader when you need more cards, a removal option when a creature is blocking your plan, or a finisher when you already have momentum.
• [[Gempalm Incinerator]]: Cycling it can remove a creature while drawing you a card. Its damage depends on the number of Goblins on the battlefield, so check the count before committing.
• [[Siege-Gang Commander]]: Brings extra Goblin tokens and provides a way to turn Goblins into direct damage. That matters when attacking alone cannot finish the game.

Your first game

Look for an opening hand with usable mana and early creatures. A hand full of powerful Goblins that you cannot cast is less helpful than a modest hand that gets onto the battlefield promptly.

Use Matron to solve the problem you actually have. Finding your favorite card is tempting, but sometimes another Ringleader is more valuable than a bigger attacker.

You also do not have to cast every creature immediately. If an opponent is setting up a board-clearing spell, keeping a Ringleader or Matron in reserve can help you rebuild.

What is in the sideboard?

[[Pyroblast]] and [[Red Elemental Blast]] help against blue spells and permanents. [[Pyrokinesis]] offers creature removal, and [[Tormod's Crypt]] attacks graveyard strategies. Your green splash also gives you enchantment and artifact answers, including [[Naturalize]].

When sideboarding, keep enough Goblins to support the cards that reward you for playing them. Removing too many creatures can weaken both your attacks and your Ringleaders.

Gamelandia’s Goblins loaner decklist

[deck title="Goblins | Gamelandia Premodern Loaner"]

Main deck
1 Forest
3 Gempalm Incinerator
1 Goblin King
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Goblin Matron
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Ringleader
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
1 Goblin Tinkerer
4 Goblin Warchief
4 Karplusan Forest
4 Mogg Fanatic
1 Mossfire Valley
8 Mountain
2 Naturalize
4 Rishadan Port
3 Siege-Gang Commander
2 Skirk Prospector
1 Wasteland
4 Wooded Foothills

Sideboard
1 Anarchy
1 Crumble
1 Naturalize
2 Pyroblast
3 Pyrokinesis
2 Red Elemental Blast
3 Tormod's Crypt
2 Tranquil Domain

[/deck]

Bring the Goblins to Wednesday night

Want a deck with a clear opening plan and plenty of room to improve? Ask about borrowing Goblins for Premodern at Gamelandia in Palo Alto. Loaner choices depend on availability, so contact us before your visit if you would like to try this one.

See upcoming events and register.