For as long as Magic: The Gathering has been around as a competitive game, wacky deck names have been a part of it. From Death and Taxes to Cephalid Breakfast, these are cultural touchstones that the community uses to track the evolution of the game. They’re also, generally, not very intuitive. What on earth does “Sligh” mean to an outsider, after all? Of all these nicknames, Moggwarts, a name used to describe Rakdos Goblin Combo decks in MTG Pauper, is one of the most out-there.
This is a spicy Combo deck built around an instant from Strixhaven and a couple of classic Goblins. Since Strixhaven is clearly based on Hogwarts and Mogg is a type of MTG Goblin, this explains the nickname. While it looks, and sounds, peculiar at first, this is actually a surprisingly deadly deck, albeit one that has faded from the limelight somewhat. In an MTG Pauper League earlier this week, Kampo claimed a 5-0 finish with the deck: its first in a long time now.
Rakdos Goblin Combo In MTG Pauper
This isn’t a new deck by any means, but Kampo’s finish with it in Monday’s League is the first real result it’s had in a while. Pauper can feel like a pretty stale format at times, so it’s great to see spice like this popping back into the meta.
Pauper Rakdos Goblin Combo revolves around the three-card MTG combo of Skirk Prospector, Putrid Goblin, and First Day of Class. With both creatures in play, casting First Day of Class will set up a passive effect that puts +1/+1 counters on your creatures that enter this turn. You can then sacrifice Putrid Goblin to Skirk Prospector, which will return Putrid Goblin to play via Persist with a -1/-1 counter. The +1/+1 counter from First Day of Class will cancel this out, leaving you with a blank Putrid Goblin to sacrifice again. You can then repeat this loop an infinite number of times, generating infinite red mana via Prospector.
Once you hit this point, the deck has a number of ways to win the game on the spot. The best of these is probably Makeshift Munitions, a sacrifice outlet that pings your opponent down. You can also just funnel all your mana into a Stormshriek Feral, using its firebreathing ability to hit for infinite damage in the air. This is a riskier approach since your opponent could have a Flying blocker or creature removal, but Stormshriek Feral also doubles as a way to sift through your deck to find combo pieces, so it’s great in that respect.
The Moggwarts Express
With ideal draws, you can pull off this combo as early as turn three. Even in a format as fast as current Pauper, that’s not bad at all. Of course, you’re not going to get ideal draws every game, so Kampo includes a number of consistency boosters to improve the odds.
Goblin Matron is probably the best of these. It can tutor for either of your combo creatures on entry, and you can sacrifice it to Prospectors for extra mana if need be. The deck has a bit of a sacrifice theme in general, with Eviscerator’s Insight serving as its chief draw spell alongside Ichor Wellspring. Matron makes great fodder for effects like this, as well as being a fantastic tutor in its own right.
Unearth is also a big one here. Assuming you play Skirk Prospector on turn one and Putrid Goblin on turn two, you’ll have one spare mana left after casting First Day of Class on turn three. If your opponent removes either of your combo pieces before turn three, you can bring them right back with Unearth and pop off regardless. You can also cycle Unearth, in games where you really need more draw, or use it to bring back a sacrificed Matron to find your other combo piece.
While these cards don’t guarantee an early combo win, they certainly make one more likely. It’s a good thing, too, since this deck is pretty much all-in on the combo as a win condition. Goblin decks are often able to win through sheer pressure on board, but this list has trouble doing so. You need to find and execute your combo quickly, or your opponent will easily overrun your small board.
A House Cup Contender?
This all-or-nothing dynamic is, ultimately, the biggest problem facing Rakdos Goblin Combo in MTG Pauper right now. While it can certainly pull off explosive wins sometimes, it’s much less consistent than the other big decks in the format.
Madness Burn, for example, can win fast without relying on specific cards. It’s a solid counter to Goblin Combo, both because it packs plenty of cheap removal to deal with its key pieces, and because it can just run it over in the early game. Madness Burn can even bring in graveyard hate in the form of Nihil Spellbomb and Faerie Macabre out of the sideboard to seal the deal.
While Jund Wildfire isn’t as fast, it is better prepared for Goblin Combo out of the gate. Nihil Spellbomb and Pulse of Murasa are main deck inclusions here, and both can interrupt your combo. The deck can also easily clear up your creatures with Krark-Clan Shaman, so chump blocking to stall for time isn’t as viable here.
Mono-Blue Terror might be the deck’s worst matchup of all. Dispel and Counterspell can easily answer First Day of Class, and Hydroblast can come in out of the board to do the same while also stopping Skirk Prospector. Once your opponent figures out the combo you’re assembling, it’s trivial for them to hold these cards up to stop it. Outside of a few copies of Duress and Siege Smash, there’s not much you can do to prevent this.
Overall, I think Moggwarts needs a more solid shell in order to truly thrive. As things stand, it’s too inconsistent to make the top tiers, especially against the current crop of big decks.
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