Back when MTG Foundations was spoiled, there was a lot of hype surrounding different typal strategies in Standard. Both Elves and Goblins had a lot of appeal thanks to some powerful printings.
Unfortunately, neither deck really came to fruition. In the case of Goblins, it was hard to justify playing the deck when mono-red Mice felt like the better aggro shell. However, since the ban announcement, there’s been more room to experiment with different aggressive decks.
Finally, over the weekend, a unique take on Goblins made it to the top eight of a Standard Challenge. This version is splashing blue for a Tarkir: Dragonstorm enchantment that can make your draws extra explosive. If you’re a Goblins fanatic, now’s your chance to get in on the action.
The Basics
At a baseline, this Izzet Goblins decklist is looking to get on the board fast. You’ll find a whopping 14 one-drops in the maindeck, and unsurprisingly, they’re all Goblins.
Stadium Headliner is among the best of the bunch. Not only does it threaten a lot of damage early, but in matchups where the board gets clogged, you can sacrifice it to take out a burly blocker. Cacophony Scamp can also be used to take out opposing creatures and can be a nuisance to block if you can grow its power with your Goblin “Lords.”
The third one-drop to appear in a playset, Burnout Bashtronaut, plays an important role. As a one-mana creature with Menace, it’s tough to block down early. As such, it pairs perfectly with Searslicer Goblin, which rewards you for attacking and triggering Raid. Searslicer Goblin is one of your best grindy elements, and a huge reason why you’re playing so many one-drops.
Once you start building out a big board of small creatures, your Goblin payoffs start to become extra threatening. Rundvelt Hordemaster buffs your entire squad for two mana. On top of that, it provides card advantage whenever any of your Goblins die. This means that even if you’ll lose one or two Goblins in an all-out attack, it may still be worth it to push damage and get some death triggers.
At three mana, Dropkick Bomber serves as another Goblin payoff. It’s definitely less exciting and efficient than Rundvelt Hordemaster, but having extra redundancy in the Goblin Lord slot is essential. Besides, in some cases, sinking mana into Dropkick Bomber and sending your threats to the sky can help you attack for lethal if the ground gets gummed up.
The Siege Package
What separates this shell from other Goblins decks that have popped up in the past is the blue splash. Splashing blue gives you a much better shot at beating midrange and control decks alike.
In the maindeck, the only blue card is Frostcliff Siege, which may seem like a bit of a strange inclusion. After all, Frostcliff Siege hasn’t really made a dent in the competitive Standard scene since it was printed.
However, what it adds to the deck is invaluable. This is one of a cycle of modal enchantments from Tarkir: Dragonstorm, and a lot of the time, you’re going to choose Temur as this enchantment enters. Giving your squad a power boost and Haste gives you a huge edge against Azorius control and Dimir midrange.
Being able to attack right away makes it easier to beat board wipes. Frostcliff siege is difficult for Dimir midrange to get off the board, and it doesn’t get swept up by Temporary Lockdown or Ultima out of Azorius control.
The presence of Frostcliff Siege then makes Krenko, Mob Boss a much more reliable finisher. Krenko’s biggest weakness is that it’s vulnerable to removal. Well, as long as you can play Krenko and activate it on the same turn, you’ll get a bunch of value even if your opponent has removal at the ready. Then, you can attack with all of those Goblin tokens immediately.
Howlsquad Heavy plays a similar role as a Haste enabler, while being a strong card on its own. Throw in a copy of Impact Tremors, and a single Krenko activation threatens to deal a ton of damage even outside of combat.
Out of the sideboard, the blue splash also gives you access to Into the Flood Maw. Into the Flood Maw is super versatile. Whether you’re bouncing Screaming Nemesis out of mono-red to win a race or bouncing Temporary Lockdown to free up your board and get a big attack in, its efficiency makes it a strong option.
A Sketchy Future
As things currently stand, Izzet Goblins is a really sweet deck choice. You have the potential to completely run the opponent over if you can curve out. At the same time, Rundvelt Hordemaster and Krenko alongside your Haste enablers give you a shot at grinding through lots of removal, something typal decks often lack.
The downside is that the future of Goblins post-Edge of Eternities doesn’t look promising. First of all, Izzet Goblins loses Rundvelt Hordemaster to rotation. Even with most of the rest of the deck remaining intact, this is a major area of concern, as it’s your cheapest and best way to buff your other threats.
You also don’t gain much from Edge of Eternities, as there are zero Goblins in the whole set. Izzet is one of the color pairs not receiving a Shockland as an upgrade, while Shivan Reef rotates out of Standard when Edge of Eternities drops.
There’s still a chance Goblins can make a resurgence, but it’s going to be tough. Here’s hoping more Goblin support makes its way to Standard in future sets.
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