Goblins need no master!
Why Goblins
Goblins is a tribal variant of RDW that combines creature based aggro with burn. Unlike a pure burn deck it is harder to stop with cards like Leyline of Sanctity. The benefit of Goblins over other RDW decks is the reach that Goblin Grenade provides. As a super fast aggro deck there is always the chance that the opponent stops our creatures with chump blockers or mass removal. Goblins counters this by being able to finish a game with strong burn spells, lots of hasty creatures thanks to the eight Bushwhackers (Goblin Bushwhacker & Reckless Bushwhacker) and the ability to ignore token creatures with Legion Loyalist. Another benefit of Goblins is that the attack power is (mostly) spread evenly. Instead of lords it relies on ETB boost effects that can't be nullified by removal.
Personally I also love Goblins for the flavor and the gameplay. Goblins are one of the classic tribes that have allways been a part of Magic. I already had a casual Goblins deck back during the 5th Edition, so it's great to be able to play a competitive version 19 years later.
Deck Tech
The Core
8x Goblin Bushwhacker & Reckless Bushwhacker - The eponym of the Eight Whack deck. Probably the most important creatures in the deck, the Bushwhackers can give all creatures an attack boost and haste. To make use of this effectively we need to make sure that Reckless Bushwhacker can be cast with his surge cost all the time. Therefore the majority of the deck consists of 1-drops.
4x Foundry Street Denizen - A surprisingly strong Goblin and the best play on Turn 1. In most turns we try to drop two creatures, which makes his ability very relevant.
4x Legion Loyalist - It's a Goblin, it has haste and it enables surge. That alone would already be good, but giving all our attackers first strike and trample is a huge boost. His ability to ignore token creatures is often overlooked, but is actually very relevant in a format that uses lots of token generators.
4x Mogg War Marshal - He triggers Foundry Street Denizen three times, can chump block and is a perfect target for Goblin Grenade. Absolutely play a full playset unless you also play Monastery Swiftspear. In that case it might be better to replace him with
Dragon Fodder
or Krenko's Command.
4x Goblin Grenade - The reason to play Goblins. A top decked Goblin Grenade will end the game more often than not. Dealing damage equal to a quarter of the starting life for just one mana (and sac'ing a Goblin) is almost too good.
4x Lightning Bolt - One of the best spells in the format. There is really no reason not to play a full playset. Awesome removal and reach, plus it's another spell that allows us to cast Reckless Bushwhacker with its surge cost. What more could you want.
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The Lords
0x Goblin Chieftain - A tribal deck needs lords. Or does it? The chieftain is the most expensive creature in the Goblins archetype and gives all Goblins a constant Bushwhacker effect (haste and +1 attack power). Unlike the Bushwhackers you lose his effects if he gets removed. I'm currently running a deck list without him. He might come back as a 2- or 3-of in the future, but possibly only in the sideboard, since he's a bit too slow for the deck.
3x Goblin Piledriver - Not exactly a lord, but the Piledriver gets a huge boost from other attacking Goblins. The downside is that he can be chump blocked unless we have a Legion Loyalist on the board and he becomes a major target for removal. Overall I still love him, but he's not the card you want to run as a full playset.
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The Other Goblins
2-4x Mogg Fanatic - A simple 1/1 Goblin that can be sac'ed to inflict 1 damage. It can remove a mana dork or even win you the game.
0x Goblin Guide - Maybe the best 1-drop in the format, but definitely too expensive. Play as many as you have, but I don't see him as a requirement to win with Goblins.
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The Rest
4x Vexing Devil - A 4/3 creature for ? No, it's a Lava Spike for 4 damage that triggers Foundry Street Denizen and enables surge. It creates a lot of pressure, even if it's not a Goblin.
2x Burning-Tree Emissary - Even though she is not a goblin she fits in nicely in this deck. Getting our mana back allows us to cast most of our 2 drops, including Reckless Bushwhacker with surge.
1x Devastating Summons - The definition of going all in. It wouldn't be a proper Goblins strategy if you didn't destroy your own board state. See it like the Goblin Grenade for lands. The tokens may not come with haste by themselves, but there's a good chance that we will cast this spell in combination with a Bushwhacker.
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Lands
19x Mountain. Optimally we want to hit land drops for the first three turns, which works out well enough with 19 lands. Since the average CMC is so low (below 1.5!) it would be possible to run less than 19 lands, but most of the good plays require 3 lands. We want all our lands to come into play untapped and produce for our non-creature spells, that's why I stick with a pure Mountain base.
A possible upgrade would be to use fetch lands to thin out the deck. However since games tend to end early and we can use additional lands for Devastating Summons it's not necessary.
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The Goblins that didn't make the cut Show
0x
Goblin Rabblemaster - A free goblin token each turn is nice, but he forces us into bad attacks. Sometimes it's better to hang back for a turn to get a stronger attack next turn.
0x Tuktuk the Explorer - I wish he was playable, but he's just not fast enough. Casting him, then moving on to attack and sac him after combat with Goblin Grenade is a great play, but we have better uses for 3 mana.
0x
Goblin Wardriver
- They act like a constant Bushwhacker, but without haste. In a deck that's all about winning the game fast, they are just too slow.
0x Raging Goblin - An acceptable choice in ultra budget builds, but even then it's not a great creature.
0x
Frenzied Goblin
- You can play around a blocker with this Goblin, but it's not something you want to sink mana in every turn.
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Example Turn 3 Win Show
Starting Hand: 2x Mountain, 2x
Foundry Street Denizen, 1x
Legion Loyalist, 1x
Reckless Bushwhacker, 1x
Devastating SummonsT1
Draw Anything
Play: Mountain, Foundry Street Denizen
T2
Draw Anything
Play: Mountain, Foundry Street Denizen + Legion Loyalist
Attack: Foundry Street Denizen for 3
Total Damage: 3
T3
Draw Mountain
Play: Mountain, Devastating Summons + Reckless Bushwhacker (Tap all lands, play Devastating Summons, sacrifice all lands, then play Reckless Bushwhacker with Surge)
Attack: 2x Foundry Street Denizen for 2x 5, Legion Loyalist for 2, Reckless Bushwhacker for 2, 2x Elemental Tokens for 2x 4
All attacking creatures have Haste, First Strike and Trample.
Total Damage: 3 + 22 = 25
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The enemy is getting too close! Quick! Inflate the toad! - Goblin Balloon Brigade
