Working on tuning the Merfolk vs Goblins duel decks. Looking to spend ~ $25 on each.
So, this is kind of a gut job.
We are adding 4 lightning bolts ($8.5) and 3 goblin grenades ($1.5) as our removal package and to give us our reach. This will eat up $10 of our budget, and we will remove brittle effigy, 2 tar fires, both brute strengths, and both blighted gorges to make room for these cards.
Next, we want to bring our mana curve way down and run closer to the ground. This will allow us to run more creatures and less lands, while being more aggressive. To achieve this, we are adding the following:
2 foundry street denizens ($.30)
4 Mogg Fanatics ($.60)
4 Goblin Bushwhackers ($4.80)
This will give us a total of 13 one drops, almost guaranteeing us a quick start. We will start fit these 10 new cards into the deck by cutting the goblin Charbelcher, cleaver riot, relentless assault, battle squadron, 2 goblin ringleaders, goblin razerunners, goblin goon, and both boggart brutes. This will eat up another $5.70 of our budget.
Finally, we need some cards to curve us out for turn 2 and 3. We do this by adding 1 more chieftain ($1.90), 3 Goblin Piledrivers($4.95), and 4 reckless bushwackers ($1.80). To make room for these last 8 cards, we'll cut
a gempalm incinerator, the goblin diplomats, an ember hauler, 3 ghost fires and both forgotten caves since we are now running so low to the ground. These changes will run us $8.65.
Our total cost for all these changes will run us a total of $24.35, meaning we will come in juuuust under budget.
To further optimize this deck, one should look into acquiring 4 goblin guides (~$14 a piece) and 4 legion loyalists (~$5 a piece). These cards would replace the glory chaser, a mountain, the tunneler, the rabblemaster, krenko, both wardrivers and the warren instigator. Mogg War marshal should also be considered given their synergy with goblin grenade, and can replace all 3 Krenko's command and 1 mogg fanatic.
Note: The goblin deck will now far outclass the Merfolk deck if these changes are made. Since merfolks are currently a) popular and b) more competitive, the cards to make meaningful additions to the merfolk deck cost significantly more. As such, it's much cheaper to build a powerful goblin deck than a merfolk deck, whereas the goblin deck will have a lower all around power level when both are optimized.
