Legacy Deck Tech: Goblin Stompy - Unfinity and Ixalan Get Together!

Good morning, good afternoon and good night to all! Now that we've analyzed Eternal Weekend Prague, one of the most gigantic tournaments around, let's take a look at a new version of an old archetype that started popping up in this format after a new fella, Broadside Bombardiers, came from Ixalan: Goblin Stompy!

These new Globins from Lost Caverns of Ixalan's new Commander set have already started affecting this format considering they were added to Red Prison lists (Dragon Stompy or Moon Stompy, but folks have around 20 different names for this deck!), in which they are an excellent finisher, throwing Goblin Tokens, Chrome Mox, Trinisphere (and the icing on the cake, Fury) on your opponent's face to deal a gazillion damage.

But this Sol Land mana base (Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors) with acceleration has already started to appear in a new version of this Goblin deck, in which the new Pirate is crucial.

Even though the release of Bombardiers certainly brought this deck to a new level, it showed up as a variation of traditional Goblin lists with the release of _____ Goblin (also known as "Name Sticker" Goblin, which is what I will call it from now on to preserve my own sanity) in Magic Online, which is one of the Unfinity cards that uses the bizarre Stickers mechanic.

Instead of resorting to Goblin Lackey to cheat out Muxus, Goblin Grandee into play, the idea was using the Goblin Guest to create Muxus' 6 mana and build a gigantic board. To create the 3 mana necessary to cast it as soon as possible, this deck adopted the Red Prison mana base, another deck that is built to create 3 mana as fast as possible.

The fact this deck became competitive became a controversial debate among players. As the Stickers mechanic doesn't exist online, a similar version was created to play on Magic's digital platform, but it was fundamentally different from "Name Sticker" Goblin.

This deck has, basically, two ways to win: stick a Muxus in play as fast as you can through a "Name Sticker" Goblin, or simply try to win as Red Prison usually does: play a Goblin Rabblemaster on turn 1 and Trample your opponent. Broadside Bombardiers is efficient for any of these strategies, as it can throw a significant amount of damage to your opponent's face.

The rest of the deck is made of Goblin Ringleader and Goblin Matron to refill, Goblin Warchief and Battle Cry Goblin to grant Haste to your fellas and Skirk Prospector, Chrome Mox and Simian Spirit Guide to speed up the whole thing.

When I mentioned _____ Goblin is one card online, and an entirely different one in real life, that is because this card doesn't work online the way it should. As there are no Stickers online, Wizards tried fixing the situation by creating a card that doesn't do the same thing as the real one. To explain this better, let's first review how this mechanic usually works.

At the beginning of each game, if you're going to use Stickers, you should present at least 10 Sticker sheets (10 unique ones) and choose 3 of them randomly to use in that game. A new random selection is made after each sideboard. Considering Goblin's goal is to get as many vowels as possible, you'll already present Sticker sheets that have the highest number of vowels available.

Like so, one of the 10 sheets will have the word 'Delusionary' and its 6 vowels, which will give you a 30% chance of your first Goblin creating 6 red mana. There are also 2 Sticker sheets with 5 vowels (Unsanctioned and Gelatinous), which give you a 55.28% chance of creating 5 mana with the Goblin.

In general, there is an approximately 26.79% chance of your Stickers failing and creating 4 mana. But, anyhow, as you'll choose your Stickers at the beginning of the game, you'll control the number of mana created, and you'll be able to plan accordingly. For instance, if I have a 'Gelatinous' in my 2 Sticker sheets, then I know Goblin will create 5 mana, and I will need another mana source to summon Muxus.

Only, in Magic Online, it works differently. The amount of mana created when Goblin's Trigger resolves is random: there is a 30% chance of creating 4 mana, 40% chance of creating 5 mana and 30% chance of creating 6 mana. Therefore, you can't know exactly how much mana you'll create until you play the Goblin, and at times you'll need to play more carefully and wait an extra turn to carry on with your plan even if you hit a bad roll. Hence, this card significantly worse online than it is in real life, and, even then, it has brought good results to whoever plays it.

Though it isn't a Combo deck exactly, which would be faithful to its Stompy roots, this deck is quite explosive and shouldn't, except in very specific situations, keep hands that can't do anything on turn 1. There might be a hand that guarantees a Muxus, Goblin Grandee on turn 2 and hence justifies an empty turn 1, but this is definitely not the standard hand.

Hand examples:

This hand can play "Name Sticker" Goblin on turn 1. If you're playing in real life, you'll already know beforehand how much mana it will create, and, if that number is 5 or 6, you can easily keep it, as you'll have Muxus on turn 1. If Sticker is creating 4 mana, you can still keep it; if you're on draw, a red card guarantees that same Muxus on turn 1, and on play you'll be able to pressure with Bombardiers on turn 1 and try to draw mana.

In Magic Online, this same keep is a roll with a 30% chance of failing and 70% chance of having Muxus on turn 1. These are good odds, but, if it fails, it will be very sour. Verdict: This is an easy keep in real life, but is risky online.

This is a typical Plan B hand: Goblin Rabblemaster on turn 1 and 2. Verdict: Easy Keep.

This hand has two lines of play: Rabblemaster on turn 1 followed by "Name Sticker" Goblin and Goblin Ringleader or Matron on turn 1 bringing Muxus, if Sticker is creating 6 mana (or 5, and you have drawn a land). Drawing first and seeing your opponent's play can change your plans, but on play I would follow the Rabblemaster line. Verdict: Complicated keep.

Though it does something on turn 1, this hand has nothing to follow-up with unless you draw a red mana source. It isn't worth it. Verdict: Mulligan.

As this deck is centered around its synergies and cards like Muxus, Goblin Grandee, and Goblin Ringleader depends on a critical mass of Goblins, your sideboard is more focused on a few punctual things, without diluting your deck too much.

Unlicensed Hearse has stolen the spotlight recently as Scam's presence has increased (Reanimate followed by Troll of Khazad-dûm or Grief), besides keeping things like graveyard decks and Murktide Regent in check. Chalice of the Void, Trinisphere and Mindbreak Trap are useful to put combo decks in their place, and Blood Moon is still a "3 mana - I just won against various decks" card.

Pyrokinesis is a familiar face to this deck and is chosen instead of Fury because it is an instant. Finally, Goblin Trashmaster is the best card to deal with artifacts, and is well-fed by the Tokens this deck can create.

Grixis / Temur Delver

Unfortunately, you can't protect "Name Sticker" Goblin and Muxus with the same copy of Cavern of Souls, so it's best to use Unfinity's Goblin as bait and save cavern to guarantee your Muxus. This is a game in which Goblin Ringleader's card advantage can go over their defenses, and it isn't absurd to imagine a Goblin Rabblemaster growing big enough to force them to trade it with a Murktide Regent.

In (on play):

Out:

In (on draw):

Out:

Reanimator

This opponent is complicated because there isn't much you can do against their plan, except flooding the board and forcing damage through their monsters. Broadside Bombardiers and, on a smaller scale, Skirk Prospector are crucial to prevent them from gaining life with Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Griselbrand's Lifelinks.

In:

Out:

Stompy (Red Prison, RG, RW e W Initiative)

Your Plan A of playing "Name Sticker" Goblin followed by Muxus practically means it's game-over, though versions with White have an answer with Archon of Emeria and Anointed Peacekeeper. Your deck is great at stealing the Initiative or Monarch back. I'd say your Goblins are favored in this match.

In:

Out:

Blue Control (UW, Bant, Jeskai, 4CC)

Cavern of Souls is pivotal here, because both the Muxus plan and the Rabblemaster plan, if uncounterable, put way too much pressure on them. It may seem to go in the opposite direction of the caverns, but, post-side, Blood Moon many times determines the game is over on the spot, and, even if they get a basic land to try and play, cards like Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath and Leyline Binding are no longer efficient.

In:

Out:

UB Shadow / UB Scam

They will try to destroy your hand with Grief and Reanimate, but your deck can refill it. Just one Goblin Rabblemaster or Broadside Bombardiers that resolves increases the pressure already. Previously, these decks would automatically fold the game to Blood Moon, but, now that they have Landcyclers, it is no longer the power house it was, considering that, unlike the Control decks above, they can progress the game with just 1 Swamp and 1 Island.

In:

Out:

Our visit to Unfinity's theme park is over, and we now say goodbye to the Pirate galleons of Ixalan. This is a deck I still consider stronger in real life than online due to how you can predict "Name Sticker" Goblin, which in turn allows you to plan ahead better.

Broadside Bombardiers has shown up in other lists as well, and is almost becoming "the Commander card that wreaks havoc in Legacy" in this set.

A sticky goodbye, and see you next time!