Goblins are one of the most beloved creature types in Magic: The Gathering. Green, rowdy, not brilliant, and deeply chaotic, they are the best aesthetic representation of red's impulsive nature and carry a long history in the competitive environment.
That history, however, begins in the Onslaught block, where the tribe gained numerous support cards and established itself for nearly a decade as one of the best competitive decks in Legacy. Over the years, the archetype lost ground due to power creep or adopted changes with new cards to stay occasionally relevant.
Its classic core remains present in Premodern, where it mixes Goblin Lackey with Siege-Gang Commander, Goblin Piledriver and Goblin Warchief to become one of, if not the best, go‑wide Aggro decks in the format!
The Decklist
Maindeck
Goblin Lackey is the main pillar of Goblins in both Legacy and Premodern. If it attacks unblocked, it allows mana cheating like no other card in the format, even enabling a turn two Siege-Gang Commander.
Mogg Fanatic applies early pressure and doubles as reach and even removal against X/1 creatures, making some combat trades less favorable for the opponent.
Among the tribal interactions, we have Goblin Warchief to reduce the cost of all Goblins while enabling more explosive turns with Haste, especially if we combine other drops with Goblin Piledriver, which grows for each attacking Goblin on board.
Goblin Ringleader is our primary resource source, commonly revealing two to three cards to our hand. Alongside Warchief, it also sets up some very explosive turns.
Gempalm Incinerator provides board interaction alongside Mogg Fanatic. We rarely want to cast it, but there are situations where increasing a Piledriver's power guarantees a win.
Siege-Gang Commander is the ideal follow‑up for both Goblin Lackey and Goblin Warchief. It also turns every Goblin into a two‑mana Shock and often finishes the game if we untap with it.
To increase consistency and add a bit more versatility in flex slots, Goblin Matron fetches any Goblin from the deck at a decent cost.
In those Matron slots, we have Goblin Tinkerer to answer Phyrexian Dreadnought and other troublesome but cheap artifacts like Black Vise. We also include Goblin Sharpshooter to clear the board of various X/1 creatures that decks like Elves, the mirror, or White Weenie use, and Goblin King to increase power on board and attack unblocked in the mirror or against Sligh.
The green splash is due to the importance of Naturalize in a Metagame where artifacts and enchantments have a much higher overall relevance compared to other formats. Premodern has a very stable environment, so it is unlikely that we will need to remove them from this slot.
Wasteland and Rishadan Port contribute to mana denial. Alongside Goblin Lackey, it is possible to advance the board while delaying the opponent's turns to a point of no return, guaranteeing a rare but occasional "free win".
Karplusan Forest and Wooded Foothills guarantee access to green without giving up the extensive need for red mana in the list.
Sideboard
Pyrokinesis works as a pseudo‑sweeper in Aggro mirrors, where we need to deal with many small creatures with as few resources as possible. Ideal against Elves, Goblins, White Weenie, and some Mono Black and Sligh variants.
Pyroblast answers the stack against blue decks and prevents Stiflenought from closing the combo too quickly. Avoid using it carelessly in Control games; save some bombs protected by it after a sweeper if you realize your early clock will not be fast enough.
Tormod's Crypt is the best free answer against Reanimator and Iggy Pop, but it also works in some cases against some Survival of the Fittest lists that try to use the graveyard for synergy or combos.
Tranquil Domain is our other reason for the green splash and a side‑in against Enchantress and Replenish. We complement it with an extra copy of Naturalize and Anarchy, which is also a one‑sided sweeper against White Weenie.
Sideboard Guide
Mono Blue Stiflenought
IN
OUT
Mono-Black Midrange
IN
OUT
Goblins
IN
OUT
Elves
IN
OUT
Azorius Control
IN
OUT
Selesnya Enchantress
IN
OUT
Azorius Replenish
IN
OUT
Reanimator
IN
OUT
Iggy Pop
IN
OUT
Stasis
IN
OUT
Wrapping Up
That's all for today!
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!
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