This article started out as an attempt to somewhat reconcile the two worlds in which I play magic. I primarily play on MTGO, but I do enjoy getting out and playing every other week at my local shop’s standard FNM nights.  As a result I am often faced with having to make budget decisions when building my decks for real life.  I originally wanted to design a semi-budget UW list, but my son asked me to build him a deck so he could learn how to play.  So I started trading/researching for a goblin deck as I can also use it to play at FNM.  It turns out that, while it may not be tier 1 it can certainly hold its own.  Let’s discuss some of the cards that we can put in the deck.

While there are other goblins legal in standard, they will not be listed here as they seem to be inferior to what is listed above.  The rest of the deck will be filled out with various burn spells.  There is a great thread on Mtgsalvation discussing this archetype here.

I started the deck off using a build by Jayson Meers:

I changed the deck a little bit as I thought the Searing Blazes would be underwhelming.  I replaced them with Magma Sprays to fight vampires and Vengevines.  I took out the monument as I thought the cost was too high for the deck. with having three Siege-Gangs at that cost.  I also added Dread Statuary and Tectonic Edges as utility cards.  The Statuary ends up doing well against Kor Firewalker and is a wall killer.

Here is my version:

I thought the Magma Sprays would be good against cards like Vengevine, Sprouting Thrinax, and Bloodghast, but the reality was far different.  It pretty much ended up being a substandard Burst Lightning.  The deck performed fairly well, but it was missing something.  I started looking at Raid Bombardment and Quest for the Goblin Lord.

The quest tested out poorly.  If you did not get it out on the first turn it was pretty much a dead draw and you would rather be casting Goblin Guide anyway.  Raid bombardment was actually pretty decent, especially against decks with walls as you could still provide damage without having to overextend.

Here was the second version:

While Raid Bombardment was good, it was still not making the deck stronger.  I realized the curve of my deck was too high.  I used to play mono-red burn in my previous magic life and its trademark was cheap/fast creatures.  I decided that, while they are theoretically good against Jund and UW control, the Ruinblasters needed to go to the sideboard.  I then added Goblin Arsonist and Goblin Shortcutter to lower my curve.  The Arsonists tend to be a pretty good 1st turn play and the Shortcutters turned out to be excellent at sneaking damage through.  This allowed the Instigators to trigger far more often.

Of course I now had to eliminate some other cards to make room.  The Burst Lightnings were less impressive every time a played them.  I thought about RDW and how some lists play Searing Blaze.  I tried them out again and realized that adding fetches would make them better on the opponent’s turn.  I put Tuktuk the Explorer in the sideboard for decks with Wrath effects.  I added the Flame Slashes for Wall of Omens and Malakir Bloodwitch.

These changes made the deck much faster and I started winning more games against more decks.  While these were games in the Tournament Practice room they were challenging none the less.  Here is a match against Mythic Conscription. 

Game 1

The first game was not in my replays, but I only saw two forests, a plains, a Lotus Cobra and a Knight of the Reliquary.  After killing the cobra on my third turn, and dropping a Siege-Gang with the Instigator’s ability, my opponent conceded.

Game 2

I totally punted this game.  I was going to kill the cobra with Searing Blaze, but I got on auto pilot and passed the turn. This pretty much cost me the game.
Game 3

As you can see the deck can be quite fast.  In the third game I did not mulligan into a Guide, which is what you want to see in most of your openers.  I did, however, have a pretty decent opening hand.  After playing this matchup the Act of Treason seems less than stellar.

Against Mythic conscription I would side these cards. Please feel free to give me suggestions if this is correct/incorrect.
-3 Goblin Arsonist
-2 Goblin Bushwhacker
-2 Dragon Fodder
+3 Unstable Footing
+2 Pithing Needle
+2 Flame Slash

Here is a match against Jund in a two-man queue:
Game 1

Game 2

Here is what I would sideboard against Jund.  Please feel free to give me suggestions if this is correct/incorrect.

-1 Goblin Bushwhacker
-2 Lightning Bolt
-2 Searing Blaze
-1 Goblin Arsonist
+4 Goblin Ruinblaster
+2 Tuktuk the Explorer

I did not play against UW control as of yet, but here is what I would probably side in against them:

+3 Unstable Footing
+2 Pithing Needle
+2 Tuktuk the Explorer
+4 Goblin Ruinblaster
-1 Goblin Bushwhacker
-4 Goblin Arsonist I know the ability triggers when wrathed, but I think that Tuktuk provides more of a threat.
-4 Goblin Guide
-2 Warren Instigator

Sideboarding is not my area of expertise so I am not to sure if this is the way to go against UW.  I am thinking that Ruinblaster is to slow for this matchup though and maybe leaving the Instigators and Bushwhackers in might be the better course of action.

Here are a couple of cool interactions I came across while playing.

• Warren Instigator’s ability triggers during first strike damage and regular combat damage.  What this means is that you can cast a Chieftain on the 3rd turn.  You can drop another Chieftain with the Instigator’s ability.  This pumps your team again for regular combat damage. 

On the first turn you attack with Goblin Guide for 2 damage. On the second turn you attack with Goblin Guide for 2 and drop instigator.  Your opponent is now at 16 life.  On the third turn you cast Chieftain and  attack with your team.  You hit for 2 with Instigator, and drop another Chieftain with its ability.  During your regular combat damage step you are now hitting for 4 with the guide, 3 more with the instigator and three with the first chieftain.  Your opponent is now at 4 life.  Of course this is pretty much a best case scenario, but it is cool nonetheless.

• Goblin Arsonist + Siege-Gang Commander is essentially a bolt.

Please let me know of any suggestions you have for the deck.  All in all it is not going to win a PTQ, but I feel that it will do well at the FNM level.