Sticker Goblins by Romario Neto

It is definitely a drag race. While some lists run their copies of [[Chalice of the Void]] maindeck, most do not. Even post-board, most turbo Goblin builds run only a few relevant lock pieces for decks like TES (think [[Null Rod]]), that meant to slow TES down, not win the game by themselves. No matter what, Sticker Goblins must use fast mana and ramp to power out threats as quickly as possible or apply pressure alongside relevant lock pieces quickly.

I view Sticker Goblins in the stompy/aggro family. You can certainly play the deck like a combo deck — [[_____ Goblin]] and [[Muxus, Goblin Grandee]] are usually enough to win. [[Goblin Matron]] can tutor the missing half of that A + B combo. I’m likely to do that if I know the game isn’t going long, but Sticker Goblins can certainly win off of cards like [[Goblin Rabblemaster]] deployed early without an ”I win” button.

It definitely varies based on the type of hand I keep. Unlike on MTGO, paper pilots know exactly how much mana [[_____ Goblin]] will make. Therefore, paper pilots can make more informed mulligan decisions that can lend it more toward the combo end of the spectrum.

I usually try to present a turn two or three goldfish kill. [[Force of Will]], [[Wasteland]], and [[Daze]] are popular cards, so any slower hand I keep will try to beat those kinds of cards with tools like [[Cavern of Souls]]. If I know you’re on TES, I’m always looking to kill as fast as possible.

Cards like [[Thoughtseize]], and, in particular, [[Duress]], alongside dual lands are always a pretty good tell my opponent might be on Storm. Similarly, aggressive plays like turn one [[Brainstorm]] are also telling. Once I have this read, I’m throwing caution to the wind and being more aggressive in how I use my copies of [[_____ Goblin]].

[[Broadside Bombardiers]] took the place of some of our less efficient threats like [[Pashalik Mons]] and [[Sling-Gang Lieutenant]]. Sticker Goblins is faster and more capable of dealing damage with fewer cards I think this improves our combo matchup overall.

My longer-game cards like [[Goblin Ringleader]] come out. My lock pieces come in; [[Chalice of the Void]], [[Null Rod]], [[Unlicensed Hearse]], and [[Faerie Macabre]]. Given that I’m running more than four lock pieces right now, my next cuts are usually [[Goblin Matron]] — taking a turn off to tutor is generally not in my best interest against fast combo.

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I’m hoping for a hand with a hate piece that can make three mana by turn two with some goblins. Generally, that gets there, or at least gives me a fighting chance. Barring that, I would accept something like a turn one [[Muxus, Goblin Grandee]] to high roll into a surprise kill. I'm much more willing to try this on a higher mulligan in paper, because I'll know exactly how much mana I'm getting off [[_____ Goblin]].

The exact turn I expect to kill isn’t something I track, but against TES I’m always trying to end the game as quickly as possible. That’s the case for any deck where I’m not expecting my opponent to interact with [[_____ Goblin]]. Against an unknown opponent, I may try to play it safer in pre-board games, but once I know you’re on TES, I’m drag racing.

I’d be much more worried about this in paper. This is a low-roll on turn one in paper if you have access to a [[_____ Goblin]] that can make six . The MTGO version of [[_____ Goblin]] is higher variance since you don't know how much mana it makes until after it rolls a d6 on resolution. If it’s what I’ve got to work with, I’ll play to my outs, but I wouldn’t view 3 mana, [[Muxus, Goblin Grandee]], and a [[_____ Goblin]] as a guaranteed turn-one kill online.

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Not even close. You've got [[Song of Creation]] or [[Empty the Warrens]] as ways to not play through the graveyard. Even if you don't avoid the graveyard, we can still only exile two cards per turn / at a time.

I want to think about this more but my gut says put the first [[Chalice of the Void]] on zero to shut down TES's most explosive hands and [[Gaea's Will]] lines. [[Veil of Summer]] is an out to [[Chalice of the Void]] on zero, but post-board, it's unlikely you'll leave many copies of [[Veil of Summer]] in against Sticker Goblins.

I actually played [[Goblin Trashmaster]] for awhile. I'm trying copies of [[Null Rod]] in now. I'm not convinced one is better than the other overall, but [[Goblin Matron]] tutoring [[Goblin Trashmaster]] feels very slow. [[Null Rod]] can easily come down turn one and lock out artifact mana.

Turbo Muxus / Sticker Goblins / Turbo Goblins shells generally struggle against decks that present a fast combo kill. None of these decks, including TES, are good matchups. Sticker Goblins feast on fair strategies, not opposing turn-one kills.

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Thank you for having me on! I love talking Legacy. As someone who has played Storm in the past, this was a pleasure. I want to give a big shout out to the Goblins discord channel — a friendly group of players who have helped me out a lot with the deck — and my podcast co-hosts, Mike and Jared.

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Thanks to Romario Neto for joining us Through the Looking Glass and reminding me why I need to win the die roll more often. Do as I say, not as I do!

Bang bang, Tendrils gang. See you next month.