Post by gabochido on Apr 27, 2012 7:50:22 GMT -5
Goblins Primer
I. Introduction
The goblin deck is the purest form of aggro deck in this format. It has cheap goblins with overpowered stats or synergistic abilities backed by efficient burn spells that act as removal or reach. When working, this deck will be playing one or two goblins each turn while removing blockers to finish the game quickly.
II. The Deck
*Note 1 - BULK refers to a price of less than .1tx
*Note 2 - I have included "Grusbus tips!", little tidbits from famed Goblin player Grusbus.
Core
Goblin Cohort BULK
Mogg Conscripts 0.54
2/2 for one red mana with the drawback of requiring a creature to be played to be able to attack that turn. These efficient beaters allow the Goblins deck to quickly bring the opponent's life total down. Since the deck is made up of mostly creatures, the drawback is often not an issue and it doesn't matter if the creature is countered.
Goblin Sledder BULK
Mogg Raider 0.98
1/1 For one red mana that lets you sack any goblin to give a goblin +1/+1. This utility creature allows you to sculpt your attacks and decide who lives, who dies and what damage gets through. The sacrifice ability is also crucial in disrupting many spells that have additional effects other than targeting a single creature, like Staggershock and Echoing Decay.
Goblin Bushwhacker BULK
An otherwise vanilla 1/1 for one red that has the incredibly powerful kicker for one more red mana that gives all creatures +1/+0 and haste. This goblin is the deck's main finisher and can often turn a few goblins into a deadly army that can finish the opponent off unexpectedly.
Lightning Bolt BULK
At one red mana for 3 damage to a creature or player, this the most efficient burn spell in the game and, as in most decks, is used here to get rid of blockers, turn a race around by removing a threat or to finish the opponent off.
Other Goblins
Mogg War Marshal BULK
This 1/1 goblin that brings with it another 1/1 for 1R. Additionally when it dies, it leaves yet another 1/1, but it has echo, requiring you to pay 1R again on the next turn. The three goblins it can create are great for sacrificing with the Raider/Sledder goblins and also for overwhelming the board when a bushwhacker is kicked in.
Jackal Familiar BULK
Mogg Flunkies 0.15
These two creatures are overpowered for their cost giving a 2/2 and a 3/3 for R and 1R respectively. Their drawback is that they can't attack or block alone and in this deck it is a drawback that is easily overcome.
Grusbus Tip! The Mogg Flunkies are the loosest cards in my build and are usually the ones to go when sideboarding.
Gobin Arsonist BULK
Mogg Fanatic BULK
Goblin Arsonist is a 1/1 for R that deals 1 damage to a creature or player when it dies, Mogg Fanatic is also a 1/1 for R but it has an ability to sacrifice itself to deal 1 damage to player or creature. The Fanatic can ping at will but the Arsonist can be paired with Raider/Sledder to give a slightly better value so it seems to be favoured more these days. In either case, its good utility against other aggro decks and gives a little reach against control decks.
Sparksmith BULK
A 1/1 for 1R that taps to deal damage to a creature and to yourself equal to the goblins in play. This guy is invaluable against other creature based decks like white weenie, faeries or stompy, though the damage to yourself can be a big drawback. It is however, a very inefficient 1/1 against control and combo decks.
Grusbus Tip! Sparksmith is very good against most decks. The few notable exceptions are the mirror match (due to the huge damage it can deal to you), Storm and UR post (unless they run Sea Gate Oracle in which case I leave them in). However, I wouldn't play more than 3 because usually one on the battlefield is enough and they don't do well in combat.
Goblin Matron BULK
This is an expensive goblin as a 1/1 for 2R but it lets you search your library for another goblin and put it in your hand. Since the bushwhacker is the most powerful goblin its the most common target but you might also want to get something like a Sparksmith or a goblin war marshal.
Grusbus Tip! Matron is like a squadron hawk for 3 mana for goblins that can get a bushwhacker when you're satisfied with how many goblins you have. 3 is more than enough because its expensive for a deck that plays 17-18 lands is a bit tough.
Dragon Fodder BULK
This is a worse version of goblin war marshal since it only puts 2 1/1s into play for the same cost and since its not a creature it doesn't activate the conscript/cohort goblins. However, some builds want a higher count of 1/1s to increase the strength of the bushwhacker and this one does the job.
Mudbrawler Cohort BULK
This is a 1/1 goblin with haste that gets +1/+1 if you control any other red creature, which is almost all the time. The haste makes this a good addition to the deck and works quite well with Mogg Flunkies and Jackal Familiar as they can attack on on empty board when the opponent didn't expect them to.
Other Removal
Death Spark BULK
This spell deals 1 damage to creature or player for R but has the very useful ability of coming back to your hand for R during your upkeep if there is a creature card directly on top of it. This card advantage makes it one of the best removal spells against other aggro strategies, specially faeries, as it can repeatedly take care of their threats and be returned to the hand even after being countered.
Grusbus Tip! Death spark is one of the best cards in the deck. It kills a lot of creatures that are key in the format and lets your creatures win against ones that would normally outclass them, while while returning to your hand for only one additional mana.
Chain Lightning 1.12
This is a much weaker version of the awesome lightning bolt. It also deals 3 damage to creature or player for a single red mana but at sorcery speed and it gives a red opponent the chance to fire it back at you by paying RR. The second part usually isn't a huge drawback, but the sorcery speed often is. This is often played in the goblin deck as lightning bolts 5-8 but many builds are reducing their count lately.
Grusbus Tip! I personally don't like Chain Lightning and believe it only belongs in more controlish versions of the deck.
Fireblast 3.89
This is an expensive spell at 4RR (and in terms of tix) dealing only 4 damage to creature or player at instant speed but it has an alternative cost of sacrificing two mountains. This what is usually paid to play it and its most often used as an unexpected finisher or as as a last resort removal spell.
Non-basic Lands
Teetering Peaks BULK
Some builds include one or at the most two Teetering Peaks, which gives a creature +2/+0 when it comes into play, but comes into play tapped. The fact that it comes into play tapped is a huge drawback in an aggressive deck like this but the benefit is often worth it good if its the third land played.
Forgotten Cave BULK
Since the deck can run fine with just 2 or 3 lands, some builds include Forgotten Cave which comes into play tapped but cycles for a single red mana. As with the Teetering Peaks, the fact it comes into play tapped means playing more than two can be an issue if you get them in your opening hand.
Sideboard Cards
Against low cost artifacts
Gorilla Shaman 3.77tx
Against any artifacts
Smash to Smithereens BULK
Echoing Ruin BULK
Shatter BULK
Against special lands
Molten Rain .15
Raze BULK
Stone Rain BULK
Against larger creatures
Flame Slash BULK
Against lots of creatures
Martyr of Ashes BULK
Bloodfire Dwarf BULK
Seismic Shudder BULK
Against aggro/burn
Sylvok Lifestaff BULK
Against protection
Flaring Pain .19
Flash of Defiance BULK
Pyrite Spellbomb BULK
Ghost Fire BULK
Against specific colors
Pyroblast 1.82tx
Flash of Defiance BULK
Defender of Chaos BULK
Playing the Deck
The ideal hand will include a couple of lands, some cohort/conscripts, perhaps a bushwhacker and a combination of burn and other utility goblins. You then play the cohort/conscripts on the first turn and on subsequent turns play a goblin and/or burn away any blockers and attack. After playing sledder/raider and some additional goblins, you can start sculpting attacks to your advantage, getting in for extra damage when its worth it or making sure their blockers die or your key attackers survive. Once you have 3 or 4 goblins in play, you play a kicked bushwhacker for the win, perhaps dealing any remaining damage with a lightning bolt or a fireblast.
You normally don't want to keep a hand with more than 3 lands. Though a 4 lands and a cohort plus a couple of 2 drops isn't that bad. The deck only really needs 3 lands to play efficiently, so every additional land beyond the 3rd is almost a mulligan. A one land hand is ok to keep if you have at least 2 or 3 one drops.
Financial Analysis
The goblin deck is one of the cheapest options to play successfully in the pauper Format. The most expensive card found in the main deck is Fireblast at close to 4 tix currently but its not critical for the deck and the builds that include it may only have one or two copies. A build without Fireblast will cost between 8 and 13 tix, depending on what deals you can cut for the non-bulk cards and this is a fine price for a competitive Pauper deck. The sideboard can be made up of mostly bulk or low priced cardsd but, unfortunately, one of the most important sideboard cards against the current metagame is pyroblast and its going for around 2tix each. This means that having a competitive sideboard will usually cost close to another 10 tix. In general, a decent build of the goblins deck can usually be made for less than 20 tix and you should be able to buy all the possible main deck and sideboard cards you can need for about 30 tix.
III. The Deck List
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Mogg Conscripts
4 Mogg Flunkies
4 Goblin Cohort
1 Goblin Arsonist
3 Goblin Matron
4 Mogg Raider
4 Goblin Sledder
3 Death Spark
17 Mountain
4 Sparksmith
Sideboard
3 Gorilla Shaman
4 Pyroblast
4 Martyr of Ashes
3 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 Death Spark
IV. The Matchups
Vs Affinity (bad) +Smash to Smithereens, +Gorilla Shaman, +Flame Slash, +Pyroblast
If you have shamans in your sideboard and can make sure you draw them in your opening hand, you should win easily. Otherwise, its very much dependent on their draw because, even though Goblins can be consistently fast and powerful, Affinity has a chance of being even faster, but can also have an extremely clunky start. Being a creature deck, Sparksmith is still very useful.
Grusbus Tip! Against affinity you need to get lucky. Gorilla Shamans help a great deal to kill their lands but if they have a fast draw you're still in for an uphill battle because their creatures are much bigger than yours. I am currently debating if Gorilla Shaman is better than Smash to Smithereens but it depends hugely on the metagame. Unfortunately, the Shaman is only handy against Affinity or decks that play cheap artifacts (Sylvok Lifestaff, Bonesplitter).
Vs Cloudpost (even)
Sideboard: +Pyroblast, +Molten Rain/Raze/Stone Rain, +Smash to Smithereens, +Sylvok Lifestaff, -Sparksmith, -Death Spark, -Goblin Arsonists
The raiders/sledders are key against staggershock and seismic assault. Pyroblast is also key to counter their card advantage creatures and to protect your Bushwhackers from counterspells. You can bring in the lifestaff to stall if you want to take advantage of the time limit.
Grusbus Tip! UR Post wins if it gets it's God draw, but in my experience it needs to get at least 2-3 removal spells AND multiple Glimmerposts to stay in the game, otherwise they'll be swarmed by goblins. Death spark is useless here so it comes out. Pyroblasts come in. Most important thing here is to play around condescend.
Destroying their Prophetic Prisms is a hugely underrated line of play. Smash to smithereens is better against UR post and maybe MUC to kill Spire Golem/Serrated Arrows/Prophetic prisms.
Vs BlueAggro (even+)
Sideboard: +Pyroblast, +Pyrite Spellbomb, +Death Spark, +Sparksmith, +Goblin Arsonists, +Ghostfire
Sparksmith and Death Spark are key in this matchup. Never attack with Sparksmith if they could flash in a faery to block and make sure its the one goblin that doesn't get countered. Never allow your Death Spark to be burried under a non-creature.
Grusbus Tip! Blue Aggro is a good matchup for you. Deathspark is key in this matchup, killing many of their creatures on its own. Playing around daze here is vital but most players are easy to read. The Pyrite Spellbomb in the board are for the Weatherseed Faeries. They will destroy you if you can't pyroblast them or remove them once they hit the board.
Vs BlueControl (good) +Pyroblast, +Pyrite Spellbomb, +Smash to Smithereens, +Flame Slash, +Ghostfire
Grusbus Tip! Spire Golem is your worst enemy, as it pretty much stops your offensive.
Vs Infect (even) +Sparksmith, +Flame Slash, Seismic Shudder/Martyr of Ashes/Bloodfire Dwarf, -Goblin Bushwhacker, -Mogg Flunkies/Jackal Familiar
This matchup isn't as bad as it is for other aggro decks. Having access to plenty of removal allows you to force them to use up their pump spells (make sure to cast them on your turn to make them waste the pump). Use your goblins (except sparksmith) to exclusively block until they run out of creatures. If you can get a sparksmith to stick, you should be able to win. You're in no hurry to win so your your aggressive creatures can be taken out in favor of removal and defense.
Vs Warren/Grapeshot Storm (bad) +Seismic Shudder/Martyr of Ashes/Bloodfire Dwarf, +Pyroblast, -Sparksmith, -Death Spark
Combo is the bane of all aggro and this matchup is no exception. Game 1 you have very little chance unless you have main decked something like the Martyr or the Dwarf. There is nothing in this color that can deal with a quick grapeshot kill and I don't think a lifestaff would be able to gain enough life to be worth it, but you may be able to handle empty the warrens.
Grusbus Tip! Storm is your worst matchup followed closely by affinity. Against storm you need to board in Martyr of Ashes (not Seismic Assault because they can easily dispel/duress it if they play blue/black) and mulligan aggressively until you see her. I mulliganed to 3 in a recent daily a went on to win the game thanks to the Martyr. You can also board in pyroblasts here to hit their Ideas Unbound, though getting Impulse and other filter/draw cards is also fine.
Vs White Weenie (even-) +Flaring Pain, +Sparksmith, +Death Spark, +Smash to Smithereens, +Defender of Chaos, +Flash of Defiance, +Flame Slash, +Pyrite Spellbomb, +Ghostfire
There are a lot of sideboard options against WW, but you still need to win so you can only add so much. Their prismatic strands give them a huge advantage but it can be countered by Flaring Pain. Sparksmith is your VIP in this matchup and a main decked one should win you game 1. Their sideboard is much more crippling than yours so hope for good draws on games 2 and 3.
Grusbus Tip! WW is a pain to play. It is not a bad matchup but it is more of a midrange deck than goblins is. Guardian of the Guildpact is obviously difficult for you here and prismatic strands makes combat difficult. As with other aggro decks, Sparksmith and Deathspark are great.
Vs BlackControl (even+) + Sylvok Lifestaff
The lifestaff can help to win the race if the game goes long. Once you are both in top deck mode their card advantage is diminished greatly so don't give up.
Grusbus Tip! MBC is a good matchup but it is tedious. They take damage from some of their own spells which is very convenient. Sparksmith and Death Spark are still quite good. We only have problems when they draw really good and we draw mediocre or worse.
Vs Stompy (even) +Sparksmith, +Death Spark, +Martyr of Ashes/Bloodfire Dwarf, +Sylvok Lifestaff
While the stompy deck's creatures can deal more damage faster thanks to their pump, you have the advantage of having removal but that makes you the control deck. The strategy is not unlike the one against infect, but you have a bit more time. The use of your removal is key here. Since they have fewer pump spells than their infect counterparts its more feasible to try to use it in response to their pump. Make sure you can win the pump/removal war, though. As against any aggro deck, Sparksmith is really great. Death Spark is a little less because very few of their creatures actually have 1 toughness, but it can improve your combat. The board sweepers can also be quite useful if well played.
Vs Mirror (even) +Sylvok Lifestaff, +Martyr of Ashes/Bloodfire Dwarf/Seismic Shudder +Smash to Smithereens/Gorilla Shaman
The key cards in the mirror match are e the LifeStaff and the Death Spark. Some people consider Sparksmith to be far too much of a liability, but it can definitely give an advantage if used at the right time. Bringing in artifact hate against the lifestaff can be beneficial. It is also recommended playing second, since the extra card can be more game defining than the initiative.
( Copied from pauperscage.blogspot.ca/2012/04/mtg-pauper-classic-decks-goblins.html )
I. Introduction
The goblin deck is the purest form of aggro deck in this format. It has cheap goblins with overpowered stats or synergistic abilities backed by efficient burn spells that act as removal or reach. When working, this deck will be playing one or two goblins each turn while removing blockers to finish the game quickly.
II. The Deck
*Note 1 - BULK refers to a price of less than .1tx
*Note 2 - I have included "Grusbus tips!", little tidbits from famed Goblin player Grusbus.
Core
Goblin Cohort BULK
Mogg Conscripts 0.54
2/2 for one red mana with the drawback of requiring a creature to be played to be able to attack that turn. These efficient beaters allow the Goblins deck to quickly bring the opponent's life total down. Since the deck is made up of mostly creatures, the drawback is often not an issue and it doesn't matter if the creature is countered.
Goblin Sledder BULK
Mogg Raider 0.98
1/1 For one red mana that lets you sack any goblin to give a goblin +1/+1. This utility creature allows you to sculpt your attacks and decide who lives, who dies and what damage gets through. The sacrifice ability is also crucial in disrupting many spells that have additional effects other than targeting a single creature, like Staggershock and Echoing Decay.
Goblin Bushwhacker BULK
An otherwise vanilla 1/1 for one red that has the incredibly powerful kicker for one more red mana that gives all creatures +1/+0 and haste. This goblin is the deck's main finisher and can often turn a few goblins into a deadly army that can finish the opponent off unexpectedly.
Lightning Bolt BULK
At one red mana for 3 damage to a creature or player, this the most efficient burn spell in the game and, as in most decks, is used here to get rid of blockers, turn a race around by removing a threat or to finish the opponent off.
Other Goblins
Mogg War Marshal BULK
This 1/1 goblin that brings with it another 1/1 for 1R. Additionally when it dies, it leaves yet another 1/1, but it has echo, requiring you to pay 1R again on the next turn. The three goblins it can create are great for sacrificing with the Raider/Sledder goblins and also for overwhelming the board when a bushwhacker is kicked in.
Jackal Familiar BULK
Mogg Flunkies 0.15
These two creatures are overpowered for their cost giving a 2/2 and a 3/3 for R and 1R respectively. Their drawback is that they can't attack or block alone and in this deck it is a drawback that is easily overcome.
Grusbus Tip! The Mogg Flunkies are the loosest cards in my build and are usually the ones to go when sideboarding.
Gobin Arsonist BULK
Mogg Fanatic BULK
Goblin Arsonist is a 1/1 for R that deals 1 damage to a creature or player when it dies, Mogg Fanatic is also a 1/1 for R but it has an ability to sacrifice itself to deal 1 damage to player or creature. The Fanatic can ping at will but the Arsonist can be paired with Raider/Sledder to give a slightly better value so it seems to be favoured more these days. In either case, its good utility against other aggro decks and gives a little reach against control decks.
Sparksmith BULK
A 1/1 for 1R that taps to deal damage to a creature and to yourself equal to the goblins in play. This guy is invaluable against other creature based decks like white weenie, faeries or stompy, though the damage to yourself can be a big drawback. It is however, a very inefficient 1/1 against control and combo decks.
Grusbus Tip! Sparksmith is very good against most decks. The few notable exceptions are the mirror match (due to the huge damage it can deal to you), Storm and UR post (unless they run Sea Gate Oracle in which case I leave them in). However, I wouldn't play more than 3 because usually one on the battlefield is enough and they don't do well in combat.
Goblin Matron BULK
This is an expensive goblin as a 1/1 for 2R but it lets you search your library for another goblin and put it in your hand. Since the bushwhacker is the most powerful goblin its the most common target but you might also want to get something like a Sparksmith or a goblin war marshal.
Grusbus Tip! Matron is like a squadron hawk for 3 mana for goblins that can get a bushwhacker when you're satisfied with how many goblins you have. 3 is more than enough because its expensive for a deck that plays 17-18 lands is a bit tough.
Dragon Fodder BULK
This is a worse version of goblin war marshal since it only puts 2 1/1s into play for the same cost and since its not a creature it doesn't activate the conscript/cohort goblins. However, some builds want a higher count of 1/1s to increase the strength of the bushwhacker and this one does the job.
Mudbrawler Cohort BULK
This is a 1/1 goblin with haste that gets +1/+1 if you control any other red creature, which is almost all the time. The haste makes this a good addition to the deck and works quite well with Mogg Flunkies and Jackal Familiar as they can attack on on empty board when the opponent didn't expect them to.
Other Removal
Death Spark BULK
This spell deals 1 damage to creature or player for R but has the very useful ability of coming back to your hand for R during your upkeep if there is a creature card directly on top of it. This card advantage makes it one of the best removal spells against other aggro strategies, specially faeries, as it can repeatedly take care of their threats and be returned to the hand even after being countered.
Grusbus Tip! Death spark is one of the best cards in the deck. It kills a lot of creatures that are key in the format and lets your creatures win against ones that would normally outclass them, while while returning to your hand for only one additional mana.
Chain Lightning 1.12
This is a much weaker version of the awesome lightning bolt. It also deals 3 damage to creature or player for a single red mana but at sorcery speed and it gives a red opponent the chance to fire it back at you by paying RR. The second part usually isn't a huge drawback, but the sorcery speed often is. This is often played in the goblin deck as lightning bolts 5-8 but many builds are reducing their count lately.
Grusbus Tip! I personally don't like Chain Lightning and believe it only belongs in more controlish versions of the deck.
Fireblast 3.89
This is an expensive spell at 4RR (and in terms of tix) dealing only 4 damage to creature or player at instant speed but it has an alternative cost of sacrificing two mountains. This what is usually paid to play it and its most often used as an unexpected finisher or as as a last resort removal spell.
Non-basic Lands
Teetering Peaks BULK
Some builds include one or at the most two Teetering Peaks, which gives a creature +2/+0 when it comes into play, but comes into play tapped. The fact that it comes into play tapped is a huge drawback in an aggressive deck like this but the benefit is often worth it good if its the third land played.
Forgotten Cave BULK
Since the deck can run fine with just 2 or 3 lands, some builds include Forgotten Cave which comes into play tapped but cycles for a single red mana. As with the Teetering Peaks, the fact it comes into play tapped means playing more than two can be an issue if you get them in your opening hand.
Sideboard Cards
Against low cost artifacts
Gorilla Shaman 3.77tx
Against any artifacts
Smash to Smithereens BULK
Echoing Ruin BULK
Shatter BULK
Against special lands
Molten Rain .15
Raze BULK
Stone Rain BULK
Against larger creatures
Flame Slash BULK
Against lots of creatures
Martyr of Ashes BULK
Bloodfire Dwarf BULK
Seismic Shudder BULK
Against aggro/burn
Sylvok Lifestaff BULK
Against protection
Flaring Pain .19
Flash of Defiance BULK
Pyrite Spellbomb BULK
Ghost Fire BULK
Against specific colors
Pyroblast 1.82tx
Flash of Defiance BULK
Defender of Chaos BULK
Playing the Deck
The ideal hand will include a couple of lands, some cohort/conscripts, perhaps a bushwhacker and a combination of burn and other utility goblins. You then play the cohort/conscripts on the first turn and on subsequent turns play a goblin and/or burn away any blockers and attack. After playing sledder/raider and some additional goblins, you can start sculpting attacks to your advantage, getting in for extra damage when its worth it or making sure their blockers die or your key attackers survive. Once you have 3 or 4 goblins in play, you play a kicked bushwhacker for the win, perhaps dealing any remaining damage with a lightning bolt or a fireblast.
You normally don't want to keep a hand with more than 3 lands. Though a 4 lands and a cohort plus a couple of 2 drops isn't that bad. The deck only really needs 3 lands to play efficiently, so every additional land beyond the 3rd is almost a mulligan. A one land hand is ok to keep if you have at least 2 or 3 one drops.
Financial Analysis
The goblin deck is one of the cheapest options to play successfully in the pauper Format. The most expensive card found in the main deck is Fireblast at close to 4 tix currently but its not critical for the deck and the builds that include it may only have one or two copies. A build without Fireblast will cost between 8 and 13 tix, depending on what deals you can cut for the non-bulk cards and this is a fine price for a competitive Pauper deck. The sideboard can be made up of mostly bulk or low priced cardsd but, unfortunately, one of the most important sideboard cards against the current metagame is pyroblast and its going for around 2tix each. This means that having a competitive sideboard will usually cost close to another 10 tix. In general, a decent build of the goblins deck can usually be made for less than 20 tix and you should be able to buy all the possible main deck and sideboard cards you can need for about 30 tix.
III. The Deck List
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Bushwhacker
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Mogg Conscripts
4 Mogg Flunkies
4 Goblin Cohort
1 Goblin Arsonist
3 Goblin Matron
4 Mogg Raider
4 Goblin Sledder
3 Death Spark
17 Mountain
4 Sparksmith
Sideboard
3 Gorilla Shaman
4 Pyroblast
4 Martyr of Ashes
3 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 Death Spark
IV. The Matchups
Vs Affinity (bad) +Smash to Smithereens, +Gorilla Shaman, +Flame Slash, +Pyroblast
If you have shamans in your sideboard and can make sure you draw them in your opening hand, you should win easily. Otherwise, its very much dependent on their draw because, even though Goblins can be consistently fast and powerful, Affinity has a chance of being even faster, but can also have an extremely clunky start. Being a creature deck, Sparksmith is still very useful.
Grusbus Tip! Against affinity you need to get lucky. Gorilla Shamans help a great deal to kill their lands but if they have a fast draw you're still in for an uphill battle because their creatures are much bigger than yours. I am currently debating if Gorilla Shaman is better than Smash to Smithereens but it depends hugely on the metagame. Unfortunately, the Shaman is only handy against Affinity or decks that play cheap artifacts (Sylvok Lifestaff, Bonesplitter).
Vs Cloudpost (even)
Sideboard: +Pyroblast, +Molten Rain/Raze/Stone Rain, +Smash to Smithereens, +Sylvok Lifestaff, -Sparksmith, -Death Spark, -Goblin Arsonists
The raiders/sledders are key against staggershock and seismic assault. Pyroblast is also key to counter their card advantage creatures and to protect your Bushwhackers from counterspells. You can bring in the lifestaff to stall if you want to take advantage of the time limit.
Grusbus Tip! UR Post wins if it gets it's God draw, but in my experience it needs to get at least 2-3 removal spells AND multiple Glimmerposts to stay in the game, otherwise they'll be swarmed by goblins. Death spark is useless here so it comes out. Pyroblasts come in. Most important thing here is to play around condescend.
Destroying their Prophetic Prisms is a hugely underrated line of play. Smash to smithereens is better against UR post and maybe MUC to kill Spire Golem/Serrated Arrows/Prophetic prisms.
Vs BlueAggro (even+)
Sideboard: +Pyroblast, +Pyrite Spellbomb, +Death Spark, +Sparksmith, +Goblin Arsonists, +Ghostfire
Sparksmith and Death Spark are key in this matchup. Never attack with Sparksmith if they could flash in a faery to block and make sure its the one goblin that doesn't get countered. Never allow your Death Spark to be burried under a non-creature.
Grusbus Tip! Blue Aggro is a good matchup for you. Deathspark is key in this matchup, killing many of their creatures on its own. Playing around daze here is vital but most players are easy to read. The Pyrite Spellbomb in the board are for the Weatherseed Faeries. They will destroy you if you can't pyroblast them or remove them once they hit the board.
Vs BlueControl (good) +Pyroblast, +Pyrite Spellbomb, +Smash to Smithereens, +Flame Slash, +Ghostfire
Grusbus Tip! Spire Golem is your worst enemy, as it pretty much stops your offensive.
Vs Infect (even) +Sparksmith, +Flame Slash, Seismic Shudder/Martyr of Ashes/Bloodfire Dwarf, -Goblin Bushwhacker, -Mogg Flunkies/Jackal Familiar
This matchup isn't as bad as it is for other aggro decks. Having access to plenty of removal allows you to force them to use up their pump spells (make sure to cast them on your turn to make them waste the pump). Use your goblins (except sparksmith) to exclusively block until they run out of creatures. If you can get a sparksmith to stick, you should be able to win. You're in no hurry to win so your your aggressive creatures can be taken out in favor of removal and defense.
Vs Warren/Grapeshot Storm (bad) +Seismic Shudder/Martyr of Ashes/Bloodfire Dwarf, +Pyroblast, -Sparksmith, -Death Spark
Combo is the bane of all aggro and this matchup is no exception. Game 1 you have very little chance unless you have main decked something like the Martyr or the Dwarf. There is nothing in this color that can deal with a quick grapeshot kill and I don't think a lifestaff would be able to gain enough life to be worth it, but you may be able to handle empty the warrens.
Grusbus Tip! Storm is your worst matchup followed closely by affinity. Against storm you need to board in Martyr of Ashes (not Seismic Assault because they can easily dispel/duress it if they play blue/black) and mulligan aggressively until you see her. I mulliganed to 3 in a recent daily a went on to win the game thanks to the Martyr. You can also board in pyroblasts here to hit their Ideas Unbound, though getting Impulse and other filter/draw cards is also fine.
Vs White Weenie (even-) +Flaring Pain, +Sparksmith, +Death Spark, +Smash to Smithereens, +Defender of Chaos, +Flash of Defiance, +Flame Slash, +Pyrite Spellbomb, +Ghostfire
There are a lot of sideboard options against WW, but you still need to win so you can only add so much. Their prismatic strands give them a huge advantage but it can be countered by Flaring Pain. Sparksmith is your VIP in this matchup and a main decked one should win you game 1. Their sideboard is much more crippling than yours so hope for good draws on games 2 and 3.
Grusbus Tip! WW is a pain to play. It is not a bad matchup but it is more of a midrange deck than goblins is. Guardian of the Guildpact is obviously difficult for you here and prismatic strands makes combat difficult. As with other aggro decks, Sparksmith and Deathspark are great.
Vs BlackControl (even+) + Sylvok Lifestaff
The lifestaff can help to win the race if the game goes long. Once you are both in top deck mode their card advantage is diminished greatly so don't give up.
Grusbus Tip! MBC is a good matchup but it is tedious. They take damage from some of their own spells which is very convenient. Sparksmith and Death Spark are still quite good. We only have problems when they draw really good and we draw mediocre or worse.
Vs Stompy (even) +Sparksmith, +Death Spark, +Martyr of Ashes/Bloodfire Dwarf, +Sylvok Lifestaff
While the stompy deck's creatures can deal more damage faster thanks to their pump, you have the advantage of having removal but that makes you the control deck. The strategy is not unlike the one against infect, but you have a bit more time. The use of your removal is key here. Since they have fewer pump spells than their infect counterparts its more feasible to try to use it in response to their pump. Make sure you can win the pump/removal war, though. As against any aggro deck, Sparksmith is really great. Death Spark is a little less because very few of their creatures actually have 1 toughness, but it can improve your combat. The board sweepers can also be quite useful if well played.
Vs Mirror (even) +Sylvok Lifestaff, +Martyr of Ashes/Bloodfire Dwarf/Seismic Shudder +Smash to Smithereens/Gorilla Shaman
The key cards in the mirror match are e the LifeStaff and the Death Spark. Some people consider Sparksmith to be far too much of a liability, but it can definitely give an advantage if used at the right time. Bringing in artifact hate against the lifestaff can be beneficial. It is also recommended playing second, since the extra card can be more game defining than the initiative.
( Copied from pauperscage.blogspot.ca/2012/04/mtg-pauper-classic-decks-goblins.html )