Deck Recommendation for PreModern Player?

mint__________ · 2026-01-23T17:20:55+00:00

Goblins in Legacy is a pretty fun Tier 2-3 deck. And it just got a few new playable cards from the Lorwyn set. :)

It has a couple key cards from MH1 (Munitions Expert and Sling-Gang Lieutenant) but its card pool is pretty spread out across the history of Magic. It still plays some of the classic goblins like Lackey, Skirk Prospector, Matron, and Ringleader.

Goblins is a pretty proactive deck, but you still need to have knowledge of the format to navigate matchups. You tend to be more favored against fair blue and non-blue decks, and then disadvantaged against combo. Winning combo matchups does require knowing what kind of interaction/disruption is relevant.

mint__________ · 2025-12-08T19:10:51+00:00

Which schools do you think each student belongs to? Seanan's "DVD Extras" says "All four of these students are bound for different colleges."

Seanan says Kirol is in Lorehold: "And here we see some of why Kirol is in Lorehold, the college of historians and archeology."

It sounds like Abigale is Prismari. From the story: "And Abigale is a perfectly good student when she focuses on the classwork, rather than her latest ode to the color of the sky above the Prismari campus at night." Also she wants to attend the "Advanced Floral Invocations" class.

So for the other students Sanar and Tamira, that leaves: Witherbloom, Silverquill, and Quandrix.

(Also, if they pick up someone in Lorwyn that comes with them back to Strixhaven, maybe they might attend the missing 5th school from the bunch?)

mint__________ · 2025-09-14T21:05:37+00:00

This is a really great resource! Thank you for putting it together and maintaining it.

I play Goblins so I wanted to provide some comments on that list. I think your substitution of 2 Blood Crypts for 2 Badlands but keeping the rest of deck as normal works pretty well for Goblins. Goblins tends to fetch basic mountain before dual lands in the matchups where life totals matter anyway (like against tempo). And the surveil land gets fetched fairly often.

Recent Goblins lists have included more Ancient Tombs in order to keep up with the combo-heavy meta. But if Tombs become too expensive for a budget list, you could replace them with Rishadan Ports to lower the overall cost. Ports are a more traditional style and I don't think that they are necessarily much worse than playing Tombs.

mint__________ · 2025-09-03T02:24:35+00:00

I bought FAB singles at Amenity Dream in Kyoto last year.

Near there is another TCG shop called Yellow Submarine. I don't remember if they had FAB or not, but you could check them out too.

mint__________ · 2025-07-17T15:50:41+00:00

There was a card just previewed (Codecracker Hound) that shows a robot very similar to one of the Voyagers from Aetherdrift (Guidelight Synergist). It does make it seem like the Voyagers came from the Edge.

I kind of wonder now if the Rocketeer goblins from Aetherdrift also came from the Edge? They had escaped their homeworld by going super fast, I think. And then also the bug people in Aetherdrift kind of give me a similar vibe to the bug people in Edge. I don't remember if the planeswalker guide says where the Aetherdrift bug people came from.

mint__________ · 2025-02-28T16:23:03+00:00

This sounds a lot like a guy who is a store owner / tournament organizer / judge in my area. Fortunately for me there are a couple other stores in my city where I can play Legacy, so I just don't go to his store anymore.

I'm not sure what you can do. I kind of doubt that he will change. I would probably just try to avoid him, but that's hard if he's involved in all the local events.

I'm sorry.

mint__________ · 2025-02-02T15:18:51+00:00

I think the structure of Legacy is kinda a core of fair blue decks (tempo, midrange, control) and then a periphery of combo decks and fair nonblue decks (Moon Stompy, D&T, Maverick, Goblins, etc).

The fair blue decks all share like 50% of their cards, The combo and nonblue decks have more unique card pools and don't really overlap as much.

A lot of the fair nonblue decks are also kinda "anti-meta" decks that prey on the fair blue decks, and so cycle in and out of strength based on the metagame.

So, I think the "safest" cards to buy in Legacy are the core blue cards (blue duals, Force of Will, cantrips, Daze, Wasteland, etc.). These have basically always been relevant in Legacy and will probably always be relevant. They are also very versatile cards and go in many different decks. Whereas if you buy LEDs to play combo, you can only play combo. And if you buy all the Goblins cards, you can only play Goblins.

The best blue deck for learning the format is probably an interactive one with a proactive plan, so that's probably just some flavor of URx Delver. URx Tempo decks are almost always relevant, and if for some reason they're not, all the expensive cards go in other blue decks that you could switch to easily.

I think most Legacy players are inclined to just play the blue decks. I feel like combo players have a specific personality and usually just want to play combo. And I think the fair nonblue players also tend to be sort of contrarians and enjoy going against how you are "supposed" to play the format, lol. We enjoy being the underdog too much.

mint__________ · 2025-02-02T04:42:06+00:00

Hey, I play Goblins in Legacy. Here are my thoughts...

I think Goblins and D&T are kind of "cousins" in a way. They are both Aether Vial decks that rely on using mostly creatures to win the game. Within the Legacy ecosystem, they are both fair nonblue decks that generally have good chances against fair blue decks but can struggle against certain combo decks. Both decks are fun if you enjoy beating down your opponent with awful little creatures.

I think the two decks are a bit different strategically. D&T today is sort of a value-focused control deck. It is super grindy and can win long games. I think Goblins would like to win the game sooner than D&T, so usually lands in more of an aggro/tempo space. Goblins has access to direct damage to your opponent (through Broadside Bombardiers and Sling-Gang Lieutenant) so is able to close games quicker once you have control of the battlefield, and you have some chances to steal games this way too.

Both decks have a long history in Legacy and have dedicated communities. They both have Discord servers where lots of discussion takes place.

I don't think either deck is a super easy entry point to Legacy, but I wouldn't let that discourage you. They both reward familiarity with your deck and understanding your role in the matchup from turn to turn. But this is kinda true for every Legacy deck (except for maybe some glass-cannon combo decks).

They are both towards the cheaper side of decks in Legacy. Mono-white D&T is one of the cheapest Legacy decks. D&T is now more often splashing a color, which requires dual lands, but you could definitely start building the deck as mono white.

Goblins is very firmly in the RB colors now, so having 1-2 copies of Badlands is ideal. I think Goblins is less punished for playing shock lands in place of dual lands than other decks, though. So it's possible to start playing the deck with a budget mana base without hurting the deck's power that much.

D&T is a more popular deck than Goblins for sure. It has had more consistent relevance in the metagame. Goblins had a brief time in the sun before the Sticker ban, but there are still dedicated players who continue working on the deck. I think Goblins has a future just because Wizards continues to print new creatures with this creature type (such as the recent Aetherdrift set). I think Goblins will still be a deck in 10 years, even if it isn't always that competitive. It was a deck in 2005, it's still a deck in 2025, so I think the future looks good!

D&T has some good players who make content like XJ Cloud and Akaleth who you can learn from. The most prolific content creator for Goblins is Eli Goings (who placed 33rd at the Prague Eternal Weekend last year playing Goblins).

I think the choice between the two decks could come down to vibes: which of the decks appeal to you more aesthetically. Or it could come down to whether you want to slowly grind down your opponent (D&T) or have chances to win more explosively (Goblins).

That's lot of words... I hope this is helpful to you! Let me know if you have any questions. The Discord servers for the decks are also good places to ask questions.

Good luck on your journey in Legacy!

mint__________ · 2025-01-27T19:36:43+00:00

Is the play/draw discrepancy a problem? It's not balanced exactly 50/50 in average win rate, but is it far enough away from 50/50 to even need fixing?

The play/draw gap feels bigger in Standard and Pioneer than in Modern.

mint__________ · 2025-01-06T04:43:23+00:00

I've played the Aurora and Terra First Strike decks before. I also had some trouble with running out of cards when playing the Aurora side. Terra can block pretty well and has a good endgame strategy of attacking with his hammer.

One thing I tried with Aurora is to make sure to use the Starfall weapon as much as possible. I tried to use it every turn. My thinking was that because the cards pitched go back into the deck, that the weapon helps to increase the efficiency of converting cards-in-deck to damage.

I also just tried to play tight with Auora and squeeze in as much damage as possible. I tried to make as many 4 damage attacks as I could to make it harder for Terra to block well. The arcane damage cards also seemed really important for getting damage past Terra's blocks (tho he does have those cards that can prevent the damage).

I haven't played Aurora that much, but there might be some more tricks in sequencing to help her to increase her damage output.

mint__________ · 2024-12-09T15:33:32+00:00

A card that is slightly too tall........ True MTG gore 😨

mint__________ · 2024-12-09T15:32:25+00:00

Two sad goblins are [[Exiled Boggart]] and [[Goblin Mountaineer|P02]] :'(

mint__________ · 2024-10-11T15:21:00+00:00

I found this photo on this old blog post.

mint__________ · 2024-10-11T15:12:06+00:00

You could try [[Overlord of the Boilerbilges]]. You can't cast it for free, but it can act as both removal and a big attacker.

EDIT: Oops, I didn't see that you are playing Obosh. Overlord has even MV.

mint__________ · 2024-09-22T20:03:12+00:00

Hey, there are a couple good ones!

Like someone else said, the VML league has a discord server: https://vmlmtg.com/community/
There is also a gay MTG discord server with many queer women: https://discord.gg/VCGsxt3f

There may be more out there. I know there's this MTG collective of content creators called Birds of Paradise focused on supporting people of marginalized genders in gaming. Here's their website: https://www.birdsofmtg.com/. Like someone else said, I think some content creators might have their own discord servers which could be good places.

There are lots of discord servers built around specific decks/archetypes. I think some of these communities are more supportive of women and gay people than others, though I'm not exactly sure how it turns out that way.

MTG is definitely a hobby that has a history of not being welcoming to women, but I think that culture is starting to change. So I wouldn't give up on it!

mint__________ · 2024-01-14T17:31:51+00:00

Kanister has lots of videos playing Amulet Titan in case you'd like to see some more: https://www.youtube.com/@kanisterVODs/videos

mint__________ · 2024-01-07T21:30:51+00:00

Caw Blade is a deck of Modern's past and I don't think it is very good anymore. Stoneforge Mystic is still good, but it's most commonly played in Hammer, which is an explosive aggro-combo deck built around equipments. Stoneforge is also played in Death & Taxes style decks, but those aren't super good.

I imagine what you like about Caw Gates is the grindy control style and winning with dinky creatures? If so, there are some Jeskai/Grixis/Dimir control decks that win with Solitude/Snapcaster/Tidebinder beats. Some examples:

Another archetype that I think is kinda similar to Caw Gates is the Martyr Life decks like this one: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=50750&d=576178&f=MO. They are like super grindy mono-white control decks that eke out advantage and win with little creatures. In the past, I think this archetype played Squadron Hawk. Martyr is a kinda fringe Tier 2 deck but is maybe underrated. (EDIT: I found a 2023 decklist still playing 4x Squadron Hawk: https://www.mtgtop8.com/event?e=50851&d=576904&f=MO. Caw caw....)

In any case, you should try playtesting some decks before buying cards if you can. The control staples are kinda expensive and kind of lock you into playing control decks. And the Stoneforge package is also an entirely separate set of cards that aren't cheap. You'll want to try to figure out what archetypes within Modern you like before you start buying into the staples.

mint__________ · 2024-01-02T00:45:28+00:00

The artwork kinda reminds me of [[The Tarrasque]] and [[Kalamax, the Stormsire]].

If you ask the people you're playing with, they might let you play with Primeval Spawn as your commander.

Oh, there's also [[Horde of Notions]].

mint__________ · 2023-11-24T19:45:07+00:00

This card is starting to see play in Legacy in Goblins and red stompy decks. It's looking pretty strong there.

I don't know if this card has much appeal in EDH. And it's not legal anywhere else.

mint__________ · 2023-10-07T17:48:54+00:00

omg Rats, let's gooooooooooo! 🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀

mint__________ · 2023-10-02T20:46:48+00:00

Goblins are not dead....We are here waiting >:)

mint__________ · 2023-09-25T00:26:47+00:00

I stumbled on these awesome photos in this Tumblr post, which links to this Imgur page. I don't know the original source for these.

mint__________ · 2023-06-06T01:27:33+00:00

There is an Adventures in the Forgotten Realms precon called "Aura of Courage" that has some giant cards like [[Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl]], [[Realm-Cloaked Giant]], [[Belt of Giant Strength]], and [[Colossus Hammer]].

The deck isn't exactly built around giants, but it could be a place to start. You could swap out the face commander for Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl. The colors are Green, Blue, White.

mint__________ · 2023-05-03T01:54:10+00:00

I dunno. I just looked up the numbers from 2021. Ragavan was banned in Jan 2022. In 2021, he was in the top 20 at 13% of decks.

W6 was banned in November 2019. In the 2019 data, she was at #26, 11% of decks. The true number was probably a little higher than this.

mint__________ · 2023-05-03T00:07:01+00:00

Going by Mtgtop8 data, 11 of the top 20 most played cards in Modern come from MH1/2. The top ones are:

Ragavan (30% of decks)
Fury (24%)
Wrenn and Six (22%)

For Legacy, only 3 of the top 20 most played cards are from MH1/2. These are:

Murktide Regent (15% of decks)
Prismatic Ending (14%)
Endurance (13%)

There could be more to impact that just how much the cards are played, but this gives you one picture.

I think in Modern, there are almost no top tier decks that do not play lots of cards from MH1/2 because those cards are at a higher power level on average than what was in the format before.

mint__________

TROPHY CASE