Goblin Guide – Double Masters MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

A goblin with haste who doesn’t care about your opponent drawing cards? This guy might just be one of the reddest cards ever printed. And indeed, he’s been a staple in burn decks ever since he was first released, adding to red’s power level (if not its diversity of strategies). I feel like I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out how much meme potential his Double Masters alternate art has, too.

Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 3/5
Multiplayer: 2/5
Commander: 2/5

One of the most beloved red one-drops that isn’t Lightning Bolt, Goblin Guide is the perfect weapon for a deck that wants to get off to a fast start from turn 1. A hasty 2/2 is usually as good as it gets for a first turn play, and while giving your opponent extra cards might seem like a downside, remember that it’s about a 30-40% chance that they’ll actually get that extra card, and you also get the benefit of information as to what they’ll have to work with. For one mana, that’s pretty nice!

Goblin Guide isn’t as ubiquitous as he once was; Monastery Swiftspear is preferred for her scaling power in a lot of red decks, and he doesn’t synergize as well with Goblins as other one-drops would. Still, red decks don’t mind having an additional hasty attacker, and he presents some interesting considerations for both Modern and Legacy decks wanting to get their smash on early and often.

Constructed: 4 (he’s largely for a specific deck type, but he’s at least good in that particular deck)
Casual: 3.5
Limited: 3.75 (outraces many decks, but there’s more of a risk that he’ll “hit” lands, and giving an opponent more fuel can be very dangerous)
Multiplayer: 2.5
Commander: 3 (here, the information angle can be really nice to have, but there’s little denying that he’s oft a dismal topdeck in a late-game scenario)