(I would like to dedicate this article to President Pete Hoefling of StarCityGames.com. I ordered cards from StarCity that were supposed to be in my deck for States, but UPS screwed up with the delivery of my package... So the President went out of his way to make sure I received the cards. Without him, my deck would have been incomplete when I played at States. Thank you!)

Connecticut State Magic Champion. One would think that there would be a huge turnout for such a prestigious title, but in this case that is untrue. I walked into the Knights of Columbus, where the event was being held, to find the place half-empty. However, despite this, there was still a high level of skill in the air and I knew my Goblin deck would step up against reasonable challenges.

I decided to go Goblins because they aren't a horribly expensive deck (at least as opposed to Mono White Control and White Weenies), and because of their pure speed combined with raw power.

Creatures (34):
4 Skirk Prospector
4 Goblin Sledder
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Warchief
3 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Gempalm Incinerator
4 Goblin Sharpshooter
3 Clickslither
3 Goblin Goon
1 Rorix Bladewing

Spells (3):
3 Shock

Lands (23):
20 Mountain
3 Goblin Burrows

Sideboard:
3 Starstorm
3 Stabilizer
3 Threaten
3 Sulfuric Vortex
2 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 Oblivion Stone

Four Sharpshooters?
Some people thought I was overdoing it by having four Sharpshooters in a deck, but Sharpshooters combined with a Siege-Gang Commander, some creatures that have a sacrificial ability, and enough mana and they are a deadly combination that is hard to stop. Also, I can't say how much they saved my life during the tournament. White weenies fear the Goblin Sharpshooter.

Oblivion Stone
Mono red cannot deal with enchantments. This deals with enchantments. Mono red cannot Wrath of God. This kills all creatures. This card kills artifacts. What are Affinity decks mainly composed of again?

If I had the resources, I would have chucked the two Pyrite Spellbombs and put in two more Oblivion Stones. It kills your Goblins as a side effect, but if you had the mana to play it in the first place... The odds are the next Goblin you pull, you will be able to play. The card cleans the board and there will be times when this is necessary.

Pyrite Spellbomb
I should have listened to the warnings. This card is not worth it unless you are playing the"new goblin deck," as shown in Nate Heiss's article. Sure, Silver Knight is a problem but there are so many things out there (equipment, Glorious Anthem, and the like) that will make the card worthless. Don't use them; I suggest using Oblivion Stones instead.

Rorix Bladewing In The Main Deck
What red card does your opponent least suspect when playing a Goblins deck? A 6/5 flying dragon with haste. It is a last resort quick attack, and since it doesn't die and has flying I like it more than Blistering Firecat. It also provides a last-resort defense against Exalted Angel (though hopefully you should realize Goblins have many ways to kill her and that if someone is playing a white deck and has a card face-down, odds are it is Exalted Angel and you should Shock it or use Goblin Sharpshooters to kill it).

Why I Used Only A Small Amount Of Burn
1) I had a good deal of Goblin Sharpshooters
2) Goblin decks should be about Goblins beating your opponent to a bloody pulp not necessarily killing his creatures or doing direct damage.

Goblins are quick - if you need control or direct damage, that is why you have Siege-Gang Commanders and Sharpshooters. Control for bigger creatures is the reasoning behind Gempalm Incinerator. If you want to play burn, make a burn deck.

The other cards in the main deck you should be familiar with and understand their purpose, speed and damage. As for the sideboard, Starstorm is for mass control, Stabilizer is the bane of decks that use Astral Slide, and Sulfuric Vortex is anti-life gaining, and the slow killing of an enemy.

As for Threaten, I honestly didn't use it the entire tournament - and now with the experience gained, I would suggest against using it. If you think I am wrong, you can call me an idiot - but take a careful look at how often it is used. If you want to be able to still have the option to take control of an opponent's creature, then I would suggest using Grab the Reins instead. It has a greater number of possibilities and uses.

Round 1 v. Anthony Mazer, Mono Black Control
Game 1: He had two lands the entire game - one swamp and Vault of Whispers. He was able to Terror my two main goblin powers, Goblin Warchief and Piledriver. However, I was relentless and eventually overwhelmed him with a Clickslither with a few sacrifices while I had two Sharpshooters in play, and then I finished him off with Shock before he could pull anything.

Sideboard: -3 Sharpshooters, +3 Sulfuric Vortexes (Sharpshooters can't do much against control decks, but Sulfuric Vortex can certainly twiddle them down before they can whip out something dangerous.)

Game 2: I was trying to be relentless by barraging him with Siege-Gang Commander and Goblin Piledriver, but he killed them with Infests. He was able to pull out an Undead Gladiator; I was also able to pull out my Goblin Sharpshooter, but he Terrored him. I was able to pull another Siege-Gang Commander, though, and got some cheap Goblins to wear on his life. He Oblivioned everything but he was down to one life, and when I pulled a Goblin Sledder, he had nothing left to deal with it.

2-0, 1st round (1-0, 2-0)

Round 2 v. Kenton Febroriello, U/W Control
Game 1: I pounded on him in the early game by bringing out a Goblin Warchief some weenies and a Piledriver. He used Akroma's Vengeance to stop me; I finished him off with Goblin Sharpshooter as I sacrificed creatures to the Clickslither and I played Rorix.

Sideboard: -3 Shocks, +3 Sulfuric Vortexes (Shocks won't help much against Akroma, Angel of Wrath or heavy hitters like I was expecting to run into, but I felt I could use the vortexes to wear him down before he played something huge and to sop the Exalted Angel I was expecting.)

Game 2: He kept me from playing nearly anything by using Mana Leak and Wrath of God. Then, he used Decree of Justice to produce 4/4 Angel tokens.

Game 3: Simple equation: Early Circle of Protection: Red+Akroma, Angel of Wrath=I lose.

1-2, 2nd round (1-1, 3-3)

Round 3 v. Ross Merriam, Goblin Bidding
Game 1: He was oppressed by my Goblin Sharpshooters in the early game. We used relentless control and made frequent attacks on each other. He played Sparksmiths, making me lose faith in his deck.

Then he made a mathematical error by playing Patriarch's Bidding, allowing me to kill him on his turn with a Siege-Gang Commander, two Sharpshooters, and four other Goblins with six untapped mana - which is twelve damage right there before the tokens resolved, and four more by sacking the Siege-Gang Commander, then the Goblin Sledder.

I didn't feel a need to sideboard. Goblins have an automatic advantage against Bidding, because of more speed and a single color of mana.

Game 2: I mulliganed, didn't get adequate amounts of land in my second hand, and was outraced.

Game 3: I was able to play Goblin Warchief early and beat him senseless with Goblin Goons. He didn't have anything big enough to deal with the Goons.

2-1, 3rd round (2-1, 5-4)

Round 4 v. Josh Grant, White Weenie
Game 1: He played Silver Knight on the second turn and beefed him up with Empyrial Plate and Bonesplitter. I was unable to handle the unblockable damage.

Sideboard: -3 Shock, +1 Oblivion Stone, +2 Pyrite Spellbombs (I was planning on using my artifacts to control the Silver Knights)

Game 2: He played Savannah Lions and a Silver Knight early on, but I was able to play Goblin Warchief early and a Goblin Sharpshooter. Using Goblin Piledrivers, with weenies attacking, I was able to force damage through. I didn't care Silver Knight would kill the Goblin Piledrivers that would allow me to untap the Goblin Sharpshooter. He was able to eventually get two Silver Knights out, but it was too late; I used my Sharpshooter to deal one damage, bringing him down to two life and I had another Sharpshooter tapped, so I attacked with the Goblin Warchief. If he blocked, I won; if he didn't block, I won.

So I won.

Game 3: He had Silver Knight, Glorious Anthem, and two face-down Exalted Angels. He wasn't able to morph the Angels because of lack of land, but because of a mistake on my part I let him beat me when I had him pinned. I thought my life total was ten and he could only do eight the next turn, but I forgot about adding extra damage due to Glorious Anthem so I was really at eight.

I should have also used the Sharpshooter more strategically then I did. If I noticed that I could have left the Goblin Sharpshooter untapped as a blocker, I would have won.

All those players who think White Weenie can own Goblins are mistaken. Goblins can bring it, especially if they have Oblivion Stones.

1-2 4th round (2-2, 6-6)

Round 5 v. R/W Astral Slide
Game 1: Oh, I beat him to an inch of his life - but he was able to cycle Renewed Faith with Lightning Rifts out, and wiped the board clean. Without the Stabilizers, I knew I was just fighting a losing battle, but I am a glutton for punishment and never surrendered.

Sideboarding: -4 Sharpshooters, -4 Gempalm Incinerators, + 3 Sulfuric Vortex, +3 Stabilizers, +1 Oblivion Stone (I knew my Sharpshooters would do me no good because of the ease of their demise, and Gempalm incinerator would only destroy me as well, so I packed Stabilizers in an attempt to stop his cycling, Sulfuric Vortexes to lower his life in the beginning game before he became a threat, and Oblivion Stone to wipe the board clean if necessary.)

Game 2: I actually didn't play any of the cards I sideboarded in. I just attacked with Goblin Piledrivers and Goblin Sledders, and brought him down to a point where I could Shock him and win.

Game 3: Early Stabilizer + early Circle of Protection: Red = Stalemate. We went through three-quarters of our decks after I tried to out-creature his mana. It didn't work; he pulled Exalted Angel.

1-2 5th round (2-3, 7-8)

Round 6 v. Walter Johnson, Mono Black Control
Game 1: Johnson was making a lot of land drops but wasn't playing anything. I wore him down with Goblin Warchief and Piledriver. However, I wasn't able to cast any new creatures because he played Persecute....

So I beat him in a way Goblins don't usually win: I slowly whittled him down by using Goblin Burrows' ability on Gempalm Incinerator a couple times. After the game, I was very confused.

Sideboard: -2 Gempalm Incinerator, - 1 Sharpshooter, +3 Sulfuric Vortexes (It didn't seem like Johnson had many creatures in his deck if at all, so I cycled out those three control elements so I could have something to smack him with just in case the control became too heavy.)

Game 2: I was playing Goblins like a madman - Goblin Warchief, Goblin Sledder, Skirk Prospector, Piledriver... However, an early Damping Matrix with an Ensnaring Bridge slowed me down significantly. He used consume spirits to wipe out a couple of my creatures and he played Promise of Power to produce a 4/4 flying demon token.

But it was too little too late. I attempted to assassinate the demon with a cycled Gempalm Incinerator, he Smothered a creature in response. I figured it we'd gone on long enough, so I Shocked him and that was game.

Johnson used essentially MBC elements but splashed for Flashfires, used Damping Matrix to slow down other strategies, and Ensnaring Bridge to shut down attacks. However, he didn't bring too much to the table to win the game in his deck after his opponent was"controlled."

I applaud him for the Damping Matrix and Ensnaring Bridge combo. I would find this interesting if those two cards made a new burn deck that could handle the current decks. Ensnaring Bridge has been used in burn before, but in combination with Damping Matrix, it becomes a powerhouse.

To quote Johnson on his deck:"Sometimes you get the draws, sometimes you don't."

2-0 6th round (3-3, 9-8)

Round 7 v. R/W Astral Slide
Game 1: He had Exalted Angel face-down, and I had no way to deal with it. I hoped that I could pull something to deal with it before it killed me; I couldn't.

Sideboard: -4 Sharpshooters, -4 Gempalm Incinerators, + 3 Sulfuric Vortex, +3 Stabilizers, +1 Oblivion Stone (same reasoning as other Astral Slide)

Game 2: Stabilizer turn 2. Goblin Warchief turn 3. Combine that with a Clickslither, a Goblin Sledder, and Skirk Prospector, and I was able to beat him down.

Game 3: Turn 1, I play a mountain and Skirk Prospector. Turn 2, I play a mountain, sacrifice Skirk Prospector and tap both lands to play Goblin Warchief. Turn 3, I make a land drop and play Goon, Turn 4, I play another Goon. My opponent realized he wouldn't be able to stop the rampage in time and conceded.

My opponent commented that was a professional Astral Slide player, who claimed to have taught the Astral Slide players who were in the top spots of States everything they knew. He also told me that R/W/g Astral Slide was useless.

2-1 7th round (4-3, 11-9)

So summing it up, unfortunately I did not play against any Affinity decks so I cannot say with proof that Goblins is better than Affinity - but I believe Goblins has a good chance, than Affinity because of the deck's ability to come back from a beating. Mono Black control doesn't seem to be all that good against Goblins simply because of the speed of Goblins. White Weenies has an advantage but they are not necessarily a better deck overall. Depending on what decks are used, I feel it could go either way as long as the Goblin player remains aggressive (against WW, it will only get worse as time progresses, so make your game quick).

Goblins seems naturally superior to Goblin Bidding because the whole idea of Bidding is non-effective when playing a tribal deck of damage happy creatures. R/W Astral Slide appeared even from my matchups, but the main thing to keep in mind is to remember to have Stabilizers: Any deck can use them, so take advantage of it. U/W control seems to be slightly more powerful than Goblins, but as time progresses maybe we'll find a way to change that.