Hello everyone, and welcome to the StarCityGames.com official Lorwyn previews! Lorwyn is a fantasy world filled with all sorts of tribes of creatures — Treefolk, Faeries, Elves, Giants, Elementals, Kithkin, Merrow, and Boggarts. It’s Boggarts that we are concerned with today — according to Dictionary.com, a Boggart is a mischievous spirit. In the world of Lorwyn, Boggarts are more than just tricksters — they are creatures that live and die and live again, throwing themselves into battle only to come back in the future.
Witness: Wort, Boggart Auntie
Wow, now that’s a great creature! Four mana for a 3/3 fear creature is a great deal to begin with — compare this to something like Gluttonous Zombie, which costs five for the same body. Wort’s ability to be a beatdown creature pales in comparison to her second ability:
“During your upkeep, you may return target Goblin card from your graveyard to your hand.”
Let that sink in for a moment. Did your opponent drop the Wrath bomb on your army of little Red (and now Black) men? Drop Wort, and start beating while bringing back your guys. Have some Goblins that you’ve sacrificed? Auntie Wort will make them all better with kisses, hugs, and a good helping of the Boggart touch.
A quick scan of Tenth Edition, Coldsnap, and Time Spiral block revealed quite a few Goblins that work fantastically well with Wort, Boggart Auntie. These include the uber-popular Mogg Fanatic, the oft-played Siege-Gang Commander, a reason to pass paying echo on Mogg War Marshal or Stingscourger, and a place for the underachieving Emberwilde Auger.
This is not to mention any number of Boggarts/Goblins that will undoubtedly be biting the dust come the release of the full Red/Black tribe in Lorwyn.
That is also not to mention a most powerful Instant that happens to be a part of the Goblin Tribe:
When I first saw this Tribal Instant, my first thought was “Neat! A Shock that grows Tarmogoyf by +2/+2” and “Hey, a Shock that you can recur with Auntie Wort!” Both of these are fine uses for Tarfire — but none of them are the reason that this will become a tournament staple in Legacy and Extended.
That reason, my friends, is something that will make Dan Paskins salivate with the force of a thousand waterfalls. It’s a frigging Goblin! Shock, not a Goblin. Tarfire — a Goblin! Do you know how important that is for the evolution of the Goblin deck in Legacy and Extended? Do you? Huh? Huh? Well, I’m gonna tell you how important.
Very.
Who needs Gempalm Incinerator anymore? Gempalm Incinerator, you don’t go straight to the dome. Tarfire, you do! When I think tutoring, I think Goblin Matron. Goblin Matron can now tutor for Shock. That is significant — previously you could get Mogg Fanatic, but now you can tutor up twice the direct damage for your opponent’s dome.
How about the interaction between Tarfire and Goblin Ringleader? Man, if you thought Ringleader was sick before, what happens when you can now cast Ringleader, and turn up Mountain, Tarfire, Goblin Warchief, and Goblin Piledriver? That’s better than a Shock or an Incinerate or even a Lightning Bolt — for the cost of a 2/2 haste creature you’d be playing otherwise, you get a free direct damage spell.
Would Owen have won Grand Prix: Columbus if he had run Tarfire instead of Gempalm Incinerator in his Goblin deck? Probably not, because Flash was ridiculously broken and I’m sure that Owen took his Gempalm Incinerators out after game 1. However, Tarfire is direct damage for one mana, and damage that can hit a player. In a tight damage race, that two damage (versus drawing a card for cycling Gempalm Incinerator) is significant and vital.
There’s no way to tell exactly what Lorwyn will bring for the entirety of the Boggart tribe, but it is certain that there will be a lot of Goblins (both Tribal spells and actual creatures) will be hitting the graveyard with an untold frequency. Wort, Boggart Auntie will be a staple in Black/Red aggro decks, while Tarfire will find an immediate home in the hands of Extended and Legacy (and potentially Standard and Block) goblin players.
To finish out this preview, let me give you a list of Goblins that you might have in the graveyard to return with Wort. Until then, may you hit for an unblockable three damage while throwing two points of damage a turn until your opponent is dead!
Sacrificial Goblin Index (both ones you can sacrifice, and ones who you’d want to recur to get an effect):
Direct Damage:
Emberwilde Augur (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Commando
Goblin Dynamo (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Firestarter (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Legionnaire (Self-Sacrifice)
Mogg Bombers
Mogg Fanatic (Self-Sacrifice)
Siege-Gang Commander (Also creature generation) (Self-Sacrifice)
Skirk Marauder
Creature Kill:
Arms Dealer (Self-Sacrifice)
Festering Goblin
Gempalm Incinerator (Self-Cycling)
Goblin Assassins (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Skycutter (Flyers only) (Self-Sacrifice)
Kill-Suit Cultist (Self-Sacrifice)
Mogg Assassin (Self-Sacrifice)
Nosy Goblin (Self-Sacrifice) (Morphs only)
War-Torch Goblin (Self-Sacrifice)
Wall Killing:
Goblin Digging Team (Die Walls Die!) (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Masons (Seriously! Die Walls!)
Land Destruction:
Akki Blizzard-Herder
Goblin Gardener
Goblin Grenadiers (Self-Sacrifice) (Also kills Creatures!)
Goblin Settlers
Artifact Kill:
Goblin Archaeologist (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Replica (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Tinkerer (Self-Sacrifice)
Tin Street Hooligan
Regeneration (?!):
Goblin Chirurgeon (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Turncoat (Other-Sacrifice)
Deflection:
Goblin Flectomancer (Self-Sacrifice)
Creature Pump:
Goblin Lookout (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Pyromancer (Self-Sacrifice) (Also kills Goblins!)
Goblin Ski Patrol (To the Air!) (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Sledder (Self-Sacrifice)
Goblin Soothsayer (Self-Sacrifice)
Mogg Raider (Self-Sacrifice)
Creature Generation:
Goblin Marshal (Self-Sacrifice through non-Echo payment)
Mogg War Marshal (Self-Sacrifice through non-Echo payment)
Warbreak Trumpeter
Tutoring:
Goblin Matron
Goblin Ringleader
Unblockability:
Goblin Sappers (Self-Sacrifice)
Mana Generation:
Skirk Prospector (Self-Sacrifice)
Bounce:
Stingscourger (Self-Sacrifice through non-Echo payment)
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