In the Premodern format, Goblins is undoubtedly the premier aggressive deck. While the Mono-Red version is most common, the Gruul 
splash is a strategic meta-call designed to fight through the format's most punishing hate cards and "prison" enchantments.
The Two-Engine Design
Goblins operates simultaneously on two axes: a mana cheating engine and a card advantage engine. Both are necessary to understand why the deck is robust enough to dominate National tournament tables.
Engine 1: Mana Cheating
- Goblin Lackey: The most powerful one-drop in the format. When Goblin Lackey deals combat damage to a player, put any Goblin card from your hand directly onto the battlefield. A turn two Goblin Lackey putting a Siege-Gang Commander into play is a nightmare that "fair" decks cannot handle. As noted in The Well of Knowledge (the basic Premodern guide), Goblin Lackey puts pressure on every other deck, forcing them to have an immediate answer from turn one.
- Goblin Warchief: Reduces the cost of all Goblin spells you cast by
and gives all your Goblins haste. Resolving a Goblin Warchief means every creature in your hand will attack the same turn it enters. Goblin Piledriver, Siege-Gang Commander, and Goblin Ringleader: all become immediate threats thanks to haste. - Skirk Prospector: Sacrifice a Goblin to add . It enables a turn two Goblin Warchief, provides mana for Pyroblast on the opponent's end step, and clears your board against Oath of Druids triggers. A one-cost card with four distinct strategic applications.
Engine 2: Card Advantage
- Goblin Matron: Tutors any Goblin directly to your hand. In effect, these are four additional copies of whatever Goblin you need at a given moment. Common sequences include Goblin Matron for Goblin Ringleader, for Goblin Warchief, for Goblin Piledriver (for combat calculations), or for Skirk Prospector (when preparing the final attack).
- Goblin Ringleader: Look at the top four cards and add all revealed Goblins to your hand. Given the high creature density in the deck, Goblin Ringleader frequently draws three or four cards at once. Multiple Goblin Ringleader activations in a game usually spell the end for decks without mass removal (sweepers).
- Gempalm Incinerator: Cycles to deal damage equal to the number of Goblins in play (counting those on both sides of the field). Kills a creature and draws a card. It's the ideal target for Goblin Matron when facing blockers.
The Payoffs
- Goblin Piledriver: Gets +2/+0 for each other attacking Goblin and has protection from blue. In an attack boosted by Goblin Warchief, a board of four Goblins turns Goblin Piledriver into a 9/2 unblockable for blue decks. This is where the game ends.
- Siege-Gang Commander: Five power distributed across four bodies for five mana. The turn one Goblin Lackey and turn two Siege-Gang Commander pairing completely bypasses the mana requirement. Each of the three Goblins created can be sacrificed to deal one damage: a direct damage machine combined with a massive board presence.
The Gruul Splash: Why Green?
Goblins
The Gruul variant adds Wooded Foothills and a single Forest to enable the sideboard and a limited green package in the main deck. The primary addition consists of Naturalize-style effects and, in some lists, Tinder Wall as an additional mana accelerator. Against the current Enchantress-dominated metagame, instant-speed enchantment removal is worth the added complexity to the mana base. Some players also use Tranquil Domain in the side, although the green splash specifically allows Naturalize to answer Engineered Plague and other hate pieces already in the main deck.
Goblin Lackey is the most critical and expensive piece of the deck. Goblin Warchief, Siege-Gang Commander, and Goblin Piledriver are the supporting pillars. Rishadan Port (in old frame) serves the plan of disrupting the opponent's mana.
Goblins is one of the oldest archetypes in Premodern and also one of the most affordable, and it continues to win. Surely the price between 300 and 400 euros (definitely accessible for the format) and its high charismatic level make this deck so resilient in a non-rotating format.
