Blackcleave Goblin MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Creature — Phyrexian Goblin Zombie |
| Abilities | Haste,Infect |
| Released | 2010-10-01 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Scars of Mirrodin |
| Set code | SOM |
| Power | 2 |
| Toughness | 1 |
| Number | 54 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Nils Hamm |
Key Takeaways
- Card advantage from damage ensures resource continuity, crucial for maintaining board control and strategy.
- Efficient mana-to-power ratio assists in rapid board development, offering a pace advantage.
- Instant-speed potential during combat maximizes strategic interactions, leveraging timing for success.
Text of card
Haste Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
"Bitten? Save time, amputate now." —Lephar, loxodon surgeon
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Blackcleave Goblin provides an edge by refilling your hand with its unique ability, which triggers upon dealing damage to an opponent. This allows a player to replace the Goblin itself and potentially more, thus maintaining the vital flow of resources to outmaneuver an adversary.
Resource Acceleration: With Blackcleave Goblin, the acceleration doesn’t come from token generation but from an efficient mana cost to power ratio that enables you to deploy threats rapidly onto the board. This efficiency can lead to a quicker development of your board state, setting the pace of the match in your favor.
Instant Speed: Although Blackcleave Goblin operates at sorcery speed, the real bonus lies in its ability to be utilized effectively during the combat phase. This timing allows players to maximize the potential of other instant-speed interactions, ensuring Blackcleave Goblin’s combat damage aligns with the most opportune strategic moment.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Blackcleave Goblin’s ability may force you to discard valuable cards from your hand, potentially depleting your resources and affecting your long-term strategy.
Specific Mana Cost: This card demands two black mana in its cost, which could restrict deck-building options and make it less flexible in multi-colored decks.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that’s on the higher side for its abilities, Blackcleave Goblin may not be as cost-efficient when compared with other options in the game.
Reasons to Include Blackcleave Goblin in Your Collection
Versatility: Blackcleave Goblin boasts utility across various decks due to its balance of aggressive stats and potential life-drain ability. It can serve as an early threat or a late-game finisher, adapting to the player’s needs as the game progresses.
Combo Potential: With decks that amplify the effects of damage and life loss, this Goblin can become a pivotal card. Integrating it with synergistic cards that exploit -1/-1 counters or benefit from life loss can create potent gameplay scenarios.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature-based strategies are dominant, Blackcleave Goblin’s haste and life-drain capability can give it an edge. It swiftly puts pressure on opponents while also providing you with a life cushion, making it a noteworthy choice for decks aiming to stay ahead in the race against creature-heavy opponents.
How to Beat Blackcleave Goblin
Navigating the battlefield against Blackcleave Goblin in MTG can be challenging due to its infect ability, delivering poison counters and potentially bypassing traditional life point strategies. When combating this card, consider using removal spells that can target creatures without triggering damage-based effects, therefore preventing the accumulation of poison counters on yourself.
Tactics such as creature exile, which can be found in spells like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, give players an effective method to neutralize Blackcleave Goblin without concern for its combat damage. Another strategy includes utilizing blockers with sufficient toughness to endure the Goblin’s attack, thereby deterring its assault, or employing creature abilities that can neutralize it before it becomes a significant threat.
Counterspells serve as another layer of defense, intercepting Blackcleave Goblin before it can infect the field. This preemptive approach preserves your health and maintains control of the game pace. Overall, the key to defeating Blackcleave Goblin lies in swift and decisive action, utilizing MTG’s varied arsenal of spells and abilities.
Cards like Blackcleave Goblin
Blackcleave Goblin is a unique creature card that finds its place among Magic: The Gathering’s roster of aggressive black creatures. In comparison to other similar cards, it aligns closely with Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon in terms of its infect ability, which allows damage to be dealt in the form of poison counters. However, Blackcleave Goblin is more streamlined for straightforward combat with its haste feature, whereas Skithiryx requires additional mana to gain haste.
Analogous to Blackcleave Goblin in the infect creature category is Vector Asp, a more cost-efficient creature but with less power. Vector Asp gains infect only until end of turn and through activation, making Blackcleave Goblin a more persistent threat on the battlefield. Phyrexian Crusader shares the infect trait and protection from white and red, making it a resilient option, but it doesn’t have the immediacy of haste that Blackcleave Goblin provides.
In essence, Blackcleave Goblin stands out in the realm of infect creatures in Magic: The Gathering. It offers swift and potentially game-ending poison damage, setting a gold standard in the aggressive black archetype for players looking to close out games in a flash.
Cards similar to Blackcleave Goblin by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Blackcleave Goblin MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Blackcleave Goblin and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Blackcleave Goblin has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Blackcleave Goblin card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2011-01-01 | A player who has ten or more poison counters loses the game. This is a state-based action. |
| 2011-01-01 | Damage from a source with infect affects planeswalkers normally. |
| 2011-01-01 | Damage from a source with infect is damage in all respects. If the source with infect also has lifelink, damage dealt by that source also causes its controller to gain that much life. Damage from a source with infect can be prevented or redirected. Abilities that trigger on damage being dealt will trigger if a source with infect deals damage, if appropriate. |
| 2011-01-01 | If damage from a source with infect that would be dealt to a player is prevented, that player doesn’t get poison counters. If damage from a source with infect that would be dealt to a creature is prevented, that creature doesn’t get -1/-1 counters. |
| 2011-01-01 | Infect’s effect applies to any damage, not just combat damage. |
| 2011-01-01 | The -1/-1 counters remain on the creature indefinitely. They’re not removed if the creature regenerates or the turn ends. |