Putrid Goblin MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Zombie Goblin
Abilities Persist
Power 2
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Putrid Goblin ensures card advantage and deck resilience with its persistent return from the graveyard.
  2. It can be a linchpin in sacrifice-based strategies, escalating your play by recurring resources.
  3. Despite its advantages, certain decks may struggle with the Putrid Goblin’s specific mana requirements.

Text of card

Persist (When this creature dies, if it had no -1/-1 counters on it, return it to the battlefield under its owner's control with a -1/-1 counter on it.)

Too stupid to survive, too dumb to die.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Putrid Goblin shines in strategies focused on recurring creatures from the graveyard. Its persist ability means it can come back to the battlefield once it dies, essentially giving you two creatures for the cost of one and maintaining card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: In decks built around sacrifice engines, Putrid Goblin acts as a persistent resource. Whether you’re accelerating into larger threats or enabling combos with sacrifice payoffs, this goblin can be an invaluable cog in the machine.

Instant Speed: While Putrid Goblin itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it pairs superbly with instant-speed sacrifice outlets. This synergy allows for unexpected plays and interactions during your opponent’s turn, disrupting their strategy and advancing your board state concurrently.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Having to pitch a card from your hand to revive Putrid Goblin from the graveyard might strip away valuable resources when you’re strategizing for your next moves.

Specific Mana Cost: Putrid Goblin’s casting cost requires both black and generic mana, which can be a limitation for decks that are not built around black mana synergies or those with a strict color base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For the undying mechanic to trigger, you’re looking at a two-mana investment for a rather small body. Other creatures in the same mana range can provide more immediate board presence or come with additional abilities that justify their casting cost more implicitly.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Putrid Goblin is a flexible card that can be integrated into various deck strategies, particularly those revolving around counter manipulation or the persist mechanic.

Combo Potential: This card is ideal for combos, as it pairs well with sacrifice outlets and other cards that benefit from or enable repeatable death triggers due to its persist ability.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta with an abundance of combo or engine decks, Putrid Goblin can be a key component, offering both offensive and defensive utility through its potential for infinite loops.


How to beat

The Putrid Goblin may seem like a minor threat on the surface, but its persist ability can make it a pesky card to deal with in Magic: The Gathering. This two-mana cost creature can return to the battlefield after being destroyed, albeit with a -1/-1 counter. To effectively counteract the resiliency of the Putrid Goblin, strategic removal is key. Implementing spells or abilities that exile it prevents the persist mechanic from activating, thus permanently removing the goblin from play.

Another approach is using cards that negate the ability triggers. With such effects, you can ensure that when the Putrid Goblin is destroyed, it remains in the graveyard. It is equally effective to consider strategies that place additional -1/-1 counters on creatures, thereby negating the persist ability of the Putrid Goblin by ensuring it has no counter-free state to return to. In decks with proliferate mechanics, you can amplify the counters already on the Putrid Goblin, again ensuring it cannot come back.

Addressing bothersome creatures like the Putrid Goblin requires a blend of tactics and well-chosen cards. With the right removal or ability-negating strategies, you will have the upper hand against decks that rely on this stubborn goblin’s persistence.


BurnMana Recommendations

Unveiling the true potential of Putrid Goblin in your MTG deck can be a game-changer. With its ability to rise from the graveyard, this card ensures a persistent board presence and unfolds countless strategic possibilities within sacrifice-heavy decks. While it holds certain limitations in mana alignment and the cost of reviving, the trade-offs are outweighed by its versatility and the combo opportunities it presents. Whether you are adapting to a meta ripe with engine decks or crafting a strategy around counter play, Putrid Goblin is a card to consider. Dive deeper with us and discover strategies to optimize your gameplay, ensuring your deck isn’t just a collection, but a finely tuned arsenal.


Cards like Putrid Goblin

Putrid Goblin is an intriguing card for players looking to leverage persist mechanics in Magic: The Gathering. It bears resemblance to cards like Grumgully, the Generous, which similarly offers perpetual value in creature-focused decks. While Grumgully doesn’t have persist itself, it complements creatures like Putrid Goblin by ensuring they return with a +1/+1 counter, effectively negating the -1/-1 counter persist places and enabling indefinite recursion.

Another card that echoes the persist theme is Murderous Redcap. Though it comes at a higher mana cost when compared to Putrid Goblin, it brings a powerful enter the battlefield effect capable of removing an opponent’s creature or even dealing a finishing blow to the opponent themselves. Safehold Elite is also in the persist family tree but leans towards a more defensive role compared to the offensive potential that Putrid Goblin carries with its undying presence on the battlefield.

Evaluating the strategic advantages each of these similar cards brings to a persist-themed deck, Putrid Goblin holds its ground as a cost-effective option for continuous board presence, making it a staple in strategies built around this unique and resilient mechanic.

Grumgully, the Generous - MTG Card versions
Murderous Redcap - MTG Card versions
Safehold Elite - MTG Card versions
Grumgully, the Generous - MTG Card versions
Murderous Redcap - MTG Card versions
Safehold Elite - MTG Card versions

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Cuombajj Witches - MTG Card versions
Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions
Bog Imp - MTG Card versions
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Blighted Shaman - MTG Card versions
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Nantuko Shade - MTG Card versions
Piper of the Swarm - MTG Card versions
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Shepherd of Rot - MTG Card versions
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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Putrid Goblin MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons and Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, 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 Putrid Goblin and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Putrid Goblin Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2021-08-26. Illustrated by Winona Nelson.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 1012015NormalBlackWinona Nelson
22021-08-26Jumpstart: Historic HorizonsJ21 3752015NormalBlackWinona Nelson

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Putrid Goblin has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
CommanderLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
GladiatorLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Putrid Goblin card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2019-06-14 If a card with persist is removed from the graveyard after it dies but before the ability trigger resolves, it won’t be returned to the battlefield.
2019-06-14 If a creature has +1/+1 counters and -1/-1 counters on it, state-based actions remove the same number of each so that it has only one kind of those counters on it. Putrid Goblin’s persist ability can bring it back again if its -1/-1 counters are removed this way.
2019-06-14 If a creature with persist that has +1/+1 counters on it receives enough -1/-1 counters to cause it to be destroyed by lethal damage or put into its owner’s graveyard for having 0 or less toughness, persist won’t trigger and the card won’t return to the battlefield. That’s because persist checks the creature as it last existed on the battlefield, and it still had -1/-1 counters on it at that point.
2019-06-14 Once persist returns the creature, it’s considered a new object with no relation to the object that it was. Auras that were attached to it won’t return to the battlefield. Equipment that was attached to it will remain unattached. Any counters that were on it won’t be put on the new creature.

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