Goblin Slingshot MTG Card

Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact — Contraption
Released	2017-12-08
Set symbol
Set name	Unstable
Set code	UST
Number	185
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Borderless
Illustred by	Steve Prescott
Un-set :-)	This card is part of an Un-set

Key Takeaways

Goblin Slingshot enables card advantage and clears paths for attacks by dealing multi-target damage.
Instant speed activation offers surprise tactics, turning goblins into unexpected sources of damage.
This card’s synergy with goblin-heavy decks allows for rapid resource acceleration and aggressive play.

Text of card

Whenever you crank Goblin Slingshot, creatures you control get +2/+0 and gain trample until end of turn.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When playing Goblin Slingshot, its ability to potentially deal damage to multiple targets can clear the way for your creatures to attack, indirectly contributing to maintaining board presence and hence card advantage.

Resource Acceleration: This card synergizes well with decks that rapidly produce goblins, allowing for aggressive resource acceleration as each goblin can turn into a potential source of damage.

Instant Speed: The quick nature of Goblin Slingshot’s activation can catch an opponent off-guard during combat or at the end of their turn, maximizing the utility and surprise factor of your goblins.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Goblin Slingshot comes with a drawback of requiring a card to be discarded in order to activate its ability. This cost can deplete your hand, potentially leaving you at a disadvantage during critical moments of gameplay, especially if your deck isn’t designed to capitalize on discarding.

Specific Mana Cost: The activation cost of Goblin Slingshot demands both red and generic mana, which can be restrictive. Decks that do not run heavily on red mana might struggle to consistently utilize this card, limiting its versatility across various strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With the current pool of cards available, the mana investment for Goblin Slingshot might be considered high compared to other options. This can be a significant hindrance in fast-paced games where efficiency is key, as players might prefer to use those resources for casting creatures or spells that have an immediate impact on the board state.

Reasons to Include Goblin Slingshot in Your Collection

Versatility: Goblin Slingshot offers a dynamic option for various strategies, seamlessly integrating into decks that aim to capitalize on creature synergies and aggressive plays.

Combo Potential: This card can easily become a key component in your deck, facilitating impressive combinations with damage multipliers or other goblin-related cards to create powerful and game-ending interactions.

Meta-Relevance: With its ability to potentially alter board states and supplement aggressive tactics, Goblin Slingshot finds its place against a diverse range of decks, asserting its value in a meta that’s constantly evolving and keeping opponents on their toes.

How to beat

Goblin Slingshot is a dynamic card that can add a lot of firepower to your opponent’s battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. Known for its ability to boost goblin tokens, this card operates by amplifying the attack force of seemingly lesser threats. However, there are strategies to counter this surge in power. Cards like Electrickery or Pyroclasm can be played to clear out numerous goblin tokens at once, nullifying the Slingshot’s potential. Artifacts removal, such as Naturalize or Disenchant, directly target and eliminate the Slingshot, immediately reducing the offensive capability of your adversary’s goblins.

Another effective strategy is to preemptively control the board state by using sweepers like Wrath of God or Damnation to keep the number of goblins in check before Slingshot even comes into play. Additionally, employing spot removal spells on key goblin tokens can minimize the threat, removing the potential for exponential damage. It’s also wise to keep counterspells handy for when your opponent attempts to cast Goblin Slingshot, preventing it from influencing the game altogether.

When playing against Goblin Slingshot, maintaining board control and having the right removal at the right time can make all the difference. An agile and responsive deck can often mitigate the risk posed by this impactful card, ensuring the scales of victory remain balanced.

Cards like Goblin Slingshot

Goblin Slingshot is a novel twist on the creature-buffing arsenal within Magic: The Gathering, offering a comparison to cards like Goblin Bushwhacker. Both energize your goblin troops, but Goblin Slingshot takes a distinct path by converting goblins into direct damage dealers rather than combat enhancers. Where Goblin Bushwhacker opts to bolster your squad temporarily, Slingshot makes your goblins a persistent threat to your opponent’s life total.

Analogous to Goblin Grenade, another red staple, Goblin Slingshot provides a reuse of goblin-fueled firepower. While Grenade sacrifices goblins for a burst of damage, Slingshot applies pressure by repeatedly leveraging your goblin herd for continual damage output. The strategic variation comes into play: do you go for the one-off explosive impact, or the gradual, more controlled siege?

In the grand scheme, Goblin Slingshot introduces a strategic layer to the goblin archetype. It amplifies the race’s characteristic swarming strategy, rewarding the player for a densely populated board. As with any MTG strategy, it shines in the right deck composition, promising to be another favorite tool for goblin enthusiasts.

Cards similar to Goblin Slingshot by color, type and mana cost

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Goblin Slingshot MTG card by a specific set like Unstable, 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 Goblin Slingshot and other MTG cards:

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Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2018-01-19	Any Contraption that’s on the battlefield and wasn’t assembled immediately heads to the scrapyard. However, if it’s a not an actual Contraption card (like Copy Artifact isn’t), it goes to your graveyard as normal. Non-Contraption cards can’t be in the scrapyard.
2018-01-19	At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control any Contraptions, move the CRANK! counter to the next sprocket. You may then crank any number of Contraptions on that sprocket, causing their abilities to trigger. Cranking a Contraption is always optional.
2018-01-19	Contraptions are artifacts. Anything that interacts with artifacts will interact with Contraptions.
2018-01-19	Contraptions aren’t put into your main deck. They go into a separate deck called the Contraption deck.
2018-01-19	If a Contraption would leave the battlefield and go to any zone other than exile, it instead goes to the scrapyard, the Contraption deck’s version of the graveyard. Things that affect the graveyard do not affect the scrapyard. You can exile Contraptions just fine.
2018-01-19	If you crank multiple Contraptions, their abilities can be put onto the stack in any order. The ability put onto the stack will resolve first.
2018-01-19	If you or a permanent you control are instructed to assemble a Contraption, reveal the top card of your Contraption deck. Put it onto the battlefield on one of the three sprockets.
2018-01-19	If you or a permanent you control assembles a Contraption and your Contraption deck is empty, nothing happens. You don’t lose the game.
2018-01-19	In Constructed formats, a Contraption deck must have at least fifteen different Contraption cards and no more than one of each.
2018-01-19	In Limited formats, a Contraption deck may include any number of Contraption cards in your card pool. You don’t have to include every Contraption card you draft or open in sealed deck. In those formats, your Contraption deck may include duplicates.
2018-01-19	In silver-bordered games using Contraptions, you have three sprockets, illustrated on the back of Contraption cards. At the start of the game, put a CRANK! counter on sprocket 3.
2018-01-19	While Contraptions you control are on the battlefield, the Contraption deck is not, even if you are using it to signify the three sprockets.