With only Goblin Balloon Brigade and Mons’s Goblin Raiders, the Goblin tribe had humble origins and by all accounts was not as competitively viable as its counterpart, merfolk. While maybe not the most crucial building block of Magic, I think the existence of tribal incentives in Alpha was an important element to solidify it as a part of the history of the game. While a lot of people are very aware of them due to their iconic appearances from planes like Ravnica, Lorwyn, Mirrodin, and Ixalan to best outline what I mean, I think we need to look at an unfiltered and complete examination of their history.įrom the very beginning, Goblins were given the tribal treatment in Alpha with a lord-effect in Goblin King, who was joined by Lord of Atlantis and Zombie Master. Today, I want to talk about what makes the deck so nostalgic for me, how the deck has evolved from its dormant state a year ago, and talk about some hidden gems. To me, Ib captures a lot of what I love about the Goblin tribe, even if they don’t make for the most consistent build. Whereas other goblin generals have entered into the format and really stolen the spotlight from my favorite tactical mastermind, I have never chosen to seriously consider them as the appropriate replacements for the old veteran. This is what has allowed decks like Doran, the Siege Tower, Shattergang Brothers, and the subject of today’s discussion, Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician to stick around as ever-evolving decks for most of the last ten years.

While I don’t think continuity with a deck is something that is essential to appreciating Commander, I have personally gotten a lot of joy out of exploring old concepts through the lens of new cards on a semi-annual basis. Prominently, the frequent influx of new staples into Commander has created an environment where a deck surviving in any form for more than a few years has become a bit of an outdated concept. As someone who has born witness to the last decade of Commander, I have seen a lot of fads and deck-building principles come and go.

Ib the game the gang