Goblin Assailant Lore: Clues for Magic's Future Sets

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Goblin Assailant art from Magic: The Gathering Core Set 2020

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Clues from a Tiny Goblin: How a Common Card Sparks Hints for Tomorrow's Sets

Red mana has always been the loudmouth of Magic: The Gathering, and Goblin Assailant is a perfect primer for that personality. For a tidy two-mana investment of 1R, you get a nimble 2/2 Goblin Warrior with none of the bells and whistles—no special ability, no trigger word to grip your attention. Yet this unassuming creature is a microcosm of what makes goblins so enduring: raw, chaotic momentum that can surprise you just when you think the battlefield is under control. 🧙‍♂️🔥

What he lacks in patience, intelligence, empathy, lucidity, hygiene, ability to follow orders, self-regard, and discernible skills, he makes up for in sheer chaotic violence.

The flavor text, a sharp little sentence of character, is a window into goblin culture across sets: impulsive, hilariously blunt, and relentlessly energetic. That flavor tells a story even when the card itself sits quiet on the battlefield. Goblin Assailant doesn’t try to outspeak you with complexity; it shouts in a few syllables and a loud red splash. It’s a reminder that in the Multiverse, goblins aren’t just troublemakers—they are a design template for kinetic storytelling and kinetic gameplay. 🎨⚔️

From a lore standpoint, goblins are a recurring engine of disruption. They show up across planes with a shared temperament: they leap before they look, lash out with reckless bursts of force, and somehow manage to turn even a miscalculated move into a chaotic win for their side. Goblin Assailant embodies this temperament in a compact package, existing on a plane of both narrative mischief and mechanical efficiency. As we look toward future sets, that archetype continues to be a fertile ground for story seeds. The goblin tribes can pivot from highway-hustlers to organized raiders, from lone scouts to scrappy captains, each with their own wink and their own plan for mayhem. 🧪🧙‍♂️

Design-wise, Goblin Assailant sits in the sweet spot for early red aggro: a two-drop with a sturdy 2/2 body. Its mana cost of {1}{R} is accessible, and its lack of a keyword or ability invites other cards to define the moment—pump spells, tribal synergies, or flashback-style replays that push a simple press into a crushing blow. The card’s rarity—common—speaks to a broader strategy: goblin compatibility across the curve, where each small piece nudges the next into a tempo-driven rhythm. The art by Jesper Ejsing reinforces the vibe: a sturdy, battering ram of a goblin with a kind of gleeful menace that suggests bigger chaos on its horizon. The image is not just decoration; it’s a storytelling beat that future sets can riff on, expanding goblin identities while preserving their chaotic spark. 🔥🎲

What does this hint about future sets? If you study the way goblins have been used in recent years, you’ll notice Wizards of the Coast leaning into tribal identity—yet always with room for cross-pollination: goblin bands that collide with other tribes, goblin-led raids that drive plotlines, and goblin commanders who turn chaos into cunning. Goblin Assailant is a compact clue about a larger design philosophy: red's speed and goblin ingenuity can carry a story forward without needing a heavyweight ability on every card. Expect future sets to explore more goblin voices, more goblin-led schemes, and more opportunities to pivot ordinary creatures into memorable, plane-spanning adventures. 🔥🗺️

For players, this is a reminder to keep an eye on red’s early threats and the ways goblins accumulate momentum. In limited formats, that two-power start can snowball with the right draws; in constructed, the tribe’s synergy can turn a handful of two-drop goblins into a roaring, relentless swarm. The flavor text invites us to lean into the humor and chaos, while the card’s core efficiency nudges us toward experimentation—what if you stack a goblin-centric board with cheap, aggressive pressure and a few direct-damage effects? The possibilities are as lively as a goblin parade. 🧙‍♂️💥

As you ponder the next wave of MTG lore, keep Goblin Assailant in view as a design compass: a reminder that sometimes the best storytelling comes from the simplest statement delivered with the loudest punch. The future sets will likely expand goblin narratives in surprising ways, offering new goblin personalities, new battlefields, and new ways to celebrate the joyfully anarchic energy that makes goblins so beloved. And if you need a comfortable desk companion while you strategize—well, our shop has you covered with a snug ergonomic memory foam wrist rest mouse pad. It’s not a card, but it sure helps your deck-building vibes stay smooth. 🧩🎯

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Goblin Assailant

Goblin Assailant

{1}{R}
Creature — Goblin Warrior

What he lacks in patience, intelligence, empathy, lucidity, hygiene, ability to follow orders, self-regard, and discernible skills, he makes up for in sheer chaotic violence.

ID: 8cfefb65-b6e4-44a1-baa9-d3c00ee8ba96

Oracle ID: bc654150-b051-40bd-81f8-621abbb17e91

Multiverse IDs: 469883

TCGPlayer ID: 192979

Cardmarket ID: 381327

Colors: R

Color Identity: R

Keywords:

Rarity: Common

Released: 2019-07-12

Artist: Jesper Ejsing

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 19997

Penny Rank: 15989

Set: Core Set 2020 (m20)

Collector #: 330

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — legal
  • Timeless — legal
  • Gladiator — legal
  • Pioneer — legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — not_legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.04
  • EUR: 0.03
Last updated: 2025-11-14