Blackcleave Goblin
Creature — Phyrexian Goblin Zombie
Haste
Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Scars of Mirrodin
- Price
- $0.10
- EDHREC rank
- #17521
Blackcleave Goblin hands any infect creature — most critically Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon — a guaranteed unblocked hit by paying two mana and sacrificing it on attack. The cost is real: you're trading a body for a one-turn window, so this lives or dies on whether that one poison hit closes the game.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon
Skithiryx, the Blight Dragon already demands an answer the moment it attacks, and Blackcleave Goblin turns that threat into a guaranteed 4-poison swing — or lethal with a pump spell — by stripping away the one thing opponents can do about it.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Blackcleave Goblin is a narrow card in every format, and that narrowness is sharpest in Commander, where it earns its slot almost exclusively in infect decks. Pauper is the one format where it sees niche play as a cheap evasion enabler for poison strategies, though the singleton limit in Commander makes it easier to slot in without much debate. In Legacy and Vintage it's simply outclassed — faster combo and interaction make a two-mana sorcery-speed sacrifice effect far too slow. Outside of dedicated infect, there's no reason to register Blackcleave Goblin in any 60-card format.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.10 bulk tier
At $0.10, Blackcleave Goblin is deep bulk — you'll find it in a commons box before you'd ever buy a single copy. Bulk infect enablers don't appreciate; grab the playset and forget about it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.