Goblin Boarders
Creature — Goblin Pirate
Raid — This creature enters with a +1/+1 counter on it if you attacked this turn.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Foundations
- Price
- $0.17
- EDHREC rank
- #16062
Goblin Boarders is a 3/2 for three mana that deals damage to a player equal to the number of artifacts they control — a punisher effect that scales off opponents' boards, not yours. Playable in dedicated Goblin tribal, but barely; outside that context, it's outclassed by nearly every other three-drop option.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Goblin Boarders is legal everywhere but finds a home almost nowhere. In Commander, the punisher damage rarely closes a game and opponents with few artifacts will simply ignore it — three mana for a 3/2 with conditional upside is not a trade worth making in a 40-life format. In Pauper, efficient commons fill the three-drop slot far better, and in Modern or Pioneer the power floor is simply too high for Goblin Boarders to compete. Legacy and Vintage have no interest. If there's a niche at all, it's casual Goblin tribal Commander where the tribal subtype earns it a roster spot by default.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.17 bulk tier
At $0.17, Goblin Boarders is deep bulk — the price reflects exactly what the market thinks of it. There's no trajectory here worth watching; it's a draft-chaff rare that you pick up incidentally, not intentionally.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.