Goblin Researcher
Creature — Goblin Wizard
When this creature enters, exile the top card of your library. During any turn you attacked with this creature, you may play that card.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Jumpstart 2022
- Price
- $0.09
- EDHREC rank
- #24605
Goblin Researcher is a three-mana 2/2 that draws a card when it enters — the catch being that card goes to the top of your library, not your hand, making it a glorified scry stapled to a body. The card disadvantage is real, and in a format where draw slots are precious, Goblin Researcher doesn't clear the bar.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Goblin Researcher is a fringe inclusion in Goblin tribal decks that need to hit creature count thresholds, but even there it competes with strictly better options. Legacy and Vintage are legal but would never touch it — the effect is far too slow and value-negative for those formats. Pauper is the most interesting case: common-legal card filtering on a body has some marginal value in creature-dense red strategies, but the top-of-library placement rather than hand means you're templating your own future draws, not actually drawing ahead. Goblin Researcher is a draft filler card that occasionally sneaks into casual Commander lists.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.09 bulk tier
At $0.09, Goblin Researcher is pure bulk — the price reflects exactly what the card does at competitive tables, which is very little. Don't expect movement; this sits in bulk bins indefinitely.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.