Romario Neto

Special Guest

Romario Neto

(Twitter: Romario Neto | Twitch: Romariovidal | Spotify: Legacy Small Talk | MTGO: romariovidal)

I first got into Magic in 1997 and have been playing actively since 2009. I have one Star City Games (SCG) Legacy Open Top 4, have made the finals of a Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO) Super Qualifier, and am pretty sure I was the first player to qualify for the Pro Tour by casting [[Doomsday]].

Sticker Goblins by Romario Neto

Main Deck
  • 4 [[Skirk Prospector]]
  • 4 [[Battle Cry Goblin]]
  • 4 [[_____ Goblin]]
  • 4 [[Broadside Bombardiers]]
  • 3 [[Goblin Matron]]
  • 3 [[Goblin Rabblemaster]]
  • 2 [[Goblin Warchief]]
  • 4 [[Simian Spirit Guide]]
  • 4 [[Goblin Ringleader]]
  • 4 [[Muxus, Goblin Grandee]]
  • 4 [[Shatterskull Smashing]]
  • 2 [[Chrome Mox]]
  • 4 [[Ancient Tomb]]
  • 4 [[Cavern of Souls]]
  • 3 [[City of Traitors]]
  • 7 [[Mountain]]
Sideboard
  • 4 [[Chalice of the Void]]
  • 2 [[Null Rod]]
  • 2 [[Unlicensed Hearse]]
  • 2 [[Blood Moon]]
  • 2 [[Faerie Macabre]]
  • 3 [[Pyrokinesis]]
How do you view Sticker Goblins versus The EPIC Storm (TES)? A straight-up drag race or is there nuance?

It is definitely a drag race. While some lists run their copies of [[Chalice of the Void]] maindeck, most do not. Even post-board, most turbo Goblin builds run only a few relevant lock pieces for decks like TES (think [[Null Rod]]), that meant to slow TES down, not win the game by themselves. No matter what, Sticker Goblins must use fast mana and ramp to power out threats as quickly as possible or apply pressure alongside relevant lock pieces quickly.

Is Sticker Goblins a stompy deck, a combo deck, or something in between? Does it vary depending on the hand you keep?

I view Sticker Goblins in the stompy/aggro family. You can certainly play the deck like a combo deck — [[_____ Goblin]] and [[Muxus, Goblin Grandee]] are usually enough to win. [[Goblin Matron]] can tutor the missing half of that A + B combo. I’m likely to do that if I know the game isn’t going long, but Sticker Goblins can certainly win off of cards like [[Goblin Rabblemaster]] deployed early without an ”I win” button.

It definitely varies based on the type of hand I keep. Unlike on MTGO, paper pilots know exactly how much mana [[_____ Goblin]] will make. Therefore, paper pilots can make more informed mulligan decisions that can lend it more toward the combo end of the spectrum.

How fast are you trying to win the game against a combo deck like TES? Pre-board, do you keep a “slower” hand for any reason?

I usually try to present a turn two or three goldfish kill. [[Force of Will]], [[Wasteland]], and [[Daze]] are popular cards, so any slower hand I keep will try to beat those kinds of cards with tools like [[Cavern of Souls]]. If I know you’re on TES, I’m always looking to kill as fast as possible.

How do you identify a combo opponent? What key indicators tip off TES? How does it impact your game plan?

Cards like [[Thoughtseize]], and, in particular, [[Duress]], alongside dual lands are always a pretty good tell my opponent might be on Storm. Similarly, aggressive plays like turn one [[Brainstorm]] are also telling. Once I have this read, I’m throwing caution to the wind and being more aggressive in how I use my copies of [[_____ Goblin]].

[[Broadside Bombardiers]] has made a huge impact for Goblins. How has it impacted your overall gameplan, particularly vs. earlier turbo iterations with [[_____ Goblin]]? What did you cut for it, and does this benefit TES?

[[Broadside Bombardiers]] took the place of some of our less efficient threats like [[Pashalik Mons]] and [[Sling-Gang Lieutenant]]. Sticker Goblins is faster and more capable of dealing damage with fewer cards I think this improves our combo matchup overall.

What is your sideboard plan against TES?

My longer-game cards like [[Goblin Ringleader]] come out. My lock pieces come in; [[Chalice of the Void]], [[Null Rod]], [[Unlicensed Hearse]], and [[Faerie Macabre]]. Given that I’m running more than four lock pieces right now, my next cuts are usually [[Goblin Matron]] — taking a turn off to tutor is generally not in my best interest against fast combo.


What hands do you like to see post-board against TES? Is there a specific card you always want to see?

I’m hoping for a hand with a hate piece that can make three mana by turn two with some goblins. Generally, that gets there, or at least gives me a fighting chance. Barring that, I would accept something like a turn one [[Muxus, Goblin Grandee]] to high roll into a surprise kill. I’m much more willing to try this on a higher mulligan in paper, because I’ll know exactly how much mana I’m getting off [[_____ Goblin]].

Post-board against a known Storm opponent, are you trying to go faster or slower than you would in the dark? Why?

The exact turn I expect to kill isn’t something I track, but against TES I’m always trying to end the game as quickly as possible. That’s the case for any deck where I’m not expecting my opponent to interact with [[_____ Goblin]]. Against an unknown opponent, I may try to play it safer in pre-board games, but once I know you’re on TES, I’m drag racing.

Sticker Goblins can threaten a true turn-one kill via [[Muxus, Goblin Grandee]] off fast mana sources (including [[_____ Goblin]]). Is it reasonable for TES to fear this?

I’d be much more worried about this in paper. This is a low-roll on turn one in paper if you have access to a [[_____ Goblin]] that can make six . The MTGO version of [[_____ Goblin]] is higher variance since you don’t know how much mana it makes until after it rolls a d6 on resolution. If it’s what I’ve got to work with, I’ll play to my outs, but I wouldn’t view 3 mana, [[Muxus, Goblin Grandee]], and a [[_____ Goblin]] as a guaranteed turn-one kill online.


Any final thoughts, comments, plugs, or shoutouts?

Thank you for having me on! I love talking Legacy. As someone who has played Storm in the past, this was a pleasure. I want to give a big shout out to the Goblins discord channel — a friendly group of players who have helped me out a lot with the deck — and my podcast co-hosts, Mike and Jared.


Thanks to Romario Neto for joining us Through the Looking Glass and reminding me why I need to win the die roll more often. Do as I say, not as I do!

Bang bang, Tendrils gang. See you next month.