Hey @Liquidebeaver. I was here like, a year ago building my own IB deck but then I came across yours and found a ton of great cards and ended up going with a lot of them. I have made a ton of changes to the decklist I started with, but it still looks pretty similar to yours in a lot of ways. You don't know my meta, but the issue I'm having right now is I just feel a little too slow, and if I get knocked down from an explosion, it takes a lot of time to catch back up (depending on the circumstances of course). Now this is mostly meta-specific, I know, but I'm trying to fit some cards in that will help with that. How do you think cards like Ward of Bones , Smokestack , Damping Engine , Ruination , and Sundial of the Infinite fit into IB? http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/25-05-19-ib-halfheart/?cb=1558808303 here is my list for reference but I don't expect you to go in and look at it, it's there just in case. I've said it here before, but huge fan, IB is my favorite commander, even when I was playing with my un-upgraded kind of jank version of him. You put a lot of work into this and it reflects!

Ashen0ne: The Goblin Engineer is interesting, but I think it would take a bit more building around to make sure you can capitalize on it. Definitely something to consider if you are running a variation with more low cost artifacts!

I've been pretty busy since War of the Spark came out, so I haven't had a chance to sleeve up new Krenko or Kaya, but as soon as I do I will update the decklist and let everyone know how it went!

CyferHey! I took a look at your deck, and from what I can tell (as you said, I don't know your meta) I think you may just need to tweak your playstyle more than your deck. First off though, here is what I would switch up:

Creatures

Treasure Nabber : If you got this from my list, it was really just to troll my playgroup. It turned out they didn't have enough manarocks to be able to justify Nabber, and Lattice is expensive, and sets you up to fall victim to it yourself. If your meta has a lot of manarocks it may help, but this would be the first thing I cut.

Are you running the Goblin Goliath from your maybeboard? If not, definitely do that! It is very, very strong.

Enchantments

Vicious Shadows : I've never really liked this card, especially since I was always trying to stay so low to the ground, run as lean as possible on lands, and be able to rebuild after wipes. Maybe a Boggart Shenanigans in it's place? It won't hit as hard, but it will be a lot easier to get down, and can still be used politically.

Raid Bombardment is one of my core cards, and has won me a huge number of games. You don't get a lot of combat steps (for many reasons), so you have to make each one hit as hard as possible!

I would also considered switching to Snow-Lands (price should drop a lot with Modern Horizon printing) and getting Glacial Crevasses . It is seriously strong, and has saved my ass and helped stall until I could rebuild a number of times.

Instants

Fork Reverberate : I originally wasn't too keen on these, but added them almost on a whim, and I have been very happy with them so far. Being able to protect a cast of Blasphemous Act or doubling a Price of Progress or Goblin War Strike is huge.

Sorceries

Reforge the Soul : Honestly something I would like to revisit is having more wheels. I definitely like Memory Jar the most out of all of them, but Wheel of Fate / Wheel of Fortune and Reforge are something I want to try again. It's been a long time since I had Fortune in the deck.

Lands

Only suggestion is Ancient Tomb , the recent reprint dropped the price significantly. I especially your Valakut.

Planeswalkers

No issues here. Are you liking the Chandra?

Artifacts

Based on what you are already running, I think this is where you could have the most impact.

Expedition Map : I don't think this is as good unless we can recur it a lot.

Gauntlet of Power : Not a bad include, especially for the little buff, and would help rebuild more quickly after wipes, or more safely sac a few more mountains without losing mana output.

Ghirapur Orrery : I ran this for a long time, and ultimately ended up removing it because of just how rarely it would actually help me. My biggest struggle is having cards in hand AT ALL, not wishing I could cast something on someone else's turn. Maybe you have more luck with it than I did.

A few more mana rocks would help with safely saccing lands or rebuilding after a wipe. Crypt is costly, but maybe Mana Vault , or one of the plethora of 3 cost ones? Alternatively, Treasonous Ogre can be fantastic, and generates mana at instant speed! Maybe even Curse of Opulence

Rings of Brighthearth : I wish this wasn't as expensive, because I seriously get a lot of use out of this. A backup to Illusionist's Bracers that also hits a lot of things bracers can't is really, really nice. Maybe a Sculpting Steel if you don't want to drop that much on the Rings?

Spine of Ish Sah : I ran this, as well as the 7 cost instant version, for a very long time. This is a very hard slot to fill, and I wouldn't say I've ever been completely settled on the non-artifact removal portion. Chaos Warp is obviously a staple, and I've even tested Haphazard Bombardment for some non-enchantment hate, but I'm hoping Modern Horizons will get us some red or colorless stuff to work with.

As far as the list of other artifacts you are considering:

Ward of Bones : I'm leery of most non-Goblin cards over 5 mana, but this seems good if you can get a bit more ramp in the deck (mana rocks mostly).

Smokestack : I tried this at one point and that fact that it is symmetrical ended up being too hard to fight out from underneath. I would be more apt to run a Mana Web (which I am actively trying to get back in the deck) for disruption, and a form of protection on my turn. The number of spells I cast on opponent's turn is like... two (fork/reverb).

Damping Engine I would run this before I would run Ward. It's better in almost every way I think.

Ruination : Strictly a playgroup thing. My choice to go with "mass land dysfunction" instead of destruction was for in game politics, and also personal preference.

Sundial of the Infinite : What things would you want Sundial to help with?

As far as other protection based artifact suggestions, I would say Meekstone and Crawlspace would be my first picks. I also enjoyed Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs for this purpose, and he is protecting a mountain pass, perfect!

That's all I can think of for now. Let me know what you think!

Wow, thanks for the huge reply. Let me work through this-

Treasure Nabber : so, I did in fact get this idea from an older version of your decklist and I've ran with it ever since. Essentially my deck has turned into IB/artifact tomfoolery as an alternate wincon. I have won quite a few games with the Mycosynth Lattice , Nabber, Blood Moon combo, because my playgroup is heavily non-basic dependent and nothing feels better than saccing my new-found artifact mountains I just stole. Goblin Trashmaster has also came in really clutch with the Lattice and so has Goblin Welder . Hellkite Tyrant also fits into this theme but I haven't had a chance to use it yet, it's my most recent addition to the deck. And of course Daretti, Scrap Savant ties it all nicely together, I've had her emblem out a few times, which is pretty much game winning with a Lattice on board. With all of that said, the Artifact theme in this deck is highly up for debate right now in my mind and people I've asked. I'm very much on the fence about keeping the Lattice and Nabber in myself, and if they go then Hellkite most definitely goes. Also Lattice+ Vandalblast has pulled me out of many lost games and turned them into resounding victories (I also used to run Shattering Spree ).

Goblin Goliath : He is not being used. I have been on the fence about putting him in for a while now. I don't really know what to remove, and he is a lot of mana to utilize if I want to use him (he'd be a fat removal target for my meta, so I'd have to use him ASAP). I definitely want him in though, he's a strong contender.

Vicious Shadows : this is also a new addition. Boggart Shenanigans is great but I've never really made it work too well outside of like, two wins that I can recall. Shadows is expensive, but with Gauntlet of Power , Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx (which I can reliably grab with an Expedition Map , that cost is almost negligible, for a lot more disgusting effect. But like I said, new addition, I don't know if it is worth a crap or not yet. With the cost in mind, I do plan on running an Extraplanar Lens when I upgrade to Snow lands, alongside the Gauntlet and a Shrine to Nyx, high mana costs with very few lands aren't usually much of an issue. But if Shadows falls flat a few times I am definitely putting Shenanigans back in I think. The potential is just too high for both cards.

Raid Bombardment : So I used to run this one. I like it in theory a lot, and I want to find a spot to put it back in, I just haven't seen it with great results usually. Granted, that was with different playgroup then now, where typically me swinging with goblins means they die in vain, whereas I was much more likely to win with a Goblin Bombardment , which is my baby, and I have used with Shenanigans as well to win games.

Glacial Crevasses : it's been on my radar for a long time. It is 100% the next upgrade for my deck, I was just hesitant to spend so much on snow lands for a long time, since I am still not sold on how many I need exactly. Frankly I think I made a mistake holding off on this particular upgrade for so long (like I mentioned, I've been following this decklist for over a year now after I built my first iteration of IB).

Reverberate / Fork / Wild Ricochet : I love the idea, I really do, but I ran them in my deck for a long time and have hardly used them to any meaningful effect. Ricochet is never going back in, but Reverberate and Fork I want to keep/put in, I just noticed they were usually dead in hand. They're near the top of the list of card I'll put back in, it's just finding space for them. I've never drawn into a game winning combo with them unfortunately, but the theory behind keeping them is solid.

Reforge the Soul : I used to run it, then took it out because I just didn't utilize it enough. Memory Jar is one of my more recent upgrades and I am a big fan. I just put Reforge back in because of Vicious Shadows . Time will tell if I keep either, since Slate of Ancestry also usually ended up falling flat for me.

Ancient Tomb : is also scheduled for the next round of upgrades, thanks for the suggestion! Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle does work, and I think I will also be ordering a Bloodstained Mire with it as well.

Chandra, Fire Artisan : Love her, would highly recommend. Cards effects like Commune with Lava are awesome, and have usually always performed well in this deck. Added to that is the fact that I don't have to spend mana for that option past the first turn to cast her, and she is also another target that distracts from myself, and if I can ult her (I haven't been able to yet) then it's just icing on the cake.

Expedition Map : Yeah frankly I think this is kind of a bad pick too, thinking about it now. It's mainly just in there for Nykthos, since Nykthos is a little more critical now that my average curve has gone up a tad bit. Another mana rock would probably suit me better and more consistently. I know you mentioned a Mana Vault , but what else do you think? I am thinking Basalt Monolith , Gilded Lotus , or a Thran Dynamo . Leaning heavily towards the Monolith and Gilded Lotus. Granted, they're more expensive to get out than Vault, but the 4 cost associated with Vault kind of puts me off of it, idk.

Ghirapur Orrery : I think you have this mixed up with Vedalken Orrery . Ghirapur is super value for me, letting me sac two lands, then play those two lands with Crucible of Worlds , and I'm also frequently out of cards in hand. I'd be willing to remove it for a similar effect though, if I knew one that existed.

Curse of Opulence : I like it, great suggestion.

Rings of Brighthearth : I've wanted this card for ages and kept putting it off because of price, and now it's even more expensive. RIP. I do want to add it asap. Not sure what I would do with Sculpting Steel

Spine of Ish Sah : I want to change this but I can't justify it. It just combos with Welder too well. But Scour from Existence has been on my mind for a long time now solely for the exiling. Haphazard Bombardment seems awesome tbh, that might get picked up by me eventually.

I thought more about it, and you're right, I think Damping Engine is the superior option. It will probably be going in. How do you feel about Door of Destinies ?

Sundial of the Infinite : My meta runs a lot of board wipes, but tbh thinking about it, they don't often cast them on my turn, so this is probably largely useless for me.

Meekstone has always hindered me more than helped me, and not super useful in my meta, but I think it's high time Crawlspace made a return. Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs is actually insane, that may beat out Crawlspace for me. Wow.

Bottom line is I am heavily thinking about scrapping the heavy artifact theme and going with a more focused deck. I'm just hesitant because the cards in question have won me many games.

Cyfer

Yeah it sounds like your playgroup is much more fitting for Lattice, and having Hellkite Tyrant would definitely help make it a lot more potent. I like it.

The biggest benefit of Goblin Goliath is being able to cast him off of Goblin Lackey / Moggcatcher / Warren Instigator to save on his mana cost, which is why I like him most out of all the damage increasers available.

Raid Bombardment really helped me shore up my games against the defensive players that could either chump block a lot of my Goblins, reduced all their combat damage to zero, etc. The fact that almost no fog can prevent the damage since it isn't combat damage is huge too.

Out of the 3 rocks, I definitely like Thran Dynamo the most. Good balance of CMC and output, and being all colorless is hardly a problem since it is so easy to get mountains out.

Definitely confused Ghirapur Orrery with Vedalken, haha. Sculpting Steel would be for copying Illusionist's Bracers to kind of make up for the fact that Rings of Brighthearth is so expensive, but the fact that it can also copy mana rocks, or anything when Lattice is out fits pretty well with the deck you have right now.

I wish I got to utilize Goblin Welder more than I do, but my playgroup hates on it more than a lot of my other Goblins because a Daretti deck used to be in the playgroup, and my original deck had a lot more artifacts. Being able to recur things like Spine of Ish Sah would be a welcome change.

I am leery to run any more anthem effects like Door of Destinies , mostly because of things like Ensnaring Bridge being common in my meta, and getting to cast Raid Bombardment so frequently. I definitely like Door more than something like Coat of Arms though, haha.

For Sundial of the Infinite , I think if you had a bunch of effects like Final Fortune or Glorious End it would be a lot more useful, but almost all the board wipes you would be worried about are sorcery speed, and you can turn people off to the idea of instant speed removal with a Mana Web or even a Defense Grid .

Kazuul really is insane. I'm questioning why I took him out and I really don't remember. Crawlspace would be what I add first, but Kazuul would definitely be next in line.

Liquidbeaver

Well I've been agonizing over it and I think I'm going to take out the Lattice anyway. It only exists to enable combos, which seems kind of like a dead card, plus it has negative synergy with Blood Moon and its Magus.

I really like Thran Dynamo , but have you ever considered that Basalt Monolith goes infinite with Rings of Brighthearth ? Not that we really need infinite mana but it's just an extra interaction that can help us cast our spells with limited mountains at our disposal.

Tbh with Lattice going away I will probably get rid of Goblin Welder . And undeniable solid card, I hardly get to use him like I would like to. I do encounter a ton of manarocks at my LGS and in my playgroup so I may keep Treasure Nabber , but all he usually accomplishes is painting a target on my head, so he may get scrapped later. With that being said I think I see the potential for Scour from Existence more than Spine of Ish Sah . Being able to stop things at instant speed is just too important. My LGS is flooded with reanimation, and being able to exile a critical piece at a critical moment is more valuable to me I think.

I think I may put a Mana Web back in the deck, I'm seeing a lot of Chromatic Lantern and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth .

Final Fortune is definitely something I will consider, since often times all I need is one more turn to end someone before they catch back up and blow be back to where I can no longer compete. But I also can't really find anything else I want in that has synergy with Sundial of the Infinite so that and Sundial is probably out.

I like Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs better I think, I get to sac those creatures with Goblin Bombardment and Vicious Shadows will trigger off of them as well. Also triggers Purphoros, God of the Forge and Impact Tremors .

Why do you run Fervor over Hammer of Purphoros ? I guess it's just harder to remove?

I never realized Shared Animosity doesn't stop Raid Bombardment and gets around things like Ensnaring Bridge , that's a silly oversight on my part.

Why Burnished Hart over Solemn Simulacrum ? I would think because of the two mountains that Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician can immediately utilize but I feel like card advantage is something this deck needs. Also Simulacrum is ridiculous if Feldon of the Third Path finds his way back into the deck, which I think he deserves because he can recur more Haste effects, ETB goblin triggers, and also works awesome with Rings and Illusionist's Bracers . He's just 6 mana for all of that which is a little hefty.

Cyfer I think if my deck was built to take advantage of infinite mana I would definitely do it, but right now I have no mana sinks, which is also why I don't run Mana Echoes .

I really liked Scour from Existence , and it will probably make it's way back in if no solid removal comes out in MH.

I would only run Final Fortune type effects if you do the Sundial thing. In place of that, I would give Aggravated Assault a try. Your deck and the changes you are talking about would allow you to make more mana than I can, which would mean infinite combats if you start with enough tokens and OG Krenko on the board.

Kazuul tokens for Ashnod's is definitely a huge plus. You're making me want to run it again! Haha.

Harder to remove is exactly why I run Fervor over Hammer, my playgroup has a good amount of artifact hate, which is also why I have leaned out my artifacts over the years.

Yeah the Raid Bombardment / Shared Animosity combo is brutal. I bet I've won something like 90% of the games where I get both out.

The deck, and monored period, has the hardest time with card advantage. Unfortunately the best cards red has access to fix that are artifacts or wheels. Mind's Eye or Slate of Ancestry are probably the two best artifacts. Having Rings, Bracers, and Goblin Welder definitely make Burnished Hart more potent, I've just always had great luck with it, and ran Sad Robot for a while and never really felt the impact to the same degree, but I didn't have any artifact recursion. I am also thinking about Feldon again, I don't think I gave him enough time to try to work.

I finally built my Ib deck. I am just starting to get the hang of it. There are so many sweet things you can do and so many slippery answers to threats. Thank you again for the Primer and all the work you put in on this deck.

I've been wanting to build this deck for years so . . . Ib’s about time )-(.

paytongamer That is awesome! I never would have thought the silly deck that I started would morph into a deck that other people would actually want to play. It makes me very happy when people build it out and then tell me about it, and I can't believe that I am in any way in the center of serious Ib decks.

I hope you have as much fun with it is as I have. Let me know if you have any questions or ideas!

Wow this Goblin is awesome! You get a better Boggart Shenanigans effect AND a token generator? This is an auto-include.

Liquidbeaver

So I got to playtest and play with a few of the changes I made last night.

First thing's first: Experimental Frenzy , Ghirapur Orrery , and Gauntlet of Power out on the field together is absolutely nuts. Also had a Madblind Mountain for when I hit my third land like 8 cards down. Absolutely swimming in mana. I wasn't expecting Experimental Frenzy to perform as well as it did, even if I didn't have the Gauntlet it would still have been potent. Damping Engine resoundingly out for Mana Web . Sure, it was nice having the Engine to slow my opponents down a tad, and sac a mountain so that I could just Crucible of Worlds it right back, but I really would have preferred the Web when playing against Baral, Chief of Compliance . I took out Mycosynth Lattice , Goblin Welder , Treasure Nabber , Hellkite Tyrant , and Spine of Ish Sah , and didn't feel their presence missing at all. Shared Animosity was immediately removed by Ashen Rider

How do you feel about Chandra, Torch of Defiance ? I also really want to make a spot for Goblin Wizard but my deck is really starting to compete for spots, I don't feel like there are any dead cards 99% of the time, and I probably don't need him anyway.

Cyfer Glad to hear it went so well!

I love Frenzy, and I don't even have Orrery or Gauntlet to power through it. I can't name a time I didn't go at least 3 cards deep each time.

Yeah Animosity is kill-on-sight for my playgroup, and Raid Bombardment with it now that I've shown them what little it takes to get the ball rolling with my deck.

My playgroup has an oppressive super friends deck, and lots of planeswalker heavy decks, so the amount of planeswalker hate is huge. I didn't even run Daretti for a long time because I was only ever getting to use his ability once most of the time. I'm not sure that I've ever been able to ulti any planeswalker, in any of my decks, so I just ran fewer and fewer of them. I think Chandra TOD is probably the second best planeswalker we can run, besides that new Jaya.

As for your Goblin Wizard comment, I felt the same way about never really having dead cards, I really worked hard to get it to a point where I can play everything I draw and have it impact the battlefield in some manner, so cutting cards right now is exhausting trying to pick things. What I realized though, is that none of my cuts are drastic, so they can't make the deck bad all of a sudden, it can just make it play different, so now that is why I cut cards (unless strictly better versions of something come out). I cut and re-add cards all the time ( Goblin Assassin for instance) not because it sucks, but because I got to play it a few times and now I want to run something else for a bit. I would say my actual deck is probably somewhere near 120 cards that all get rotated out, but what you see here is the core. It's also why I update the decklist so much, so I can give people insight into the different ways you could build out the deck, but what the core kind of needs to be.

Thought about it more, and I will definitely be running Goblin Engineer . I may even add another piece of artifact recursion to take advantage of it, because it hits all but one of my artifacts, and can recur Burnished Hart to boot.

Hi, I'm a big fan of your work and your primer was the initial inspiration for my own Ib Halfheart deck. I noticed that you had taken a look at someone else's deck and I would greatly appreciate it if you did so for mine. I know it takes a lot of work, so if you can't or it takes some time to get back to me I totally understand. Anyway, thanks a lot for the great primers! Hope I can keep checking back on them and see new updates and insights!

Forgot to add the link... https://archidekt.com/decks/95269#Copy_of_-_Ib,_gobby_bois My apologies.

This is a very good draw engine for us. It's a shame we can't get more than Crucible of Worlds for recursion, but I would still not hesitate to include this. It is huge for mono-red and boros decks.

Finally got some time to sit down and work through upgrades, and I am pretty happy with how it went.

Goblin War Party in for Beetleback Chief . I've never been that happy with ol' BBC (huehuehue) or Siege-Gang Commander for that matter. Maybe if I could recur them or capitalize on their ETB effects, but without that ability they are just costly token generators. I like the modality of War Party, and is a tiny mana sink too, which is nice.

Goblin Wizard in for Tears of Rage . Tears has been a flex slot for a while, and after Ashen0ne commented about it recently, it's really gotten me excited about the Wizard again, now that my deck works significantly better than it did when I first used him (~2 years ago).

Jaya, Venerated Firemage in for Outpost Siege . This is just a test, and Siege I've never gotten a lot of value out of. I don't normally like planeswalkers because they get hated out so quickly in my playgroup, but this is a pretty low-to-the-ground one that might stick a little easier since it doesn't have an ultimate.

Pashalik Mons in for Goblin Assassin . I love Assassin, and the flavor is hilarious and fitting for this deck, but politically I can't handle running it in my playgroup. I'm taking it out now for the same reason I did a year or so ago, people hate flipping coins or rolling dice to see if their creatures die, and when they have to do it for every Goblin I make they hate it even more, which gets me focused more than I like.

Tectonic Reformation in for Light Up the Stage . Just a stronger potential draw effect period. I'm pretty excited about this card, especially how early it comes down.

Goblin Engineer in for Insult / Injury . Not absolutely sure about this one, as I really like Insult. Maybe if Jaya doesn't work out I will put this back in her place.

Still considering Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin , but I'm trying to make sure he doesn't suffer from Goblin Piledriver Syndrome, which is that in my deck it is only good when Ib isn't out, and Ib is out pretty frequently. The fact that Krenko is worth at least 3 bodies may make him fit sort of what was the Beetleback Chief slot, with the potential that he gets better the longer he stays. Maybe I will test him before Goblin War Party just to see.

I put Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin in my deck because I pulled it right when I was finishing the build. I am making some changes and this was the first thing I cut. He’s cool, fun and I made some tokens with him. I just don’t know if the deck really needs a 2nd Krenko when the original can be absolutely explosive in a way Kingpin isn’t. I love all the potential MH1 additions you made!

So Jaya ended up being pretty meh, so Insult / Injury is back in.

Also I agree with paytongamer, new Krenko is just not good enough for this type of deck where explosiveness is key. In a playgroup where more attrition based combat without a lot of creature removal that would be different, but I really have to be able to create an army from nothing over 1 or 2 turns. Goblin War Party is now in new Krenko's spot.

Also got Goblin War Drums in. I haven't played this card in this deck since the first or second version years ago, and it may just be my playgroup shifting but it is back to being very strong for me.

I like the new additions Liquidbeaver! I still have to update my deck with things I’ve been playing around with but my ideas were generally the same as yours lol

Happy to say Ib has been terrorizing my playgroup for some time now. Taken down every other goblin deck around here so as to establish his dominance as the one true goblin king.

What do you think of Arcum's Astrolabe ? I inadvertently went a little more all-in on Artifacts when I added Goblin Engineer while not running a ton of artifacts. Is a one mana rock with an ETB that draws you a card and could become sacrifice & recursion fodder good enough to knock anything out of the deck?

Liquidbeaver, hey! love your gobo deck. Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but any thoughts on Braid of Fire ?

LordKunai: Thanks! While I really, really love the idea of Braid of Fire , you only get all that mana during your upkeep, so you have to have a lot on instants to take advantage of it. Once it goes to your draw step the mana has already drained. :(

Torbran, Thane of Red Fell looks like it'll do quite well in the deck

sdidonato: Absolutely agree! He is a perfect fit for everything our deck is trying to do, and will immediately take the place of Insult / Injury .

Ib welcomes any mountain dwellers that want to join the cause!