Why Conduit Goblin Became MTG's Cult Favorite

In TCG ·

Conduit Goblin artwork from Modern Horizons 3 featuring a mischievous goblin on a stormy field

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Conduit Goblin: A Two-Cost Sparkplug That Captivated MTG Fans

Goblins have long been the heart and chaos engine of Magic’s multiplayer table, and Conduit Goblin arrived with a spark that felt both familiar and delightfully fresh 🧙‍♂️🔥. Hailing from Modern Horizons 3, this red-white two-mana creature—a nimble 2/2 Goblin Warrior—wields a tiny, ticking energy economy that invites clever timing and bold play. On entry, you don’t just get a card—you get two energy counters, little charges you can spend later to unleash a faster, flashier board state. It’s the kind of design that rewards improvisation and punishes passivity, a goblin hallmark if there ever was one ⚡️🎲.

That energy gets interesting quickly. At the start of combat on your turn, you may pay one energy counter to push your battlefield forward: another target creature you control gains +1/+0 and haste until end of turn. The effect is simple on the surface, but it opens up dozens of micro-play possibilities. Do you push a go-wide board for a lethal alpha strike? Do you accelerate a critical blocker into a forced trade? Do you threaten a surprising finisher by granting haste to a surprise attacker? The mana cost and color pairing—{R}{W}—puts Conduit Goblin squarely in the camp of fast-paced, tempo-forward decks that love to push pressure in the early turns while developing a spark of drama in the late game 🧨🧭.

What makes it a cult favorite?

  • Accessible energy synergy: Conduit Goblin introduces energy as a flexible resource in a bite-sized package. The two energy you gain on ETB isn’t flashy in isolation, but it becomes a catalyst for tempo plays that feel both clever and satisfying. The card’s mana efficiency combined with a tactical payoff creates a memorable pivot between early aggression and midgame creativity 🧭.
  • Two colors, two moods: The red-white identity invites aggro-cleanup strategies, alpha strikes, and careful protection of fragile boards. It sits comfortably in Modern Horizons 3’s broader theme of inventive, draft-friendly interactions while still being a practical pick in Commander circles thanks to its flexibility and legality in multiple formats (Historic, Modern, Commander, etc.) 🔥💎.
  • Budget-friendly charm: With nonfoil and foil variants hovering around a few pennies to a few dimes in real-world markets, Conduit Goblin is an approachable favorite for budget builds that want a memorable payoff without breaking the bank. The common rarity design makes it a popular pick for cube drafters and new players alike 🎯.
  • Flavor and lore that stick: The flavor text—“Warned against wearing metal in a lightning storm, Smurt took it as a challenge”—gives the goblin a mischievous personality that fans love to quote while piloting spicy builds. Bruno Biazotto’s art captures that chaotic charm, a grin-and-spark moment that sticks in memory long after the game ends 🎨.
  • Deck-building room and cross-pollination: The card’s synergy with other energy-related cards, like Energy Reserve, invites players to explore cross-set interactions. It’s not just about the numbers; it’s about weaving a tiny story of energy tokens, quick boosts, and perhaps a surprise victory lap. The result is a flavorful, flexible game piece that delights casual playgroups and high-level brewers alike 🧙‍♂️⚔️.

From a design perspective, Conduit Goblin embodies the joy of Modern Horizons 3’s “draft-innovation” mindset. It’s a creature that asks you to think two steps ahead: how many energy counters can you accumulate across turns, and which creature deserves the temporary surge of speed to close out the game? The answer is often the unassuming frontline creature you’ve been preserving, or a new attacker you’ve been waiting to unleash. That anticipation is where the cult status begins to bloom—the sense that this little goblin is quietly orchestrating bigger turns than its stat line would imply 💎.

In Commander circles, the card shines as a resilient, color-pairable option that can squeeze out value in creature-heavy boards. The presence of a second license in the form of energy counters—paired with the option to grant haste to another creature—invites creative lines of play that keep opponents guessing. It’s not the most over-the-top finisher, but it earns its keep through tempo, resilience, and the kind of clever interactions that players remember long after the match ends. And yes, those who adore goblins as a flavor will find Conduit Goblin a perfect, cheeky avatar for that chaos-wrapped-with-bright-spirit vibe 🧙‍♂️🔥.

For collectors and competitors alike, the card’s real-world footprint helps fuel its cult status. The Modern Horizons 3 set adds a modern twist to an iconic archetype, with a design that rewards both careful budget-minded play and spicy, improvisational brews. If you’re chasing that quintessential goblin moment—an early drop that snowballs into a later-game surprise—Conduit Goblin is a tidy reminder that MTG’s best moments often come from clever economics and a dash of lightning in a bottle ⚡️🎲.

And while the card itself is a humble common, its impact on players’ memory banks is anything but. It’s the kind of card that shows up in deck lists, cube drafts, and casual games with a story attached—a tiny engine with a big grin, a spark that keeps the table lively and the banter flowing 😄. If you’re looking to add a dash of chaotic charm to your red-white builds, Conduit GoblinIs a short, sharp reminder that sometimes the best engines come in the most unassuming packages 🧨.

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Conduit Goblin

Conduit Goblin

{R}{W}
Creature — Goblin Warrior

When this creature enters, you get {E}{E} (two energy counters).

At the beginning of combat on your turn, you may pay {E}. If you do, another target creature you control gets +1/+0 and gains haste until end of turn.

Warned against wearing metal in a lightning storm, Smurt took it as a challenge.

ID: 5c9ad04d-c4d4-4d06-93bb-a881be733717

Oracle ID: 0d3a38ff-4b75-4e97-9d8f-c54f441f8208

Multiverse IDs: 662331

TCGPlayer ID: 552636

Cardmarket ID: 771530

Colors: R, W

Color Identity: R, W

Keywords:

Rarity: Common

Released: 2024-06-14

Artist: Bruno Biazotto

Frame: 2015

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 17777

Penny Rank: 10742

Set: Modern Horizons 3 (mh3)

Collector #: 179

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — legal
  • Timeless — legal
  • Gladiator — legal
  • Pioneer — not_legal
  • Modern — legal
  • Legacy — legal
  • Pauper — legal
  • Vintage — legal
  • Penny — not_legal
  • Commander — legal
  • Oathbreaker — legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — legal
  • Duel — legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

  • USD: 0.05
  • USD_FOIL: 0.05
  • EUR: 0.06
  • EUR_FOIL: 0.07
  • TIX: 0.03
Last updated: 2025-11-15