Goblin Aggro (updated to Ixalan) (Frontier)

Aggro decks get a bad rap sometimes for being too simple or being a go to deck for the start of a new format before it gets solved. This deck is not overly complex, however their are important decisions to be made. People forget that if you do not win before turn six (maybe even turn five) with aggro, you usually have little chance to do so once the opponent has stabilized. Whereas, when playing a midrange deck, you can afford some small mistakes along the way, an aggro deck must curve just right or your finished. Remember also, the great thing about being the aggro deck is you also force your opponent to try to play mistake free, and it is much harder to do that in other archetypes.

Here is the main gameplan:

Turn 1- drop a one drop, better to not drop Rigging Runner if you have another option.

Turn 2- Metallic Mimic is your first choice. Just makes everything sing from here on out. If you do not have Mimic then weigh your 2cc options, Piledriver is usually my first choice.

Turn 3- This is the turn where most of your important decisions kick in and where errors are often made. You want to maximize your turn by putting as many bodies as possible on the field if you have out a Mimic (a Hordeling outburst for example puts out three 2/2's with a Mimic on board). Otherwise, you have to weigh out if you play something 3cc or play a 2cc + a 1cc.

Turn 4- It's time to start considering pumping the army up. If you can play a Bushwhacker and put another creature on the field then you are probably laying some big beats down. Absent a Bushwhacker, Dromoka's Command will do just fine.

Turn 5- Your hand is probably starting to look pretty dry by now. This is the turn where a Stoke the Flames, Crash Through, or Atarka's Command is just wonderful. If you do not have such luck then hopefully you have enough juice on board to sneak through enough damage to finish things off.

If you pump too quick then you will not have enough juice left to finish the job (Wow that sounds dirty). But for real, turn 2 decides the whole game for you. A Mimic sends you down an extreme go wide path of +1/+1 countered dudes. The alternative is a game where you need to manipulate Piledriver or Rabblemaster to hopefully get things finished with an army + a big body. And as i said before, turn 3 usually wins or loses you the game. You must maximize turn 3 to go with whatever you played on turn 2. The last thing to remember is to not waste your Stoke the Flame's, Atarka's Commands, Bushwhackers, or crash Through until it is time to swing lethal or set up a two turn lethal.

One last note- there will be casualties. You are storming the breach here, everyone is over the top, and many will fall. Don't worry about it, Goblins exist for such things