Hidden Gems for Norman Osborn // Green Goblin
You know, I’m something of a commander, myself.
There are several directions one might take this deck: Norman is a cheap, unblockable creature you could suit up for Voltron strategies; you could also use him early to smooth out the beginning of the game and sneak in a few points of damage.
The cards on this list care more about the Green Goblin side, using the cost reduction and discard to take advantage of giving cards mayhem.
Here are my top five picks for cards you might want to consider for your build.
#1. Rhet-Tomb Mystic
Cycling is a neat little trick with Green Goblin. Since discarding is part of the ability, you get to draw a card in addition to playing it with the mayhem ability.
There are enough cycling cards in Grixis that you might even consider an entire cycling build for the deck. Whether or not that includes Rhet-Tom Mystic is up to you. With a little cost fiddling, this Zombie Bird Wizard and your commander can imbue card draw to all your creatures.
| Rhet-Tomb Mystic | ||
| Rhet-Tomb Mystic (Extended Art) |
#2. Tormod, the Desecrator
Through mayhem, cards will be leaving your graveyard one at a time, but in potentially big numbers. For each card played with mayhem, Tormod gives you an extra 2/2 Zombie. This also works with many other graveyard mechanics that could slot neatly into the deck, be it flashback, unearth, escape, retrace, embalm, or what-have-you.
Don’t underestimate this 4/2 uncommon. But also, try to avoid losing this advantage through the flavorful
| Tormod, the Desecrator | ||
| Tormod, the Desecrator (Foil Etched) |
#3. Shadow of the Grave
One of the difficult things about using lots of discard spells is that sometimes you’re forced to take the risk of discarding cards that you’d rather keep in your hand.
Here’s a little trick that can help offset the damage and potentially create loads of card advantage: Discard your hand with
Think of it as a cheap, little safety net.
| Shadow of the Grave |
#4. Jace's Archivist
Wheel effects are great ways to refresh your hand. This creature does so on repeat, which is a hard effect to find. Most are spells or one-shot effects.
Your opponents might see this creature as a way to help them too, which may help it avoid removal. But we all know that you’ve crafted your deck to take advantage of the repeatable card draw and the repeatable discard. His magic can fuel you for days.
| Jace's Archivist | ||
| Jace's Archivist | ||
| Jace's Archivist |
#5. Turbulent Dreams
Two mana to bounce multiple permanents?! Yes, please! Sure, you have to discard for each one, but isn’t that a good thing? We want to do that. Green Goblin wants you to do that. Ask yourself: What would Green Goblin do?
This cheap spell can stabilize the board and fuel your mayhem shenanigans without using up your mana resources. It’s cheap. It’s strong. It’s… turbulent? In any case, it’s worth a try.
| Turbulent Dreams |
Now go, be evil! Make Willem Dafoe proud.
Until next time, keep brewing. And don’t forget to check out our Premium membership for more entertainment and Magic market insights!
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Adam Berg
Adam started playing Magic on his 14th birthday, when Judgment just released and the game's first Gorgon was born (It's a girl!). Since then, he's delved deep into Commander, written for television and film, and learned how to drive. He's published two YA Fantasy novels, Rainbringer and The Broken Pantheon. His favorite card is Repay In Kind, which is really all you need to know.