How to beat Mono-Red Goblins in Premodern
Over the last 90 days of recorded Premodern matches, the decks with the best results against Mono-Red Goblins are Mono-Black Midrange (80% over 5 matches). Mono-Black Midrange's 80% sits in a 95% range of 38%–96%, which is the range a 5-match sample actually supports. The decks with the best records against it most often carry Engineered Plague, Dystopia and Gloom in the sideboard — those are their sideboards in general, not cards chosen for this matchup.
Best records against Mono-Red Goblins
Matches played in the last 90 days, from events that publish round-by-round pairings. Ranked by the bottom of each 95% range, not by the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one.
| Deck | Win rate vs Mono-Red Goblins | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono-Black Midrange | 80.0% | 4-1 | 5 | Low sample | 38%–96% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
31 further pairings (50 matches) fall below the 5-match floor and are not given a percentage. 1 pairing against archetypes that have left the Premodern metagame is excluded. Full history, retired archetypes included, is on Mono-Red Goblins's archetype page and in the Premodern matchup matrix.
What the decks that beat Mono-Red Goblins bring
Sideboard cards run by Mono-Black Midrange. This is not a sideboard guide for this matchup. We record who beat whom, not what either player boarded, so these are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play — a hint about the kind of card that punishes Mono-Red Goblins, not a list to bring in.
| Card | Decks running it | Average copies | Which decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineered Plague | 1 of 1 | 3.4 | Mono-Black Midrange |
| Dystopia | 1 of 1 | 3.0 | Mono-Black Midrange |
| Gloom | 1 of 1 | 1.8 | Mono-Black Midrange |
| Drain Life | 1 of 1 | 0.6 | Mono-Black Midrange |
| Spinning Darkness | 1 of 1 | 0.6 | Mono-Black Midrange |
| Powder Keg | 1 of 1 | 0.6 | Mono-Black Midrange |
| Tormod's Crypt | 1 of 1 | 0.6 | Mono-Black Midrange |
| Cursed Scroll | 1 of 1 | 0.4 | Mono-Black Midrange |
Average copies is expected copies per deck — average copies played multiplied by the share of that archetype's lists running the card — so a 4-of in half the lists reads as 2.0.
Decks Mono-Red Goblins beats
The other end of the same table. If you are choosing a deck to attack Mono-Red Goblins with, the record argues against these.
| Deck | Win rate vs Mono-Red Goblins | Record | Matches | Sample | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mono-Red Sligh | 0.0% | 0-5 | 5 | Low sample | 0%–43% |
| Mono-Blue Stiflenought | 33.3% | 3-6 | 9 | Medium sample | 12%–65% |
- High sample · 20+ matches
- Medium sample · 8–19 matches
- Low sample · 5–7 matches
Questions
What beats Mono-Red Goblins in Premodern?
Across the last 90 days, Mono-Black Midrange (80% over 5 matches) hold the best recorded results against Mono-Red Goblins. Records come from events that publish round-by-round pairings, and both decks in a match have to be identified for it to count, so these are the pairings we can see rather than every match played.
What should I bring in against Mono-Red Goblins?
We do not have sideboard choices tied to individual matches, so this is not a sideboard guide. What the data supports is narrower: the 1 deck with the best records against Mono-Red Goblins — Mono-Black Midrange — most commonly run Engineered Plague, Dystopia, Gloom, Drain Life and Spinning Darkness in their sideboards. Those are whole-sideboard frequencies across every matchup those decks play.
What does Mono-Red Goblins beat?
Mono-Red Goblins's best recorded matchups over the same window are Mono-Red Sligh (100% across 5 matches) and Mono-Blue Stiflenought (67% across 9 matches). If you are picking a deck to attack Mono-Red Goblins with, these are the ones the record argues against.
How reliable are these Premodern matchup numbers?
Not very, and the page says so per row rather than in aggregate. Every pairing shows its match count, its sample band and a 95% range; the strongest band we award is 20+ matches, which is still roughly a ±20-point range around the figure shown. Pairings under 5 matches are counted but never given a percentage — there are 31 of those for Mono-Red Goblins right now. Rankings use the bottom of each range rather than the headline percentage, so a small sample cannot outrank a large one it has not earned.
What period does this cover?
Matches played in the last 90 days, filtered on when each match was actually played. Archetypes that have dropped out of the Premodern metagame are excluded from the ranking, which removes 1 pairing here — their historical records are still on Mono-Red Goblins's own archetype page and in the format matchup matrix.
What each number on this site measures, and where it is least reliable, is set out on the methodology page.