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Crunching the Numbers: How a Goblin Firestarter Changes Combat Math
If you’ve ever built a red-focused, goblin-centric deck, you’ve likely felt the thrill of turning a tiny creature engine into a sudden burst of calculated damage. Gempalm Incinerator — a bold two-drop from Dominaria Remastered — embodies that twist: a 2/1 Goblin that doubles as a one-card arithmetic lesson in combat math. With a cycling cost that doubles as a redraw and a burn trigger tied to the number of Goblins on the battlefield, this card asks you to think not just about damage per swing, but about how many goblins you can threaten with in a single moment 🧙♂️🔥.
A quick profile you can rely on during a match
- Mana cost: {2}{R}
- Type: Creature — Goblin
- Power/Toughness: 2/1
- Cycle: {1}{R} — (1{R}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
- Oracle text: When you cycle this card, you may have it deal X damage to target creature, where X is the number of Goblins on the battlefield.
- Set: Dominaria Remastered (DMR); Uncommon, illustrated by Andrew Mar
- Flavor: "I've got this under control! Probably!"
That last line isn’t just flavor fluff — it hints at the risk and reward baked into the card. You pay two mana to field a 2/1 goblin, then you pay to cycle and get a draw. The real payoff comes when you flip the card’s cycling into targeted damage that scales with your goblin count. The damage is dealt to a single creature, not to players or planeswalkers, so every time you cycle you’re trading card draw for a potentially huge tempo swing. And yes, the scale can climb into the mid-to-high single digits if you’ve managed to adorn the board with goblins of all shapes and sizes 🧠🎲.
How X becomes a literal arithmetic weapon
The central mechanic is deceptively simple: X equals the number of Goblins on the battlefield. That means your boost sources for Goblin counts directly amplify the burn you can push through by cycling. Here are a few practical patterns to consider, using the math to your advantage ⛏️:
- Early pressure with a growing board: If you start the game with Gempalm in hand and a couple of goblins on board (your Gempalm included), cycling a card when you have, say, four Goblins on the battlefield will deliver four damage to a target creature. That’s often enough to remove a key blocker or finish off a stubborn 2/2 or 3/3 if the scenario calls for precision rather than brute force 🔥.
- Tempo plays with token generators: Token makers add Goblin bodies quickly, expanding X without investing more mana. Each new goblin on the battlefield can swing a trade in your favor when you cycle. The more goblins, the bigger the surprise factor for your opponent — and the more likely you’ll turn a refill into removal mid-turn 💎.
- When to cycle vs. when to hold: If you’re facing a crucial blocker that threatens your ongoing assault, cycling to deal damage may be worth the tempo swing, even if you’re not drawing to a perfect answer. If you’re safe for a moment, hold cycles for a late-game finisher — you can surprise with a large X that sweeps away a key threat just as you top-deck another goblin generator or a draw spell.
One subtle but important point: any excess damage beyond a creature’s toughness is wasted. If you’re staring at a 6/6 on the other side and you’ve only assembled four goblins total, cycling will deal four damage, which may not be lethal. That constraint is what makes gatekeeping goblin quality and cycle timing so critical — you’re not just burning a creature, you’re balancing the value of a card draw with the promise of a bigger number next cycle 🧙♂️⚔️.
Deckbuilding angles and playstyle tips
- Goblin count accelerants: Include goblin token producers and cheap goblins to swell the battlefield quickly. The faster you reach a high X, the more devastating one-cycle bets become.
- Cycle-driven card draw: Gempalm Incinerator doubles as a draw engine. If you’re running a proactive red shell, the draw helps you refill with more goblin options or other removal spells to keep pressure up.
- Target selection: Prioritize opposing creatures with low power and high their defensive value — blockers that usually require a trade. The instant burn can turn a trade from a loss into a clean removal moment, buying you a turn to press your advantage.
- Sideboarding considerations: If you anticipate heavy creature-based boards or more protective strategies, cycling becomes a catch-all tool you can tune for value rather than pure damage. It’s a flexible asset in a deck that wants to stay aggressive but nimble 🔥.
Art, lore, and the collector’s angle
Dominaria Remastered revives a classic goblin menace with a modern feel, and Andrew Mar’s art captures that mischief with a wink. The card’s flavor text carries that signature goblin bravado — the kind of line you might read in a skirmish with a hasty, chaotic army on the horizon. For collectors, Gempalm Incinerator sits comfortably as an uncommon reprint from a beloved era, a reminder of how cycle mechanics can transform a single card into a twin engine of tempo and damage. In the broader landscape of red aggro and goblin tribal strategies, this card is a reminder that math can be a goblin’s best friend, and your opponent’s best guess can hinge on a single draw step 🧙♂️🎨.
Gempalm Incinerator rewards careful counting. The moment you see the battlefield crowded with little red bodies, you know the next cycle could be the one that breaks the stall — or tilts a battle in your favor with a shocking amount of burn, all wrapped in a neat, mana-efficient package.
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