Goblin Prankster
R
Creature -- Goblin
2/2
When Goblin Prankster attacks, return target Goblin to its owner's hand.
The creature type for this card has to stay Goblin (it's kind of the point of the card). I think this card has a lot of depth to it. 2/2 for R looks scary, but there is a drawback. On the surface, I suppose this may look like a bad card. Sure, you could play it turn one, but unless you have another Goblin in play it won't deal any damage because it will return to your hand when it is declared as an attacker. This is similar to the "Gating" mechanic in Planeshift. It occurs to me that you could use this as a blocker, and if that's really an issue, I could add "Goblin Prankster can't block" (like
Goblin Raider).
Of course, returning a Goblin to your hand could be beneficial if the Goblin is
Goblin Matron,
Goblin Recruiter,
Siege-Gang Commander, or any other Goblin with a "comes into play" ability. Also, the drawback could be minimized if the Goblin you are returning to your hand has haste (
Raging Goblin,
Goblin Chariot,
Goblin Ringleader, etc.).
Another aspect of this card is that it reads, "return target Goblin to its owner's hand" and not "return target Goblin you control to its owner's hand". This makes it a great card in a mirror match against another Goblin deck (Food Chain Goblins, Gobvantage) or against decks that play with Goblin Welder. When playing against another Goblin deck, it could be the equivalent of (or better than)
Seasoned Marshal's "Whenever Seasoned Marshal attacks, you may tap target creature" ability.
When I created this card I thought of
Knight of the Mists. When Knight of the Mists was printed, people did not initially realize that you could use it to bury
your opponent's Knight (if they were playing with Knights, of course, and at the time many people were), which made it a very good card.
I am interested in reading everyone's reaction to this card. It may very well be undercosted. I considered a casting cost of 1R, and a power/toughness of 2/1 or 1/1, as well as giving itself haste (with a higher casting cost).
Edit: Which is more correct "When Goblin Prankster attacks, return target Goblin to its owner's hand" or "Whenever Goblin Prankster attacks, return target Goblin to its owner's hand"?
Examples of "when":
Ceremonial GuardFog ElementalExamples of "whenever":
Goblin CadetsGoblin PiledriverI don't think it really matters, both "when" and "whenever" triggered abilities can be Stifled.
