Breaking Symmetry with A-Sprouting Goblin for Dramatic Tokens

Breaking Symmetry with A-Sprouting Goblin for Dramatic Tokens

In TCG ·

A-Sprouting Goblin card art from Dominaria United

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Breaking Symmetry and Seizing the Battlefield with A-Sprouting Goblin

Magic fans know that the most memorable turns often hinge on a single, cleverly broken symmetry. A-Sprouting Goblin arrives with a playful nudge to that idea: for a modest {1}{R} and a strategic green kicker, you unlock a layered payoff that drips with dramatic potential. This 2/2 Goblin Druid from Dominaria United embraces red aggression while flirting with green ramp, creating moments where the board state tilts in your favor in ways that feel almost cinematic. It’s the kind of card that invites you to plan two steps ahead while your opponent scrambles to keep pace. 🧙‍♂️🔥

Card anatomy: what makes it tick

  • Mana cost: {1}{R}
  • Type: Creature — Goblin Druid
  • Power/Toughness: 2/2
  • Rarity: Uncommon
  • Set: Dominaria United (DMU)
  • Kicker: {G} (You may pay an additional {G} as you cast this spell.)
  • Text: When A-Sprouting Goblin enters, if it was kicked, search your library for a land card with a basic land type, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Tap, Sacrifice a land: Draw a card.

Delivered in a compact package, this card embodies a design space that MTG has explored for years: reward players for paying the extra cost with an upgraded effect, then offer a secondary engine via mana-swinging card draw. The combination of land-finding and land-sacrifice for card draw creates a symphony of tempo and value that can feel like you’re bending the rules just a notch toward your will. And because the kicker taps into green mana, you get a taste of a two-color identity (G and R) that invites spicy red-green concepts even in standard-legal or Arena environments. 💎⚔️

Strategic angles: how to break symmetry in your favor

What really makes A-Sprouting Goblin sing is the way it unlocks tempo with an extra layer of decision-making. The moment you kick it, you’re not just throwing a sturdy body at your opponent—you’re triggering a land-fetch that can set up your next draw step, or fuel a turn where you chain lands into threats. Here are a few practical avenues to explore:

  • Early acceleration with a green kicker: Pay the extra green to guarantee you have access to a basic land in hand. That can smooth the path to casting bigger spells sooner, while your red spells pressure the opponent's life total. The tempo swing is real, and it often forces opponents to play catch-up or risk falling behind on both board state and card advantage. 🧙‍♂️🔥
  • Land-driven card draw: The ability to draw a card by sacrificing a land creates a built-in card advantage engine, especially in decks that generate land drops or have recurring land interactions. It’s a measured trade that can tilt the game when you’re ahead on tempo but short on gas. 💎
  • Two-card ceviche: synergy with Sprouting Goblin: The related card Sprouting Goblin (a fellow Goblin Druid with its own quirks) invites a nod to a goblin theme that rewards clever sequencing. Using both goblins in a deck can help you pressure the table from multiple angles, while still keeping the core land-scrying loop intact. ⚔️
  • Color-splash timing: Because the kicker introduces green, you can design a lean red shell that reliably hits the green splash late in the game, enabling a flashy topdeck to fetch a crucial land or fuel a draw engine right when it matters most. This breaks the symmetry between “fast aggression” and “planning ahead.” 🎨

For all the thrill, remember that A-Sprouting Goblin shines brightest when you lean into the tension between rapacious tempo and patient resource management. The card invites you to think in two tempos: the immediate pressure from red and the delayed payoff from green, which is exactly the kind of dramatic turn sequence MTG players chase. 💥

Deck-building ideas: weaving the threads together

If you’re exploring a red-green shell, this goblin becomes a natural centerpiece. Here are a few practical ideas to consider when assembling a list around A-Sprouting Goblin:

  • Land-finding synergy: Include a select suite of ramp spells or land tutors that maximize the effectiveness of the kicker. Spells that fetch or accelerate lands help ensure the kick payoff lands with maximum impact rather than sitting in your hand. 🌱
  • Card-advantage cadence: Pair the goblin with efficient one-for-one spells or low-curve gas that lines up with your land draw. The draw ability from sacrificing lands is best when you’re already drawing into other ways to win, not just grinding out value. 🎲
  • Threat density: Maintain a balance of early pressure and late-game inevitability. A-Sprouting Goblin is a versatile creature that can contribute to a swarm plan, but its true power comes from the layers you add around it. 🧭

In the broader Dominaria United landscape, A-Sprouting Goblin fits a curious niche: a modern nod to classic goblin play that doesn’t demand all-in polarization. It’s a card that rewards careful sequencing and a little bravado, the sort of moment when you realize you’ve just created an advantage that your opponent hadn’t anticipated. The moment you flip the script—with a land file tucked in hand and a fresh draw queued—feels like a little victory in a bottle. 💎

And for fans who adore the art and flavor, the illustration by Uriah Voth captures that mischievous goblin charm—the kind of character who embodies the tension between red-hot urgency and green-tinted cunning. The Dominaria United frame shines with a modern polish, and the digital presentation on Arena makes it accessible for today’s players who want to experiment with two-color chaos without sacrificing speed. 🎨

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A-Sprouting Goblin

A-Sprouting Goblin

{1}{R}
Creature — Goblin Druid

Kicker {G} (You may pay an additional {G} as you cast this spell.)

When Sprouting Goblin enters, if it was kicked, search your library for a land card with a basic land type, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.

{T}, Sacrifice a land: Draw a card.

ID: 89a96429-4352-4dad-82c4-9ef8787573de

Oracle ID: 9aa0d3cc-0785-4b37-a495-33f4bf4114ef

Colors: R

Color Identity: G, R

Keywords: Kicker

Rarity: Uncommon

Released: 2022-09-09

Artist: Uriah Voth

Frame: 2015

Border: black

Set: Dominaria United (dmu)

Collector #: A-145

Legalities

  • Standard — not_legal
  • Future — not_legal
  • Historic — legal
  • Timeless — not_legal
  • Gladiator — not_legal
  • Pioneer — not_legal
  • Modern — not_legal
  • Legacy — not_legal
  • Pauper — not_legal
  • Vintage — not_legal
  • Penny — not_legal
  • Commander — not_legal
  • Oathbreaker — not_legal
  • Standardbrawl — not_legal
  • Brawl — legal
  • Alchemy — not_legal
  • Paupercommander — not_legal
  • Duel — not_legal
  • Oldschool — not_legal
  • Premodern — not_legal
  • Predh — not_legal

Prices

Last updated: 2025-11-15