Goblin Psychopath: Regional Market Comparisons for MTG Cards

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Goblin Psychopath by Pete Venters — MTG card art

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Regional Market Comparisons for a Goblin Mutant in MTG Markets

When you stake your claim on a card from the Scourge era, you’re not just buying a creature—you’re stepping into a chapter of MTG history where red was all about tempo, chaos, and opportunistic boldness. Goblin Psychopath embodies that era: a relentless 5/5 for a respectable 4 mana (3 red mana, to be precise) with a twist of luck that can swing a game as wildly as a goblin can flip a coin. As markets shift from local game stores to international auctions, the real story isn’t just about the card’s strength on paper—it’s about how regional supply, demand, and collector culture shape its price and availability. 🧙‍♂️🔥

“The destruction he causes is nothing next to the chaos in his mind.”

The flavor text nails red’s love-hate relationship with risk, and it mirrors the market reality: Goblin Psychopath is not a staple in competitive modern decks, but it remains a beloved oddball for casuals, coin-flip enthusiasts, and goblin tribal buffs. Its status as an uncommon from the Scourge set—printed in a black-bordered frame from the late 1990s—adds a nostalgic premium for many collectors who chase the era’s distinct art and mechanical quirks. 🧙‍♂️

Card Snapshot: what you’re really buying

  • Name: Goblin Psychopath
  • Mana cost: 3 colorless + {R}
  • CMC: 4
  • Type: Creature — Goblin Mutant
  • Power/Toughness: 5/5
  • Rarity: Uncommon
  • Set: Scourge (SCG)
  • Legal formats: Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel; not Legal in Standard or modern
  • Oracle text: Whenever this creature attacks or blocks, flip a coin. If you lose the flip, the next time it would deal combat damage this turn, it deals that damage to you instead.
  • Flavor and art: Art by Pete Venters; line art captured the maniacal energy of a goblin that loves chaos as much as chaos loves him.

From a gameplay perspective, that coin-flip ability is the heart of its identity. It creates dramatic micro-tilts in combat: you swing in with a 5/5 hulk and live with the risk that your own damage could rebound onto you if fate fumbles the flip. For budget red decks or coin-flip themed builds, Goblin Psychopath is a thrilling risk-reward proposition. The card embodies red’s classic unpredictability—sometimes you crush face, sometimes you become your own worst foe. ⚔️

Regional price signals: what the numbers whisper

In the current market snapshot (courtesy of Scryfall data), Goblin Psychopath sits as a numeric representation of scarcity meeting nostalgia. The non-foil version hovers around USD 0.15, with foil copies around USD 0.45. Across Europe, the non-foil is around EUR 0.10, while the foil leans higher at roughly EUR 1.02. This spread illustrates a few regional dynamics: foil scarcity and demand in older red-heavy archetypes, shipping and import costs, and the enduring appeal of a memorable goblin from a classic era. For collectors in markets where the card sees less print-on-demand churn, the foil premium can become a modest yet meaningful premium for a card that feels both affordable and iconic. 🧙‍♂️💎

These numbers aren’t just trivia—they inform strategy for traders and players. In regions with stronger casual scenes or goblin-centric groups, prices may edge up, especially for foil prints and varieties with pristine condition. In markets where space is tight and back-issue inventory is abundant, Goblin Psychopath can become a sleeper bid at a local shop or a low-stakes addition to a budget red deck. Since the card is legal in Commander, it also finds some resonance in more eclectic, long-game formats, where a surprise coin flip can swing a late-game offense in a pinch. 🔥

Strategies for collectors and players across regions

  • Budget-minded play: In a casual or cube-like environment, Goblin Psychopath functions as a high-risk, high-reward piece. If you relish the chaos of coin flips, it can win you games in the right meta. Don’t chase it as a meta-defining staple; chase the story and the memory of older red decks. ⚔️
  • Foils vs. non-foils: If you’re chasing aesthetics, foil copies carry a modest premium, reflecting their rarity in a time when printing quality wasn’t always consistent. In EU markets, foil values can be surprisingly robust as collectors seek out pristine examples for display. 🪙
  • Regional trading insights: For sellers, grouping near-foil copies and matched language sets can maximize regional liquidity. For buyers, track both USD/EUR values and local shipping costs to gauge true landed price. 💸
  • Long-tail value: The card’s enduring appeal isn’t in its power alone but in its place of print and its story within Scourge’s Goblin subculture. It’s the kind of piece that makes a collection feel authentically vintage, not just financially valuable. 🎨

Design, lore, and the collector’s imagination

The Goblin Psychopath isn’t just a set of numbers; it’s a window into how MTG designers balanced risk and reward in an era of bold color and wilder mechanics. The red mana symbol glows with the promise of aggression, while the coin-flip mechanic injects that signature tempest of luck that goblins adore. Flavor text hints at a mind that relishes chaos, and the art by Pete Venters further cements its place in the pantheon of quirky, memorable red critters. For lore enthusiasts and completionists alike, Goblin Psychopath is a badge of ownership for a particular era—one where players learned to manage both board state and the unpredictable nature of luck itself. 🧙‍♂️🎨

As markets continue to diversify with cross-border buying and selling, the Goblin Psychopath remains a fixture in the conversation about how legacy cards travel across regions. It’s a card that invites trading stories—your tale of snagging a glossy foil from a European shop, or finding a bargain non-foil in a dusty local case—and that communal thrill is a big part of MTG’s enduring charm. 💎🔥

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Goblin Psychopath

Goblin Psychopath

{3}{R}
Creature — Goblin Mutant

Whenever this creature attacks or blocks, flip a coin. If you lose the flip, the next time it would deal combat damage this turn, it deals that damage to you instead.

The destruction he causes is nothing next to the chaos in his mind.

ID: 52287036-00f1-4b6d-8cd8-b8cbc70c5135

Oracle ID: 9369f131-3356-4926-9a9f-88a636305bd0

Multiverse IDs: 43567

TCGPlayer ID: 10915

Cardmarket ID: 1088

Colors: R

Color Identity: R

Keywords:

Rarity: Uncommon

Released: 2003-05-26

Artist: Pete Venters

Frame: 1997

Border: black

EDHRec Rank: 20927

Penny Rank: 16001

Set: Scourge (scg)

Collector #: 95

Legalities

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

Prices

  • USD: 0.15
  • USD_FOIL: 0.45
  • EUR: 0.10
  • EUR_FOIL: 1.02
  • TIX: 0.05
Last updated: 2025-11-14