Champion of the Weird

Strategy & Gameplay

Champion of the Weird is a powerful five-mana creature that presents an intriguing cost-benefit proposition for players looking to build around Goblin-focused strategies or aggressive black-based decks. The card's unique "behold a Goblin" mechanic serves as both a deckbuilding constraint and a strategic advantage, requiring you to exile a Goblin you control or from your hand as an additional casting cost. This self-mill aspect works exceptionally well in decks that benefit from having creatures in the graveyard or that plan to recur threats, particularly in formats like Commander and Pioneer where Goblin tribal synergies abound. The body itself is respectable at five power and five toughness for four mana's worth of value, making it a decent rate even before considering its abilities. The activated ability is where Champion of the Weird truly shines for players interested in Blight synergies, allowing you to pay one life and apply two Blight counters to a target opponent while forcing them to do the same. This creates an interesting dynamic in longer games where you're slowly poisoning your opponent's resources, and it works particularly well in decks already committed to the Blight strategy. The fact that this activation can only happen at sorcery speed prevents it from being an instant-speed surprise, but the flexibility of deciding when to apply pressure is valuable. Perhaps most importantly, the creature's final ability ensures that the Goblin you exiled returns to your hand when Champion of the Weird leaves the battlefield, meaning you haven't truly lost access to that resource. This makes the card excellent for recycling high-impact Goblin lords, sacrifice outlets, or creatures with valuable enters-the-battlefield effects. Across Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Commander, and Brawl formats, Champion of the Weird slots naturally into Goblin decks, Blight-focused control strategies, and any black-based strategy looking for a powerful mid-sized threat that generates card advantage while building toward your game plan.