Goblin Bushwhacker is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Kicker(You may pay an additional
Complete guide
Goblin Bushwhacker is a staple for aggressive red strategies, acting as a powerful finisher for low-mana decks. By paying its kicker cost, you can transform a simple 1/1 into a massive board-wide buff that enables immediate attacks. This small Goblin Warrior is famous for turning a quiet board into a lethal threat in a single turn.
Understanding Kicker
Goblin Bushwhacker features the Kicker keyword, which is an optional additional cost. When you cast it, you can choose to pay an extra {R} for a total of {R}{R}. While the total mana spent increases, the mana value of the spell remains 1. You can only pay this kicker cost once per cast; you cannot pay it multiple times to stack the bonuses.
Step-by-Step Resolution
First, you cast the spell and choose to pay the kicker cost. Once Goblin Bushwhacker enters the battlefield, its triggered ability checks if it was kicked. If it was, the ability goes on the stack. When the ability resolves, every creature you control at that specific moment gains +1/+0 and haste until the end of the turn. Note that Goblin Bushwhacker also buffs itself, allowing it to attack immediately.
Timing and Strategy
The ability only affects creatures you control when the triggered ability resolves. If you play another creature after the Bushwhacker's ability has already resolved, that new creature will not receive the +1/+0 bonus or haste. Therefore, you should always cast your other creatures before casting the Bushwhacker to maximize the damage potential.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is trying to trigger the kicker effect when bringing the creature back from the graveyard or blinking it. Kicker can only be paid when the spell is being cast. If Goblin Bushwhacker enters the battlefield through a card effect without being cast, you cannot pay the kicker, and the ability will not trigger. Additionally, copying a permanent on the battlefield that was kicked does not result in the copy being kicked.
Interaction examples
Ornithopter of ParadiseIf you have Ornithopter of Paradise on the battlefield from a previous turn, you can cast Goblin Bushwhacker by paying {R}{R} (using the Ornithopter for one mana). When the Bushwhacker enters, its ability triggers. Both the Ornithopter and the Bushwhacker will get +1/+0 and haste. Even though the Ornithopter was already on the field, it gets the power boost, turning your mana producer into a 1/2 flyer for the attack.
Ragavan, Nimble PilfererIf you cast Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer first for {R}, then cast Goblin Bushwhacker for its kicked cost of {R}{R}, both creatures will benefit. The Bushwhacker's trigger will give Ragavan +1/+0, making it a 3/1. Because the trigger also grants haste, this is a great way to ensure Ragavan can attack and trigger its Treasure-creating ability even if you didn't use its Dash cost.
On its own, casting a kicked Goblin Bushwhacker for {R}{R} means it enters as a 1/1 and immediately triggers its own ability. Upon resolution, it becomes a 2/1 with haste. This allows it to attack the same turn it was played, even if you have no other creatures on the board.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Goblin Bushwhacker
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
To determine a spell's total cost, start with the mana cost (or an alternative cost if another card's effect allows you to pay one instead), add any cost increases (such as kicker), then apply any cost reductions. The spell's mana value remains unchanged, no matter what the total cost to cast it was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If you copy a kicked spell on the stack, the copy is also kicked. If the copied spell is a permanent spell, the token the copy of that spell becomes when it enters is also kicked.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If a card or token enters as a copy of a permanent, the new permanent isn't kicked, even if the original was.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If you put a permanent with a kicker ability onto the battlefield without casting it, you can't kick it.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell's kicker cost was paid, the spell is "kicked."
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
The kicker ability doesn't let you pay a kicker cost more than once.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
Only creatures you control as Goblin Bushwhacker's ability resolves are affected. This includes Goblin Bushwhacker itself, unless it already left the battlefield by then.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Goblin Bushwhacker
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