Norman Osborn // Green Goblin 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
Norman Osborn can't be blocked. Whenever Norman Osborn deals combat damage to a player, he connives. (Draw a card, then discard a card. If you discarded a nonland card, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.): Transform Norman Osborn. Activate only as a sorcery. Flying, menace Spells you cast from your graveyard cost
less to cast. Goblin Formula — Each nonland card in your graveyard has mayhem. The mayhem cost is equal to its mana cost. (You may cast a card from your graveyard for its mayhem cost if you discarded it this turn. Timing rules still apply.)
Complete guide
Norman Osborn // Green Goblin is a complex double-faced card that rewards strategic planning and graveyard manipulation. By transitioning from a slippery scientist to a high-flying villain, you can turn your discard pile into a powerful second hand. This guide explains how to master both faces of this iconic character.
Dual Identities and Transformation
Norman Osborn starts as a blue creature that cannot be blocked, making him a reliable source of combat damage. When he strikes, he connives: you draw a card, then discard a card. If you discard a nonland card, he gains a +1/+1 counter. To unlock his true potential, you must pay {1}{U}{B}{R} at sorcery speed to transform him into the Green Goblin. Once transformed, he gains Flying and Menace, becoming significantly harder to stop, while also enabling powerful graveyard strategies.
The Goblin Formula and Mayhem
As the Green Goblin, your nonland cards in the graveyard gain a keyword called mayhem. This allows you to cast a card from your graveyard for its mana cost, but only if you discarded it earlier in the same turn. Crucially, the Green Goblin reduces the cost of any spell you cast from your graveyard by {2}. This reduction applies to the mayhem cost, meaning you can often cast high-impact spells for a fraction of their original price, provided you have a way to discard them first.
Timing and Costs
Mayhem does not change when you can cast a spell; you must still follow the card's normal timing rules (e.g., sorceries can only be cast during your main phase when the stack is empty). When calculating the cost of a mayhem spell, you first determine the mayhem cost (equal to the mana cost), then apply the Green Goblin's {2} reduction. Note that this reduction only applies to generic mana; you must still pay all colored mana requirements. If the Green Goblin leaves the battlefield after you have started casting a spell from your graveyard, the cost reduction still applies to that spell.
Common Mistakes
A frequent error is forgetting that Norman Osborn is a modal double-faced card. In all zones except the stack or the battlefield (like your library or graveyard), he is treated only as Norman Osborn. You cannot search for 'Green Goblin' with an effect that looks for a Goblin creature card in your deck. Additionally, if you have no cards in hand when Norman connives, you cannot discard anything, and he will not receive a +1/+1 counter even if you drew a nonland card.
Interaction examples
Professional Face-BreakerBecause Norman Osborn cannot be blocked, he is the perfect partner for Professional Face-Breaker. When Norman deals combat damage, you will trigger both Norman's connive ability and the Face-Breaker's Treasure creation. This allows you to filter your hand and ramp your mana simultaneously, setting up the resources needed to transform Norman into the Green Goblin later.
Blood ArtistSuppose you have Green Goblin on the battlefield and a Blood Artist in hand. You use an effect to discard Blood Artist. Since it was discarded this turn, it gains mayhem. Blood Artist normally costs {1}{B}. Green Goblin reduces the cost of graveyard spells by {2}. The generic {1} is reduced to zero, so you can cast Blood Artist from your graveyard for just {B}.
When Norman Osborn deals combat damage to a player, his connive ability triggers. You draw a card. You then choose a card from your hand to discard. If you discard a creature or an artifact (nonland), Norman receives a +1/+1 counter. If an opponent attempts to destroy Norman in response to the connive trigger, the ability still resolves: you still draw and discard, though no counter is placed if he is already gone.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Norman Osborn // Green Goblin
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If no card is discarded, most likely because that player's hand is empty and an effect says they can't draw cards, the conniving creature does not receive a +1/+1 counter.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
A modal double-faced card can be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. This is a change from previous rules. If an effect instructs you to transform a modal double-faced card on the battlefield, it transforms only if its other face has a permanent type (that is, if its other face isn't an instant or sorcery). If it doesn't, it simply won't transform. Similarly, if an effect attempts to put a modal double-faced card onto the battlefield transformed, it will enter transformed if its back face has a permanent type. If it doesn't, it will simply stay in its current zone.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The mana value of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that's being considered. On the stack or the battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the mana value of other double-faced cards is determined.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
Each double-faced card has an icon in the top-left corner of each face. For modal double-faced cards in this set, these icons are a single black triangle for the front face, and a double white triangle for the back face.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Green Goblin's cost-reduction ability doesn't itself allow you to cast any spells from your graveyard. It only reduces the cost of spells that another effect (such as that of Green Goblin's last ability) has allowed you to cast.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you're playing and ignore the other face's characteristics.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect instructs a player to choose a card name, the name of either face may be chosen. If that effect or a linked ability refers to a spell with the chosen name being cast and/or a land with the chosen name being played, it considers only the chosen name, not the other face's name.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
Green Goblin's cost-reduction ability reduces only the generic mana component of a spell's cost. For example, if you cast a spell from your graveyard that would normally cost
, you will have to pay to cast it.No other card is named in this ruling.
- #9· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #10· Wizards of the Coast
One or both faces of a double-faced card may include a reminder about what's on the other face. This reminder text has no effect on gameplay.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #11· Wizards of the Coast
If a resolving spell or ability instructs a specific creature to connive but that creature has left the battlefield, the creature still connives. If you discard a nonland card this way, you won't put a +1/+1 counter on anything. Abilities that trigger "when [that creature] connives" will trigger.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #12· Wizards of the Coast
Each face of a double-faced card has its own set of characteristics: name, types, subtypes, abilities, and so on. While a double-faced card is on the stack or battlefield, consider only the characteristics of the face that's currently up. The other set of characteristics is ignored.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #13· Wizards of the Coast
Once an ability that causes a creature to connive begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it's done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the conniving creature after you discard a nonland card but before it receives a counter.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #14· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect allows you to put a card with particular characteristics onto the battlefield without instructing you to play or cast it, you consider only the characteristics of a modal double-faced card's front face to see if that card qualifies. If it does, it enters the battlefield with its front face up.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #15· Wizards of the Coast
While a double-faced card isn't on the stack or battlefield, consider only the characteristics of its front face.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #16· Wizards of the Coast
In the Commander variant, a double-faced card's color identity is determined by the mana costs and mana symbols in the rules text of both faces combined. If either face has a color indicator or basic land type, those are also considered.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Norman Osborn // Green Goblin + Acererak the Archlich + Skirge Familiar
- 1Activate Skirge Familiar by discarding Acererak, adding .
- 2Cast Acererak from your graveyard for its mayhem cost by paying due to Green Goblin.
- 3When Acererak enters, its first ability triggers, causing you to return it from the battlefield to your hand and venture into Lost Mine of Phandelver.
- 4Repeat.
Norman Osborn // Green Goblin + Hullbreaker Horror + Psychic Frog
- 1Activate Psychic Frog by discarding a nonland permanent card that costs or less.
- 2Cast the permanent from your graveyard for its mayhem cost by paying
due to Green Goblin. - 3Hullbreaker Horror trigger, returning another nonland permaennt that costs 2 or less from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4Resolve the spell from step 2.
- 5Repeat.
Norman Osborn // Green Goblin + Hullbreaker Horror + Ghostly Pilferer
- 1Activate Ghostly Pilferer by discarding a nonland permanent card that costs or less.
- 2Cast the permanent from your graveyard for its mayhem cost by paying due to Green Goblin.
- 3Hullbreaker Horror trigger, returning another nonland permaennt that costs 2 or less from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4Resolve the spell from step 2.
- 5Repeat.
Norman Osborn // Green Goblin + Hullbreaker Horror + Skirge Familiar
- 1Activate Skirge Familiar by discarding a nonland permanent card that costs or less.
- 2Cast the permanent from your graveyard for its mayhem cost by paying due to Green Goblin.
- 3Hullbreaker Horror trigger, returning another nonland permaennt that costs 2 or less from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4Resolve the spell from step 2.
- 5Repeat.
Norman Osborn // Green Goblin + Hullbreaker Horror + Birgi, God of Storytelling // Harnfel, Horn of Bounty
- 1Activate Harnfel by discarding a nonland permanent card that costs or less.
- 2Cast the permanent from your graveyard for its mayhem cost by paying due to Green Goblin.
- 3Hullbreaker Horror trigger, returning another nonland permaennt that costs 2 or less from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4Resolve the spell from step 2.
- 5Repeat.
Norman Osborn // Green Goblin + Hullbreaker Horror + Putrid Imp
- 1Activate Putrid Imp by discarding a nonland permanent card that costs or less.
- 2Cast the permanent from your graveyard for its mayhem cost by paying due to Green Goblin.
- 3Hullbreaker Horror trigger, returning another nonland permaennt that costs 2 or less from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4Resolve the spell from step 2.
- 5Repeat.
Norman Osborn // Green Goblin + Hullbreaker Horror + Witch-king of Angmar
- 1Activate Witch-king of Angmar by discarding a nonland permanent card that costs or less.
- 2Cast the permanent from your graveyard for its mayhem cost by paying due to Green Goblin.
- 3Hullbreaker Horror trigger, returning another nonland permaennt that costs 2 or less from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4Resolve the spell from step 2.
- 5Repeat.
Norman Osborn // Green Goblin + Hullbreaker Horror + Iron-Shield Elf
- 1Activate Iron-Shield Elf by discarding a nonland permanent card that costs or less.
- 2Cast the permanent from your graveyard for its mayhem cost by paying due to Green Goblin.
- 3Hullbreaker Horror trigger, returning another nonland permaennt that costs 2 or less from the battlefield to your hand.
- 4Resolve the spell from step 2.
- 5Repeat.
Legal formats
Commentaires
- Sois le premier à commenter cette carte.
Read next
Meta decks with Norman Osborn // Green Goblin
