Fun design and doesn't seem too bad if you don't mind randomness. Encourages you to shuffle up all permanents in play (and I guess something to represent the players?) to figure out targeting and the flavor text is excellent to boot.
Goatllama
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(5 votes)
Flawless Izzet design gets outdone by a goblin sharpshooter with a wooden gun.
Yeah, no, I don't buy it. I don't care HOW mad a scientist you are, you have to care at least a little whether your invention is killing YOU or THE ENEMY.
Nagoragama
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(3 votes)
Everything about this card annoys me. Except for the art, that's pretty awesome.
MockingJ
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(6 votes)
How are you supposed to choose something at random if you are playing against 9000 selesnya tokens
Jake1991
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Insert Green Goblin joke here.
Taudisban
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(22 votes)
When I first saw this card, it was such a word by word process of awesome to devastating. The crash from the possibility of a repeatable shock by the randomness infuriated me to violence. I wound my fist back and went to punch the first thing I could think of. The computer. The thing that had shown me the vileness of a magic card with the word random on it. Blind with rage, I swung my fist... and connected with my own face.
Clarity.
I will put Goblin Test Pilot in all my decks.
5/5
marmaris74
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(13 votes)
Pretty crap card. But then again, it's a blindfolded Goblin on a hoverboard, so I'll let it pass.
Ferlord
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(4 votes)
I think the Izzet wished for a decent flying goblin. They couldn't have been happier.
flavioal28
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
All it needed was flash and haste! Damn you Wizards!
SyntheticDreamer
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(15 votes)
Crap, where'd I put my 37-sided die?!
LordOfTheFlies87
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Needs haste for more fun-ness.
MrShinyObject
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Put in ALL THE DECKS!
SnickaPlease
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
This is hilarious!
James_Kernaghan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great flavour. Poor card.
The_Trendkill
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(12 votes)
"Flawless design."
ddemons
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(17 votes)
Maro says he designed this card while he was asleep. It shows. 0/5
DoragonShinzui
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
...Randomly choosing between dozens of lands and creatures, hundreds of tokens, and two players.
Brilliant.
Arachibutyrophobia
★★★☆☆ (3.9/5.0)(9 votes)
should've had haste so it could come into play and immediately blow itself up
TheBringer
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
That is one rad goblin.
rollinsclone
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(6 votes)
Yeah this is definitely a goblin.
Fenix.
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(9 votes)
Would it have killed them if they at least gave him Wind Drake stats?
igniteice
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(3 votes)
If this is the only creature on the board, he has a 33% chance to kill himself, a 33% chance to hit you, and a 33% chance to hit your opponent. That means he has a 66% chance to do the opposite of what you want him to do. With another creature out (presumably an opponent's), that is lowered to 50%, but if it's your creature out, then you have a 75% chance at doing nothing useful.
IncoherentEssay
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Akroma's Memorial would keep your creatures safe. You'd still be at risk yourself though, and it is a bit excessive just to make this sorta work. At least he can still hang out with Lavinia and anyone with a Guildscorn Ward/Holy Mantle to spare.
If only Hexproof worked on his ability, all of your creatures could just duck into the Oak Street Inn to stay safe :P.
chainsmoker
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
why would you rely on the art to sell a card? no matter how dull the art is, as long as the card is reasonably playable, people will buy it. i dont see fun in the confusion.
Seabie
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
All this talk about how crowded this set was, and still they managed to get something like this in? I'm not buying it anymore...
sonorhC
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Are creatures with Shroud (or Protection, or enemy creatures with Hexproof) included in the pool of possible targets?
whoiam
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(5 votes)
5/5 because it is clearly made for the lolz. I love the flavor and the mechanic, it fits one another.
M2Dark4U
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Everytime I see this in a Pack, all I can think is how I was just robbed of an uncommon slot for my sealed deck...
Its Really stupid that Hexproof doesn't work with this, However It would seem Only logical that it would work out with Shroud... Of course its just too many stunts just to get a bad card to work...
Rootkit9208
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love the flavor on this card. I think haste would have been so much more flavorful, though. Imagine being behind, your opponent and you are at two life, and you topdeck this. Odds be damned, it's your only hope.
There's not other explanation as to how this card got through development like that. (And Goblin Test Pilot is a commited tester after all, so they probably allowed him that move when he asked.)
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I agree with Lazenca: Melek is a complete retard, but he gets lucky now and then and the Izzet Goblins are always fun co-workers. :3
Sometime in the future, I hope whoever is currently updating Oracle changes is struck by an urge to change this creature's typeline to "Goblin Wizard Teenager"
Because they wanted to think of something more reckless and insane and suicidal than any single one of those types, so they combined them. o.O
Lifegainwithbite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
A 0/2 flier for 3 with an ability I'll probably never use unless I'm staring down a huge number of tokens? No thanks, not even for limited.
@sonorhc: Yes, the ability does not target because it's random.
richardshort
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
My new Pauper EDH general.
lukedgh
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(3 votes)
@Lifegainwithbite: Even though the choosing is random and includes those examples, it SAYS "target", so it does target after choosing. Whether the chosen target can be targeted or not is taken into account after it is chosen (so you could randomly target a creature with shroud and the ability would be countered just as it would with a normal creature that gains shroud in response).
MrFluffyThing
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@lukedgh
According to the rulings of this card, only legal targets of this card are chosen at random. You find all valid targets then choose one of those targets at random. You do not include shroud/hexproof cards in the selection, forcing the ability to fizzle if it targets one of those creatures.
legoman4000
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I love absolutely everything about this card; the artwork, the flavor text, the name, everything.
Except what it actually does.
Having said that, I'm sure there's some way to dork his effect up to make it fun and convoluted. From the top of my head, I'm coming up with Frontline Medic to protect your guys if it backfires, and cards like Boros Reckoner to save the effect even if it backfires. I realize it's not a good combo, but I'm sure someone, somewhere will make it work.
Mistralis
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I've literally killed myself twice with this card.
Purplerooster
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Random? Yes, but he is something that can be complimented by having a deck with few creatures/ creatures with 3+ toughness.
AstralSpectre
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Try a Light of sanction to protect your creatures? I don't know, I've got nothing else for this guy :/
Heathspook
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I opened this sweet, sweet bro in a booster. He was the last of the three uncommon slots. What was he nestled up against, swaddled in its downy folds, nose jutting out all impudent-like? Blood Baron of Vizkopa.
5/5 just for that, even if he wasn't already my favourite uncommon in the set after Exploding Clowns.
I thought this card was pretty cool at first... at first. Then I actually read the damn thing.
Let's get some things straight here.
A 0/2 flyer costs . Ornithopter is our example here. Now one might say that Aven Envoy, at , is a better example, but consider that not only has Ornithopter existed for longer, but it has also seen more than one printing.
2 damage to any target costs . Shock is an old standby, one that will see a reprint in M14. It's no Lightning Bolt, but in most cases it will do.
So for more... you get a worse combination of the two? Is there something I'm missing here?
Deliani25
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@lukedgh - No, it can't choose illegal targets. Nothing can choose illegal targets when initially being targetted. Check any and all rulings about this!
Technetium
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
They should not be making cards that choose random effects without specifying a means of how the result is determined. This leaves it open for the players to disagree with how to determine the result. Much like creating cards you have to throw onto the battlefield, this card is simply bad for the integrity of the game.
jay50jay
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I drafted 4 of these at my last FNM. Every time I used it's godforsaken ability it it killed itself. Every. Time.
I love it.
Tamerlein
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Please don't play this guy if you are actually serious about the game. While the flavour is cool and interesting, he is a waste of an uncommon slot for Izzet that could otherwise have something playable.
.5/5
Toquinha1977
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
If only Witchbane Orb prevented you from being the target.
Fiery_Artificer
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(5 votes)
There is a way to INSTANTLY KILL an opponent with one of these. Practical? No, but neither is this.
Equip Spellskite with Darksteel Plate. Enchant Spellskite with Druids Call and Soul Link You now have a spellskite that you can pay 2 life, redirect a shock to, and you gain 2 life, and put two 1/1 squirrel tokens down.
Gambling Deck Wins just found its 3-drop. Imagine a Grixis Gambling deck: T1, Merfolk Spy, T2, Tavern Swindler, T3 Goblin Test Pilot, T4 Volatile Rig. Enchant the test pilot or the rig with gift of orzhova or mark of the vampire, throw in some molten births and, who knows, if you're lucky, you might win.
Pick15
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I really REALLY wish this had haste. Needs it so badly. There just HAS to be that moment where your opponent is at 2, has lethal on board, and you topdeck this guy.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Wish he was an 0/3 and did 3 damage.
Casimir_the_Great
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Not a great card, but awesome flavor text! I love the Izzet
Nip_Gwyllion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM ME THIS TIME, SPIDERMAN
Saakeli
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
1 star for the card, 5 stars for the flavor. It could have been usable if it only targeted creatures opponents control, but now its just a joke card.
fluffybunny1
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Based off Fiery_Artificer's combo, but even less efficient. Put 2x Soul link, Darksteel plate, and druid's call on spellskite. With mycosynth lattice, dross scorpion, pandemonium, aether flash, and fecundity on the field, tap goblin test pilot to do two damage to spellskite, gaining 4 life minus the 2 from paying life to redirect, also put's two squirrels, which deal 2 damage to the opponent from the pandemonium, also die from the aether flash. The squirrels dying causes you to draw a card, The lattice makes them artifacts, so when they die you can untap test pilot to dross scorpion. Then just repeat for as much as you want!
Comments (60)
Yeah, no, I don't buy it. I don't care HOW mad a scientist you are, you have to care at least a little whether your invention is killing YOU or THE ENEMY.
Clarity.
I will put Goblin Test Pilot in all my decks.
5/5
It shows. 0/5
Brilliant.
If only Hexproof worked on his ability, all of your creatures could just duck into the Oak Street Inn to stay safe :P.
no matter how dull the art is, as long as the card is reasonably playable, people will buy it.
i dont see fun in the confusion.
Its Really stupid that Hexproof doesn't work with this, However It would seem Only logical that it would work out with Shroud... Of course its just too many stunts just to get a bad card to work...
There's not other explanation as to how this card got through development like that.
(And Goblin Test Pilot is a commited tester after all, so they probably allowed him that move when he asked.)
Sometime in the future, I hope whoever is currently updating Oracle changes is struck by an urge to change this creature's typeline to "Goblin Wizard Teenager"
Because they wanted to think of something more reckless and insane and suicidal than any single one of those types, so they combined them. o.O
@sonorhc: Yes, the ability does not target because it's random.
According to the rulings of this card, only legal targets of this card are chosen at random. You find all valid targets then choose one of those targets at random. You do not include shroud/hexproof cards in the selection, forcing the ability to fizzle if it targets one of those creatures.
Except what it actually does.
Having said that, I'm sure there's some way to dork his effect up to make it fun and convoluted. From the top of my head, I'm coming up with Frontline Medic to protect your guys if it backfires, and cards like Boros Reckoner to save the effect even if it backfires. I realize it's not a good combo, but I'm sure someone, somewhere will make it work.
5/5 just for that, even if he wasn't already my favourite uncommon in the set after Exploding Clowns.
Let's get some things straight here.
A 0/2 flyer costs
2 damage to any target costs
So for
I love it.
.5/5
Equip Spellskite with Darksteel Plate.
Enchant Spellskite with Druids Call and Soul Link
You now have a spellskite that you can pay 2 life, redirect a shock to, and you gain 2 life, and put two 1/1 squirrel tokens down.
Add Intruder Alarm
Tap goblin test pilot to deal 2 damage to a target something
Pay 2 life, gain 2 life, put two tokens down, untap all creatures you control.
There just HAS to be that moment where your opponent is at 2, has lethal on board, and you topdeck this guy.
It could have been usable if it only targeted creatures opponents control, but now its just a joke card.
Put 2x Soul link, Darksteel plate, and druid's call on spellskite. With mycosynth lattice, dross scorpion, pandemonium, aether flash, and fecundity on the field, tap goblin test pilot to do two damage to spellskite, gaining 4 life minus the 2 from paying life to redirect, also put's two squirrels, which deal 2 damage to the opponent from the pandemonium, also die from the aether flash. The squirrels dying causes you to draw a card, The lattice makes them artifacts, so when they die you can untap test pilot to dross scorpion. Then just repeat for as much as you want!