How Faction Choice Works
A deck in Goblins & Gunslingers is 52 cards built from up to 2 main races. Two of the eight factions bend that rule: Beasts are wild cards that slot into any deck without counting toward the two-race limit, and Golem forms ride with the Gnomes — they count as part of the Gnome faction, not a separate race pick. So your real decision is which one or two main crews to learn first. Nothing is locked: the browser beta and starter decks let you sample freely before you commit a single coin. Here is each faction as it actually plays.
The Eight Crews, Straight Up
Humans — the lawful backbone
Human decks force fair fights on unfair terms. This is a flexible midrange faction with solid stat lines at every cost, built on lane discipline, clean trades, and a quiet card-advantage engine of High Noon drawers. Signature keywords are Quickdraw, Warrant, and High Noon. The faction page calls them one of the safest factions to learn and one of the hardest to fully master — the honest catch is that Humans rarely get a spectacular turn; they win by being slightly ahead everywhere. Full Human guide.
Goblins — the detonation
The fastest faction on the frontier: a hyper-aggressive swarm trading long-game stability for early pressure and explosive burst. Ambush openers, Double Barrel finishers, Overshot spill damage, and Gold Rush economy — if you like winning before turn six, this is your crew. The catch is printed on the cards: high attack, low defense, and if the game goes long, Goblins lose the attrition war. We wrote them a full deck guide. Full Goblin guide.
Desert Devils — the grind
Infernal raiders who sit between aggression and late game, using efficient stat lines, Warrant walls, and healing to force bad trades and win the war of incremental advantage. They do not wait for a perfect board — Ambush, Flying, and Last Stand death triggers keep damage flowing even while they grind. The catch: they master neither extreme, so a dedicated racer can outpace them and a dedicated fortress can outlast a sloppy pilot. Full Desert Devil guide.
Straw Elves — the long night
Patient, eerie, and inevitable. Straw Elves stall with Cover Tokens, heal through aggression, and finish with Wanted threats that single-target effects simply cannot touch — opponents must fight brutal stat lines in combat or not at all. The catch is the word "patient": their early game is defensive by design, and if slow, grindy wins sound like a chore, this crew will feel like homework before it feels like power. Full Straw Elf guide.
Gnomes — the machine shop
The trickiest faction on the frontier. Every Gnome creature carries a Flip ability — a one-shot activated effect for burst damage, draw, gold, or buffs — so each card is really two cards, and every turn is a decision between board presence and instant value. Their Golem forms add durable construct bodies without costing a race slot. The honest catch: this is a uniquely skill-intensive playstyle, and misplayed Flips are wasted cards. Pick Gnomes if sequencing puzzles are the fun part for you. Full Gnome guide.
Dwarves — the wall
The immovable object. Barricade defenders soak hits with built-in damage reduction, Fortify creatures grow permanently on entry, Ironclad bodies shrug off spell-based removal, Tunnel troops appear in any legal lane, and Blast artillery punishes crowded lanes. Opponents learn quickly that Dwarves do not move — they move everyone else. The catch is the flip side of patience: you are betting every game goes long enough for the wall to matter. Full Dwarf guide.
Beasts — the wild card
Not a main race pick, and that is their whole power: Beasts splash into any deck without touching your two-race limit. Pack hunters grow with their posse, Venom bites weaken big targets, Stampede shoves defenders out of position, and Feral bruisers bring raw stats. The faction page calls them the best role-players in the game and one of the most valuable collection branches. The catch: they are a supporting cast — you still need a main crew to build around. Full Beast guide.
Golems — the second half of the machine
Golem constructs ride with the Gnomes for deckbuilding — the heavier chassis that cashes in what the smaller machines set up, with Flip-Charged triggers built for the faction's flip turns. If the Gnome paragraph appealed to you, Golems are already in your deck; they are listed separately in the card gallery but never cost you a race choice.
The Recommendation Matrix
| If you like... | Play first | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Ending games fast, maximum aggression | Goblins | Ambush swarms and Double Barrel burst before turn six |
| Fair fights and flexible answers | Humans | Solid midrange stats; safe to learn, deep to master |
| Grinding out incremental advantage | Desert Devils | Attrition, Warrant walls, and healing that outlasts |
| Defense that wins by inevitability | Straw Elves | Cover stalls into untouchable Wanted finishers |
| Puzzles, sequencing, and tech | Gnomes (with Golems) | Flip decisions every turn; two cards in every card |
| Being genuinely unkillable | Dwarves | Barricade, Fortify, and Ironclad make removal weep |
| Spicing up any of the above | Beasts (splash) | Free agents that never cost a race slot |
Proven Starter Pairings
Since decks run up to two main races, the faction hub recommends three clean on-ramps for new players:
- Goblins + Desert Devils — fast pressure, explosive tempo, and the highest "let's end this now" energy available.
- Humans + Straw Elves — control the lanes, keep your board alive, and win through clean trades plus steady pressure.
- Gnomes + Beasts — tempo engines, flip turns, and wild backup for players who like clever sequencing over straight brawling.
Whatever you pick, learn the board before you blame the deck: the lanes and Cover guide and the resource guide apply to every faction, and the full rules settle any argument. New to the game entirely? Start with how to win your first duel.