If two permanents have static abilities, how do you determine which one takes place first? Example: I have a Goblin King out and opponent has an Engineered Plague out (obviously naming goblins). When a future goblin enters play, does it immediately die? Or does it get +1/+1 and THEN -1/-1 making it normal?
In this case, both static abilities happen before state-based effects are checked. The rules for which happens "first" are more complicated, but in your example it makes no difference. The goblin will receive both adjustments before checking to see if it lives.
Like Zig said, they're complicated, but an outline for the interactions between static abilities is something like this:
If the abilities don't interact at all (that's the case in your example, actually), the order in which you apply them doesn't matter.
If one of them depends on another (i.e. Crusade affecting enchantments depends on Opalescence), the independent ability/abilities are applied first.
If you have a complicated set of dependencies (like multiple Humilities, Opalescences, and other interacting static abilities), where applying two independent abilities in a different order would have a different result, then you apply them in "timestamp order"; that is, the ones from cards that came into play first are applied first.