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Krenko's Goblin Swarm [Primer]

Commander / EDH Aggro Artifact Combo Equip Goblins Mono-Red Multiplayer Primer Sacrifice Tokens

PapLaRiviere

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Artifact (25)

Instant (5)

Creature (19)

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Commander (1)

Commander: Krenko, Mob Boss

Land (35)

Sorcery (5)

Sideboard

Artifact (3)

Sorcery (1)

Land (1)

Creature (3)

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Artifact (32)

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Enchantment (11)

Planeswalker (2)

Greetings, and thank you for viewing my deck.

Goblins have been a part of the game since its inception. Nearly every set that comes out seems to have a couple of new Goblins - most with some cool little ability. This gives a player a seemingly endless list of possibilities to select from as they create their deck or fine tune it for a specific meta. I have always wanted a fast Goblin deck; after some 24 years, I am finally getting around to putting one together.

I realize that I tend to attach large "Maybeboards" to many of my decks which may seem ridiculous to some, but I find it helpful as I play test and ponder new ideas. Hopefully, it also helps others to have a handy list of the most commonly used cards for a given deck archetype readily available in one location. Think of it as a template as you begin to design your own Goblin deck.

Your comments and suggestions to improve the deck are always welcome!

Once I decide that I am going to construct a new deck around a given archetype (i.e. tribal, affinity, combo, control, mill, etc.) and flavours (i.e. Vampires, Slivers, weenie, stompy, etc.); my first thought is, "What game mechanics do I want to incorporate to create a deck that is fresh, fun, interesting, and reasonably competitive?"

Once I have a general idea what I want, my next thought is, "How am I going to win the game?". From there I begin considering my Wincons and studying what cards will take me to my desired end state.

When building a deck, I feel it is important that one can quickly and easily articulate a purpose/reason/mission for each and every card in the deck. Trying to decide what to pull when considering a new card for the deck should be a painful experience.


WINCONS:

  1. Assembling, pumping, and augmenting a large Goblin horde and kicking butt.

  2. One of several Infinite Combo possibilities.

  3. Through direct damage to my opponents via ETB, LTB, Attack, and State Based effects.

  4. Altar of Dementia

  5. A combination of any of the above.

This brew is an aggressive, go wide, tribal deck designed to bring a formidable Goblin horde onto the battlefield in the early turns before your opponents can develop their battle plans. In most cases, you will want to bring out Krenko, Mob Boss as early as possible (as early as turn 1) and begin generating Goblin tokens like crazy. Hopefully, any surviving opponents will be in a full-on panic by turn 6. The deck holds the potential to produce numerous combos - many of which are wincons in their own right.

I typically strive to keep my decks close to theme; nevertheless, 3-4 non-Goblins managed to work themselves into the mix. The deck is faster than many EDH Goblin decks, but I have seen a few cool builds that are faster. The relatively low cmc average will allow you to control the tempo of the early game in many cases, keeping your opponents on the defensive and disrupting their ability to develop their own battle plans.

This deck is a lot of fun to play, but the reality is that Krenko, Mob Boss is only a Tier 3 Commander. Those playing in a super competitive environment may want to consider other Generals to lead their Goblin swarm which in turn would force a rebuild of the entire deck and deck strategy.

I never keep an opening hand which does not contain at least one land.

Resourcing the Battle:

Ashnod's Altar , Basalt Monolith , Phyrexian Altar , Goblin Warchief , Crucible of Worlds , Mana Crypt , Mox Diamond , Mox Opal , Ruby Medallion , Sol Ring , Mana Echoes , Brightstone Ritual , and Skirk Prospector are all in the deck to provide mana or to reduce the casting costs of spells. I chose Snow-Covered Mountain as my Basic Land so that only I would benefit from Extraplanar Lens .

Treasonous Ogre is an amazing card! It can provide the mana to drop an entire combo package in a single turn very early in the game (as early as turn 1). In many cases, getting Treasonous Ogre on the Battlefield is of higher priority than Krenko, Mob Boss .

To maintain card advantage, I included Skullclamp , Staff of Domination , Sensei's Divining Top , Faithless Looting , Reforge the Soul and Wheel of Fortune . These cards provide card draw, top deck manipulation, and hand manipulation.

I included fetchlands to force a shuffle if I am unhappy with what I have loaded at the top of the library and to thin the deck. There are also several Recruiters/Tutors in the deck which can be timed to force a shuffle and/or stack the deck.

This deck is heavy with artifacts to include a couple of Artifact Lands to help obtain metalcraft for Mox Opal and to ensure Artifacts are available for sacrifice. I included Goblin Engineer , Goblin Welder , Inventors' Fair and Buried Ruin to help get key artifacts out of the library or Graveyard and into the game.

ASSEMBLING THE HORDE:

The Commander, Krenko, Mob Boss , is obviously the primary engine driving this deck and getting him on the board as early in the game as possible is paramount. Mutavault can easily be turned into a Goblin as I tally the total tokens Krenko, Mob Boss can generate. Illusionist's Bracers , Magewright's Stone , Rings of Brighthearth , Thornbite Staff , Umbral Mantle , Cloudstone Curio , Staff of Domination , Sword of the Paruns and Thousand-Year Elixir can be used in multiple ways, but the primary purpose for their inclusion in the deck is to allow me to untap Krenko, Mob Boss and use his token generating ability multiple times per turn. Some of these "untappers" are also key pieces to several combos which have the potential to go infinite! Often times, it is best to hold Krenko's Goblin generating ability in reserve and trigger it during an opponent's turn.

Goblin Matron , Goblin Recruiter , Moggcatcher , and Imperial Recruiter are in the deck to help me get the Goblins I need most out of the library and onto the battlefield. With Goblin Matron , I typically tutor out Goblin Recruiter or a needed combo piece such as Skirk Prospector or Goblin Warchief . Goblin Recruiter allows me to stack the top of my deck with all the Goblins I need to complete a combo package. Imperial Recruiter can tutor out any creature in the deck with power of 2 or less; making Treasonous Ogre and Magus of the Moon worthy of consideration in addition to those cards previously mentioned. Moggcatcher tutors out any Goblin and puts it directly on the Battlefield; since said Goblin is not "cast", it can not be countered by my opponents.

Goblin Piledriver provides the "big guns" for the horde and can often be pumped with enough power to knock a tapped out or open board opponent from the game.

FORCE PROTECTION:

Once I begin to get a viable force assembled, the next trick is to keep it on the battlefied. Goblin Chirurgeon is a must have card in the deck. Not only does it act as a Creature sac outlet, it also gives my weenie Goblins protection from many threats. Taking damage for any reason? No problem! Sac a token to regenerate your important creatures,,,. Boardwipe? Sacrifice half the horde to save the other half. Note that when using regenerate that our creatures never actually die or go to the graveyard, so Leave the Battlefield (LTB) effects will not trigger - however they would trigger for each of the Goblins sacrificed. I can use the ability repeatedly - even if Goblin Chirurgeon is tapped and even on my opponent's turns.

I use Sanctum of Eternity and Cloudstone Curio to protect Krenko, Mob Boss by moving him into my hand if he gets in trouble. Casting Krenko, Mob Boss from my hand avoids having to pay the Commander Tax when I bring him back onto the battlefield. Cloudstone Curio can also keep other key Goblins out of the graveyard and holds combo potential.

Depriving my opponents of their non-basic lands can be a devastating attack. Unless my opponents are playing primarily red decks, Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon can be game changers - in some cases, even a soft wincon. The earlier I can get one of these cards onto the table, the better. Goblin King gives the Goblin horde mountainwalk; which combined with Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon makes my Goblins virtually unblockable.

Lightning Greaves provides Shroud and Haste to the equipped creature. With no equipping cost, you can freely move it around as needed from creature to creature during (only) your turn and when the stack is empty. At the end of your turn, put it on your most vulnerable/important creature to ensure said creature makes it through to your next turn.

Permanent removal and counter spells are a weakness of any mono-red deck. Fork , Deflecting Swat , Pyroblast and Reverberate are included to address this shortcoming as best I can. Fork and Reverberate are especially interesting cards. While you can use them to copy your own Instants and Sorceries (sometimes with devastating effect), you can likewise use them to copy spells cast by your opponents - i.e. counter their own counter spell or copy an opponent's Teferi's Protection if a board wipe is at the bottom of the stack. Unfortunately, you only get one shot each with Fork and Reverberate , so plan how you use them wisely. Chaos Warp and Red Elemental Blast are other viable inclusions in the deck, if you can find room for them. If you are in an Enchantment heavy meta, you might want to sub Chaos Warp in regardless, as it is about our only option to deal with pesky non-blue Enchantments.

FORCE MULTIPLIERS:

To pump the horde, I included Goblin Chieftain and Sword of the Paruns . Other cards provide temporary power boosts, but these provide a continuing boost through your opponent's turns. For now, I chose Shared Animosity over Coat of Arms because it pumps only MY creatures and it has a lower cmc. Both cards have advantages and drawbacks and I am still debating which will wind up in the deck for the long term.

Numerous Haste enablers such as Fervor , Goblin Chieftain , Mass Hysteria , Hammer of Purphoros , Ashling's Prerogative , and Goblin Warchief are in the deck for obvious reasons. When using Ashling's Prerogative , choose "even" to ensure Krenko and your tokens gain the benefit. Consider your timing carefully before playing Mass Hysteria or Ashling's Prerogative as they also grant Haste to your opponent's creatures.

Once you have a sizable horde on the table, Goblin War Strike can be a devastating attack for minimal cost. Consider following up with Reverberate and/or Fork to finish off as many opponents as possible,

Creature sacrifice outlets are an important piece of the overall deck strategy. Some provide protection to the horde, some provide mana, and some deal damage; all provide triggers for cards with LTB effects. Goblin Bombardment , Ashnod's Altar , Phyrexian Altar , Skirk Prospector , Goblin Sledder and Goblin Chirurgeon are in the deck to fill these needs. With a board full of 1/1 tokens, Skullclamp and Goblin Sharpshooter can also act as a creature sac outlet to trigger other LTB abilities. These cards are also key to many combos - several of which are potential game enders.

Several times during this tutorial I have mentioned cards with ETB and LTB effects. Currently, the cards in the deck with significant ETB effects are Impact Tremors , and Purphoros, God of the Forge . Pashalik Mons provides the current LTB arsenal, Somewhat related, but different, are cards with state based effects. Throne of the God-Pharaoh provides its magic when certain conditions are met during the course of game play, Making an effort to trigger these effects as often as possible can reap huge rewards.

I originally had Bloodmark Mentor and Warren Instigator in the deck to provide first strike - you may want to sub one or both back into your own build. Combining first strike with deathtouch, via Basilisk Collar , is a devastating attack for any attacking or blocking creatures. It can also pay to think outside the box when considering deathtouch as deathtouch applies to ANY damage a creature inflicts - so, for example, Goblin Sharpshooter equipped with Basilisk Collar can take out all opposing creatures at any time in most cases!!! The same thought process can be applied to a collared Pashalik Mons ; sac a token to any sac outlet (perhaps even to Pashalik Mons , if I have the mana available) to send most any opposing creature to it's doom.

Seize the Day and Aggravated Assault provide additional Combat Phases during the current turn. Aggravated Assault is also a combo piece as described in this deck's combo panel.

REINFORCEMENTS:

Altar of Dementia is in the deck to act not only as a creature sac outlet, but also as an alternate Wincon. If an opponent somehow has you locked up where your horde cannot attack or do damage, then sacrifice your goblins to Altar of Dementia and mill your opponents into submission.

I realize there are many differing opinions about "Sideboards" in the EDH format.

I am currently using the Sideboard to hold cards which I am play testing and/or want to move into the main deck.


This section is still under construction, so please be patient
If you have input to add, your comments are appreciated
Feel free to check back often

My goal here is to create a useful reference for the Goblin aficionado community, My deck does not contain each and every card mentioned in this section.

Notable Creature Sac Outlets:
Altar of Dementia
Ashnod's Altar
Goblin Bombardment
Goblin Chirurgeon
Goblin Sharpshooter (for creatures with toughness of 1)
Goblin Sledder
Mogg Raider
Phyrexian Altar
Skirk Prospector
Skullclamp
Thermopod

GOBLIN DECK COMBOS:

Infinite Goblins / Infinite ETB and LTB Effects:

  1. Krenko, Mob Boss + Thornbite Staff + a non-mana producing creature sac outlet

Infinite Zealous Conscripts Tokens / Infinite ETB Effects:

  1. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Zealous Conscripts
    Tap Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker , targeting Zealous Conscripts to create a copy of Zealous Conscripts. When the copy of Zealous Conscripts enters the battlefield, gain control of Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker to untap him. Repeat as desired.

Infinite Conspicuous Snoop Tokens / Infinite ETB Effects:

  1. Conspicuous Snoop + Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + a haste enabler
    use Goblin Recruiter to stack Conspicuous Snoop and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker on top of your library for infinite Conspicuous Snoops.

Infinite Goblins / Infinite Mana / Infinite ETB Effects:

  1. Krenko, Mob Boss + Mana Echoes + ( Umbral Mantle or Sword of the Paruns )

Infinite Goblins / Infinite Mana / Infinite ETB and LTB Effects:

  1. Krenko, Mob Boss + Ashnod's Altar + ( Umbral Mantle or Sword of the Paruns or Thornbite Staff )

Infinite Goblins / Infinite Mana / Infinite ETB and LTB Effects:

  1. Krenko, Mob Boss + ( Skirk Prospector or Phyrexian Altar or Thermopod ) + Cloudstone Curio + a Haste Enabler + a few other Goblins
    You will need a total of 5 Goblins on the board to kick this off. Obviously, Krinko will be one of the 5 - the other 4 can be tokens. Tap Krenko, Mob Boss to generate 5+ new Goblin Tokens. As those tokens enter the battlefield, return Krenko to your hand, courtesy of Cloudstone Curio . Sacrifice 4 tokens to your sac outlet to generate 4 Red Mana. Use said mana to recast Krenko from your hand, He enters the battlefield untapped and with Haste. Repeat until you have a conquering horde on the table. As all have Haste, attack and feast on your defeated opponents.

  2. Krenko, Mob Boss + ( Skirk Prospector or Phyrexian Altar or Thermopod ) + ( Umbral Mantle or Sword of the Paruns or Thornbite Staff )

  3. Krenko, Mob Boss + ( Skirk Prospector or Phyrexian Altar or Thermopod ) + a Haste Enabler + a few other Goblins
    If you can't seem to get one of the cards needed to continuously untap Krenko on the board, consider sacrificing a few goblins AND Krenko to your sac outlet for mana. Return Krenko to the Command Zone, and recast him with the mana in your pool. The requirements for this combo get a little nebulous as they are dictated by how many times Krenko has been previously cast from the Command Zone, which sac outlet you have available, whether your haste enabler is a Goblin, and how much available mana you can generate from other sources. The trick is that you must have enough Goblins on the Battlefield to generate tokens faster than the Commander Tax accumulates. Usually, a total of 7 to 10 Goblins (including Krenko) will be enough to do the job.

Infinite Goblins / Infinite / Infinite Life / Infinite Card Draw / Infinite ETB Effects:

  1. Krenko, Mob Boss + Mana Echoes + Staff of Domination

Infinite Goblins / Infinite / Infinite Life / Infinite Card Draw / Infinite ETB and LTB Effects:

  1. Ashnod's Altar + Krenko, Mob Boss + Staff of Domination

Infinite Goblins / Infinite / Infinite Life / Infinite Card Draw / Infinite ETB and LTB Effects:

  1. Krenko, Mob Boss + ( Skirk Prospector or Phyrexian Altar or Thermopod ) + Staff of Domination

Infinite Goblins / Infinite Damage / Infinite ETB and LTB Effects:

  1. Goblin Bombardment + Krenko, Mob Boss + Thornbite Staff

Infinite ETB and LTB Effects:

  1. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Thornbite Staff + a non-Legendary Creature + a creature sac outlet

Infinite Mana:

  1. Basalt Monolith + Rings of Brighthearth +
    Tap Basalt Monolith to generate . Spend that mana to activate Basalt Monolith 's untap ability and put it on the stack. Generate two mana from any outside source to pay for Rings of Brighthearth 's ability. Copy the UNTAP ability of Basalt Monolith , and put that copied ability on the stack. Allow the top untap ability to resolve; then tap Basalt Monolith to generate . Let the second untap ability resolve and tap Basalt Monolith again to generate another for a total of six colourless mana in your mana pool. Repeat, using the mana generated by Basalt Monolith to pay for every iteration after the first.

Infinite Card Draw:

  1. Any of the above combos that generate mana + Skullclamp

Player Destruction:

  1. ( Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon ) + Goblin King
    Blood Moon and Magus of the Moon can be game changers by turning ALL non-basic lands into Mountains. The earlier you can get one of these cards onto the table, the better. Goblin King gives your Goblin horde Mountainwalk; which when comboed with Blood Moon or Magus of the Moon , will make your creatures virtually unblockable by your opponents.

Creature Destruction:

  1. Basilisk Collar + Goblin Sharpshooter
    ANY damage dealt by a creature with Deathtouch is a death sentence for the target creature. Equip Goblin Sharpshooter with Basilisk Collar . Tap Goblin Sharpshooter to deal deathtouch damage to a target creature. The creature dies - which untaps Goblin Sharpshooter . Select a new target and repeat as necessary.

Infinite Combat Phases:

  1. Any of the above combos that generate Red mana + Aggravated Assault

  2. Aggravated Assault + Krenko, Mob Boss + Skirk Prospector + 3 or 4 "other Goblins"
    This one is a little hard to describe because of the shear number of possible variations dependent upon the available abilities of your "other Goblins". At its simplest, if your "other Goblins" have no contributing abilities (i.e. tokens), then you will need 4 for this combo to gain infinite Goblins, infinite red mana, and infinite combat phases. Unless you have a haste enabler on the board, most of your horde will have summoning sickness and will be unable to attack. Having a Haste enabler on the table increases the power and flexibility of this combo exponentially.

  3. Breath of Fury + Krenko, Mob Boss + a token + a Haste Enabler

Infinite Damage:

  1. Any of the above Infinite Goblin/Creature Combos + ( Goblin Bombardment or Impact Tremors or Purphoros, God of the Forge )

  2. Any of the above Infinite LTB Effect Combos + Pashalik Mons

  3. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Lightning Crafter + a Goblin or Shaman + a creature sac outlet
    Use this combo to generate infinite damage, ETB/LTB triggers, and/or Sacrifice triggers. You may bring Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker and Lightning Crafter onto the battlefield in any order. Whenever Lightning Crafter enters the battlefield, Champion a Goblin or Shaman (Exile it until Lightning Crafter leaves the battlefield). Tap Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker to create a copy of Lightning Crafter with haste. When the copy enters the battlefield, Champion Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker . Tap the copy of Lightning Crafter to deal 3 damage to target creature or player. Finally, sacrifice the copy of Lightning Crafter to any sac outlet to bring back Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker untapped. Repeat as necessary, dealing 3 damage each time with copies of Lightning Crafter until all opponents have scooped.

  4. Goblin Sharpshooter + Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Thornbite Staff
    Equip Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker with Thornbite Staff . Use Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker to copy Goblin Sharpshooter . The original Goblin Sharpshooter shoots a player for one damage; the copy shoots itself. The copy dies which untaps both the original Goblin Sharpshooter and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker . Repeat until all opponents are destroyed.

Infinite Mill:

  1. Any of the above Infinite Goblin/Creature Combos + Altar of Dementia

  2. Altar of Dementia + Krenko, Mob Boss + Thornbite Staff


WEAKNESSES:

Surviving the onslaught long enough to get the mechanics of the deck into action and keeping key pieces on the Battlefield.

STRENGTHS:

UPGRADES UNDER CONSIDERATION:

Suggestions

Updates Add

Back following a long absence — Nov. 7, 2023
Edit

Life sometimes gets lifeish, and I had to leave the game a couple of years ago. I am certain that many great new cards and deck archetypes have been introduced during my absence. I am now trying to evaluate my decks and determine new offerings and strategies which might bring them current. Your thoughts and suggestions are always welcome

Thank you

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Casual

100% Competitive

Revision 7 See all

(2 years ago)

+1 Mogg Bombers maybe
Date added 3 years
Last updated 5 months
Key combos
Legality

This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)

6 - 0 Mythic Rares

46 - 7 Rares

16 - 1 Uncommons

13 - 2 Commons
Cards 100
Avg. CMC 2.35
Tokens Enchantment Golem 3/3 C, Goblin 1/1 R, Treasure
Folders Commander, Dad’s Decks, commander, Random Decks, Decks, EDH Decks
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