Last updated on November 22, 2023

Krenko, Mob Boss - Illustration by Karl Kopinski

Krenko, Mob Boss | Illustration by Karl Kopinski

Outside of elves, goblins are one of the most iconic tribes in just about any fantasy game, Magic included. They’re small, they go wide, and they run your opponents over before their bigger threats can think twice.

Today I’m going over all of the possible goblin commanders out there worst to best. Let’s get started!

What Are Legendary Goblins in MTG?

Krark, the Thumbless - Illustration by Mathias Kollros

Krark, the Thumbless | Illustration by Mathias Kollros

Legendary goblins are, well, the limited number of goblin creatures that carry the “legendary” type. Legendary creatures are one-ofs, meaning you can’t have more than one of them in play at a single time. And they can also be your commander in EDH.

Honorable Mentions: Un-Set Goblins

These two legendary goblin creatures are both from Un-sets, which means they’re not actually legal commanders despite one having a black border.

Ol’ Buzzbark

Ol’ Buzzbark

The first is Ol' Buzzbark, a 3/3 goblin warrior from Unstable. This creature demands you roll a number of D6s from a very specific height, dispersing a bunch of +1/+1 counters on whatever creature those dice land on.

While I could theoretically see players actually carrying this out at a Commander pod, I hope it isn’t mine.

The Space Family Goblinson

The Space Family Goblinson

The other honorable mention is The Space Family Goblinson. Despite having a black border, this Unfinity card is still illegal in Commander. This goblin gains trample if you roll three or more dice in a turn, and it gets +1/+1 whenever you roll a die.

The Space Family is pretty unique, and should play well with other Unfinity commanders, but there just isn’t enough dice rolling in Magic outside of the Un-sets to even really want to play this as your commander.

#36. Ishi-Ishi, Akki Crackshot

Ishi-Ishi, Akki Crackshot

Ishi-Ishi, Akki Crackshot, regardless of how legal it is in Commander, isn’t exactly a card I’d recommend running. It’s a 1/1 that can give you a free Shock whenever… your opponents cast a spirit or arcane spell.

Yeah, I was hoping that would trigger on my goblin cast or ETB, but I suppose they can’t all be winners.

#35. Rhuk, Hexgold Nabber

Rhuk, Hexgold Nabber

Equipment and voltron decks have an interesting relationship with goblins, such as how one creature is usually greedy and wants all your equipment making Rhuks triggered ability rather clunky. Rhuk, Hexgold Nabber adds two desirable abilities for dealing Commander damage, but is not the typical voltron commander. You may have a tough time protecting it, but by all means, be a Rebel and go for it!

#34. Squee, Goblin Nabob

Squee, Goblin Nabob

Next, we have the first (but unfortunately not the last) Squee card on the list, Squee, Goblin Nabob. This 3-mana 1/1 can be returned from the graveyard to your hand at your upkeep, which makes it a decent way to have a consistent sacrifice target.

Unfortunately a much more powerful Squee has been printed, so let’s move on to that one.

#33. Squee, the Immortal

Squee, the Immortal

Squee, the Immortal is vastly superior to its 1/1 counterpart. Not just because it’s a 2/1, but because it can be cast from the graveyard or exile, making it a superb infinite combo piece with Survival of the Fittest and infinite mana.

But outside of those kinds of combos I’d suggest you refrain from putting this card in the command zone.

#32. Tuktuk the Explorer

Tuktuk the Explorer

Tuktuk the Explorer is here to disappoint after the last couple commanders, and I can’t say I’m surprised. This 1/1 for three creates a 5/5 golem when it dies, and that’s it.

I can see a nice strategy with this commander going for commander damage and then being rewarded with a body when it’s eventually killed. But that’s a pretty poor payoff compared to some other commanders you don’t mind being killed in other strategies, and I’d rather just play go-wide goblins instead.

#31. Grumgully, the Generous

Grumgully, the Generous

Grumgully, the Generous is up next. This 3/3 for three provides an extra +1/+1 counter to your non-human creatures whenever they enter the battlefield. This is a cute little passive effect to buff up your many 1/1s.

But it’s a little disappointing as a commander. Given that just about any goblin commander worth its salt offers more than enough small bodies I’d rather just have this as a card in the 99 instead of having this without a token generator.

#30. Ben-Ben, Akki Hermit

Ben-Ben, Akki Hermit

Goblin names never disappoint. But Ben-Ben, Akki Hermit’s ability does.

This creature can tap to deal damage to an attacking creature equal to the number of Mountains you control. I thought this was a direct damage ability at first and was actually excited about this commander for a half of a second.

But then I realized it’s a defensive ability and became incredibly disappointed. Goblins aren’t a defensive tribe. In fact, they’re the farthest thing from it.

Goblins don’t get attacked; they attack others. And you don’t even care if you’re getting attacked since you have more 1/1s to chump block than you could ever need.

#29. Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician

Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician

Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician may be your Commander, but that doesn’t make it a great leader. I think this card was designed from the flavor text up, because unfortunately, your opponent gets to choose if they block, thus choosing which goblin you end up sacrificing. If you do use it, remember the name Pashalik Mons (more on this one later). If it comes down to sacrificing two tapped Mountains to get more goblins, just be sure you can finish the game quickly.

#28. Zo-Zu the Punisher

Zo-Zu the Punisher

Zo-Zu the Punisher is up next. This 2/2 for three punishes players for making land drops, dealing two damage to them whenever a land enters the battlefield under their control.

I must say, I’d much rather this be a 1/1 for , or even a 0/1 for . Having this come out on turn 3 just loses you so much damage, at least 18 but maybe closer to 24 considering the prevalence of fetch lands in multicolored decks.

I’d love to have this out as a cheap way to chip away at opponents, but I have FOMO just from dreaming about that alternate design.

#27. Squee, Dubious Monarch

Squee, Dubious Monarch

Squee, Dubious Monarch charges headlong into combat, and it’s a significant boost that the token joins in the attack right away. Do your best to clear the way for Squee because you don’t want to rely on casting this dubious noble from the graveyard. Remember, aggro decks usually have fewer cards in their graveyard if they are ahead.

#26. Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith

Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith

Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith has partner, so you can at least pair it with a more potent commander that really gets the ball rolling.

Toggo just makes a Rock token every time a land enters the battlefield on your corner of the table. You can then equip it to a creature who can then throw it at something to deal two damage for .

This is cute and very thematically funny, but it’s not anything close to a strong commander.

#25. Ardoz, Cobbler of War

Ardoz, Cobbler of War

Do you get tired of boards building up and not interacting much? Well Ardoz, Cobbler of War can cure such boredom for a slim . Getting repeatable attackers is key, so consider combining with Legion Warboss or Phoenix Chick. If you’ve got more than 3 players, just be careful who you concentrate your attacks on. You may leaver yourself vulnerable, but red deals damage fast and few things in Magic do it better than goblins.

#24. Gut, True Soul Zealot

Gut, True Soul Zealot

Gut, True Soul Zealot is finally where things get playable. It has background, which lets you play a second color and get some strategy-supporting spells and extra power.

This commander lets you generate 4/1 menace tokens by sacrificing an artifact or creature when you attack. That’s a pretty powerful ability if you can get the ball rolling, especially a turn or two ahead of curve. Most noncreature decks don’t have a blocker for the first three or so turns, and you could easily chip away at them for upwards of 12 damage.

#23. Goro-Goro and Satoru

Goro-Goro and Satoru

Thankfully Goro-Goro and Satoru has a way to grant haste to your team, otherwise, the condition for getting a 5/5 dragon would feel real steep. If you’re using this as your access to haste, red and goblins have better options. If for some reason you need and , you could do worse than this goblin human combination.

#22. Shattergang Brothers

Shattergang Brothers

The Shattergang Brothers comes from way back in Commander 2013, and it’s one of the few the Jund () goblin commanders out there. It has three activated abilities for three mana that allow you to sacrifice either an artifact, enchantment, or creature and then force your opponents to do the same.

While this commander isn’t necessarily weak (it’s actually somewhat powerful), it isn’t the most goblin-centric commander. Sure, goblin decks have tons of creatures to sacrifice, but this isn’t what those decks want to do in the first place.

#21. Wort, Boggart Auntie

Wort, Boggart Auntie

Wort, Boggart Auntie is one of the O.G. goblin commanders from back in the day. It lets you bring a goblin back from the graveyard to your hand on your upkeep.

Considering most goblins have haste or you can at least give it to them, Wort offers a great way to keep the board full and your threats ever-present.

#20. Breeches, Brazen Plunderer

Breeches, Brazen Plunderer

Next up is Breeches, Brazen Plunderer, a goblin pirate with menace that generates you card advantage whenever one of your pirates deals damage to another player. I too was upset to see that this was a pirate commander with the goblin keyword.

But it has partner, so maybe you can still run a nice goblin setup and capitalize off the fact that a lot of goblins are also pirates. But nothing much to see here overall.

#19. Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei

Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei

Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei is probably the least-goblin goblin commander on the list, but don’t look it over. It has the ability to create a 5/5 flying dragon for , which is pretty good.

It also gives your creatures haste for , which means you can get a lot of extra damage out of your early creatures and your dragons on the turn they come in.

#18. Mizzix, Replica Rider

Mizzix, Replica Rider

Adding wizard to the subtype really does a lot for a goblin. Mizzix, Replica Rider is best in what I do not call a typical goblin deck, though Goblin Electromancer is a solid addition in the 99. It is hard enough to cast spells from somewhere other than your hand, so make them count with this Izzet () commander.

#17. Grishnákh, Brash Instigator

Grishnákh, Brash Instigator

So practically a Claim the Firstborn and Goblin Assailant on a stick. If maximized, Grishnákh, Brash Instigator can amass more Orcs or temporarily grab bigger nonlegendaries, but this goblin soldier operates better with some surprise coming from your hand rather than the command zone. That said, all those having played Rakdos sacrifice might say otherwise for having such an ETB effect readily available.

#16. Zada, Hedron Grinder

Zada, Hedron Grinder

Zada, Hedron Grinder is an instant- and sorcery-based commander that copies said spells that target it for each other creature you control that it could legally target.

Yes, that’s as busted as it sounds. One-time gambles like Wild Magic Surge just replace your entire board with limitless possibilities, and combat tricks like Antagonize can offer tons of extra power for cheap. Or a simple Crimson Wisps becomes a good card draw spell. There’s even Involuntary Employment, which solves lots of mana troubles.

#15. Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer

Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer

Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer lets you sacrifice an artifact to give another one indestructible, which is pretty bad at first glance. But hold on for a second with me.

While Slobad isn’t exactly the goblin creature commander you’ve been dreaming of, it’s certainly a powerful mono-red artifact commander. There are tons of other synergistic engines like Goblin Welder, Daretti, Scrap Savant, and Goblin Engineer to fit in all kinds of combos and interactions into the list.

#14. Rulik Mons, Warren Chief

Rulik Mons, Warren Chief

The two green pips in the cost really show up here with the land acceleration on Rulik Mons, Warren Chief. Isn’t it fun when top-decking goes your way on both sides? What are you ramping into is the question… Now what do we do with extra lands or lots of goblins – Gruul () players, where you at?

#13. Wort, the Raidmother

Wort, the Raidmother

This better version of our favorite auntie is a much more interesting commander. Wort, the Raidmother is Gruul () and creates two 1/1 Goblins when it enters. But the main attraction here is that it gives your instants and sorceries conspire.

Goblin decks go wide, and I can’t think of a much better tribe to try and build around the conspire mechanic for. You can copy multiple spells without worry thanks to your constant influx of 1/1s, meaning you don’t have to sacrifice board presence for the second spell!

#12. Vial Smasher the Fierce

Vial Smasher the Fierce

Vial Smasher the Fierce was once one of the most prominent partner commanders out there. You know, when there was like four in total? It’s since fallen from its grace into the double digits, but it’s still a fairly strong Rakdos () commander.

You still get to go partners with another legendary creature. So while this may not necessarily be the best goblin-tribal commander it’s still a fairly relevant spells-based one.

#11. Grenzo, Dungeon Warden

Grenzo, Dungeon Warden

Unfortunately for Grenzo, Dungeon Warden, it has a much better alternate version. Luckily for it, though, it’s okay itself.

Being one of the few Rakdos goblins out there, this iteration essentially lets you play the bottom card of your library for free, assuming its power is less than Grenzo’s. This opens up the door to so many forms of deck manipulation and ways to cheat in combo pieces.

#10. Muxus, Goblin Grandee

Muxus, Goblin Grandee

Muxus, Goblin Grande, despite being six mana and having a sort of gross name, is actually a powerful goblin commander. It generates copious amounts of card advantage whenever it enters the battlefield and offers a nice effect whenever it attacks.

I wish this was Jeskai () just so I could abuse it with flicker effects, but alas.

#9. Grenzo, Havoc Raiser

Grenzo, Havoc Raiser

Grenzo, Havoc Raiser is certainly worth looking at. It’s a 2/2 for that goads creatures and generates you card advantage whenever one of your creatures deals combat damage to a player. It’s interesting because it doesn’t do the cliché “make more goblins” strategy while still supporting the aggressive nature of the red tribe.

#8. Slobad, Iron Goblin

Slobad, Iron Goblin

Are you done with that mana rock? Slobad, Iron Goblin is the closest thing to a Fling for mana. Red rarely gets ramp this good and there’s plenty of support for artifact sacrifice to be a great engine in this deck. Take Pia's Revolution for example, it places an opponent between a rock and a hard place.

#7. Pashalik Mons

Pashalik Mons

If you’re like me you’d never even heard of Pashalik Mons before this article, but you’re pleasantly surprised to see what it does. You get to fling one damage at anything whenever it or another goblin you control dies. You can also slowly grow your goblin population by sacrificing one to make two more.

It’s an incredibly on-theme goblin, and it’s great to see a viable alternative to Krenko that isn’t some gimmick.

#6. Slimefoot and Squee

Slimefoot and Squee

Jund () players have access to a lot of graveyard shenanigans, and cheating creatures onto the battlefield is one of the most broken things you can do. Find out for yourself if doing it with goblins and saprolings is your thing. The tough part could be keeping a saproling available or getting an Arrest off of Slimefoot and Squee.

#5. Mizzix of the Izmagnus

Mizzix of the Izmagnus

Starting off the top five is Mizzix of the Izmagnus. One of the few blue goblins, Mizzix is one of the most thematically Izzet () cards I’ve ever seen. It consistently discounts your instants and sorceries and makes for a supreme spellslinger commander that offers a playstyle unique to the goblin tribe.

#4. Krark, the Thumbless

Krark, the Thumbless

In fourth is everybody’s favorite goblin, Krark, the Thumbless. This card wreaks havoc in any EDH game it’s in causing confusion, chaos, and (quite frankly) annoying everyone at the table.

This duplicates your spells, sometimes multiple times, and benefits greatly from having copies or other ways to cast spells. It’s a total hellraiser and it’s cool to see this kind of strategy coming from a goblin.

#3. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker is more than deserving of the #3 spot today. While it certainly hasn’t ravaged the Commander format like it once did Modern, it’s still a well-positioned combo piece in a lot of red decks. It offers great value as a goblin commander.

Kiki-Jiki has the ability to create tokens of nonlegendary creature, which goes a long way when you look at the kind of goblins you can copy to make duplicates of. Goblin Chieftain, Goblin Warchief, and Siege-Gang Commander are all excellent choices to really hammer your opponents down later in the game.

You can also include a Zealous Conscripts for infinite ETB triggers and attackers to wrap up longer games.

#2. Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin

Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin

Runner up is none other than the first copy of Krenko, Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin. This iteration of everyone’s favorite goblin is pretty similar to its counterpart, but with a twist. Not only do you make a number of 1/1 goblin tokens equal to its power whenever it attacks, but you get to pump up Krenko first with a +1/+1 counter!

While this is still slightly worse than the other Krenko card, it’s still one of the most powerful goblin commander cards strictly from a synergy point of view. These decks love to go wide and want as many ETB triggers as possible to capitalize off other synergies in the deck.

#1. Krenko, Mob Boss

Krenko, Mob Boss

In first place is the ever infamous Krenko, Mob Boss! This is without a doubt the most powerful goblin commander out there. The activated ability doubles the number of goblins under your control, offering you a constantly increasing board presence alongside more ETB triggers than you know what to do with.

Pair this creature with the likes of Impact Tremors, Siege-Gang Commander, or Purphoros, God of the Forge and you’ll have the absolute time of your life.

Wrap Up

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker - Illustration by Pete Venters

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker | Illustration by Pete Venters

That wraps up today’s look at all of the different goblin commanders in Magic! There are certainly a wide variety of options to choose from, some much more appealing than others, and the tribe is definitely not lacking in strength.

What do you think of the goblins we’ve got access to right now? Are there some underrated commanders that go under the radar, or is it a Krenko world out there? Let me know in comments below or over in the official Draftsim Discord.

Until next time, stay safe and stay healthy!

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1 Comment

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    Liquidbeaver July 4, 2023 12:31 pm

    You forgot Ib Halfheart! He is a blast to play, and can often steal surprise wins from tables of more stereotypically strong commanders.

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