The 42 Best Goblin Commanders in Magic Ranked

Last updated on February 11, 2026

Muxus, Goblin Grandee | Illustration by Dmitry Burmak

Greetings planeswalkers! If you’re a fan of goblins, this should be right up your alley. Goblins in Magic are known for many things, primarily aggression (Frenzied Goblin), intriguing battle tactics (Goblin Diplomats, Goblin Balloon Brigade), and a wanton disregard for their own lives (Goblin Grenade). They’re popular enough to be a sort of “mascot” of sorts for red, with over 500 unique goblins in the game so far. And it should come as no surprise that goblins are a popular archetype in Commander!

When it comes to leading an army of them though, some goblin commanders clearly stand above the rest. Let’s take a deep dive into all of the game’s legendary goblins and rank them from worst to best in terms of power/playability for EDH.

Ready your little red gobbos and prepare for some chaos!

What Are Goblin Commanders in MTG?

Rulik Mons, Warren Chief | Illustration by Tuan Duong Chu

Goblin commanders are simply legendary creatures that have the creature type “goblin.” Some of these commanders have abilities that synergize directly with goblins, such as creating Goblin tokens or buffing your goblin creatures. Others just happen to be goblins but will want to take your deck in a particular direction, like Zada, Hedron Grinder (pump spells) or Wort, the Raidmother (big spells).

#42. Green Goblin, Revenant

Have you ever wanted to draw half your deck in one single swing? Green Goblin, Revenant rewards you for aggressively discarding by letting you draw a card for every single one you’ve pitched that turn. It has deathtouch and flying, making it very difficult for your opponents to block effectively. It pairs amazingly with Faithless Looting to set up a massive draw trigger. If you run Psychosis Crawler, you can drain everyone’s life totals just by attacking and drawing into more resources.

#41. Norman Osborn / Green Goblin

You can cast Green Goblin directly on its back side to skip the scientist phase entirely. While he begins by conniving to fill your hand as Norman Osborn, the goblin form is a beast that makes graveyard spells significantly cheaper. It effectively transforms your discard pile into a strategic second hand by granting nonland cards mayhem. Try pairing it with Kess, Dissident Mage to maximize your graveyard-casting power.

#40. Sanar, Innovative First-Year

Get ready for some colorful chaos when Sanar, Innovative First-Year hits the table. At the start of your main phase, it lets you dig through your deck and impulse draw cards based on how many colors you control. It fits perfectly in Izzet-based decks that go wide with colors. Synergize it with General Ferrous Rokiric to build a huge army while this creature keeps the extra spells coming from exile.

#39. Green Goblin, Nemesis

Green Goblin, Nemesis is the ultimate engine for players who love turning trash into treasure. It produces mana when you discard lands and buffs your goblins when you pitch other spells, making every rummage effect feel twice as powerful. It’s an interesting piece for any goblin tribal deck looking to tap into the discard and madness mechanics.

#38. Squee, Goblin Nabob

Squee, Goblin Nabob is a really neat value card, as you can sacrifice or discard it to your heart’s content. Putting it in your command zone gives you access to this effect every game, so you can build an adorable card advantage engine around it plus discard effects like Demand Answers and Bitter Reunion. It’s pretty much only a value card though; you can’t go infinite with it (unlike Squee, the Immortal), and running it as your commander restricts you to mono-red with only your 99 for muscle.

#37. Redshift, Rocketeer Chief

The ability to ramp through activated abilities makes Redshift, Rocketeer Chief a unique utility commander for Gruul () players. It generates mana based on its own power, which makes it a fantastic target for equipment like Loxodon Warhammer. Its exhaust ability is the ultimate finisher, dumping your entire hand onto the field at once. For maximum impact, run it alongside Umbral Mantle for infinite mana.

#36. Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer

Slobad is cool but certainly underpowered by 2024 EDH standards. Your best bet for building around it is to include artifacts worth protecting and loads of fodder like Solemn Simulacrum and Ichor Wellspring. I’d also recommend artifact combos like Mystic Forge with Sensei's Divining Top and Foundry Inspector, as Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer needs all the help it can get.

#35. Ultimate Green Goblin

This legendary creature loves a messy graveyard and high-stakes plays. Ultimate Green Goblin makes you discard every upkeep, but it gives you a Treasure to compensate for the lost resource. Since it has mayhem, it can be cast if you pitch it, and it works great along with enablers like Anje Falkenrath to cycle cards quickly or Containment Construct to play what you just discarded. It's a solid choice for madness decks that want to turn discarded cards into immediate board presence.

#34. Hobgoblin, Mantled Marauder

Hobgoblin, Mantled Marauder proves that speed and discard triggers are a lethal combination. This little guy gets a nice power boost every time you discard a card, and thanks to haste, it hits the ground (air?) running the moment it lands. It's a perfect fit for wheel strategies, where you discard your entire hand at once to refill. Try using it alongside Burning Inquiry to suddenly pump its attack to massive levels or Ox of Agonas to keep your hand fresh and the buffs coming.

#33. Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer

Daretti, Rocketeer Engineer works like a recursive machine for artifact fans who love recycling their gear. It swaps cheap baubles for massive graveyard threats whenever it enters or attacks, and its power stays high if you control expensive artifacts. It’s a staple for artifact aristocrats or reanimator builds. Pairing it with Portal to Phyrexia allows you to repeatedly bring back a devastating control piece to crush your opponents' board states.

#32. Breeches, Brazen Plunderer

Breeches, Brazen Plunderer makes for solid pirates commander when partnered with Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator, particularly if you’re on a budget (few pirate staples are worth much).

#31. Breeches, Eager Pillager

Speaking of goblin pirates, Breeches, Eager Pillager is another great pirate to put in your command zone. Which Breeches you should pick comes down to whether you want a stronger commander or access to blue pirates and support spells. If you do end up with mono-red, don’t be afraid to play weak Draft cards like Reckless Lackey and Goblin Trailblazer, as Breeches, Eager Pillager heavily pays you off for playing cheap pirates.

#30. Krark, the Thumbless

Krark, the Thumbless is a neat spellslinger commander that plays on a fringe theme: coin flipping! It’s best paired with blue partners like Sakashima of a Thousand Faces, as being UR gives you access to other coin flipping cards like Okaun, Eye of Chaos and Zndrsplt, Eye of Wisdom. Speaking of those two, they’re the reason Krark, the Thumbless isn’t higher on this list, as that pair of chaos commanders is easier to build around than Krark. If you do play this goblin, be sure to include Krark's Thumb!

#29. Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician

This is the first goblin commander I’ve covered that really plays up the goblin theme, as Ib creates new ones and makes the ones you have miserable to block. Note that Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician doesn’t have a “may” trigger on block, so you’ll really want as many disposable fodder goblins as possible here. Be sure to include token payoffs like General Kreat, the Boltbringer and Impact Tremors, so you can go all in once you’ve set up.

#28. Ardoz, Cobbler of War

Ardoz is a very aggressive commander that can put a lot of pressure on in a hurry. It’s kind of like having an Enduring Courage or Ogre Battledriver in the command zone, but Ardoz, Cobbler of War is cheaper and doesn’t give haste. With that in mind, it helps to include as many haste granters as possible like Goblin Chieftain and Goblin Warchief.

#27. Mizzix, Replica Rider

Mizzix, Replica Rider is a solid spellslinger commander that really likes impulsive draw spells. The key thing to build around is the “other than your hand” line, so cards with foretell (Behold the Multiverse, Delayed Blast Fireball) and flashback (Think Twice, Galvanic Iteration) are excellent. I’d likely prefer Mizzix’s stormier counterpart (Mizzix of the Izmagnus), but this Mizzix is a worthy alternative.

#26. Gut, True Soul Zealot

Gut is a decent sacrifice commander that can be any two colors you wish. Black-red is probably the most obvious combination, with Agent of the Iron Throne, Agent of the Shadow Thieves, and Cultist of the Absolute being good background pairings for it. If you want to instead build Gut around goblins, there are two solid options in Haunted One and Folk Hero.

#25. Auntie Ool, Cursewretch

Auntie Ool, Cursewretch punishes enemies with life loss when their creatures shrink while rewarding you with cards whenever your own creatures pick up -1/-1 counters. This makes it the ultimate commander for a Jund () -1/-1 counters deck.

#24. Squee, the Immortal

This is the best standalone Squee to put in the command zone, even if it might seem like an odd fit at first. The central gambit here is using Squee, the Immortal as an always-available infinite combo piece, though most of the infinite combos are fairly convoluted (3-4 cards). You can put it all together with a mana cost reducer (Hazoret's Monument, Goblin Warchief), a sacrifice outlet (Skirk Prospector is the best one), and some kind of mana engine (Birgi, God of Storytelling, Runaway Steam-Kin). Some other worthy inclusions are cards that love when you recast your commander over and over, like Skyfire Phoenix and Flamekin Herald.

#23. Slobad, Iron Goblin

Burst mana generation is powerful, especially when you include “expensive” artifacts like Myr Enforcer and Sojourner's Companion. I also love Treasure Nabber here as well, as you can just sacrifice whatever you steal with it. Be sure to include many fodder artifacts, which you can sacrifice for huge mana payoffs like Triplicate Titan, Chiss-Goria, Forge Tyrant, Myr Battlesphere, and Cityscape Leveler.

#22. Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith

Toggo, Goblin Weaponsmith is a really neat commander with a decent number of angles you can pursue. Partner gives you many options, the best of which are Kodama of the East Tree, Thrasios, Triton Hero, Ich-Tekik, Salvage Splicer, and Keskit, the Flesh Sculptor. Toggo’s Rocks give you a ton of removal for small utility creatures, and also go fantastically with cards like Reckless Fireweaver and Ghirapur Aether Grid.

#21. Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei

Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei is a cheap commander that gives you readily available haste. It can also enable an infinite combo with Ganax, Astral Hunter and Mana Echoes. I’d mostly consider it an equipment commander, as it’s a poor choice for a straightforward goblin theme.

#20. Zoyowa Lava-Tongue

“Each” is a lovely word to read in EDH, and it helps lift this Limited looking card to much greater heights! It also helps that Zoyowa Lava-Tongue is incredibly easy to trigger, as all it takes is a single fetch land for descend to proc. Building around a sacrifice theme with cards like Accursed Marauder and Plaguecrafter means you’ll pretty much always be forcing your opponents to choose.

#19. Pashalik Mons

Another goblin that probably works better in 99s than as a commander, due to other superior options. Either way, Pashalik Mons works great with cards like Skirk Prospector and Mana Echoes, as you could theoretically kill your entire table with this, given enough setup. I also love the resilience to removal and sweepers Mons provides, as at the very least you can punish whoever is casting them.

#18. Grenzo, Havoc Raiser

Grenzo, Havoc Raiser is a neat commander that can force a lot of chaos if you can connect with small creatures. Loyal Apprentice is an absolute must-have here, as small hasty Thopters are perfect for getting repeat Grenzo triggers. As for the rest of the deck, most players seem to build around goblin staples like Siege-Gang Commander and Goblin Warchief. It’s particularly neat to see this kind of thieving effect in mono-red of all things.

#17. Mizzix of the Izmagnus

This is another premier spellslinger commander. It also has serious combo potential due to the massive mana reduction it accumulates. Your primary strategy with Mizzix of the Izmagnus Commander decks is to use cantrips to stack up experience counters, then slam powerful expensive spells at a discount over and over. You can also use proliferate cards like Experimental Augury and Tezzeret's Gambit to stack experience even faster. Doing all of this often puts a target on your head though, so expect to have to pay the commander tax for Mizzix many times!

#16. Goro-Goro and Satoru

Goro-Goro and Satoru is one card for a powerful duo that can go infinite pretty easily. The combo is a bit convoluted but only involves two cards: Goro-Goro and Satoru and Breath of Fury.

Outside of infinite combos, Goro-Goro and Satoru makes for an excellent ninja commander, as getting 5/5 dragons over and over is a satisfying payoff for ninjutsu antics.

#15. Grub, Storied Matriarch / Grub, Notorious Auntie

Early in the game, Grub, Storied Matriarch // Grub, Notorious Auntie provides great value by recurring goblins from your graveyard. Once it transforms into its Auntie side, it becomes a terrifying offensive threat that creates temporary copies of blighted creatures.

#14. Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker may as well be the embodiment of combo itself, though it also happens to be a goblin too! It’s more popular in 99s than as a commander, but it can still do great work when built around from the command zone. Zealous Conscripts, Coercive Recruiter, and Combat Celebrant are must-haves for simple infinite combos.

I also love including staple creatures to copy like Fanatic of Mogis, Priest of Urabrask, and Humble Defector. The main catch to Kiki-Jiki is that it’s expensive and fragile, and it’ll certainly die over and over as other players won’t be keen to see you go infinite! Mono-red also lacks many compelling options for protecting it, so get ready to pay some hefty commander taxes.

#13. Grumgully, the Generous

Goblins really have a thing for combo commanders, as it turns out. Grumgully, the Generous looks like a simple value card at first, but it goes off with persist creatures, which return to the battlefield with a -1/-1 counter on them when they die. Grumgully’s ability nullifies this due to the +1/+1 counter it gives, which means all you need is a sac outlet for infinites. The base combo usually involves Aerie Ouphes, Grumgully, the Generous, and a sac outlet. From there, you can have different effects depending on the outlet you choose. Goblin Bombardment for infinite damage, Altar of Dementia for infinite mill, Ashnod's Altar for infinite mana, and so on.

#12. Muxus, Goblin Grandee

Muxus, Goblin Grandee is another fantastic commander to lead an army of goblins! Goblin Recruiter is an absolute MVP here, as you can set up a Muxus infinite rather simply. Even if you're not setting up an easy infinite, Muxus still puts a bunch of gobbos on board, and attacks as a large threat itself.

#11. Wort, the Raidmother

GR Storm is a pretty neat concept, and this version of Wort does it quite well. The goal with Wort, the Raidmother is usually to ramp into it with cards like Cultivate (which can also be doubled if you draw them late), then untap with it and start slinging some crazy spell sequences with conspire. Staple instants and sorceries include Jeska's Will, Reiterate, Mana Geyser, and Seething Song. Given that Wort is all about copying spells, I also love “additional cost” inclusions like Unexpected Windfall.

#10. Vial Smasher the Fierce

The original partner cards were largely pretty busted, and Vial Smasher the Fierce is no exception! It puts out a ton of damage without much effort, and it can give you access to a lot of colors when paired with the right commanders. Some popular pairings I’ve seen include Thrasios, Triton Hero, Sakashima of a Thousand Faces, and Malcolm, Keen-Eyed Navigator (for Grixis () pirates). Including strong instants is a good idea to maximize the amount of damage put out by Vial Smasher’s trigger, since it counts “each turn.”

#9. Grenzo, Dungeon Warden

Grenzo, Dungeon Warden is a rather overpowered card that can do some nasty things with a bit of setup. While you could definitely just play this in a normal BR goblins deck, it’s much more potent with cards like The Cauldron of Eternity, Workhorse, and the like. Exploiting ways to put things on the bottom of your library will often make Grenzo, Dungeon Warden into an insane value/combo engine. If you want to be even cheekier, you could try setting up your own win with Doomsday.

#8. General Kreat, the Boltbringer

Impact Tremors on legs, you say? That’s a pretty nice one to have, and General Kreat, the Boltbringer even brings a friend along whenever you attack. I can’t shake the feeling that I’d rather have a different goblin commander though, as this seems more for the 99 than anything else.

#7. Shattergang Brothers

The Shattergang Brothers is an interesting card that loves to play with disposable game objects. I particularly like the enchantment/artifact modes here, as this gives you an easy out to many powerful cards. Agatha of the Vile Cauldron is an excellent inclusion here to discount repeat activations. While I can’t say they’re stronger than busted sacrifice-themed Jund commanders like Korvold, Fae-Cursed King or Prossh, Skyraider of Kher, Shattergang Brothers gets props for having a clear theme to build around.

#6. Zada, Hedron Grinder

This powerful commander let’s you copy single-target spells for each creature you control! As such, decks built around Zada, Hedron Grinder usually involve a mix of cheap creatures, red token generators, and spells worth copying. This is a very powerful card capable of some filthy things, and it was good enough to be banned in Pauper Commander. You'll want to pack targeted cantrips like Might of the Meek and Crimson Wisps.

#5. Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin

This take on Krenko is a bit more Voltron than others, as it really rewards you for pumping up its power with equipment and combat tricks. Cards like Stoneforge Masterwork do an exceptional job of this while staying very on-theme. I’d also definitely endorse staying on type with Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin, as you’ll quickly have more Goblins than you know what to do with. This is a great commander to try if you’re bored of the usual ones like Krenko, Mob Boss or Muxus, Goblin Grandee.

#4. Krenko, Baron of Tin Street

Probably the least popular Krenko of the three available, though Krenko, Baron of Tin Street is still plenty powerful and has a cool mix of themes. You’re looking to combine goblin payoffs with cheap disposable artifacts here, so include all the usual goblin lords and cards like Skullclamp, Prized Statue, and Ichor Wellspring. And note that the last ability triggers on opposing artifacts going to the graveyard, too.

#3. Slimefoot and Squee

I didn’t count Slimefoot and Squee as a Squee card, because if I had it would clearly have been the best one! This is an awesome creature that is one part Jund reanimator, one part fungus lord. It plays great with sacrifice outlets, which can bin it for reanimator shenanigans. It also easily goes infinite with cards like Pitiless Plunderer or Golgari Germination and a sacrifice outlet like Ashnod's Altar or Phyrexian Altar. Getting to combine infinite combo shenanigans, reanimation, and fodder sacrificing for value into one shell makes this one of the best goblin commanders!

#2. Wort, Boggart Auntie

Wort, Boggart Auntie is an awesome value commander for a slower, more resilient take on goblins. It also lets you play black cards, which gives you access to some unique goblins like Warren Soultrader and Sling-Gang Lieutenant, which aren’t available to mono-red decks. This would be my personal choice for a goblin commander, though it’s less popular online than others ranked lower

#1. Krenko, Mob Boss

It should come as no surprise to EDH players that Krenko is the boss of goblins! Its ability to generate a large number of Goblins quickly and overwhelm opponents with sheer numbers (exponential goblin growth!) is what makes Krenko, Mob Boss the best goblin commander there is. I love including Swiftfoot Boots and/or Lightning Greaves here to protect Krenko and use it earlier. Goblin Chirurgeon, Coat of Arms, Skullclamp, and Impact Tremors are some cards that are commonly seen in Krenko, Mob Boss Commander decks.

Best Goblin Commander Payoffs

While not a goblin itself, Purphoros, God of the Forge is about as good of a goblin payoff as it gets. This god does massive damage to the entire table, and only asks you to do a very simple thing you were already doing. It’s also hard to remove thanks to indestructible. There’s a reason you see this cleaning up in Commander so often! General Kreat, the Boltbringer is a more on-theme version of the effect, and Agate Instigator works quite well, too.

Skirk Prospector lets you sacrifice goblins to generate mana. This can be used to ramp or enable combos that require sacrificing goblins for various effects, like Squee, the Immortal’s self-reanimation.

Goblin Matron, Moggcatcher, and Goblin Recruiter allow you to search your deck for specific goblin cards and put them in your hand or on top of your library. They’re absolute staples in any deck built around goblins!

Goblin King, Goblin Warchief, and Goblin Chieftain are also staples, as haste and cost reduction are both invaluable things to have. It helps that goblins not only have these but also many other lords and payoffs for staying in type.

Goblin Lackey is a cheap creature that can cheat goblins into play from your hand whenever it deals combat damage to a player. It’ll usually need some help getting in, but it can generate massive advantages if played early enough.

Aside from the usual go-wide plan, goblins can also lean into a sacrifice-heavy strategy, especially in red and black. Cards like Sling-Gang Lieutenant and Pashalik Mons turn dying goblins into damage, while outlets like Skirk Prospector and Goblin Bombardment trade extra bodies for mana or removal. When paired with token-makers like Krenko, Mob Boss or Siege-Gang Commander, the deck shifts from simple aggro into a grindy aristocrats build that can win without attacking.

Are Goblins Good in Commander?

Short answer, yes! Krenko, Mob Boss, Zada, Hedron Grinder, and a few others on this list are very popular commanders online, as goblins is one of the best supported types in all of MTG.

How Much Mana Do You Need for a Goblin Deck?

Depending on the deck, you’ll want between 35-39 lands. Pretty much every commander I listed would also want all of the usual mana rock staples. A good start includes 35-39 lands and a handful of rocks, though certain decks (particularly artifact-focused ones like Breeches, the Blastmaker or Slobad, Iron Goblin) will play more.

How Many Creatures Do You Need in a Goblin Commander Deck?

There’s no fixed number on how many creatures a goblin Commander deck must have, and as you may have guessed certain commanders on this list like Mizzix of the Izmagnus run very few. However, for a typal goblin deck, you’ll want to include 30+ gobbos, focusing mainly on lords, staples, and payoffs for whatever commander you went with.

Commanding Conclusion

Grenzo, Dungeon Warden | Illustration by Lucas Graciano

And there you have it, folks! All of Magic’s goblin commanders ranked, all the way up to the mighty Krenko, Mob Boss! What do you think? Did you love the list? Let us know in the comments.

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As always, take care, and may your next Commander pod be a Goblin Blast-Runner of a good time!