Few archetypes capture the spirit of red like Goblins: cheap, explosive, and built to bury the table under a sea of 1/1 tokens before anyone untaps. If you’ve searched for the best goblin commander or how to build a Magic: The Gathering goblin deck, this is the definitive 2026 guide — the best goblin commanders ranked with current prices, the staples every build wants, a full 100-card Krenko blueprint, a budget version under $50, the combos that close games, and an FAQ. Every card below was checked live against Scryfall for Commander legality and June 2026 pricing.

Why build a Goblin deck?

Goblins are the original “go-wide” tribe. They flood the board with cheap bodies, then convert that quantity into damage through lords, anthems, and sacrifice payoffs. Three things make them one of the most rewarding tribes in Commander:

• Speed & low curve: most goblins cost one to three mana, so you deploy a threatening board faster than almost any other tribe.
• Explosive synergy: token generators (Krenko, Goblin Instigator) feed lords (Goblin Chieftain, Goblin King) and payoffs (Impact Tremors, Shared Animosity) for snowballing turns.
• Multiple win paths: alpha strike, sacrifice loops, or direct burn — a single board can win three different ways.

The trade-off: goblins fold to a single board wipe if you over-commit, so knowing when to go off matters as much as the cards. (New to the format? Start with our step-by-step guide to building a Commander deck.)

Best Goblin Commanders in MTG (2026), Ranked

These are the goblin commanders worth building around right now, ranked for the typical casual-to-mid-power Commander table. Prices are live Scryfall medians (June 2026) and will drift — always check current card prices before you buy.

Krenko, Mob Boss — the default pick

Krenko taps to create a Goblin token for each Goblin you control. That’s exponential: five goblins becomes ten, ten becomes twenty. He’s cheap (about $1.68), iconic, and the engine that every other card in the deck supports. If you’re building your first goblin deck, this is the commander.

Muxus, Goblin Grandee — the power option

When Muxus attacks, you look at the top six cards and put every goblin among them onto the battlefield. That’s frequently three to five free bodies in a single swing — the most explosive turn in the tribe. At about $14.28 he’s the premium pick, but he ends games.

A quick honesty note on Purphoros

You’ll see Purphoros, God of the Forge ($32.17) at the top of nearly every “goblin” list. Read the type line: it’s a God, not a Goblin — and at five mana with indestructible it’s almost always run in the 99 as a damage payoff, not as your commander. It’s a fantastic include (every token deals 2 to each opponent), but don’t crown it your goblin commander. For most decks the much cheaper Impact Tremors ($2.09) does the same job in the early game. Pick a real goblin to lead; run Purphoros as support if your budget allows.

Core Goblin Staples

Whatever commander you choose, these are the cards a mono-red goblin deck is built on — lords that pump the team, token makers that feed Krenko, and tutors that find the right goblin on demand. All are Commander-legal; prices are June 2026.

Anthems, Engines & Payoffs

Tokens are worthless until you convert them into damage. These are the cards that turn a wide board into a lethal one:

• Impact Tremors ($2.09) & Purphoros, God of the Forge ($32.17) — deal damage to each opponent for every goblin that enters. One big Krenko turn can deal 10–20 with these out.
• Shared Animosity ($3.58) — each attacking goblin pumps your whole team per other goblin; turns an army into an alpha strike.
• Coat of Arms ($19.36) — a colorless tribal anthem that scales with your board (mind that it helps opposing tribes too).
• Goblin Bombardment ($2.66) — a free sacrifice outlet that fires tokens at faces; the backbone of the combo lines below.
• Thornbite Staff ($24.21) — equip Krenko and he untaps every time a creature dies (combo engine — see below).
• Throne of the God-Pharaoh ($7.43) & Skullclamp ($6.88) — convert a tapped-out board into damage and the dying tokens into cards.
• Goblin Sharpshooter ($27.90) — untaps on any creature death; a recurring board-control engine that machine-guns small creatures.

Need to know which payoffs your build is missing? Drop your list into the MTG Deck Analyzer — it flags whether your ratio of token-makers to payoffs is actually lethal.

How to Build a Goblin Commander Deck (100-Card Blueprint)

This is a mono-red Krenko, Mob Boss skeleton — the most beginner-friendly and the cheapest to power up over time. Adjust to taste, but these ratios give you a board, the payoffs to make it lethal, and enough interaction to survive to your turn:

• 1 Commander — Krenko, Mob Boss
• 34 Lands — heavy on Mountains; add Cavern of Souls, Castle Embereth, and a couple of utility lands. The low curve lets you run fewer lands than average.
• 10 Ramp / rituals — Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Skirk Prospector, Brightstone Ritual ($3.13), Battle Hymn ($1.93), plus mana rocks. Speed is everything.
• 30 Goblins — lords (Chieftain, King, Warchief), token makers (Krenko’s Command, Hordeling Outburst, Goblin Instigator, Rabblemaster), and tutors (Matron, Recruiter, Ringleader).
• 8 Anthems / payoffs — Impact Tremors, Shared Animosity, Coat of Arms, Goblin Bombardment, Thornbite Staff, Throne of the God-Pharaoh.
• 7 Card advantage — Goblin Ringleader, Skullclamp, Light Up the Stage, plus your tutors.
• 10 Interaction — targeted burn for removal, plus protection for Krenko (boots/greaves so he survives a turn to tap).

That’s 100 cards. Build it, then run it through the deck analyzer to check your curve and payoff density, or start from a working list in our public deck browser. You can also generate a full goblin list in seconds with our AI MTG deck builder and tune it from there.

Budget Goblin Deck Under $50

Goblins are one of the cheapest tribes to start. Krenko himself is under $2, and this core engine runs about $20 — fill the rest with basic Mountains and bulk goblins and the whole deck lands well under $50:

• Krenko, Mob Boss — $1.68
• Skirk Prospector — $0.20
• Goblin Warchief — $1.32
• Goblin Matron — $1.41
• Goblin Ringleader — $1.08
• Goblin Rabblemaster — $0.67
• Krenko’s Command — $0.19
• Goblin Instigator — $0.45
• Hordeling Outburst — $0.38
• Reckless Bushwhacker — $0.32
• Impact Tremors — $2.09
• Goblin Bombardment — $2.66
• Mob Justice — $0.84
• Massive Raid — $0.23
• Arcane Signet — $1.43
• Sol Ring — $4.77

Skip the pricey lords (Goblin King, Chieftain) and Thornbite Staff at first; add them as upgrades once the shell proves out. Verify totals with the card price tool before you order — singles prices move.

Combos & How to Win

A goblin deck has three reliable ways to close, from “fair” to “I win now”:

• The alpha strike. Build a wide board, drop a lord or Shared Animosity, and swing. With Goblin Chieftain’s haste and an anthem, a Krenko activation can be 20+ power out of nowhere.
• ETB burn. With Impact Tremors or Purphoros on the battlefield, one Krenko tap that makes 10 tokens deals 10–20 to every opponent — no attack required, so board wipes don’t save them.
• The Krenko combo. Equip Thornbite Staff to Krenko and add a free sacrifice outlet (Goblin Bombardment) plus Skirk Prospector: tap Krenko for tokens → sac one to Bombardment → a creature dying untaps Krenko via Thornbite → tap again for even more. Each loop nets tokens and a point of damage, so it loops as far as you want — infinite tokens and infinite damage. Prospector turns the leftovers into mana to cast your finisher.

For the non-infinite finish, Goblin War Strike ($2.19), Massive Raid ($0.23), and Mob Justice ($0.84) each deal damage equal to your goblin count — point one at the table after a big Krenko turn and the game ends.

Common Mistakes

• No payoffs. A board of 1/1s that just sits there does nothing. Run enough anthems, sac outlets, and burn (Impact Tremors, Shared Animosity, Goblin War Strike) to actually convert the swarm.
• Leaving Krenko exposed. He’s the engine and the whole table knows it. Pack Lightning Greaves / Swiftfoot Boots so he survives to tap.
• Curve creep. Goblins want to dump their hand fast. Every four-plus-mana card you add slows the deck — keep the curve low.
• Forgetting haste. Fresh tokens are summoning-sick. Goblin Warchief, Goblin Chieftain, or Fervor ($6.53) let you swing the turn you go wide.
• Over-committing into a wipe. Hold a little gas back; goblins rebuild fast, so you don’t need to empty your hand into the first board wipe. (New to dodging removal? See our guide to the best board wipes in MTG and the best removal spells your opponents are running.)

Goblin Commander FAQ

What is the best goblin commander in MTG?

Krenko, Mob Boss is the best overall — cheap, iconic, and the most explosive token engine in the tribe. Muxus, Goblin Grandee is the highest-power option, and Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin is best for fast, aggressive games.

What’s the best budget goblin commander?

Krenko, Mob Boss, at roughly $1.68. No other commander gives you a game-winning token engine for so little, and the supporting cast is mostly cheap commons and uncommons.

How many goblins should a goblin deck run?

Around 28–32 actual goblins (including token generators), with the rest of the deck split between ~34 lands, 10 ramp pieces, and 15-or-so anthems, payoffs, card draw, and interaction.

Is a Krenko goblin deck competitive?

It’s a strong casual-to-mid-power deck that can punch well above its budget. With the Thornbite Staff combo it can win out of nowhere, but it’s not a cEDH staple — its weakness is board wipes and a lack of natural protection.

How does a goblin deck win?

Three ways: a wide alpha strike backed by lords and anthems; non-combat ETB burn from Impact Tremors or Purphoros; or an X-damage finisher like Goblin War Strike that scales with your goblin count.

Start Building

Goblins reward exactly the kind of player who likes to do a lot, fast — a deck that’s cheap to start, easy to upgrade, and capable of explosive, game-ending turns. Spin up a list with the AI deck builder, pressure-test it in the deck analyzer, and create a free account to save and share your build.

Into tribal decks? We’ve got full guides for the other big tribes too: rats, zombies, dragons, and fairies — all linked from our MTG tribes hub. Then sharpen the core with our Commander staples and best ramp cards guides.

Now go forth and let the goblins do what they do best — bury the table.