Commonly, in the Magic the Gathering community, goblin decks are underrated and for the most part ignored. However, a goblin deck — specifically a red-heavy deck — can be quite a formidable opponent.
This is to your advantage; many people underestimate goblins, so showing them how incredible they really are will both educate them and put them in their place for any match. Below, this list showcases the top goblins to have in any goblin deck, all of which will make a great deck. Not just aggro heavy, these cards can help any deck that is red or using goblins.
10 Goblin Recruiter
Goblin Recruiter costs just 2 mana and lets you search for goblin cards in your library. You have to reveal them and shuffle your deck, then place them on top in the order you choose. A cheap and handy card to ensure a steady flow of reinforcements is on the way. This card will help with many issues getting goblins on the field.
While other cards may brag about getting cards out, this card can set up the next several turns with your favorite goblins, is affordable by turn 2 (given how your land draw goes), and can bring out anyone that’s a goblin. While not number one, we highly recommend him in any goblin deck!
9 Rundvelt Hordemaster
Another cheap 2-mana card, the Rundvelt Hordemaster isn’t anything to laugh at. While the death of a goblin might seem bad, whenever he or another goblin you control dies, you exile the top card of your library. The good part of that is if it’s a goblin, you can cast it until the end of your next turn.
It isn’t just a plain goblin card; it’s kind of resilient to removal spells. Since its ability to exile cards from the top of your library can be used until the end of your next turn, you will be able to refill the ranks with more goblins.
8 Warren Instigator
The Warren Instigator is a 2-cost card, so he can be brought out quickly in any goblin deck. He also not only has double-strike, but if you land a hit on an opponent, you can put a goblin from your hand into the battlefield for free. That’s two goblins on any hit to an opponent, not a creature.
As an aside, if you have the land by turn 2, it would be ideal to put the Warren Instigator out right away. He can, ideally, deal damage to a player as soon as possible and help ramp up more goblins on your field.
7 Skirk Prospector
Skirk Prospector is an amazing card if you are mana locked and need mana — especially if you have goblin tokens or ones to spare, as any time you sacrifice a goblin, you get a red mana. At only 1 cost, this card can really work well with other goblin cards that cast tokens. The more you can sacrifice, the more mana you can get!
This also means if you have ample token goblins, you can sacrifice them and get a red mana for each goblin killed this way, leaving you ready to cast anything else in your hand. Even Skirk Prospector himself can be sacrificed, though you’d probably want to use that as a last resort.
6 Goblin Warchief
The Goblin Warchief is easy enough to cast; at only 3 cost, he reduces the cost of other goblin-specific spells by 1 colorless. This means you still have to pay the colored mana, but you don’t have to pay the colorless cost, regardless of what it is. Best of all, this card can stack with itself and others like it, making your goblin horde a formidable enemy.
Not only does he reduce the cost of goblin spells by 1 colorless, but he also gives all goblins you specifically control haste. If you add him with others from this list, he’s a powerful and dangerous card for opponents.
5 Goblin Chieftain
Costing 3 mana (two red, one colorless) Goblin Chieftain is great to have on the field. He gives all other goblins a +1/+1 and gives them all haste, so you can use them as soon as they touch the ground. He likewise has haste, though as a 2/2, you may want to keep him back from fighting and use his abilities more than his attacks.
Again, his abilities are stackable, meaning he gives a bonus to goblins, and any other card that gives a bonus combines with it. If your card draw is kind, you could ramp up your goblins to an insane amount of damage.
4 Muxus, Goblin Grandee
While Muxus does cost a whopping 6 mana, he really is worth it. As he enters the battlefield, you reveal the top six of your library. Any creature card with a mana of 5 or less from these six cards can go straight to the battlefield. The rest go on the bottom of your library in any order.
As a Legendary creature, only one can be out at a time; however, his abilities can stack with other similar cards that beef up goblins. If all of the above isn’t enough, whenever Muxus attacks, he gets a +1/+1 for each other goblin you control until the end of turn. Depending on tokens and what cards you take from these suggestions, this can and has been a devastatingly lethal blow.
3 Pashalik Mons
Pashalik Mons is an affordable enough card at just 3 mana (2 colorless and 1 red) and can really help any goblin deck. While he’s only a 2/2, whenever Pashalik Mons — or any other goblin you control — dies, you deal 1 damage to any creature, player, or Planeswalker. Goblin dies, you damage something.
Another advantage of including Pashalik Mons in your goblin deck is his ability. Besides dishing out damage for every death of a goblin you control, you can pay 3 colorless and 1 red, then sacrifice a goblin — this in turn creates two 1/1 goblin tokens. Depending on what cards you’ve decided to include from these listed, that could be a great combo.
2 Goblin Matron
The Goblin Matron is a relatively affordable cast at 2 colorless and 1 red. While her stats are 1/1, it’s her initial ability we absolutely cherish. When she enters the battlefield, you get to look through your library for a goblin card. After revealing the card, you get to put it in your hand and reshuffle your deck.
Any goblin you’ve needed or wanted, any goblin at all, you can get it in your draw right then and there if you play the Matron. As you’ve seen mentioned already, there are plenty of beneficial cards that would absolutely give you that win-condition if comboed correctly. The Goblin Matron can help you make that happen.
1 Krenko, Mob Boss
A favorite among any goblin player, Krenko is easily one of the best, if not most important, cards in any goblin deck. Costing 2 colorless and 2 red mana, he’s affordable enough to make a solid aggro deck, especially if you have a Goblin Warchief or two on the field to reduce his 2 colorless. He’s also somewhat tough for a goblin, sitting at 3/3 for his stats. However, Krenko’s best feature out of everything: he’s a token machine.
Once tapped, you create a 1/1 goblin token for however many goblins you control. This can and has easily gotten out of control, with over 6,000 goblins on the field, all with bonuses from other goblin cards like Goblin Chieftain. If you want to have a silly but mildly overpowered Goblin deck, always include Krenko. He will double your goblins and, if nothing else, give you chump blockers while you amass an army of slimy little goblins to play with.
