I've always been a huge fan of goblins, and one of my favourite 60 card decks ever was a goblin tribal deck. When I got into Commander, the idea of using Krenko as a commander instantly appealed to me. The cost of building the deck also appealed to me - I already had a lot of goblins, and since Krenko is mono-red, I wouldn't have to splurge on any expensive land. After doing some searching online, I found this great basis for a deck from Mike Cannon on Gathering Magic: http://www.gatheringmagic.com/mikecannon-090312-krenko-commander/. Here's the list, with my modifications:
Krenko, Mob Boss
Commander:
Krenko, Mob Boss
Creatures:
Gempalm Incinerator
Legion Loyalist
Goblin King
Siege-Gang Commander
Goblin Marshall
Moggcatcher
Tuktuk Scrapper
Mogg War Marshal
Adaptive Automaton
Urabrask the Hidden
Goblin Matron
Goblin Wardriver
Voracious Dragon
Chancellor of the Forge
Goblin Bushwhacker
Tuttuk the Explorer
Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician
Akki Lavarunner // Tok-Tok, Volcano Born
Arms Dealer
Goblin Recruiter
Caterwauling Boggart
Patron of the Akki
Anger
Goblin Guide
Purphoros, God of the Forge
Goblin Chieftain
Rabble-Rouser
Enchantments/Sorceries/Instants:
Goblin Warrens
Goblin Bombardment
Shattering Pulse
Fissure
Cinder Cloud
Empty the Warrens
Warstorm Surge
Krenko's Command
Goblin War Drums
Shared Animosity
Blood Frenzy
Blood Moon
Quest for the Goblin Lord
Blasphemous Act
Tide of War
Aftershock
Vicious Shadows
Mercadia's Downfall
Fervor
Artifacts:
Wayfarer's Bauble
Brittle Effigy
Sol Ring
Gilded Lotus
Caged Sun
Sword of the Paruns
Staff of Nin
Worn Powerstone
Lightning Greaves
Swiftfoot Boots
Spine of Ish Sah
Coat of Arms
Slate of Ancestry
Illuminated Folio
Planeswalkers:
Chandra, the Firebrand
Land:
Mountain x 37
Although you wouldn't know it for our battle with Shattergang Brothers, this deck has actually fared pretty well in most of the matches I've played with it. I made several big mistakes in that match-up, so I think I let the deck down, as opposed to the deck being bad. Krenko can get out of control pretty fast, and if I had remembered to activate him in those first few turns of match 1, I think it may have played out differently. The idea behind the deck is pretty straight forward - make lots of goblins, and punish your opponent with cards like Goblin Bombardment, Gempalm Incinerator, Purphoros, and Warstorm Surge. Cards like Mercadia's Downfall, Orcish Oriflamme, Coat of Arms, and Tok-Tok Lavaborn can give you the opportunity to run over your opponent for a win. Finally, cards like Slate of Ancestry for card draw, Brittle Effigy for exiling, and Blasphemous Act for board wipe, all of which do things mono red doesn't usually do particularly well.
There is definitely some room for change here - eyeing the list, I can see some cards that just don't really do anything, like Goblin Guide. I have some ideas for what to do to evolve this deck, and I'm itching for a rematch so I can pilot it a bit better, so when I've made some changes we can hopefully revisit him for a rematch on the show.
How about you? Have you used Krenko as a Commander before, or have any ideas for a Krenko centric deck? Let me know in the comments below!
Krenko, Mob Boss
Commander:
Krenko, Mob Boss
Creatures:
Gempalm Incinerator
Legion Loyalist
Goblin King
Siege-Gang Commander
Goblin Marshall
Moggcatcher
Tuktuk Scrapper
Mogg War Marshal
Adaptive Automaton
Urabrask the Hidden
Goblin Matron
Goblin Wardriver
Voracious Dragon
Chancellor of the Forge
Goblin Bushwhacker
Tuttuk the Explorer
Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician
Akki Lavarunner // Tok-Tok, Volcano Born
Arms Dealer
Goblin Recruiter
Caterwauling Boggart
Patron of the Akki
Anger
Goblin Guide
Purphoros, God of the Forge
Goblin Chieftain
Rabble-Rouser
Enchantments/Sorceries/Instants:
Goblin Warrens
Goblin Bombardment
Shattering Pulse
Fissure
Cinder Cloud
Empty the Warrens
Warstorm Surge
Krenko's Command
Goblin War Drums
Shared Animosity
Blood Frenzy
Blood Moon
Quest for the Goblin Lord
Blasphemous Act
Tide of War
Aftershock
Vicious Shadows
Mercadia's Downfall
Fervor
Artifacts:
Wayfarer's Bauble
Brittle Effigy
Sol Ring
Gilded Lotus
Caged Sun
Sword of the Paruns
Staff of Nin
Worn Powerstone
Lightning Greaves
Swiftfoot Boots
Spine of Ish Sah
Coat of Arms
Slate of Ancestry
Illuminated Folio
Planeswalkers:
Chandra, the Firebrand
Land:
Mountain x 37
Although you wouldn't know it for our battle with Shattergang Brothers, this deck has actually fared pretty well in most of the matches I've played with it. I made several big mistakes in that match-up, so I think I let the deck down, as opposed to the deck being bad. Krenko can get out of control pretty fast, and if I had remembered to activate him in those first few turns of match 1, I think it may have played out differently. The idea behind the deck is pretty straight forward - make lots of goblins, and punish your opponent with cards like Goblin Bombardment, Gempalm Incinerator, Purphoros, and Warstorm Surge. Cards like Mercadia's Downfall, Orcish Oriflamme, Coat of Arms, and Tok-Tok Lavaborn can give you the opportunity to run over your opponent for a win. Finally, cards like Slate of Ancestry for card draw, Brittle Effigy for exiling, and Blasphemous Act for board wipe, all of which do things mono red doesn't usually do particularly well.
There is definitely some room for change here - eyeing the list, I can see some cards that just don't really do anything, like Goblin Guide. I have some ideas for what to do to evolve this deck, and I'm itching for a rematch so I can pilot it a bit better, so when I've made some changes we can hopefully revisit him for a rematch on the show.
How about you? Have you used Krenko as a Commander before, or have any ideas for a Krenko centric deck? Let me know in the comments below!
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