Purphoros, God of the Goblins

Commander / EDH Goblins Mono-Red

TheBestMagicCard

Other Creatures (22)

• 1x Flamekin Harbinger
• 1x Norin the Wary
• 1x Agate Instigator
• 1x Runaway Steam-Kin
• 1x Chandra's Spitfire
• 1x Grinning Ignus
• 1x Imperial Recruiter
• 1x Molten Gatekeeper
• 1x Witty Roastmaster
• 1x Defiler of Instinct
• 1x Jaxis, the Troublemaker
• 1x Moggcatcher
• 1x Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might  ^Flip
• 1x Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
• 1x Torbran, Thane of Red Fell
• 1x Treasonous Ogre
• 1x Bonehoard Dracosaur
• 1x Neheb, the Eternal
• 1x Terror of the Peaks
• 1x Calamity, Galloping Inferno
• 1x Chandra's Incinerator
• 1x Fiendish Duo

Ramp (5)

• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Ruby Medallion
• 1x Cursed Mirror
• 1x Hazoret's Monument

Goblins (18)

• 1x Skirk Prospector
• 1x Conspicuous Snoop
• 1x Dark-Dweller Oracle
• 1x Goblin Recruiter
• 1x Arms Dealer
• 1x Goblin Chieftain
• 1x Goblin Matron
• 1x Goblin Sharpshooter
• 1x Goblin Warchief
• 1x Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
• 1x Goblin Gang Leader
• 1x Goblin Trashmaster
• 1x Krenko, Mob Boss
• 1x Lightning Crafter
• 1x Siege-Gang Lieutenant
• 1x Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
• 1x Siege-Gang Commander
• 1x Muxus, Goblin Grandee

Land (36)

• 1x Ancient Tomb
• 1x Kher Keep
• 1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
• 31x Snow-Covered Mountain
• 1x Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
• 1x War Room

Artifact (3)

• 1x Skullclamp
• 1x Endless Atlas
• 1x Throne of Eldraine

Commander (1)

Enchantment (7)

• 1x Goblin Bombardment
• 1x Impact Tremors
• 1x Goblin Warrens
• 1x Elemental Mastery
• 1x Gratuitous Violence
• 1x Virtue of Courage
• 1x City on Fire

Sorcery (7)

• 1x Earthquake
• 1x Rolling Earthquake
• 1x Song of Totentanz
• 1x Hordeling Outburst
• 1x Indomitable Creativity
• 1x Empty the Warrens
• 1x Mogg Infestation

Instant (1)

• 1x Chaos Warp

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Maybeboard

Other (37)

• 1x Mana Crypt
• 1x Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Bloodmark Mentor
• 1x Dockside Extortionist
• 1x Firecat Blitz
• 1x Goblin Cratermaker
• 1x Iron Myr
• 1x Ornithopter of Paradise
• 1x Rundvelt Hordemaster
• 1x Anax, Hardened in the Forge
• 1x Ashnod's Altar
• 1x Birgi, God of Storytelling  ^Flip
• 1x Blood Moon
• 1x Cloudstone Curio
• 1x Extraplanar Lens
• 1x Goblin Chainwhirler
• 1x Goblin King
• 1x Hobgoblin Bandit Lord
• 1x Legion Warboss
• 1x Pashalik Mons
• 1x Phyrexian Altar
• 1x Rummaging Goblin
• 1x Treasure Nabber
• 1x Caterwauling Boggart
• 1x Emberwilde Captain
• 1x Goblin Ringleader
• 1x Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician
• 1x Leyline Tyrant
• 1x Manabarbs
• 1x Ogre Battledriver
• 1x Outpost Siege
• 1x Rose, Cutthroat Raider
• 1x Emrakul's Hatcher
• 1x Heartless Hidetsugu
• 1x Fiery Emancipation
• 1x Gnoll War Band

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Cast Purphoros, then cast Goblins (and other creatures) to do 40 damage to each opponent!

This deck can be awkwardly slow at first sometimes, since there isn't a whole lot of ramp and Purphoros cost 4 mana. You also usually want to wait to cast most creatures until after Purphoros is in play, so he triggers for damage. So sometimes the first few turns are more or less waiting and preparing to cast Purphoros...

This deck is kind of low on card-draw so it can run out of gas sometimes, since it needs a steady stream of creatures entering the battlefield to work. However, I've avoided putting in many of the good red draw spells, as they are often instants and sorceries, and I really want to limit the amount of non-creature spells in the deck... I'd rather have permanents that can offer repeated draw over multiple turns.

Despite these shortcomings, this deck can be very fast, even doing lethal damage by turn 5 or 6. Once Purphoros on the battlefield, the race is on. The fastest wins are based on combos which basically generate infinite creature ETB triggers to trigger Purphoros infinitely. And although the deck is kind of low on ramp, there are some ways of getting a lot of extra mana at once, like Treasonous Ogre, Neheb, the Eternal, and Dockside Extortionist, which can lead to explosive turns. Often times these combos and explosive turns can come seemingly out of nowhere, catching opponents by surprise!

Once opponents realize how explosive this deck can be, it often becomes the arch-enemy since, if left alone it, will burn everyone out all at once. When opponents fight amongst each other, it just quickens their own end, so they're better off trying to kill Purphoros first.

Combos Show

Although Purphoros does have an infinite mana sink, and there are a few ways to make infinite mana, this deck usually doesn't rely on attacking for most of it's damage. Even though you could pump your creatures up infinitely if you got infinite mana, you probably got infinite mana from some combo which involvs creatures entering and leaving the battlefield infinitely, so at that point you don't even need to attack, you can just trigger Purphoros infinitely.

In other words, Purhphoros' pump ability usually doesn't really come in to play, but if you run out of cards, or get mana swamped, you can resort to attacking and just pumping up whatever dorks you have if you really need that extra agro. I mean, it could do a lot of damage I guess...

This isn't too important, I just think it's kind of interesting and funny that Purphoros' build-in mana sink is kind of just a second thought...

Grinning Ignus

Grinning Ignus + Runaway Steam-Kin = Infinite casts of Grinning Ignus once Runaway Steam-kin has 3 counters on it: Remove 3 counters for {R}{R}{R}, use that to activate Grinning Ignus to return it to hand for {2}{R} to cast it again; you can do this 3 times which will put 3 more counters on Runaway Steam-kin to do it again and again. With Purphoros out = Infinite damage to opponents.

card:Grinning Ingus + Birgi, God of Storytelling   = Infinite casts of Grinning Ignus: Similar to the Steam-kin, casting Grinning Ignus will give you {R} which you can use to activate Grinning Ignus to return to hand for {2}{R} to cast Grinning Ignus to gain {R} and repeat for Infinite damage with Purphoros out.

Flamekin Harbinger can tutor for Grinning Ignus and Runaway Steam-kin.

Either of these combos + Ruby Medallion = Infinite colorless mana...

Grinning Ignus can also act as a little mana boost, if you leave it in play for a turn cycle, your next turn you can pay {R} to return it to hand to get {2}{R}, a whole extra {2}! Neat trick!

Muxus, Goblin Grandee

Muxus, Goblin Grandee + Goblin Recruiter can set up a huge amount of goblins entering the battlefield, as well as an infinite creature ETB combo: With Goblin Recruiter's ability, put these goblins on the top of the library: Skirk Prospector, Dark-Dweller Oracle, Goblin Chieftain, Krenko, Mob Boss, Siege-Gang Commander, Conspicuous Snoop, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, and Lightning Crafter on top of the library, with Lightning Crafter on the bottom of the pile, and Kiki-Jiki just above that so 7th down, this is important. Now, when Muxus's ability resolves, the first 6 goblins will be revealed and enter the battlefield, which will trigger Siege-Gang Commander putting 3 goblins into play. If Purphoros is in play that would be 18 damage to all opponents from goblins entering off Muxus, plus 2 from Muxus for 20 damage to all opponents. Activate Krenko, Mob Boss since it has haste from Goblin Chieftain, to put 10 more goblins into play, counting Muxus and the six other goblins, 11 counting Gobling Recruiter for 22 damage to all opponents.

Skirk Prospector and Dark-Dweller Oracle are not actually necessary for this combo, they could really be any other two goblins, but these two cards do let you get a bunch more mana and draw more cards by sacrificing goblin tokens. You could stack more goblins too, but always keep Kiki-jiki at 7th down in the pile and Lightning Crafter 8th down...

This line also sets up combos with Kiki-Jiki, and Conspicuous Snoop and/or Lightning Crafter, which are explained below.

Kiki-jiki, Mirror Breaker

If Conspicuous Snoop is in play, and Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker is on top of the library, the Snoop will have Kiki-jiki's ability to create a token of a non-legendary creature. The Snoop is not legendary, so it can copy it's self, which will put an un-tapped copy of itself with haste into play, which can copy itself again, etc., making infinite creature ETB triggers for Infinite damage to opponents with Purphoros in play.

This is why it's important to have Kiki-Jiki 7th down in the Goblin Recruiter pile, because Muxus will put the top 6 cards into play, leaving Kiki-jiki on top, so that Conspicuous Snoop can use it's ability to start the combo. Snoop will have haste from Goblin Chieftain.

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Lightning Crafter + one other goblin = Infinite creature ETBs for Infinite damage to opponents with Purphoros in play: With Lightning Crafter on the battlefield - it needs a goblin to Champion, thus the one other goblin - and Kiki-jiki, Kiki-jiki can tap to create a copy of Lightning Crafter, which needs to Champion a goblin, so Champion Kiki-jiki. Now you have the original Lightning Crafter, and a copy which has haste. Activate the hasty Lightning Crafter to do 3 damage to itself, which will kill it, returning Kiki-jiki to play. Activate Kiki-jiki again, copying the original Lightning Crafter again and repeat for Infinite creature ETB triggers.

Cloudstone Curio

Cloudstone Curio can enable multiple creature ETB triggers, for example if you have a creature that costs {R} in play, and one in your hand, you can cast and bounce and cast and bounce etc. for {R} each time to trigger Purphoros that many times. Add Birgi, God of Storytelling   to get {R} each time you cast a creature, effectively making your {R} creatures free to cast resulting in Infinite creature ETB triggers for free!

Cloudstone Curio + Dockside Extortionist with enough artifacts and enchantments in play can = Infinite mana and Infinite creature ETB triggers.

Cloudstone Curio can be tutored for with Goblin Engineer, but I don't think there's currently a critical mass of other artifacts in the deck to consistently have one to sacrifice to get the Curio in play from the graveyard... It might still be worth it but, I'm not really sure...

Chandra's Spitfire Show

I think Chandra's Spitfire is really strong in this deck, for a few reasons: It's always good to have a flying creature, so that you don't lose the game to a stupid flying creature. This card can be super explosive, and swing in for a huge amount of damage at someone else who can't block a stupid flying creature. If there are 3 opponents, 1 Purphoros trigger will give this creature +6 power, that's a lot! Two triggers is will give it +12, and that's more than 1/4 of an opponent's life total! Three triggers would give it +18! Half of someone's life total!

This card has been in and out of the deck a bunch of times, and I really think it deserves a slot, so I'm keepin' it in!

Mana Barbs Show

Manabarbs can easily backfire, if you don't have a strong enough board state to survive all the hate this card will attract, or if you don't have enough non-land mana sources and/or life to be able to cast enough spells to play through or around it. But if you are ahead enough in life, and/or board-state, Mana Barbs can lower life totals really fast, and it could totally shut opponents off from casting spells! Although I guess at that point, they'd only be a Purphoros trigger away from death anyways... Seems fun!

Notable Exlusions Show

Panharmonicon

Panharmonicon was in here for a long time, basically from the start. I always assumed it was a staple in this deck, and never really thought of not including it, but I've found myself taking it out of decks recently, for different but similar reasons each time.

In this deck, it's starting to seem a little to slow and conditional, especially compared to cards printed after it, which do a similar things, but often times better. The reason for having Panharmonicon in here is mostly to double Purphoros triggers, going from 2 damage to 4. However, there are a lot of other cards that either add to, or multiply that 2 damage rather than copy Purphoros' trigger, effectively doing the same thing, or better.

For example, Torbran, Thane of Red Fell not only turns Purphoros' 2 damage into 4, it adds 2 damage to anything from a red source! Solphim, Mayhem Dominus doubles Purphoros' 2 damage to 4, mimicking Panharmonicon, but it also doubles any non-combat damage, not just ETB triggers. Even Terror of the Peaks is kind of like getting extra damage off of creature ETB triggers, essentially what Panharmonicon does, and while it doesn't hit each opponent at once, it can still spread a lot of extra damage around, and it can hit creatures. Fiendish Duo, Fiery Emancipation, and City on Fire, again, just double and triple all damage from any source for any reason, not just creature ETB triggers.

Many of these cards are creatures themselves, so they trigger Purphoros on ETB, which will then trigger their own abilities from themselves triggering Purhporos! They're bodies on the battlefield which can attack and block, as well as increase damage from multiple other sources in multiple other ways, including themselves.

Furthermore, the 4 mana slot in this deck is a critical slot, since this is when you usually want to be casting Purphoros, before anything else. And when you're going to follow up the next turn after that with another 4 drop, that 4 drop needs to be impactful right away, in order to start and keep the pressure on early.

Casting Purphoros, then following up with Panharmonicon next turn, and either casting a 1 drop for 4 damage, or just passing, seems too slow, and not quite impactful enough. Compare that to casting Torbran, Thane of Red Fell, or Solphim, Mayhem Dominus, or Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might   that turn instead, which would trigger Purphoros - Panharmonicon doesn't - and will also trigger themselves, still turning that 2 damage into 4 on their own. Now if you cast a 1 drop as well, that would be an additional 4, which is 4 more damage than casting Pahnarmonicon and a 1 drop. Also, since these other cards are creatures, they are attackers and blockers on the board, which Panharmonicon is not... These other cards are ultimately more impactful, and ultimately faster than Panharmonicon, so they get the 4 drop slots instead.

Panharmonicon would still basically double any of these other abilities too, but they all do that to each other more or less, and unlike these other cards, it doesn't have much else to offer. A Panharmonicon just doesn't do anything on its own.

Overall, I feel that Panharmonicon isn't a creature, it's a little too slow and conditional, and compared to these other newer 4 drops, it lacks their synergy and dynamism, and just isn't what it used to be. It's not the only multiplier on the block anymore. So for these reasons, I've taken it out. Not to say that it's out for good. Maybe I'll realize that it is still worth it, that just having any reiteration of that ability is worth it, or maybe some new card will get printed that will make it somehow more synergistic, I dunno...

Fiery Emancipation

Fiery Emancipation is a great card. It was the first of it's kind, TRIPLING something, wow. Doubling had been done before, but TRIPLING?! Well, I guess Nyxbloom Ancient triples mana, was that printed before Fiery Emancipation? Well either way, I guess quadruplings next...

This card generally fits in this deck, and I did have it in here because it's super powerful. The $ of this card started going up a lot right before March of the Machines came out, I figured it was just because it was a really strong card which people were starting to catch on to... but then MOM came out and with it came City on Fire, arguably a much better version of Fiery Emancipation, so...

Ulitimately I'd still like to include Fiery Emancipation in the deck, but at this point, I think it would be a tough squeeze. It's expensive, and doesn't have covoke. It would basically take a whole turn to cast. If you have the mana to cast a creature after that, great, but if you don't, then you just pass. At least City on Fire as convoke....

So for these reasons, it's out for now.

Rundvelt Hordemaster

Rundvelt Hordemaster is a cool goblin.

I don't think that there's a critical mass of goblins in the deck to justify putting it in here though, only like low 20s...

Too often it will exile a cool non-goblin spell which I would like to cast, but then it's gone forever instead.

So, out.

Short-list to Include Show

Heartless Hidetsugu, and maybe Kazuul, Tyrant of the Cliffs, although these cards might be too clunky, slow, or conditional...

Harsh Mentor

Goblin Grenade

Date added	3 years
Last updated	1 week
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	10 - 0 Mythic Rares 39 - 0 Rares 14 - 0 Uncommons 6 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.38
Tokens	Agate Instigator 1/1 R, Copy Clone, Dinosaur 3/1 R, Elemental 1/1 R w/ Haste, Goblin 1/1 R, Kobolds of Kher Keep 0/1 R, On an Adventure, Rat 1/1 B w/ Can't Block, Spirit 1/1 C, Treasure
Folders	Decks