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Goblin Chieftain

Creature — Goblin

Haste (This creature can attack and {T} as soon as it comes under your control.)
Other Goblin creatures you control get +1/+1 and have haste.

CMC
3
Mana cost
{1}{R}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
rare
Set
Magic 2010
Price
$4.44
EDHREC rank
#2699
Buy on TCGplayer
Goblin Chieftain card art
Goblin Chieftain gives every Goblin you control +1/+1 and haste the turn it lands — that combination is what makes token-doubling strategies close games instead of stall out. At three mana, it's one of the most efficient tribal lords in red, and any deck running Krenko, Mob Boss or Wort, Boggart Auntie that doesn't include it is leaving a win on the table.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Wort, Boggart Auntie

Wort, Boggart Auntie

79.1% of decks · synergy 0.77

Wort, Boggart Auntie runs a recursive Goblin engine, and Goblin Chieftain's haste grant means freshly recurred or replayed Goblins attack the same turn they enter — no waiting around to become relevant.

02
Muxus, Goblin Grandee

Muxus, Goblin Grandee

87.9% of decks · synergy 0.75

Muxus, Goblin Grandee dumps a wave of Goblins onto the battlefield in a single turn, and Goblin Chieftain turns that wave into an immediate lethal attack rather than a board that trades off or eats a sweeper.

03
Krenko, Mob Boss

Krenko, Mob Boss

77.0% of decks · synergy 0.64

Krenko, Mob Boss needs to untap to generate tokens, and Goblin Chieftain's haste means Krenko itself can activate the turn it enters — collapsing a two-turn setup into one and giving opponents no window to answer it.

04

Grub, Storied Matriarch

59.1% of decks · synergy 0.57

Grub, Storied Matriarch rewards going wide with a wide board, and Goblin Chieftain amplifies that by giving the swarm both a stat boost and the speed to cash in before blockers can be arranged.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Goblin Chieftain is a Commander staple first — it's in nearly 77% of Krenko, Mob Boss decks and climbs even higher in more focused tribal builds, which tells you everything about its baseline reliability. In Legacy, it's legal but rarely sees competitive play; the format's Goblin shells lean on Goblin Lackey and Goblin Ringleader for raw power, and a three-mana lord doesn't move the needle fast enough. Modern Goblins has experimented with it, but the format's speed pushes most lists toward cheaper threats. Goblin Chieftain is functionally irrelevant in Vintage and Oathbreaker outside of fringe tribal builds. Commander is where it lives, and in that context it's a must-include in any Goblin deck that wants to convert a board into a win on the spot.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

281 decks
Breath of FuryBattle Cry GoblinGoblin Chieftain

Breath of FuryBattle Cry GoblinGoblin Chieftain

Infinite combat damage; Infinite combat phases; Infinite death triggers; Infinite ETB; Infinite LTB; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite untap of creatures you control

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

$4.44 cheap tier

At $4.44, Goblin Chieftain sits in the cheap tier and is straightforwardly worth it — a three-mana lord that grants haste to an entire tribe would cost more if it weren't for multiple reprints keeping supply healthy. It's not a card you wait to buy; the price is stable and the slot it fills is non-negotiable in Goblin strategies.

Explore

Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.