Goblin Instigator
Creature — Goblin Rogue
When this creature enters, create a 1/1 red Goblin creature token.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Jumpstart
- Price
- $0.37
- EDHREC rank
- #3200
Goblin Instigator enters and immediately puts two bodies on the board for two mana — that's the whole pitch, and it's enough. In Zada, Hedron Grinder decks especially, two targets for a single card means every cantrip or pump spell doubles its value the moment Instigator resolves.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Zada, Hedron Grinder
Zada, Hedron Grinder copies spells for each creature that shares a target, so Goblin Instigator's second token isn't a bonus — it's a multiplier on every cantrip in your hand.
General Kreat, the Boltbringer
General Kreat, the Boltbringer wants a wide board to spread damage triggers, and Goblin Instigator delivers two Goblins at once, front-loading the headcount before Kreat even swings.
Purphoros, God of the Forge
Purphoros, God of the Forge deals two damage per creature entering, so Goblin Instigator's two-for-one entry hits opponents for four the turn it's cast — no combat required.
Krenko, Mob Boss
Krenko, Mob Boss doubles your Goblin count each activation, meaning Goblin Instigator's two tokens compound faster than a single-body two-drop would over the course of the game.
Muxus, Goblin Grandee
Muxus, Goblin Grandee flips Goblins off the top and counts each one as a trigger, so Goblin Instigator's low mana value keeps it hittable while the token it produces adds to the board state Muxus builds in a single swing.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Goblin Instigator is a Commander staple and essentially nothing else. In Pauper it sees occasional play in token or sacrifice shells, but the competition at two mana is stiff enough that it rarely makes the cut. Modern, Pioneer, and Legacy have faster, more efficient Goblin payoffs, and Instigator's vanilla two-body output doesn't clear the bar in those formats. Commander is where the math works: redundancy matters more than raw power, token count compounds across the table, and the Goblin tribe has enough payoffs that two bodies for two mana is genuinely correct.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.37 bulk tier
At $0.37, Goblin Instigator is deep bulk — buy a playset without thinking about it. Bulk commons with consistent tribal demand don't spike, but they also don't get cheaper, so there's no reason to wait if you're building any of the Goblin commanders it slots into.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.