Goblin Lackey
Creature — Goblin
Whenever this creature deals damage to a player, you may put a Goblin permanent card from your hand onto the battlefield.
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secret Lair Drop
- Price
- $22.98
- EDHREC rank
- #5314
Goblin Lackey turns a single combat hit into a free Goblin deployment — no mana cost, no timing restriction, just a creature entering the battlefield from your hand. In any deck that wants to chain Goblins quickly, and especially alongside Muxus, Goblin Grandee, it's one of the most efficient speed pieces the tribe has.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Muxus, Goblin Grandee
Muxus, Goblin Grandee wants to hit the table as fast as possible, and Goblin Lackey is one of the few cards that can drop him without paying six mana — a hit on turn one means Muxus can land on turn two and immediately snowball the board.
Wort, Boggart Auntie
Wort, Boggart Auntie rewards flooding the board with Goblins and recurring them, so Goblin Lackey's free deployment accelerates the early board presence that Wort needs to start generating value.
Krenko, Mob Boss
Krenko, Mob Boss needs bodies on the table before he can start multiplying them, and Goblin Lackey converts combat damage into free Goblins that feed directly into Krenko's tap ability.
General Kreat, the Boltbringer
General Kreat, the Boltbringer cares about Goblins entering the battlefield and dealing damage, and Goblin Lackey triggers both sides of that engine — hitting the opponent cheats a Goblin into play while General Kreat converts that entry into direct damage.
Grub, Storied Matriarch
Grub, Storied Matriarch rewards piling Goblins onto the battlefield ahead of curve, and Goblin Lackey's free-deployment trigger on combat damage is exactly the kind of early-game tempo Grub decks want to establish before opponents stabilize.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Legacy, Goblin Lackey is a defining threat — a turn-one play that demands an immediate answer or concedes enormous tempo, and the card has warped Goblin strategies in that format for decades. Vintage is legal but the format's raw power level means the Lackey is a niche inclusion rather than a staple. In Commander, Goblin Lackey is strong in dedicated Goblin tribal decks but comes with the caveat that multiplayer means three opponents with blockers, removal, and chump creatures — getting a clean hit through requires either haste or a stacked board, which the card itself doesn't provide. It rewards building around it rather than slotting it in as an afterthought.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
Nothing fully replicates Goblin Lackey's free-deployment trigger, but Goblin Recruiter and Goblin Matron offer a different kind of acceleration by fetching the exact Goblin you need rather than cheating one directly into play. If the goal is raw speed, Warren Instigator costs more mana and more setup but doubles the trigger — it's not cheaper, but it's the closest functional analogue when Goblin Lackey is out of budget.
Price Context
Current price
$22.98 premium tier
At $22.98, Goblin Lackey sits firmly in the premium tier for a one-drop, a price driven by Legacy demand rather than Commander inclusion alone. It holds its value because Legacy Goblin lists consistently want the full four copies, which keeps the floor elevated regardless of Commander trends.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Muxus, Goblin Grandee
- Wort, Boggart Auntie
- Krenko, Mob Boss
- General Kreat, the Boltbringer
- Grub, Storied Matriarch
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.