Goblin Surprise
Instant
Choose one —
• Creatures you control get +2/+0 until end of turn.
• Create two 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Foundations Jumpstart
- Price
- $0.32
- EDHREC rank
- #5971
Goblin Surprise puts a free haste-enabled Goblin token into play at instant speed — the cost is the overhead of needing a revealed Goblin in hand. In General Kreat, the Boltbringer builds it's a clean way to trigger bolt effects on your opponent's end step without tapping out on your own turn.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
General Kreat, the Boltbringer
General Kreat, the Boltbringer's trigger fires whenever a creature enters under your control, and Goblin Surprise delivers that trigger at instant speed on any opponent's end step — the cheapest possible setup for a free bolt before your untap.
Krenko, Mob Boss
Goblin Surprise adds to the Goblin headcount before Krenko, Mob Boss taps, which means one more token doubled on the stack — at 25% inclusion it's a staple, not a fringe pick.
Wort, the Raidmother
Wort, the Raidmother conspires instants, and Goblin Surprise is an instant that makes a Goblin token — conspire it and you get two free bodies plus two Goblin triggers for a single card.
Balmor, Battlemage Captain
Balmor, Battlemage Captain pumps your team each time you cast a noncreature spell, and Goblin Surprise is a free pump-plus-body that arrives at instant speed to swing in the same attack step.
Magnus the Red
Magnus the Red scales with the number of spells cast and rewards instant-speed token generation; Goblin Surprise fits both axes, giving you a body and a spell trigger without committing mana on your own turn.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Goblin Surprise earns its slot specifically in Goblin tribal and spell-trigger builds — the instant speed is the whole point, letting you produce a body on the end step before your turn without telegraphing it at sorcery speed. In competitive 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, it doesn't clear the bar: token spells at this rate need to either go wide faster or cost less, and dedicated Goblin decks in those formats have tighter options. Pauper is the one non-Commander format worth watching — common-legal token generation at instant speed is a real resource, and the Goblin type matters for synergy pieces available at that rarity. Legacy and Vintage have no reason to touch it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.32 bulk tier
At $0.32, Goblin Surprise sits firmly in bulk territory — it's an easy include that costs nothing to try. Bulk commons and uncommons at this price point rarely move unless a new commander breaks them wide open, so buy your copies now and don't expect to flip them later.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- General Kreat, the Boltbringer
- Krenko, Mob Boss
- Wort, the Raidmother
- Balmor, Battlemage Captain
- Magnus the Red
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.