Krenko, Mob BossKrenko, Mob Boss | Art by Karl Kopinski

This week on Commander Makeover, where we take a commander from over two years ago and give it new life with recent cards, we turn our attention to yet another creature type. That's right, it's Goblins! And our commander this week ranks among the best.

Everyone's favorite mob bossmob boss first showed up in Magic 2013 as part of a cycle of monocolored legendary creatures. Since then, he's had a few other iterations, but his original card has stood the test of time. Of course, as new sets came out, Krenko got support, be it directly tied to Goblins or just general typal support.

So, which cards from the past couple of years are worth consideration for the Old Faithful of Goblin commanders?

Hexing SquelcherHexing Squelcher

Our first card reminds us of a card from long ago in Vexing ShusherVexing Shusher. As every red and/or green mage knows, we need to put a stop to those pesky blue mages and make them writhe and squirm. Fortunately for us, this card can be added into Krenko decks and achieve the same thing.

Unlike the Shusher, the ward cost (and the ward-granting ability) helps our Goblins stay protected. Very, very pushed card. If there's a lot of blue and/or spot removal in your pods, give this a go.

Dawn-Blessed PennantDawn-Blessed Pennant

As we're going to have a big target on our backs, don't sleep on the lifegain ability. It'll help keep us afloat while we get going, especially when the only life point that matters is the last one.

That resilience can and will make a difference. That said, this card also lets us recur a Goblin card (not just a creature, though that'll be most common), granting us a rare ability in red. It being a one-drop lets us keep our curve low.

Chronicle of VictoryChronicle of Victory

This, on the other hand, is essentially a curve topper for us. However, it draws us cards and potentially wins games. Like when I last covered it when I went over Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov, this will draw a lot of cards, and that anthem effect will be lethal here.

Goblin decks tend to have a very low curve, and we'll probably want to keep it that way, but this one should be taken into serious consideration.

Mirrormind CrownMirrormind Crown

This funny card was one I glossed over when it was first revealed. However, looking at it now, it has all sorts of uses.

We could use it to create copies of an anthem effect, like Goblin KingGoblin King. Or, we could use it on some utility creature like Goblin ChainwhirlerGoblin Chainwhirler, and potentially wipe the board with enough tokens.

It's worth noting that we'll be creating a lot of tokens with Krenko's ability, so that's a lot of uses.

Collective InfernoCollective Inferno

This is going to be a lot of damage, especially with cards like the aforementioned Chainwhirler. Furthermore, we can easily cheat the mana cost thanks to its convoke ability. With all of those Goblin tokens, we'll easily have a critical mass of them to get this enchantment out.

Once it does come out, we'll be swinging for a lot of damage, especially when we load up on anthem effects that buff our Goblins.

Howlsquad HeavyHowlsquad Heavy

This Goblin anthem effect traces all the way back to the much maligned Aetherdrift set. While it doesn't give stat boosts, what it does do is grant our Goblins haste, including Krenko. That way, we can use the tap ability the second Krenko comes out.

In addition, getting to max speed is very easy in this deck. When we do, the Heavy will tap for a lot of mana. The only question after that is what we'll do with it.

General Kreat, the BoltbringerGeneral Kreat, the Boltbringer

Woof, that's a hell of a card. Might even give Krenko himself a run for his money. Unfortunately, this will produce only one token, regardless of how many Goblins we attack with.

That said, it's the second ability where the heat turns up to 11. Impact TremorsImpact Tremors is a really good card here, and having that on a Goblin-themed stick (and a legendary one at that!) is just too good to ignore here.

Searslicer GoblinSearslicer Goblin

There isn't too much going on with this card, but we do get a free token when we attack someone. The good news is that we could just swing with a random token to get the trigger. It doesn't have to be this card itself.

With Krenko out, this'll means we get two more Goblins the turn Searslicer comes down (assuming we have some creature to throw at an opponent).

Siege-Gang LieutenantSiege-Gang Lieutenant

Disclaimer: I know about Marvin, Murderous MimicMarvin, Murderous Mimic. He works with getting more out of Krenko, but I'm trying to keep the theme more tightly around Goblins than trying to abuse our commander

With that disclaimer out of the way, this new take on the old Siege-Gang CommanderSiege-Gang Commander ensures we make two Goblin tokens on each of our combats, provided that Krenko is out.

It's also not a bad sacrifice outlet, and would be especially good in keeping any planeswalkers from using their splashy ultimates. However, since Krenko tends to be kill-on-sight for most opponents, we might not always get the combat trigger from the Lieutenant. Something to be wary of.

Untimely MalfunctionUntimely Malfunction and Return the FavorReturn the Favor

I grouped these two together because they both serve identical purposes. The common denominator is that they swat any removal spell aimed at Krenko, and hit something else instead. That said, they each have other purposes.

For one, Return the Favor will let us copy a spell on top of the redirect ability, assuming we pay an extra for it. As for Untimely Malfunction, we could either destroy some pesky artifact, or ensure those one or two critical creatures can't block. This'll soften our opponents up for a killing blow when we've amassed enough Goblins.

Great Train HeistGreat Train Heist

This card has a lot of uses. The first mode could help kill opponents outright if we got enough Goblins, especially if the first combat step softened them up. Meanwhile, the second mode will temporarily boost said Goblins, and that first strike may even save a few of them.

The last mode is nothing to sneeze at either. Getting a heap of Treasures while beating up an opponent is one way to ramp. Combining all three simply means we have a big, swingy turn.

Banner of KinshipBanner of Kinship and Patchwork BannerPatchwork Banner

To be honest, I don't know why I didn't group these two together in the past articles, but I digress. Patchwork gives a small anthem boost on top of being a mana rock. Both for three mana isn't a bad rate.

Kinship, however, could be game-ending if we managed to ensure enough Goblins survive long enough for us to cast it. This is a card we'll want to hold on to until the time is right to cast it, but don't get too greedy. Even a small boost in a deck like Krenko can do wonders.

Three Tree CityThree Tree City

That's going to be a lot of mana, I'll tell you that. In a Krenko deck, this is like a second Nykthos, Shrine to NyxNykthos, Shrine to Nyx (Not sure if that's worth running there, but again, I digress).

Like I said earlier with Howlsquad HeavyHowlsquad Heavy, the question will be what to do with all of that mana. Our curve may likely be low, so we might need all the mana the City will make. On the other hand, if we can cast something with that mana, it'd be a good opportunity to do so.

Out of the Warrens

Krenko getting new toys just shows that there are some commanders who catch some strays and gets something new in almost every set. The past and future commanders I have or will cover are no exceptions.