Superior Numbers - The Big Turn

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moonveil Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Moonveil Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.toddlockwood.com/">Todd Lockwood</a>)</h6>
<h1>Aggressive Expansion</h1>
<p>Greetings, everyone, and welcome back to <em>Monomania</em>. In this article series we build mono-colored decks as a way to explore ramp and draw packages that are synergistic with our particular deck’s strategy, challenging staples and misconceptions about the color pie.</p>
<p>Now that we have Eldraine out of our system, let’s revisit an underloved mono-red general from earlier this year. When revealed, he was quickly dismissed as a worse version of the previous iteration of the character. I’m not so convinced of this description, however, so let’s take a look.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin"></div></div>
<p>At the time of writing this article, this guy is only listed as the general of 149 decks on EDHREC. While this isn’t pitiful within the field of mono-red generals, it isn’t stellar either. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Mob Boss</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, the original version of this card, helms 1,510 decks, and is by far the most popular mono-red commander of the past two years, eclipsing the second-place <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daretti, Scrap Savant" href="#" target="_blank">Daretti, Scrap Savant</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, who leads 649 decks. Because of the color’s reputation and restrictions, I don’t believe that any mono-red commander will rise to challenge Krenko for quite some time.</p>
<p>That being said, does the Tin Street Kingpin deserve to be regarded more highly? I believe so. Last May, <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/author/mason-brantley/">Mason Brantley</a> wrote a fantastic article on the new Krenko for his series, <em>Underdog's Corner</em>. He and I came up with fairly similar lists, and if you want to read both of our takes on this commander, you can read his article <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/underdogs-corner-krenko-tin-street-kingpin/">here</a>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bravado"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Throne of the God-Pharaoh"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Betrothed of Fire"></div></div>
<p>The idea here isn’t necessarily a novel one—this style of deck can win out of nowhere with some favorable combination of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Bombardment" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Bombardment</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aggravated Assault" href="#" target="_blank">Aggravated Assault</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and our general on the battlefield. Mob Boss decks will almost always include a similar win condition.</p>
<p>However, the style of the Kingpin in particular is what I find rather compelling. At his core, Kingpin wants to incorporate elements of Voltron strategies. Instead of jamming creatures to snowball our board, the Kingpin wants to buff his attack through other card types. This general is more interested in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Claws of Valakut" href="#" target="_blank">Claws of Valakut</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Siege Gang Commander" href="#" target="_blank">Siege Gang Commander</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. It seems nearly as explosive as Mob Boss, but also folds in another element—this bad boy can go tall, wide, or threaten to do both. While many may think that you have to choose one of these, in some cases there's no need to pick favorites. I’ve had some success with my <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Syr Faren, the Hengehammer" href="#" target="_blank">Syr Faren, the Hengehammer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> deck <a href="https://articles.edhrec.com/monomania-takes-on-eldraine-best-friend-auditions/">recently featured on <em>Monomania</em> </a>that also goes both tall and wide. Let’s see what we can come up with and whether this commander lives up to the prestigious Krenko name.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Fuel for the Cause</h2>
<p>Because of the unique characteristics of the Kingpin, there are a few special considerations for how we want to ramp in order to support his strategy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Braid of Fire"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Battle Hymn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brightstone Ritual"></div></div>
<p>With <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moonveil Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Moonveil Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cavalier of Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Cavalier of Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and our collection of firebreathing effects such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shiv’s Embrace" href="#" target="_blank">Shiv’s Embrace</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, big mana becomes exceedingly effective for us. These three ramp effects will all hopefully produce ridiculous amounts of mana and allow us to funnel it into pumping our general or our team. This can help us swing for lethal or simply produce even more tokens.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Braid of Fire" href="#" target="_blank">Braid of Fire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, specifically, is a mono-red all-star. If budget is not an issue, this card can and should be included in almost every mono-red deck. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Battle Hymn" href="#" target="_blank">Battle Hymn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brightstone Ritual" href="#" target="_blank">Brightstone Ritual</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are a little more restrictive but still fit right at home in any Krenko deck, old or new.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skirk Prospector"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dockside Extortionist"></div></div>
<p>Then we have a few mana-production effects stapled onto creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skirk Prospector" href="#" target="_blank">Skirk Prospector</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can both fuel big plays as well as find the extra mana needed to power out an important piece to our strategy. Often, this Prospector will facilitate the game-ending plays that involve <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and/or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Impact Tremors" href="#" target="_blank">Impact Tremors</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> when attacking isn’t an option. Any Goblin lying around can help play several cards in a turn. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dockside Extortionist" href="#" target="_blank">Dockside Extortionist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> doesn’t fulfill precisely the same function, but works better on its own to provide flexible Treasure for later use.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of the Animist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dowsing Dagger"></div></div>
<p>Finally, we have a few Equipment that can both ignite our strategy and our ramp at the same time. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sword of the Animist" href="#" target="_blank">Sword of the Animist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an automatic inclusion in any deck with a shade of Voltron, and I argue <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dowsing Dagger" href="#" target="_blank">Dowsing Dagger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> should be considered for a similar reason: it pumps the Kingpin’s attack, then flips into an extremely powerful land. If we can connect with our commander on turn four or five with the Dagger equipped, we will vault ourselves several turns ahead of our opponents in the mid-game.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Off the Rails</h2>
<p>This deck will live and die by its card advantage package: if we can’t cycle through cards effectively, we may not find the necessary pieces to truly spike the power of our board state and win the game.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dire Fleet Daredevil"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Abbot of Keral Keep"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dark-Dweller Oracle"></div></div>
<p>As always, rent-before-you-buy-it card advantage in red is actually very good. Even these examples that dig through relatively little of our deck will help us find what we need when we need it. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dark-Dweller Oracle" href="#" target="_blank">Dark-Dweller Oracle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the creature most geared toward our strategy; on a post-Krenko board, we should have a few useless Goblins to play around with.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Outpost Siege"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Vance’s Blasting Cannons"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ignite the Future"></div></div>
<p>Expanding on impulsive draw, we have a few other ways to exile the top cards of our library. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Outpost Siege" href="#" target="_blank">Outpost Siege</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vance’s Blasting Cannons" href="#" target="_blank">Vance’s Blasting Cannons</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are staples within our color and earn their spot here.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ignite the Future" href="#" target="_blank">Ignite the Future</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a newcomer, but has proven to be powerful. The key text here is 'until the end of your <em>next</em> turn.' I really like this card not only because it gives us a little more flexibility in playing the exiled cards than we normally see, but also because the <em>Flashback</em> ability here is deceptively powerful. With even a couple good flips, it's worth the eight mana.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Infiltration Lens"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mask of Memory"></div></div>
<p>Finally, we have two Equipment that can help us dig through our cards—one that triggers when a creature blocks Krenko, and another that triggers when Krenko deals damage to a player. Both synergize with our strategy and earn a slot in the deck.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Deck</h2>
<p>Now that we have the skeleton for a fun and powerful Krenko deck, let’s put it all together with a decklist. You’ll notice that this deck is distinctively <em>not</em> Goblin tribal. Many of his decks listed on EDHREC are Goblin tribal, but I think this is a trap: outside of a few Goblins that really grease our engine, Krenko brings his own army in a can and doesn’t need much support in that regard.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon Mantle"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Stoneforge Masterwork"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Haze of Rage"></div></div>
<p>Among other notable inclusions here we have a few effects that should supercharge our commander’s ability. Firebreathing is a deceptively powerful effect with our commander, and any card that grants this ability is immediately worth consideration. As such, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Mantle" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Mantle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crown of Flames" href="#" target="_blank">Crown of Flames</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Fiery Mantle" href="#" target="_blank">Fiery Mantle</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> make the cut. Although we have to dump mana into this ability, firebreathing allows us to essentially spend one red mana for one Goblin token and to make our commander more threatening.</p>
<p>We can also run a couple of Equipment that will pump the Kingpin’s attack by significant amounts. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Stoneforge Masterwork" href="#" target="_blank">Stoneforge Masterwork</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> makes our general do his best impression of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Mob Boss" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Mob Boss</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, doubling our tokens every time we attack. Not only that, but this card can easily pump Krenko to 21 attack in just a turn or two. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blackblade Reforged" href="#" target="_blank">Blackblade Reforged</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> has a higher floor but a lower ceiling. Because it buffs our commander based on the number of lands we control, he will almost always net a baseline +3/+3, and later in the game, the Blackblade could grant +10/+10.</p>
<p>Finally, I’ve included a suite of ways to pump our team enough to knock players out of the game through combat damage. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Haze of Rage" href="#" target="_blank">Haze of Rage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is an egregiously underrated Commander card, seeing play in only 364 decks on EDHREC. We have a low curve, and following up playing multiple spells in a single turn with playing this card can quickly end games, and even if it doesn't, we can always just buy it back. In addition, we have <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marton Stromgald" href="#" target="_blank">Marton Stromgald</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Moonveil Dragon" href="#" target="_blank">Moonveil Dragon</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coat of Arms" href="#" target="_blank">Coat of Arms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Running Down the Stairs" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Skirk Prospector
*1 Abbot of Keral Keep
*1 Dark-Dweller Oracle
*1 Dire Fleet Daredevil
*1 Dockside Extortionist
*1 Burnished Hart
*1 Goblin Chieftain
*1 Goblin Trashmaster
*1 Marton Stromgald
*1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
*1 Solemn Simulacrum
*1 Cavalier of Flame
*1 Moonveil Dragon
[/Creatures]
[Instants]
*1 Brightstone Ritual
*1 Battle Hymn
*1 Arcbond
*1 Chaos Warp
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Gamble
*1 Vandalblast
*1 Haze of Rage
*1 Light Up the Stage
*1 Chain Reaction
*1 Ignite the Future
*1 Seize the Day
*1 Mana Geyser
*1 Blasphemous Act
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Infiltration Lens
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Stoneforge Masterwork
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*1 Blackblade Reforged
*1 Dowsing Dagger
*1 Endless Atlas
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mask of Memory
*1 Prowler&#039;s Helm
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of the Animist
*1 Throne of the God-Pharaoh
*1 Trailblazer&#039;s Boots
*1 Hammer of Nazahn
*1 Coat of Arms
[/Artifacts]
[Enchantments]
*1 Crown of Flames
*1 Dragon Mantle
*1 Quest for the Goblin Lord
*1 Betrothed of Fire
*1 Braid of Fire
*1 Bravado
*1 Emblem of the Warmind
*1 Fiery Mantle
*1 Ghitu Firebreathing
*1 Goblin Bombardment
*1 Impact Tremors
*1 Thunderous Might
*1 Aggravated Assault
*1 Boggart Shenanigans
*1 Claws of Valakut
*1 Shared Animosity
*1 Bedlam
*1 Outpost Siege
*1 Shiv&#039;s Embrace
*1 Vance&#039;s Blasting Cannons
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Arch of Orazca
*1 Castle Embereth
*1 Desert of the Fervent
*1 Flamekin Village
*1 Forgotten Cave
*1 Goblin Burrows
*1 Looming Spires
*23 Mountain
*1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
*1 Smoldering Crater
*1 Spinerock Knoll
*1 Zoetic Cavern
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>How do you all feel about this Kingpin? Is he interesting enough to warrant a few more decks on EDHREC, or should we all give up and worship at the altar of the Mob Boss? Let me know in the comments below! Remember to EDHREC responsibly: always dig a little beyond the statistics. I’ll see you all on down the road.</p>


brightstone ritual

Superior Numbers - The Big Turn

Monomania – Running Down the Stairs