Nearly Identical - Adeliz or Balmor?

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sure Strike" href="#" target="_blank">Sure Strike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://liesetiawan.com/projects">Lie Setiawan</a>)</h6>
<h1>It's Short King Spring...</h1>
<p>Hey there, my name is Jordan, and I run the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjaHYyBX_RTuM-HtvI_qsoA"> EDH Jank Center</a> on YouTube. Welcome to <i>Finding Homes For Janky Cards</i>, the series where we rifle through that big pile of bulk you've got lying around, find a package of five janky, budget, or underutilized cards and pair them with a commander that will help them shine. The deck we get out of it might not be the fanciest or most extravagant at the table, but we're still going to build it, because <b>every</b> card deserves a loving home!</p>
<p>This week, our hospitable host is: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin"></div></div>
<p>I know we're coming up on summer, but that opening line was way too good to pass up. Anyway, today's selection is all about churning out as many of <em>Magic</em>'s most popular short kings as possible: Goblins!</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a relatively popular commander that can produce droves of these little red 1/1s; all we have to do is buff Krenko up. People love using Equipment and Auras to do the trick, but the cards I've chosen encourage us to take this in another direction!</p>
<p>Today, we're going to be spellslinging some Goblins by replacing Equipment and Auras with instants and sorceries. Also, we're going to be doing it all for $30! (Technically $29.82 without basic lands, but who's counting?)</p>
<p>We'll have more on that in a second, but for now, let's take a look at the average <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> decklist:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin - Average Decklist" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Battle Cry Goblin
*1 Conspicuous Snoop
*1 Dark-Dweller Oracle
*1 Goblin Chieftain
*1 Goblin Chirurgeon
*1 Goblin King
*1 Goblin Lookout
*1 Goblin Matron
*1 Goblin Motivator
*1 Goblin Recruiter
*1 Goblin Ringleader
*1 Goblin Sledder
*1 Goblin Trashmaster
*1 Goblin Warchief
*1 Goro-Goro, Disciple of Ryusei
*1 Hobgoblin Bandit Lord
*1 Krenko, Mob Boss
*1 Mogg Raider
*1 Pashalik Mons
*1 Purphoros, God of the Forge
*1 Rundvelt Hordemaster
*1 Siege-Gang Commander
*1 Skirk Prospector
*1 Witty Roastmaster
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Boggart Shenanigans
*1 Bravado
*1 City on Fire
*1 Goblin Bombardment
*1 Impact Tremors
*1 Outpost Siege
*1 Quest for the Goblin Lord
*1 Shared Animosity
[/Enchantments]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
*1 Faithless Looting
*1 Gleeful Demolition
*1 Goblin War Strike
*1 Jeska&#039;s Will
*1 Relentless Assault
*1 Vandalblast
[/Sorceries]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Bitterthorn, Nissa&#039;s Animus
*1 Blackblade Reforged
*1 Coat of Arms
*1 Commander&#039;s Plate
*1 Heraldic Banner
*1 Hero&#039;s Blade
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Pennon Blade
*1 Sigil of Valor
*1 Skullclamp
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Stoneforge Masterwork
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Sword of Once and Future
*1 Two-Handed Axe // Sweeping Cleave
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Abrade
*1 Battle Hymn
*1 Blazing Crescendo
*1 Brightstone Ritual
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Massive Raid
*1 Raze the Effigy
*1 Thrill of Possibility
*1 Unleash Fury
[/Instants]
[Lands]
*1 Castle Embereth
*1 Forgotten Cave
*1 Goblin Burrows
*28 Mountain
*1 Myriad Landscape
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 War Room
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>As is typical, we're seeing a ton of expensive staples. Specifically, some really awesome Equipment:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Commander&#039;s Plate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sword of Once and Future"></div></div>
<p>Per usual, we're going to throw <em>all</em> of these away to save ourselves some time and money, because let's face it: Who wants to spend all that time casting and equipping when we could be pumping up Krenko and cranking out <strong>Gobbos?!</strong> This brings us to our first selection of the day...</p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sure Strike" href="#" target="_blank">Sure Strike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></span></h2>
<p>0% of 1,206,101 decks</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Sure Strike"></div></div>
<p>This card (and all of its relatives) are going to be the bread and butter for our strategy.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Infuriate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Brute Strength"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Invigorated Rampage"></div></div>
<p>Now, are instants and sorceries more reliable than permanents like Equipment or Auras? No. They are temporary by nature, but honestly, isn't that what life is all about? Let's eschew the relative safety and dependability of permanents. Let's live our life to the fullest and go as <em>fast</em> and as <em>recklessly</em> as we can, because you know what?</p>
<p><em><strong>Life is short and so are Goblins.</strong></em></p>
<p>All jokes and philosophy aside, being able to cast <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Titan&#039;s Strength" href="#" target="_blank">Titan&#039;s Strength</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for one mana to get five Goblins out of it once we attack is a pretty amazing deal. On top of that, some cards (like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sure Strike" href="#" target="_blank">Sure Strike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) offer us dope mechanics, like first strike or trample, or just straight-up value, like scrying or drawing cards.</p>
<p>And before you correct me, the reason we would create five Goblin tokens is because I also included <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s own ability in the math.</p>
<p>Okay, onward...</p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scroll of the Masters" href="#" target="_blank">Scroll of the Masters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></span></h2>
<p>0% of 2,524,561 decks</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scroll of the Masters"></div></div>
<p>Alright, maybe I was a bit overzealous in the last section, because here's a permanent that really vibes with what we're trying to do here.</p>
<p>Obviously, we're going to be casting lots of noncreature spells with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scroll of the Masters" href="#" target="_blank">Scroll of the Masters</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. We're rewarded for it by accumulating charge counters (which will add up fast) and converting those charge counters into a super powerful pump effect that we can target Krenko with.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin"></div></div>
<p>Over the course of the game this can get out of hand and produce a ton of tokens, and once you start buffing up THOSE guys? That's game over right there.</p>
<p>Speaking of pumping up ALL of our guys at once, let's head over to:</p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weapon Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Weapon Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></span></h2>
<p>0% of 1,206,951 decks</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Weapon Surge"></div></div>
<p>I have always loved this card. Honestly, that's why I'm so geeked to be writing this series, because now I get to actively find homes for all my janky or underloved favorites.</p>
<p>Anyway, it's pretty clear what this card is meant to do: <strong>Win.</strong></p>
<p>Whether you're playing Equipment and Auras or instants and sorceries, there's really only two ways to win with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and that's either through commander damage or good ol' fashioned combat. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weapon Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Weapon Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> covers our bases for the latter.</p>
<p>With a bevy of 1/1 Goblins at our disposal, we can cast this card for the <em>Overload </em>cost and essentially double the power of all of our creatures, give them all first strike, and go to town.</p>
<p>Oh, and if the scenario isn't right for that, we can just play <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weapon Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Weapon Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> for one mana and pump our commander with it. Either way, we're winning!</p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Dragon Throne of Tarkir" href="#" target="_blank">Dragon Throne of Tarkir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></span></h2>
<p>0% of 2,524,561 decks</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Dragon Throne of Tarkir"></div></div>
<p>Hm, my speech for <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sure Strike" href="#" target="_blank">Sure Strike</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is aging rather poorly the more this article goes on...</p>
<p>But I mean, LOOK at what this card can do for us! If you've got a souped-up <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin" href="#" target="_blank">Krenko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and you're ready to finish someone off, you can <em>easily</em> end up pumpin' your Goblin army by +5/+5 or +6/+6<em>. </em></p>
<p>On top of that, this card gives them all trample. I had no idea this card even existed before making this decklist, and I am now in love with it.</p>
<p>Throne is super powerful and even more fun when combined with evasion or power-doublers:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin War Drums"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Angrath&#039;s Marauders"></div></div>
<p>Since this build is only $30, you can easily save up a few bucks and buy some really fun stuff like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gratuitous Violence" href="#" target="_blank">Gratuitous Violence</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 24pt;"><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cosmotronic Wave" href="#" target="_blank">Cosmotronic Wave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></span></h2>
<p>0% of 1,206,951 decks</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Cosmotronic Wave"></div></div>
<p>Our last highlighted card for the article is another one of my favorite bulk commons. There's a couple of benefits that I'd like to have a chat with you about.</p>
<p>Right off the bat, we're going to be sniping anything on our opponents' boards that have toughness equal to 1. That means this card is an absolute house against token decks... but those token decks will also be our worst enemy, since they'll have enough blockers to fend off our Goblin invasion. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cosmotronic Wave" href="#" target="_blank">Cosmotronic Wave</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s first ability takes care of all that.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/attack.gif"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-99288 aligncenter" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/attack-300x240.gif" alt="" width="300" height="240" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">But what it's really used for is ensuring that our opponents' creatures are unable to block, clearing the way for a fast, relentless, mono-red win!</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Now, let's take a look at our jank-ified decklist:</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin - Spellslangin&#039;" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin
[/Commander]
[Instants]
*1 Antagonize
*1 Balduvian Rage
*1 Battle Hymn
*1 Blazing Crescendo
*1 Bolt Bend
*1 Borrowed Hostility
*1 Brute Force
*1 Brute Strength
*1 Crowd&#039;s Favor
*1 Daring Escape
*1 Dogpile
*1 Downhill Charge
*1 Expedite
*1 Fatal Frenzy
*1 Fists of Flame
*1 Fists of the Anvil
*1 Increasing Vengeance
*1 Infuriate
*1 Inordinate Rage
*1 Invigorated Rampage
*1 Kazuul&#039;s Fury // Kazuul&#039;s Cliffs
*1 Open the Omenpaths
*1 Raze the Effigy
*1 Stolen Vitality
*1 Stun
*1 Sudden Breakthrough
*1 Sure Strike
*1 Thrill of Possibility
*1 Titan&#039;s Strength
*1 Twinferno
*1 Unleash Fury
*1 Weapon Surge
*1 Wild Magic Surge
*1 Wild Ricochet
*1 You Come to the Gnoll Camp
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Cosmotronic Wave
*1 Crash Through
*1 Renegade Tactics
[/Sorceries]
[Creatures]
*1 Angrath&#039;s Marauders
*1 Ardent Elementalist
*1 Backdraft Hellkite
*1 Biblioplex Assistant
*1 Bothersome Quasit
*1 Charmbreaker Devils
*1 Defiler of Instinct
*1 Izzet Chemister
*1 Magmatic Channeler
*1 Skirk Prospector
*1 Storm-Kiln Artist
*1 Tuktuk Rubblefort
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Arcane Bombardment
*1 Cavalcade of Calamity
*1 Double Vision
*1 Goblin War Drums
*1 Quest for the Goblin Lord
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Dragon Throne of Tarkir
*1 Fire Diamond
*1 Mask of Avacyn
*1 Mirror Shield
*1 Prowler&#039;s Helm
*1 Pyromancer&#039;s Goggles
*1 Scroll of the Masters
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
[/Artifacts]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Jaya, Fiery Negotiator
[/Planeswalkers]
[Lands]
*1 Castle Embereth
*1 Looming Spires
*29 Mountain
*1 Rogue&#039;s Passage
*1 Teetering Peaks
*1 Tyrite Sanctum
[/Lands]"></span></div>


<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>I used to run a deck similar to this, and writing this article has got me itching to bring my Goblins back out for a spin sometime soon. I hope you've enjoyed reading the article, and remember: every card deserves a chance to shine.</p>
<p>That just about does it for this month's installment, let me know in the comments down below what cards you'd like me to find a home for next! Your suggestions might just make it into the next article. Cheers!</p>


cosmotronic wave

Nearly Identical - Adeliz or Balmor?

Finding Homes for Janky Cards - Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin