So this guy is pretty scary when you play him in M13 limited as he quickly gets to the point where you're swinging in with an army of little goblins, even if you only started with him in play.
I was wondering if anyone tried him in cube and how he was for you if you had.
I think he's a pretty good man. 4-drops are REALLY good though, which is his biggest drawback. It can grind out wins in slower matchups (or in slower cubes), and I like it more than Bloodline Keeper (a similar card in black) simply because the activations start to get exponentially powerful. The cube would have to be pretty big before I'd consider it (because of the competition at the 4cc slot) but for cubes that support a Goblin subtheme could really get some mileage out of him.
I wouldn't play it without at least a little Goblin sub-theme in Red. Master of the Wild Hunt can take over a game by itself, his wolfs working as both beaters and removal. Krenko's goblins will eventually get there, but never as proactively as the wolfs, and usually not without some help.
It's not a bad card, far from it, but it probably need some support.
Krenko without goblins is as much as a combo as krenko with goblins.
If they don't find an answer for it, regardless of if he is the only goblin, your going to win.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Originally Posted by Massive Marc
You know back in the old days, when there wasn't EDH, these "griefer" cards in decks were the norm. If you played a Winter Orb when you're opponents were tapped out, it was a good play. Now, you get people tell you they wanna punch you ? It's really sad how carebare this format is, to the point that some loser has to rip up your cards.
The number of goblins Krenko has is 2^(activations), so at 5 activations that's 32 goblins... At 4 you're looking at 16... At 3 you have 8. One of which is a 3/3 Krenko and assuming no goblins came into play or left play aside from Krenko.
So we can assume at 5 activations you win, and at 4 you most likely win. Essentially Krenko has to survive that many turns if he is given Haste, and that many +1 without Haste. This number can be reduced to 3 activations with an anthem effect.
Well it's always just (Goblins at start)*(2^(# of activations)), so 3 -> 6 -> 12 -> 24... At three activations you win, and at 2 you can win given an anthem effect.
So Anthem effect and no goblins, or 2 other goblins and no Anthem effect means 3 activations is generally when you'd win.
Three turns to win is a lot when red has four drops like Hellrider and Hero of Oxid Ridge that can threaten a win the same turn you cast them, or the turn after. And you have to consider that Krenko is practically useless during those three turns. He's not attacking because you almost always want to make tokens, and he's generally not blocking unless you're about to lose. He's like a weird suspend card that wins three or four turns after you cast him. Unlike a suspend card, he provides a bit of extra flexibility since the tokens give you more options, but mostly I see it as just clogging up the ground until you're ready to alpha strike.
I don't think it displaces the above two red drops, and I like my role-players quite a bit more (Flametongue Kavu, Avalanche Riders, Goblin Ruinblaster). I don't even think it's better than Moltensteel Dragon. Sure, the dragon has a double weakness (artifact and creature) but it comes pre-loaded with evasion (as opposed to waiting for the pseudo-evasion provided by the tokens) and it packs a heck of a punch.
Maybe if you push tokens? Not sure if red's really a token color in cubes though.
With a goblin subtheme I think he's interesting, and he could be good as a place holder for the more powerful guys for a starter cube. I have a fair sized collection and have spent a pretty penny on my cube and still don't have all the cards I want for it....
This card is really nuts with Goblin Chieftain, and I think the Chieftain is actually a great cube card. A 2/2 haste guy for RR1 is weak but playable for aggro red already, but he pumps up a bunch of random red beaters and he is insane with Krenko, Siege Gang, and Empty the Warrens. I think the goblin subtheme adds a cool dimension and a lot of fun to red. Hope this wasn't too far off-topic.
Agreed with the above. Goblin chieftain and krenko are cubeable and a fun way to spice up red. Cards that change the pick order of red beaters--even if only slightly--are a good way to make the color more interesting.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
So this guy is pretty scary when you play him in M13 limited as he quickly gets to the point where you're swinging in with an army of little goblins, even if you only started with him in play.
I was wondering if anyone tried him in cube and how he was for you if you had.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
It's not a bad card, far from it, but it probably need some support.
Blimpy's Aggro-Focused Cube (powered 360)
I'm always open to suggestions on how to improve my cube. Take a look and ask a question, or give a constructive critique whenever you can.
Modern: Jund Legacy: RUG Delver EDH: Captain Sisay
If they don't find an answer for it, regardless of if he is the only goblin, your going to win.
You know back in the old days, when there wasn't EDH, these "griefer" cards in decks were the norm. If you played a Winter Orb when you're opponents were tapped out, it was a good play. Now, you get people tell you they wanna punch you ? It's really sad how carebare this format is, to the point that some loser has to rip up your cards.
Ya, but it's not a hard card to answer in the cube. A goblin theme hastens the clock against them, and makes the removal they must find more imminent.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
So we can assume at 5 activations you win, and at 4 you most likely win. Essentially Krenko has to survive that many turns if he is given Haste, and that many +1 without Haste. This number can be reduced to 3 activations with an anthem effect.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
So Anthem effect and no goblins, or 2 other goblins and no Anthem effect means 3 activations is generally when you'd win.
I don't think it displaces the above two red drops, and I like my role-players quite a bit more (Flametongue Kavu, Avalanche Riders, Goblin Ruinblaster). I don't even think it's better than Moltensteel Dragon. Sure, the dragon has a double weakness (artifact and creature) but it comes pre-loaded with evasion (as opposed to waiting for the pseudo-evasion provided by the tokens) and it packs a heck of a punch.
Maybe if you push tokens? Not sure if red's really a token color in cubes though.
My Cube (DeckStats)
My Pauper Cube: 540 (CubeTutor link!)
Level 1 Judge
http://cubetutor.com/cubeblog/993
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/23690