Goblin Storm Secret Lair Commander Deck Guide

Overview

Zada, Hedron Grinder is one of the most explosive combo-style commanders in the format. Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery that targets only Zada, it creates a copy of that spell for each other creature you control that shares a colour with Zada. In a deck full of cheap red goblins, this turns a single Crimson Wisps into a card draw engine that refills your entire hand, or a single Expedite into a haste enabler that draws as many cards as you have creatures on board.

This Secret Lair collaboration with Australian content creator Wizard of Barge brings that engine to life in style. The deck features 22 foil borderless panoramic Mountains with Wizard of Barge's distinctive artwork, along with a suite of new cards designed specifically for the set. The strategy is clear: flood the board with goblins via Krenko, Mob Boss and Dragon Fodder, then cast a single cheap targeted spell through Zada to draw into the storm spells that finish the game. Grapeshot and Empty the Warrens close things out once the spell count climbs high enough.

Key Cards

Playing the Deck

The opening priority is establishing a goblin presence. Goblin Lackey and Goblin Warchief accelerate the tribe's development: Lackey puts goblins directly into play off combat damage, while Warchief reduces the cost of every subsequent goblin by one and grants them haste. An early Goblin Matron can tutor whichever creature the hand is missing, whether that's Krenko to build the army or Skirk Prospector to enable the mana chain.

The combo turn assembles itself once Zada is in play and you control at least five or six other goblins. Cast a single cheap targeted spell — Expedite, Crimson Wisps, or Renegade Tactics — and watch it copy for each goblin. A board of eight goblins draws eight cards off a single Crimson Wisps, typically finding a mana ritual or a second copy enabler. Brightstone Ritual adds one red mana for each Goblin you control, meaning it alone can generate ten or more mana on a developed board. Chain those rituals into Mana Geyser and Seething Song, then close with Grapeshot or Empty the Warrens once the spell count is unbeatable.

Storm-Kiln Artist adds another layer to the engine: every instant or sorcery you cast creates a Treasure token, which provides additional mana to keep the chain moving. Combined with Impact Tremors, every goblin that enters the battlefield from Empty the Warrens or Krenko activations deals additional damage without the combat step, which matters enormously against opponents holding removal or fog effects.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck's primary strength is its speed and non-interactivity once the storm turn begins. A resolved Zada with six or more goblins effectively ends the game the following turn in most pods, as the card advantage generated by a single Expedite is enough to draw into the entire combo sequence. The deck also runs a broad range of tutors in the form of Goblin Matron and Goblin Dark-Dwellers, and Past in Flames ensures the combo can reload from the graveyard if disrupted partway through. The mana generation is genuinely absurd: a moderate board can produce fifteen or more red mana in a single turn without any dedicated ritual chains.

Weaknesses: The deck is heavily reliant on having creatures on the battlefield when Zada's ability triggers. A single sweeper at the wrong moment eliminates both the army and the copy engine in one card, resetting the deck to zero. Blue decks with counterspells can hold up interaction specifically for Zada or for the targeted spell that triggers the copy chain, making the combo much harder to resolve in counterspell-heavy pods. The deck also has almost no interaction of its own outside of Chaos Warp and Vandalblast, meaning it needs to win before opponents assemble threatening boards rather than answering them.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the Goblin Storm Secret Lair Commander Deck, enriched with current prices. Click any card to expand it.