The Commander
Haste
Whenever Ardoz or another creature you control enters, that creature gets +2/+0 until end of turn.
: Create a 1/1 red Goblin creature token with haste. Activate only as a sorcery.
Guide
Gameplan
Ardoz is a mono-red aggro/go-wide commander that turns every creature you flood the board with into a hasty, +2/+0 attacker the turn it arrives. You deploy cheap creatures and tokens, swing immediately, and refuel with Ardoz's own token-maker so you always have bodies entering for damage. Most games end by overwhelming the table with hasty attackers or by funneling go-wide triggers into a big alpha strike.
Strengths
- Every creature enters with haste-enabled aggression effectively built in, since tokens you make have haste and all get +2/+0 on entry.
- Self-sufficient: Ardoz's own ability generates a board even when your hand is empty, making it resilient to running out of gas.
- Cheap two-mana commander with haste, so it pressures opponents the turn it lands and recasts easily after removal.
- Synergizes with any token, blink, or recursion package—each ETB stacks damage.
- Mono-red gives access to powerful ritual, impulse-draw, and extra-combat support.
Weaknesses
- The +2/+0 is power-only and temporary, so blockers and toughness-based defense (and sweepers) blunt it badly.
- Color identity locks you out of interaction beyond burn; little answer to enchantments and resilient combos.
- Board wipes are devastating to a go-wide strategy reliant on many small creatures.
- Can run out of cards if not built with strong draw/impulse engines, despite the token outlet.
- No evasion baked in—ground stalls can stop the aggression cold.
Key Cards
- Purphoros, God of the Forge — Turns every creature and token entering under Ardoz into 2 direct damage to each opponent, converting your go-wide plan into a burn finisher.
- Krenko, Mob Boss — Doubles your Goblin count each turn, generating a flood of tokens that all enter to trigger Ardoz's pump.
- Impact Tremors — Cheap enabler that pings all opponents whenever your many creatures enter, complementing the attack-based damage.
- Goblin Bombardment — A free sacrifice outlet that lets you convert excess tokens into reach damage and dodge board wipes.
- Skullclamp — Premier mono-red card advantage engine—your 1/1 tokens become two cards each, refilling your hand to keep enters coming.
- Ashnod's Altar — Ramps and sacrifices tokens for mana, fueling repeated activations of Ardoz's token ability and combo lines.
Upgrade Path
Add more ETB-damage payoffs (Purphoros, Impact Tremors, Terror of the Peaks) and token doublers (Mondrak isn't legal in mono-R, but Krenko, Hordeling Outburst-style spells, and Goblin Rabblemaster work) so each entering creature does more. Bolster card advantage with Skullclamp, impulse draw (Light Up the Stage, Reckless Impulse), and fast mana (Sol Ring, Ashnod's Altar, rituals) to chain token activations. Finally, include protection from wraths via Goblin Bombardment, haste-enabled recursion, and a few combo outlets like Krenko + Skirk Prospector + Goblin Bombardment for a deterministic kill.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Wide alpha strike with all creatures pumped +2/+0 on a swarm turn.
- ▸Purphoros or Impact Tremors converting mass ETBs into lethal direct damage.
- ▸Krenko + sacrifice/ping outlets generating overwhelming token volume.
- ▸Goblin Bombardment fling damage off a large board of tokens.
Archetypes
- Goblin Tribal — Ardoz makes Goblin tokens and pumps the swarm, slotting perfectly into Krenko-style Goblin engines.
- Tokens / Go-Wide Aggro — Each token entering triggers +2/+0, rewarding mass token production and alpha strikes.
- Aristocrats — ETB pumps plus sacrifice outlets let you grind value, drain life, and play around removal.
- Blink/ETB Value — Repeatedly flickering creatures retriggers Ardoz's pump and any ETB payoffs for extra damage.
Combos
- Ardoz, Cobbler of War + Mana Echoes + Skirk Prospector
→ Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB
- Ardoz, Cobbler of War + Mana Echoes + Phyrexian Altar
→ Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB
- Ardoz, Cobbler of War + Mana Echoes + Thermopod
→ Infinite colorless mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite ETB
- Ardoz, Cobbler of War + Mana Echoes + Chromatic Orrery
→ Infinite colored mana, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite creature tokens with haste
- Ardoz, Cobbler of War + Mana Echoes + Mycosynth Lattice
→ Infinite colored mana, Infinite colorless mana, Infinite creature tokens with haste
Combos via Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (R), by popularity.
