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Top MTG Buff Cards to Power Goblin Grenadiers
Goblin Grenadiers is a neat little three-drop that wears its red-hot heart on its sleeve: a sturdy 2/2 body for {3}{R}, with a spicy late-game trick. When this creature attacks and isn’t blocked, you may sacrifice it, and if you do, you destroy a target creature and a target land. It’s a modular tool—great for grinding out value in red’s aggressive corridors, and even more exciting when you stack it with buff effects that push your entire goblin army to new heights. The Weatherlight era card—flavored with Dan Frazier’s iconic artwork and that delightfully punishing flavor line—makes for a flavorful centerpiece in a goblin-tribal or red-subtheme deck. 🧙🔥💥
In practice, the Grenadiers wants to swing in, threaten a tempo swing, and then leverage its sacrifice trigger to erase a problematic blocker or a critical land. The buff cards below aren’t just “make Grenadiers bigger”; they’re enablers that help you maintain pressure, squeeze extra value from unblocked attacks, and keep the board clear enough for your goblin swarm to push through. The tricks range from guaranteed haste to temporary bursts that turn a single attack into a decisive blow. Let’s dive into a few top tier options that generations of players have leaned on in red and goblin-focused builds. ⚔️🎲
The Big-Haste Ensemble: Consistent Buffs for Every Goblin
- Goblin Chieftain — “Goblin creatures you control get +1/+1 and have haste.” This is the classic tribal anthem for goblins. It doesn’t buff Grenadiers alone; it lifts every Goblin you control, turning a handful of 2/2s into a rattling horde that punches through a fragile defense. The “other Goblin” clause is a nice reminder that you’re feeding a thriving goblin army, and it makes your unblocked grenadiers that much more lethal on the swing. A staple in many Goblin decks, it blends raw aggression with tribal synergy in a way that never feels cheesy—just goblin-y, in the best way. 🧙🔥
- Goblin Warchief — “Goblins you control have haste.” If you want speed, this is a must-have enabler. It doesn’t buff by +1/+1, but giving every Goblin, including Grenadiers, the ability to strike immediately after being played can create explosive turns. Batter your opponent with a flurry of threats that can’t slow down, and watch the Grenadiers slip through unblocked just when you need it most. The synergy feels like a relay race—each goblin hands the baton to the next with blistering speed. ⚡
- Fervor — “Creatures you control have haste.” A timeless red enchantment that doubles down on tempo. Fervor turns your entire board into a blitzkrieg where Grenadiers can attack the very next turn after you cast them, or push through a last-minute alpha strike. It’s the kind of card that makes players rethink blocking plans and often leads to dramatic comebacks or clean finishes. If you’re building a lean, aggressive goblin shell, Fervor is a core piece. 🔥
- Anger — “All your creatures have haste.” Anger is a historically powerful enabler that lives in the graveyard and helps you salvage value from a board state that’s otherwise unfriendly. With Grenadiers on board, you can chain into multiple quick attacks if you’ve got a way to recur Anger or simply rely on its global haste effect to surprise an opponent. It’s a mood card for red decks that love fast, relentless pressure. 🎨
- Reckless Bushwhacker — “Surge {1}{R} (You may cast this spell for its surge cost if you or a teammate has cast another spell this turn.) When Reckless Bushwhacker enters the battlefield, if its surge cost was paid, other creatures you control get +1/+0 and gain haste until end of turn.” This temporary boost is perfect for out-of-nowhere damage. If you’ve stacked your deck with one or two goblin threats, Reckless Bushwhacker can push Grenadiers through for a lethal attack, ensuring that your sacrifice trigger is live in the face of an opposing blocker. The surprise-factor is priceless, and that extra +1 power on the attack can be the margin you need. 🧙🔥
Strategic angles: making the most of the Grenadiers’ trigger
To leverage Goblin Grenadiers effectively, you want to engineer situations where its attack unblocked becomes a reliable outcome. Buffs that grant haste are the most dependable since they reduce the risk of being blocked and collapsed by a board stall. However, you can also tilt the odds with purpose-built board states: cheap mana acceleration to get Grenadiers onto the battlefield quickly, or synergy cards that force or incentivize blocks that you can take advantage of with your other goblins. The immediate payoff—destroying a key creature and a land—can devastate an opponent’s defense or mana base, especially when the land you remove is a mana-producing land you’re racing to curb. 🧙🔥💎
Beyond the spell cards that buff, you’ll often find the most effective builds combining goblin synergy with resilient removal and cheap bodies. Krenko, Mob Boss and other goblin-matters cards can provide the board presence that makes a Grenadiers swing feel unstoppable. And in the very heart of red’s design philosophy, the art and flavor behind Weatherlight’s Goblin Grenadiers deliver a satisfying sense of inevitability when those fits click—one well-timed attack, and the table can tilt dramatically in your favor. The flavor text—“For once, Squee realized, he wasn't the dumb one.”—is a playful nod to the chaotic goblin dynamic and the card’s offbeat, cheeky personality.
For once, Squee realized, he wasn't the dumb one.The Dan Frazier illustration captures that mischievous energy, a perfect match for a card that rewards clever, punishing plays. 🎨
If you’re curating a din of goblin chaos for kitchen-table duels, or exploring casual options in Modern-legal or Legacy environments, these buff options offer reliable paths to accelerate Grenadiers into a position of authority. They let you sculpt tempo, preserve card advantage, and set up the precise moment you can swing into a decisive cleanup. And yes, there’s something delightfully satisfying about watching a 2/2 goblin trigger a devastating chain that leaves your opponent staring down a rising tide of red. ⚔️
As you experiment, remember that a well-rounded list isn’t just about raw power—it’s about timing, synergy, and the fun of seeing a simple two-mana trickle into a full-blown board wipe. The Weatherlight era card you’re starting with has a timeless charm, and the right buffs can turn a single Grenadiers swing into a story you’ll tell at the next game night. And if you’re looking for a little extra desk-side magic to accompany your battles, there’s a playful nod to the modern gamer’s setup with a high-quality mouse pad that brings comfort and precision to those long, plan-heavy sessions. 🧙🔥💎
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