Everything You Should Know About Kobolds

Do you know a tribe that's even quirkier than Goblins? Some members wear dressing gowns and some wear pointed hats. Some look like dogs. The tribe consists of only nine creatures of which Julie Baroh illustrated three. One of the most famous characters in the game once compared them to cockroaches …

Kobold Sets


crimson - crookshank kobolds

The first and original Kobolds were published in the third Magic expansion in 1994 called Legends. They were the first and only colored zero mana-creatures in Magic. Further, related additions to the Kobold madness followed in Time Spiral () and Commander 2013 ().

The last Kobolds so far were published in Commander Legends and even more recently Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. became the first ever legendary zero-drop in Magic, while exists outside of Magic's own lore.

Kobold Origins

Kobolds live in a mountainous region called Kher Ridges, located on the legendary plane of Dominaria. The flavor text of describes Kher Ridges as "a valley topped with immense boulders and eerie rock formations."


roc of kher ridges kher keep

The most notorious location within Kher Ridges is the Kobold fortress . Even old Teferi is aware of their lair, and has been for a while, though he does not seem to be as enthusiastic as I am. Upon revisiting the place he exclaimed: "They're still here?! The cockroach may have finally met its match."

The common inhabitants of Kher Keep are the , the , and the . Most of them have red skin. Some have green or purple skin. Others even appear to have a doggish look. It is unknown if these different types of Kobolds are directly related or not.


Kobolds of Kher Keep token

Kobold Society

Their "society" is defined by some kind of military hierarchy led by the , the , and the . Their highest leader is the legendary Kobold tyrant named . tries to fight against the tyranny and corruption of his father, who planned to become equal to the Dragon .


Rohgahh of kher keep Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh

Prossh is the only entity above Rohgahh. Kobolds worship and offer treasures of war to the greedy Dragon in the hope to be spared by it. Sometimes they even offer themselves to their god.

Kobold Decks


kobolds of kher keep

What do you do with a 0/1 Kobold? Well, for Standard and Commander I want to direct you to the works of my trusted colleagues:

But what do you do with a bunch of 0/1 Kobolds? You show your opponent that they are anything but harmless and you teach them not to judge a creature by its stats. Let's look at a Legacy list, an Old School list, and a Pauper list. The decks are as weird and as wacky as the Kobolds themselves.

Legacy Kobolds

Want to play Legacy? Want to win on turn one? Just play , a few Kobolds, draw more Kobolds, play more Kobolds, and then pummel the opponent with bushwhacked, beafed-up Kobolds or simply your way to victory!

The deck is even relatively budget friendly because you don't need the original dual lands that desperately. Shock lands will do as the loss of life rarely matters. If you don't win on the first few turns, you will lose the game anyway.


Legacy Kobolds
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  • 1
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  • 1
  • 4
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  • 3
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1

Old School Kobolds

The Old School list is basically a less combo-, less draw-heavy version of the Legacy list. It relies more on the static effects of , , and . It is also able to take out some opponents with a quick .


Old School Kobolds
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  • 1
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  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 17

Pauper Kobolds

The Pauper deck hews closely to the Old School design. It again relies on the static effect of and uses instead of Oriflamme to surprise the opponent with an instant collective pump. adds some extra punch to the deck.


Pauper Kobolds
Main DeckSideboard
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  • 2
  • 2
  • 20

Kobold Thoughts

As the only colored creatures in Magic with a casting cost of zero mana, Kobolds take a unique spot within the game. was a great addition to the tribe and I hope for more additions in the future. Wizards' constant throwbacks, as displayed in Commander Legends and Modern Horizons 2, really add to the rich history and lore of the game.

I personally hope for some kind of one- or two-mana tribal Kobold artifact or enchantment in the style of or maybe a Kobold in the style of . This way Kobolds could get along without the support of annoying Goblins. Modern Horizons 2 gave the Lhurgoyf tribe a wonderfully flavorful artifact in , and I will pray to the great Prossh that Kobolds get something similar in Modern Horizons 3 or one of the next Commander sets.

How do you feel about Kobolds? What other tiny tribes would you like to see supported?

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily Cardmarket.