Hobgoblin Bandit LordHow it works & interactions with other cards

A True Leader of Goblins

Hobgoblin Bandit Lord provides a passive +1/+1 anthem effect to all other Goblins you control, strengthening your army immediately. Its activated ability costs one red mana and requires tapping the Bandit Lord to deal damage to any target. This damage is based on how many Goblins entered the battlefield under your control during the current turn, not how many you currently own.

Counting Your Recruits

When you activate the ability, the game checks how many creatures with the Goblin type entered the battlefield under your control earlier in the turn. This count includes the Hobgoblin Bandit Lord itself if it entered this turn, as well as Goblin tokens. Even if the Goblins that entered the battlefield have since left, died, or been exiled, the game remembers they were there, and the damage remains the same.

Timing and Precision

A common mistake is thinking the ability counts total Goblins you control. Instead, it only counts 'new arrivals.' If no Goblins entered this turn, the ability deals zero damage. In such cases, the ability resolves, but since zero damage is dealt, other effects that trigger 'whenever damage is dealt' will not activate. Always ensure you have played a Goblin or created a Goblin token before spending the mana to tap the Bandit Lord.

Strategic Deployment

The best time to activate this ability is during your post-combat main phase or at the end of your opponent's turn if you used flash effects. Since the count resets every turn, you want to stack your Goblin plays first, then use the Bandit Lord to fire a single large burst of damage to remove a creature or finish off a player.

Interaction examples

The Bandit and the Throne

Roaming Throne

If you play Roaming Throne and choose 'Goblin', the Throne becomes a Goblin in addition to its other types. When the Throne enters the battlefield, the Hobgoblin Bandit Lord sees a Goblin has entered. If you then tap the Bandit Lord, it will deal at least 1 damage (for the Throne). Note that the Roaming Throne's double-trigger ability does not affect the Bandit Lord's activated ability, as that is an activated ability, not a triggered one.

Cross-Type Interactions

Solemn Simulacrum

If you play Solemn Simulacrum, it enters the battlefield and you search for a land. However, because Solemn Simulacrum is a Golem and not a Goblin, it does not contribute to the count for the Hobgoblin Bandit Lord's damage ability. If this was the only creature you played this turn, tapping the Bandit Lord would deal 0 damage.

Self-Counting on Arrival

If you give Hobgoblin Bandit Lord haste (perhaps via an enchantment or another card) the turn it enters the battlefield, you can tap it immediately. Because it is a Goblin and it entered the battlefield this turn, it will count itself, dealing at least 1 damage to your chosen target even if no other Goblins were played.