Siege-Gang CommanderHow it works & interactions with other cards

A Small Army in One Card

When Siege-Gang Commander enters the battlefield, its triggered ability goes on the stack to create three 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens. This effectively puts 5 power and 5 toughness across four bodies for just five mana. The second part of the card is an activated ability that costs one red and one generic mana, plus the sacrifice of any Goblin, to deal 2 damage to any target. This includes the tokens he created, other Goblin cards in your deck, or even the Commander himself since he has the Goblin creature type.

Resolving the Trigger and Ability

First, the 'enters' trigger must resolve to create the tokens; if the Commander is destroyed in response to the trigger, you still get the three Goblins. To use the activated ability, you must pay the mana and sacrifice a Goblin as a cost. Because the sacrifice is a cost, your opponent cannot respond by killing the Goblin you intend to throw. Once the ability is activated, it exists on the stack independently of the source, meaning even if Siege-Gang Commander leaves the battlefield, the 2 damage will still be dealt.

Strategic Timing and Common Pitfalls

The best time to use the sacrifice ability is often in response to an opponent's removal spell or during the declare blockers step. If an opponent targets your Goblin with a spell, you can sacrifice it to deal 2 damage, effectively 'fizzling' their spell's effects if it had no other targets. A common mistake is forgetting that Siege-Gang Commander can sacrifice himself. If an opponent tries to exile him, you can pay the mana and sacrifice the Commander to ensure he goes to the graveyard and deals 2 damage instead.

Interaction examples

Doubling the Reinforcements

Roaming Throne

If you control Roaming Throne with 'Goblin' chosen as the creature type, Siege-Gang Commander's enter trigger will trigger an additional time. You will create six 1/1 Goblin tokens instead of three, providing massive value and extra ammunition for your damage ability.

Sacrificing for Direct Damage

Goblin

With Siege-Gang Commander on the field, you can pay {1}{R} and sacrifice a Goblin token. This puts an ability on the stack targeting a creature like Solemn Simulacrum. The token is moved to the graveyard immediately as a cost, and when the ability resolves, the 2 damage is dealt to the target.

Responding to Board Wipes

Solemn Simulacrum

If an opponent plays a spell to destroy all creatures, you can respond by spending your available mana to sacrifice your Goblins one by one. You can target your opponent's life total or their Solemn Simulacrum to deal damage before your creatures are destroyed by the spell, maximizing your resources.