Veteran Charger MTG Card

Veteran Charger - Jumpstart: Historic Horizons

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Centaur Soldier
Released	2021-08-26
Set symbol
Set name	Jumpstart: Historic Horizons
Set code	J21
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	31
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Leanna Crossan

Key Takeaways

Increases card efficiency without drawing, bolstering creature-based attacks and aiding board control.
Speeds up armies without further mana, impacting combat favourably to outmaneuver opponents.
Demands strategic hand management due to discard costs, challenging players to optimize its use.

Text of card

When Veteran Charger enters the battlefield, choose a creature card in your hand. It perpetually gets +2/+2.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Veteran Charger doesn’t directly allow you to draw cards, its ability to support your other creatures can indirectly lead to card advantage by preserving your board presence and making your attacks more efficient.

Resource Acceleration: Veteran Charger itself may not produce additional resources, but it can bolster your army quickly, effectively accelerating your resource utilization by amplifying the combat capabilities of your creatures without further mana investment.

Instant Speed: Veteran Charger’s main strength doesn’t involve instant speed interactions, yet its presence can influence how you use your instant speed spells during combat by altering combat outcomes in your favor.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For those planning to include Veteran Charger in their decks, it is essential to consider the potential downside of its discard requirement. This cost means you’ll have to let go of another card in your hand, which can be particularly detrimental during the late game or when your hand is already depleted.

Specific Mana Cost: Veteran Charger demands a precise mana arrangement to be cast effectively. The necessity for white mana in its casting cost restricts deck-building flexibility and may not integrate seamlessly into multicolored or mana-intensive strategies where white is not a primary color.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When assessing the overall efficiency of Veteran Charger, its mana cost is something that cannot be overlooked. Although providing a useful ability, the card’s cost is on the higher side when compared with other cards that might accomplish similar tasks or fit into your curve more efficiently. This can impact game tempo unfavorably, as it may delay the deployment of more immediate threats or defenses on the battlefield.

Reasons to Include Veteran Charger in Your Collection

Versatility: Veteran Charger seamlessly integrates into various deck builds. It’s an asset in strategies focused on lifegain, boosting soldier synergies, or just providing an efficient creature on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: Veteran Charger’s ability to give life for each attacking soldier makes it a prime candidate for combos in soldier-centric decks. It pairs well with cards that trigger upon gaining life or having a certain number of creatures on the field.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where aggressive decks are common, Veteran Charger can serve as a means to stabilize your life total while maintaining board presence. Its relevance grows in formats where soldier tokens and lifegain tactics thrive.

How to Beat Veteran Charger

Veteran Charger represents a unique challenge on the battlefield. As a creature that can bolster other units in your army, it’s essential to understand effective strategies to mitigate its impact. Tackling this card requires a keen sense of timing and resource management.

Removal spells are your first line of defense. Instant-speed options such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push can swiftly remove Veteran Charger before its ability becomes a factor. It’s crucial to target it early, ideally before combat buffs are applied. If the game progresses, board wipes like Wrath of God or Damnation can reset the playing field, nullifying the cumulative advantage the Charger could have provided to your opponent’s creatures.

Control decks may lean towards counter magic to prevent Veteran Charger from hitting the field at all. Spell Pierce or Counterspell offer cost-effective measures against it, keeping the board state manageable. Lastly, edict effects, forcing players to sacrifice a creature, can circumvent buffs and protective measures that might be in place. By considering these techniques, you’ll be well-equipped to confront and overcome the challenge posed by Veteran Charger.

Cards like Veteran Charger

Veteran Charger serves as a solid creature choice within the pantheon of Magic: The Gathering. As players often seek creatures that provide value beyond mere battlefield presence, this card reminds us of Courser of Kruphix—both deliver an impact beyond their combat abilities. While Courser of Kruphix provides an advantageous peek at the top card of your library and land drop efficiency, Veteran Charger distinguishes itself with its ability to support go-wide strategies by potentially making your army unstoppable for a turn.

Equally interesting is the comparison with Loyal Cathar. While Loyal Cathar does not directly grant your creatures the ability to bypass blockers, it boasts a valuable afterlife by returning to the battlefield transformed upon death. On the other hand, cards like Gustcloak Savior allow creatures to evade unfavorable combat, but without the surprise ‘unblockable’ strike that Veteran Charger could enable. Not forgetting the steadfast Knight of the White Orchid, which doesn’t affect combat directly but rather ramps your land drops under specific conditions.

In sum, in the realm of MTG where utility and synergy are king, Veteran Charger may not seem flashy at first glance. However, it plays a tactical role in decks that capitalize on combat buffs and require that critical push to achieve victory on the battlefield.

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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Veteran Charger MTG card by a specific set like Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Veteran Charger and other MTG cards: