Flailing Soldier MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Soldier
Released	1999-10-04
Set symbol
Set name	Mercadian Masques
Set code	MMQ
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	189
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Dany Orizio

Key Takeaways

Card advantage with Flailing Soldier strengthens creature-focused decks for board control and presence.
Instant speed deployment of Flailing Soldier allows unexpected maneuvers and mana efficiency.
The card enhances resource acceleration, crucial for a successful MTG strategy.

Text of card

o1: Flailing Soldier gets +1/+1 until end of turn. Any player may play this ability. o1: Flailing Soldier gets -1/-1 until end of turn. Any player may play this ability.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Flailing Soldier offers unique interactions with deck mechanics that focus on soldier or creature-based strategies, allowing players to potentially gain valuable board presence as they deploy more forces to their advantage.

Resource Acceleration: With the inclusion of Flailing Soldier in your MTG deck, you can enhance your resource accumulation by synergizing with cards that benefit from having multiple creatures on the battlefield, effectively speeding up your gameplay and outpacing your opponent.

Instant Speed: The ability to play Flailing Soldier at instant speed presents a tactical edge, enabling you to surprise your adversary during their turn or at the end of their turn to maintain momentum, keeping up the pressure and utilizing your mana efficiently.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While deploying a Flailing Soldier, you may find yourself at a loss, quite literally. The necessity to discard a key card can be a significant setback, particularly if your hand is already sparingly populated with options or if it disrupts a strategic combo you were planning.

Specific Mana Cost: The casting requirements for a Flailing Soldier can be restrictive. Needing the exact mana combination may prevent its inclusion in multi-color decks that can’t consistently generate the necessary resources, thereby limiting its overall versatility in various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: In the intricately balanced economy of a Magic: The Gathering match, mana efficiency weighs heavily. A Flailing Soldier’s cost may overshadow its battlefield effectiveness, especially when other units or spells provide greater impact or utility at a lower mana investment, ensuring you gain the most from each turn’s resources.

Reasons to Include Flailing Soldier in Your Collection

Versatility: Flailing Soldier is a card that offers diverse play options, fitting into various deck archetypes. Its unique mechanics lend it to be a flexible choice, whether you’re running an aggressive build or a control-based setup. The inclusion can adapt to multiple game plans, which is a testament to its utility in various MTG strategies.

Combo Potential: This card shines when paired with equipment or spells that manipulate or benefit from its own power increases or decreases, which can lead to some interesting and unexpected board states. Clever deck builders will find that Flailing Soldier can be a lynchpin in a combo-oriented deck that turns its seeming drawback into a powerful asset.

Meta-Relevance: Given that the MTG meta is an ever-shifting landscape, a card like Flailing Soldier can become particularly advantageous. In an environment where combat tricks and unexpected plays are valuable, this soldier can surprise opponents and turn the tides of battle in your favor. Keeping it in your collection means you’re ready to adapt to a meta that values these spontaneous shifts in power.

How to beat

The Flailing Soldier card introduces an interesting dynamic on the battlefield in the world of Magic: The Gathering. This creature card can be a thorn in your side with its unique abilities. To efficiently handle this combatant, understanding its mechanics and exploiting its drawbacks is key. The critical aspect of Flailing Soldier is its tendency to grow stronger as it takes damage, making direct removal spells the most effective strategy against it.

Spells like Doom Blade or Murder can be indispensable tools in your deck, as they allow you to remove it before it becomes a bigger threat. Board wipes such as Wrath of God can also prove useful, clearing away the Flailing Soldier along with other potential threats on the table in one fell swoop. Additionally, counter spells serve as a preventive measure, ensuring that the Soldier never makes it onto the battlefield in the first place.

Adopting a strategic approach can turn the tide in your favor. By keeping removal or counter spells at the ready, you can ensure the Flailing Soldier’s potential for escalation is kept at bay, maintaining your position of control throughout the game.

Cards like Flailing Soldier

Flailing Soldier has carved its own niche within the troop of creature cards in MTG. Notably, it shares traits with cards like Flailing Ogre, where keeping the creature on the board becomes a bidding war. Both cards give opponents the chance to affect the battlefield with extra mana. Flailing Soldier, however, stands out due to its lower casting cost and being a soldier, a subtype with wide-ranging synergies and support in the MTG universe.

Peering into cards from similar families, Flailing Soldier can be mirrored against cards like Standing Troops. With vigilance, Standing Troops can both attack and defend, a flexibility that Flailing Soldier misses. Yet, in a more aggressive deck, Flailing Soldier’s potential to be a larger threat if unanswered could swing games. Additionally, the camaraderie with other soldier cards may tip the scales in its favor for decks centered around tribal themes.

Comparing Flailing Soldier to its relatives gives players valuable insights into its strengths and limitations. Its low cost and interactive ability offer unique tactical advantages, making it a card that can certainly hold its own in the right deck composition within MTG.

Cards similar to Flailing Soldier by color, type and mana cost

Goblin Balloon Brigade - MTG Card versions

Mons's Goblin Raiders - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Flailing Soldier MTG card by a specific set like Mercadian Masques, 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 Flailing Soldier and other MTG cards: