Martyr's Soul MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Spirit Soldier
Abilities Convoke
Power 3
Toughness 2

Key Takeaways

  1. Martyr’s Soul provides card advantage and could fortify your hand without expending mana due to its Convoke ability.
  2. The card allows for swift action with resource acceleration, utilizing creatures as temporary mana sources.
  3. Its synergy with instant-speed decks offers flexibility and the element of surprise in gameplay.

Text of card

Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for or one mana of that creature's color.) When Martyr's Soul enters the battlefield, if you control no tapped lands, put two +1/+1 counters on it.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Martyr’s Soul, when played strategically, can be a key card to help bolster your hand. With its Convoke ability, not only does it potentially allow you to place a formidable creature on the board without spending mana, but it also keeps your mana resources free to execute additional plays that same turn, enhancing your board state while keeping card equity in your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Due to the Convoke mechanic, Martyr’s Soul can accelerate your gameplay by allowing you to utilize tapped creatures as resources. This essentially transforms your creatures into temporary mana sources, enabling you to deploy other spells or abilities quicker than normal. It’s a fantastic synergy in decks that regularly summon creatures and wish to capitalize on a commanding presence early in the game.

Instant Speed: While Martyr’s Soul itself is not an instant, its inherent synergies within decks that operate at instant speed are not to be underestimated. This spell also pairs well with cards that untap creatures or allow you to play spells as though they had flash, granting you the flexibility to make unexpected plays and maintain the element of surprise against your opponents.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Martyr’s Soul puts pressure on your hand by necessitating that you discard a card to fulfill its escape cost. This can be detrimental during gameplay when maintaining card advantage is crucial, as it forces a player to deplete precious resources.

Specific Mana Cost: Requiring two white mana for its casting cost, Martyr’s Soul demands a commitment to white mana sources in your deck. This stipulation can restrict deck-building flexibility, often necessitating a predominantly white or two-color deck that can consistently provide the necessary white mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is considerable for its effects, Martyr’s Soul may not always be the most mana-efficient play. Considering the pace of modern gameplay in MTG, there are times when casting a card with a high mana cost can set a player back, especially if the board state does not favor such an investment.


Reasons to Include Martyr’s Soul in Your Collection

Versatility: Martyr’s Soul is flexible enough to slot into various deck types, thanks to its convoke and synergy with self-sacrifice strategies. Its ability to become a substantial threat for potentially no mana investment can be of high value in many gameplay scenarios.

Combo Potential: With its ability to grow quickly through the convoke mechanism, Martyr’s Soul can work in tandem with cards that capitalize on the presence of large creatures or numerous creature spells being cast. This makes it a key piece in decks aiming to exploit such synergies.

Meta-Relevance: Due to its cost efficiency and potential for immediate board impact, Martyr’s Soul fits well in metas that favor tempo plays or aggressive creature-based strategies. Its viability can shift depending on the makeup of the competitive landscape, making it a card to watch and consider as trends evolve.


How to beat

Martyr’s Soul is a dynamic force in the world of MTG, offering a valuable edge when it comes to fortifying your board position. Entering the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters if you’ve cast no other spells that turn gives this card a unique mechanic, similar in spirit to the convoke mechanic which allows creatures to help cast spells. However, what sets Martyr’s Soul apart is its provision of immediate board presence with its bolstered stats. Its five-mana value can be deceiving, as the real potency lies in its synergistic potential within decks that favor spell delays or play on opponent’s turns, like instant-heavy control decks.

To outmaneuver Martyr’s Soul, a strategic approach is essential. Utilizing removal spells that can bypass its conditional counters, such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile, proves effective. Cards that prevent creatures from entering the battlefield, like counterspells, can disrupt the strategy entirely. It’s vital to remain adaptive, deploying resources at opportune moments to sabotage an opponent’s attempt to maximize Martyr’s Soul’s ability. In essence, countering the card’s specific strengths through targeted removal or denial of its conditions is key to maintaining the upper hand.


Cards like Martyr's Soul

Martyr’s Soul carves a distinctive niche among creature cards in Magic: The Gathering. It shares the same essence with creatures such as Dauntless Bodyguard, in providing a defensive utility; however, Martyr’s Soul brings flexibility to the table with its ‘convoke’ mechanic, allowing you to tap creatures instead of paying mana costs. Dauntless Bodyguard lacks this, although it does offer protection for another creature when it enters the battlefield.

Examining another counterpart, Knight of Grace stands out with its first strike ability and hexproof from black, but it doesn’t provide the same potential for a swift power boost that Martyr’s Soul’s ‘convoke’ and temporary buffs offer. Then there’s Lagonna-Band Storyteller, a card that brings more to the game in terms of life gain and pulling aura cards from the graveyard to the battlefield, yet it comes with a higher mana cost and less early game impact compared to Martyr’s Soul’s immediacy and board-influencing prowess.

Ultimately, Martyr’s Soul is a versatile addition to decks that value speed and the strategic use of creatures to fuel spell casting. Its unique blend of convoke and buff abilities allows it to shine differently from other similar creatures, providing tactical advantages on the battlefield.

Dauntless Bodyguard - MTG Card versions
Knight of Grace - MTG Card versions
Lagonna-Band Storyteller - MTG Card versions
Dauntless Bodyguard - Dominaria (DOM)
Knight of Grace - Dominaria (DOM)
Lagonna-Band Storyteller - Theros Beyond Death (THB)

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Faithful Squire // Kaiso, Memory of Loyalty - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Kitsune Palliator - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)
Freewind Equenaut - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)
Sanctum Guardian - Salvat 2005 (PSAL)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Martyr's Soul MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Martyr's Soul and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Martyr's Soul Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Mila Pesic.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 192015normalblackMila Pesic
22022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 2122015normalblackMila Pesic

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Martyr's Soul has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Martyr's Soul card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2019-06-14 If you control any tapped lands as Martyr’s Soul enters the battlefield, its last ability doesn’t trigger at all. If you control any tapped lands as the ability resolves, you won’t put two +1/+1 counters on Martyr’s Soul.
2021-03-19 If a creature you control has a mana ability with in the cost, activating that ability while casting a spell with convoke will result in the creature being tapped before you pay the spell’s costs. You won’t be able to tap it again for convoke. Similarly, if you sacrifice a creature to activate a mana ability while casting a spell with convoke, that creature won’t be on the battlefield when you pay the spell’s costs, so you won’t be able to tap it for convoke.
2021-03-19 When calculating a spell’s total cost, include any alternative costs, additional costs, or anything else that increases or reduces the cost to cast the spell. Convoke applies after the total cost is calculated. Convoke doesn’t change a spell’s mana cost or mana value.
2021-03-19 You can tap any untapped creature you control to convoke a spell, even one you haven’t controlled continuously since the beginning of your most recent turn.

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