Boros Recruit MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Goblin Soldier
Abilities	First strike
Released	2005-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Ravnica: City of Guilds
Set code	RAV
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	243
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Keith Garletts

Key Takeaways

Boros Recruit enforces board presence, indirectly leading to card advantage by taxing opponent resources.
Specific mana costs can limit flexibility but its hybrid nature facilitates integration into multicolored decks.
Despite potential mana efficiency issues, its versatility makes it a competitive choice for aggressive strategies.

Text of card

({GU} can be paid with either or .) First strike

"Look at this goblin, once wild, untamed, and full of idiocy. The Boros have given him the skill of a soldier and focused his heart with a single cause." —Razia

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Though Boros Recruit might not directly allow you to draw cards, its presence on the battlefield contributes to maintaining board presence. Having a steadfast creature can indirectly lead to card advantage by forcing your opponent to deal with it, possibly using up more than one card in the process.

Resource Acceleration: As with most Boros legionnaires, the Recruitment effect enhances your battlefield swiftly. Placing a quick creature into play can ramp up the pressure on your opponents, leading you to a commanding position while efficiently using your mana resources.

Instant Speed: While Boros Recruit itself is not an instant, it embodies the Boros strategy of fast and reactive gameplay. Deploying creatures like Boros Recruit at opportune moments can be analogous to utilizing the surprise factor of instant-speed actions, reinforcing your army and adapting to battlefield evolutions fluidly.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Deserting valuable cards from your hand can be detrimental while trying to deploy Boros Recruit, especially when you’re aiming to maintain a substantial hand size to respond to the evolving game state.

Specific Mana Cost: Boros Recruit demands a precise blend of red and white mana, potentially complicating your mana base and making it challenging to play other colors or optimize mana flexibility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With many alternative creatures and spells available at lower mana costs, the investment to field Boros Recruit might overshadow its battlefield impact, particularly when facing opponents who cast more efficient spells.

Reasons to Include Boros Recruit in Your Collection

Versatility: Boros Recruit shines in its role as an early aggro creature thanks to its unique combination of red and white mana costs, which allows it to slip into a variety of Boros deck builds. Its hybrid mana cost means it can easily be played in multicolored decks that value quick board presence.

Combo Potential: As a creature with both the Soldier and Goblin subtypes, this card has excellent synergy potential. It can be used in tribal decks for either of these subtypes, or even both simultaneously, unlocking various interactions and buffs from other cards that target Soldiers or Goblins.

Meta-Relevance: As the game’s meta evolves, Boros Recruit maintains relevance by fitting easily into aggressive strategies that aim to win fast. In environments where early board control is crucial, the recruit’s quick deployment can be a deciding factor, often giving the player an edge in swift, combat-oriented matches.

How to beat Boros Recruit

Boros Recruit serves as a solid opener for those embodying the swift and synergistic strategies of the Boros Legion. With its Red and White mana affiliations, this card can quickly assert board presence with its First Strike ability, making it a reliable early-game combatant. It shines amongst other two-cost creatures, providing an advantageous position during initial encounters on the battlefield.

To effectively counter this card, consider utilizing instant-speed removal spells that can address the recruit before it evolves into a bigger threat. Adequate answers include Shock or Fatal Push, which can swiftly remove the recruit at a low mana cost, thus maintaining your tempo. Additionally, creatures with high toughness or those that can produce token blockers can negate the first strike advantage, ensuring that your defenses remain strong against Boros Recruit’s aggressive starts.

Moreover, it’s beneficial to disrupt Boros deck’s momentum, as it thrives on rapid assaults. Engaging in trades that exhaust their resources or applying pressure with your own early threats can shift the tide in your favor. Through strategic play and timely reactions, Boros Recruit’s impact can be minimized, allowing you to navigate past its initial onslaught and towards your end game.

Cards like Boros Recruit

Boros Recruit stands out in the Magic: The Gathering landscape as a flexible player in the red and white battalion. Its fusion of the two colors makes it a kin to other multicolored creatures, such as Skyknight Legionnaire. Both cards share the red-white color identity, but Skyknight Legionnaire offers flying capabilities, giving it an edge in avoiding ground blockers.

Another card resonating with Boros Recruit’s motif is the Wojek Halberdiers. With their battalion ability, they become larger and gain first strike upon attacking with two other creatures, providing a tactical advantage in battle similar to Boros Recruit when it’s in good company. Though not sharing the Goblin and Soldier subtype, the Halberdiers still exemplify the aggressive synergy prevalent in the Boros guild.

Examining these parallels reveals Boros Recruit as a solid entry point into the aggressive strategies that define the Boros legion in MTG, balancing cost-efficiency with the potential for impactful early plays, especially when supported by other synergistic cards within the archetype.

Skyknight Legionnaire - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Boros Recruit by color, type and mana cost

Town Gossipmonger // Incited Rabble - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Boros Recruit MTG card by a specific set like Ravnica: City of Guilds, 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 Boros Recruit and other MTG cards: