Phalanx Tactics MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeInstant

Key Takeaways

  1. Significantly powers up creatures, creates advantageous board states, and prompts critical opponent responses.
  2. Highly mana-efficient, allows strategic plays and can escalate threats while reserving mana for other needs.
  3. Instant speed casting offers surprise combat advantages and can disrupt opponent interaction plans.

Text of card

Target creature you control gets +2/+1 until end of turn. Each other creature you control gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

Every soldier has a place to stand and a role to play.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Phalanx Tactics might not draw you extra cards directly, but its ability to potentially power up two creatures at once can create a significant shift in board presence. This can lead to you drawing out key responses from your opponents or bypass their defenses, thereby gaining an upper hand.

Resource Acceleration: Efficient use of mana is key in MTG and Phalanx Tactics excels by requiring only two mana. This cost-effectiveness enables you to escalate your threat on the battlefield while still keeping mana open for other strategic plays during your turn.

Instant Speed: The ability to cast Phalanx Tactics at instant speed provides a tactical edge. It allows for surprise boosts during combat or in response to an opponent’s actions, turning the tables and potentially disrupting their combat math or interaction plans.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Phalanx Tactics may not always require a card to be discarded, yet the need to have another creature on the battlefield to take full advantage of its effect can lead to a similar feeling of depletion in your hand, especially if you’re forced to play creatures beforehand that you would have preferred to keep.

Specific Mana Cost: While Phalanx Tactics has a relatively accessible casting cost, the requirement of white mana can be restrictive. Decks that don’t run heavily on white mana may find it challenging to consistently cast this card on curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: At two mana, Phalanx Tactics can be cost-efficient, but when comparing it to other spells that bolster your creatures, the cost can become a drawback. In particular, decks that aim to go wide quickly might prefer spells with lower mana costs that affect multiple creatures rather than focusing on potentially just one.


Reasons to Include Phalanx Tactics in Your Collection

Versatility: Phalanx Tactics presents itself as a flexible option for white decks that focus on creature strategies. Whether you’re buffing a single powerful creature or spreading strength across a wide army, this card can accommodate both aggressive and defensive approaches.

Combo Potential: With its ability to provide a significant power boost at instant speed, Phalanx Tactics can combine effectively with cards that gain benefits when power increases or when creatures deal damage.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where combat plays a major role and creature matchups are pivotal, the instant speed nature of this card gives you the upper hand, especially in battles to establish board control or when executing surprise combat wins.


How to beat

Phalanx Tactics is a versatile card that shines in creature-heavy decks within the Magic: The Gathering battlefield. The card provides a significant power boost to your creatures, especially when used in a well-timed manner during combat, making it a formidable addition to white-aggro strategies or any deck with a focus on wide creature states.To effectively counter this tactic, removal spells that can handle multiple creatures at once are essential. Wrath effects or spot removals that can interrupt the synergy before it overwhelms you will prove invaluable. It’s also crucial to keep in mind the instant speed nature of Phalanx Tactics, which means holding up mana for instant-speed interaction can be the key difference between maintaining control of the game and falling victim to a surprise onslaught.Maintaining board presence with creatures that can block or pressure your opponent’s life total can also dissuade them from committing to a full-on Phalanx Tactics play. In essence, managing the battlefield and being ready with responsive measures are the keys to overcoming the advantages that Phalanx Tactics can bestow on an opponent’s army.


Cards like Phalanx Tactics

Phalanx Tactics stands out in the world of creature buffing spells in Magic: The Gathering. It mirrors spells such as Inspiring Roar, which also grants a power boost to your creatures. However, Phalanx Tactics offers the added advantage of being able to target all creatures you control for a single turn. In contrast, Inspiring Roar provides a permanent power increase but only distributes a single +1/+1 counter to each creature.

Another card with likeness is Called to Serve, which not only increases a creature’s power and toughness by +2/+2 but also bestows the added bonus of flying. Phalanx Tactics doesn’t provide any special abilities but compensates for this by affecting multiple creatures. Then there’s Dauntless Onslaught, bestowing similar effects to Phalanx Tactics by pumping two creatures. Yet, Phalanx Tactics is more inclusive, scaling with the number of creatures you have in play and thereby setting the stage for a potentially more deterministic mass attack.

In evaluating alternatives for mass creature enhancement, Phalanx Tactics presents an impressive case for itself amidst MTG’s myriad of options. It brings instantaneous army bolstering capabilities, allowing for surprise tactical shifts during combat, thus earning a solid position in decks focusing on creature quantity over quality.

Inspiring Roar - MTG Card versions
Dauntless Onslaught - MTG Card versions
Inspiring Roar - Aether Revolt (AER)
Dauntless Onslaught - Theros (THS)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Phalanx Tactics MTG card by a specific set like Theros Beyond Death 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 Phalanx Tactics and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Phalanx Tactics Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2020-01-24 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by Bayard Wu.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12020-01-24Theros Beyond DeathTHB 312015normalblackBayard Wu
22022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 2242015normalblackBayard Wu

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Phalanx Tactics has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2020-01-24 If the target creature is an illegal target by the time Phalanx Tactics tries to resolve, the spell won’t resolve. No creatures get +1/+1.

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