Infantry Veteran MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 11 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Human Soldier
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Enables efficient battlefield trades, indirectly contributing to card advantage through tactical creature boosts.
  2. The card’s low mana cost leads to swift board presence and enhances early game resource management.
  3. Activation at instant speed provides a strategic edge in combat, impacting opponent’s decisions beyond the board.

Text of card

oc T: Target attacking creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

"The true dishonor for a soldier is surviving the war." —Telim'Tor


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Infantry Veteran itself doesn’t directly offer card draw, its ability to bolster other creatures can lead to more efficient trades on the battlefield. This can indirectly contribute to maintaining card advantage, as your creatures become harder to remove and you can save your combat tricks for more pressing threats.

Resource Acceleration: Infantry Veteran stands out by requiring minimal resource investment. This one-drop creature allows you to utilize your mana curve more efficiently, leaving you with more resources for spell casting and board development in the early game. The quick deployment also means you’re accelerating your battlefield presence and pressuring your opponent right from the start.

Instant Speed: The veteran’s ability can be activated at instant speed, offering you tactical flexibility during combat. You can surprise your opponent by boosting a creature’s power, which can be pivotal during attacks or blocks, potentially swinging the tide of battle in your favor. This instant speed interaction forces your opponents to consider the potential combat trick, affecting their decisions and giving you a psychological edge.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Infantry Veteran has no such downside, allowing you to maintain card advantage while still putting pressure on your opponent.

Specific Mana Cost: While the mana cost of Infantry Veteran is quite low, it does require white mana which may not seamlessly fit into all deck types, particularly those that are not already based around white mana or multi-color strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite being a one-drop creature, when comparing Infantry Veteran to other aggressive white creatures, there can be alternatives that offer a higher power and toughness or additional abilities for a similar cost, making it sometimes less optimal in decks seeking maximum efficiency.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Infantry Veteran is a fantastic addition to various deck types, from aggressive human tribal builds to any white-based strategies that value early board presence.

Combo Potential: Its ability to instantly boost other creatures makes it an excellent support card, synergizing well with mechanics like exert or battalion, where combat prowess is essential.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta that favors creature-based tactics, Infantry Veteran’s low cost and immediate impact on the battlefield ensure it remains a timely and effective play.


How to beat Infantry Veteran

Infantry Veteran is a classic creature card that can influence the battlefield with its ability to give a fellow attacking creature a power boost. Despite its utility, overcoming this card follows a straightforward strategy. Primarily, removal spells are your best bet. One-for-one removal like Fatal Push or Shock can take out the Veteran before its ability becomes a recurring nuisance. Control decks, in particular, have an array of tools such as counterspells or board wipes to handle such early threats effectively.

Another approach to outmaneuver Infantry Veteran is to avoid direct combat where it shines. Utilize flyers or unblockable creatures to evade the Veteran’s combat trickery. Cards with reach or those that can create tokens can also serve as a line of defense without risking more valuable creatures in battles the Veteran can influence. Furthermore, keep an eye on combat math, deploy blockers judiciously, and attack when the Veteran’s boost won’t tip the scales. Proper timing and resource management can nullify the advantage Infantry Veteran brings to the table.


Cards like Infantry Veteran

Infantry Veteran holds its ground as a reliable choice in the creature line-up for Magic: The Gathering decks that favor quick aggression. This card finds its closest relatives in the form of other one-mana creatures like Elite Vanguard but differentiates itself with the ability to give another attacking creature a boost in power. Unlike Elite Vanguard, which is purely offensive, Infantry Veteran offers tactical advantages during combat by selectively empowering your offensive units.

Exploring similar offerings, we come across Venerable Knight, a card that boasts a death-trigger beneficial effect, providing value even beyond its time on the battlefield. It represents not just a strategy of direct assault but also lasting impact through its ability to strengthen your army even in sacrifice. Comparatively, Infantry Veteran requires presence on the field to utilize its ability, prioritizing immediate confrontations over potential future gain.

As you consider your options for low-cost creatures with added utility, Infantry Veteran presents an efficiency that can sway the early game dynamics in your favor. Through its ability to interact with other creatures and the tactical depth it introduces, it’s a card that certainly deserves attention within its category.

Elite Vanguard - MTG Card versions
Venerable Knight - MTG Card versions
Elite Vanguard - Magic 2010 (M10)
Venerable Knight - Throne of Eldraine (ELD)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Infantry Veteran MTG card by a specific set like Visions and Classic Sixth Edition, 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 Infantry Veteran and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Infantry Veteran Magic the Gathering card was released in 10 different sets between 1997-02-03 and 2022-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-02-03VisionsVIS 91997normalblackChristopher Rush
21999-04-21Classic Sixth Edition6ED 261997normalwhiteChristopher Rush
31999-11-12Battle Royale Box SetBRB 341997normalwhiteChristopher Rush
42005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 21★2003normalblackChristopher Rush
52005-07-29Ninth Edition9ED 212003normalwhiteChristopher Rush
62010-07-16Magic 2011M11 182003normalblackChristopher Rush
72014-09-05Duel Decks: Speed vs. CunningDDN 32015normalblackZoltan Boros
82017-11-17Iconic MastersIMA 242015normalblackZoltan Boros
92019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 1382015normalblackZoltan Boros
102020-09-26The ListPLST DDN-32015normalblackZoltan Boros
112022-12-02Jumpstart 2022J22 1982015normalblackZoltan Boros

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Infantry Veteran has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2010-08-15 An “attacking creature” is one that has been declared as an attacker this combat, or one that was put onto the battlefield attacking this combat. Unless that creature leaves combat, it continues to be an attacking creature through the end of combat step, even if the player it was attacking has left the game, or the planeswalker it was attacking has left combat.

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