Queen's Bay Soldier MTG Card


Queen's Bay Soldier - Ixalan
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityCommon
TypeCreature — Vampire Soldier
Released2017-09-29
Set symbol
Set nameIxalan
Set codeXLN
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number115
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byJesper Ejsing

Key Takeaways

  1. Queen’s Bay Soldier ensures a consistent board presence, complementing decks with a focus on instant speed plays.
  2. It may hinder deck flexibility due to its specific black mana casting cost, potentially impacting mana curve.
  3. As a 2/2 for two mana, this soldier card offers simplicity and reliability for early game strategy implementation.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When you include Queen’s Bay Soldier in your deck, you’re selecting a card that consistently performs well without the risk of situational drawbacks. Though it may not directly draw you cards, its straightforward utility ensures that it doesn’t become a liability, maintaining your deck’s card quality.

Resource Acceleration: Queen’s Bay Soldier may not directly accelerate your resources, but its low mana cost allows for a quick deployment on the battlefield. This timely play can help keep your mana curve efficient, enabling you to allocate resources to other game strategies without delay.

Instant Speed: While Queen’s Bay Soldier isn’t an instant, its presence as a reliable creature can deter opposing threats and influence your opponent’s decisions at any stage of the game. The simplicity of this sturdy creature complements decks that operate on instant speed interactions by providing a stable board presence.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Queen’s Bay Soldier might seem an appealing option for an aggressive strategy, its effectiveness is somewhat diminished by its requirement to discard a card from your hand. This cost can set you back, especially when you’re trying to maintain card advantage on the battlefield.

Specific Mana Cost: A closer look at this soldier’s mana cost reveals that it needs a very specific mana alignment to be cast—black. This can restrict deck-building flexibility, requiring the player to have a steady source of black mana to deploy this creature on time.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a vanilla 2/2 creature, the Queen’s Bay Soldier comes in at two mana, which is somewhat high considering its lack of additional abilities. There are numerous two-mana creatures that provide more value with extra abilities or better stats, making this card a less attractive option in a tightly curated deck.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Queen’s Bay Soldier fits smoothly into various deck builds, serving as a reliable two-cost creature. Its straightforward mana requirements make it an accessible choice for decks that need a consistent early presence on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: While it may seem like a simple card, its soldier subtype allows it to synergize with other soldier-themed cards or mechanics that reward you for having soldiers, thus bolstering your battlefield with strategic advantages.

Meta-Relevance: Given its utility and adaptability, Queen’s Bay Soldier can act as a staple in limited formats where a solid creature curve is pivotal. In such environments, ensuring you have dependable two-drops can be integral to your strategy.


How to beat

Queen’s Bay Soldier may not stand out as the most formidable creature in Magic: The Gathering, but it does have its uses in the early game. As an efficient blocker with a 2/2 body for two mana, it often becomes a component of decks that need solid creatures in the early stages. When facing off against this card, the strategy should revolve around surpassing its combat stats or utilizing removal spells.

To surpass Queen’s Bay Soldier on the battlefield, consider deploying creatures with a power of 3 or greater. These will either deter the soldier from blocking or will overpower it in combat, thus clearing the board for more strategic plays. Additionally, keep an eye out for cards that can buff up your creatures temporarily; combat tricks like Giant Growth can turn the tides unexpectedly.

For a more direct approach, use cost-effective removal spells. Cards like Shock or Lightning Bolt offer an easy solution to deal with it, allowing you to continue applying pressure with little investment. Lastly, make sure to manage your resources efficiently to maintain momentum once Queen’s Bay Soldier is out of the way and push for victory.


Cards like Queen's Bay Soldier

Queen’s Bay Soldier finds its place among the traditional low-cost creature cards within MTG. As a straightforward 2/2 vanilla creature for two mana, it shares common ground with the likes of Grizzly Bears and Walking Corpse. These cards offer no abilities beyond their power and toughness, making them reliable choices for early-game board presence. However, unlike its relatives in green and black, Queen’s Bay Soldier partakes in the Vampire tribe, a group rich with synergistic potential in MTG decks focused on tribal themes.

Considering other Vampires, Duskborne Skymarcher is a contender. Although it sports a less impactful 1/1 body for one mana, it compensates with flying and a solidarity-boosting ability for Vampire companions. It highlights the importance of abilities over raw power in certain strategic builds. Child of Night stands out as well, offering lifelink on a 2/1 body for the same mana cost. The ability to regain life can be crucial in races against opponent attacks or in decks that leverage life total for various effects.

Given these comparisons, Queen’s Bay Soldier is a suitable building block for players crafting a deck on a budget or looking to uphold a steadfast curve in their vampire-themed decks. While it might not bring complex abilities to the table, its role as a robust early defender or attacker in MTG’s creature-based strategies should not be underestimated.

Grizzly Bears - MTG Card versions
Walking Corpse - MTG Card versions
Duskborne Skymarcher - MTG Card versions
Child of Night - MTG Card versions
Grizzly Bears - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Walking Corpse - Innistrad (ISD)
Duskborne Skymarcher - Ixalan (XLN)
Child of Night - Magic 2010 (M10)

Cards similar to Queen's Bay Soldier by color, type and mana cost

Drudge Skeletons - MTG Card versions
Nether Shadow - MTG Card versions
Erg Raiders - MTG Card versions
Cyclopean Mummy - MTG Card versions
Cuombajj Witches - MTG Card versions
Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions
Bog Imp - MTG Card versions
Wall of Corpses - MTG Card versions
Blighted Shaman - MTG Card versions
Rabid Rats - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Bat - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Rats - MTG Card versions
Flesh Reaver - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdler - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Shade - MTG Card versions
Piper of the Swarm - MTG Card versions
Undead Augur - MTG Card versions
Black Knight - MTG Card versions
Shepherd of Rot - MTG Card versions
Swarm of Rats - MTG Card versions
Drudge Skeletons - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Nether Shadow - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Erg Raiders - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Cyclopean Mummy - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Cuombajj Witches - Rinascimento (RIN)
Order of the Ebon Hand - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Bog Imp - Rivals Quick Start Set (RQS)
Wall of Corpses - Mirage (MIR)
Blighted Shaman - Mirage (MIR)
Rabid Rats - Stronghold (STH)
Dakmor Bat - Portal Second Age (P02)
Ravenous Rats - Invasion (INV)
Flesh Reaver - Urza's Saga (USG)
Bloodcurdler - Odyssey (ODY)
Nantuko Shade - Commander 2014 (C14)
Piper of the Swarm - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Undead Augur - Jumpstart 2022 (J22)
Black Knight - The List (PLST)
Shepherd of Rot - Onslaught (ONS)
Swarm of Rats - Eighth Edition (8ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Queen's Bay Soldier MTG card by a specific set like Ixalan, 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 Queen's Bay Soldier and other MTG cards:

Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See Magic products

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Queen's Bay Soldier has restrictions

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

Recent MTG decks

Continue exploring other format decks
More decks