Aragorn, the Uniter

Soldier Tribal : How to Face Evil and Defeat It

If you like to gather a great army of soldiers and unite them under your command, then Soldier Tribal is the right deck for you! Let’s see how we can face evil and defeat it!

I love tribal decks because they combine synergy and flavor and of course power. On top of that you can find many unique cards that support a tribe and can be great budget options as those cards work only on a specific tribal deck and are bad to unplayable to any other deck. That’s why I will try building and presenting a series of decks for all those who share the love for tribal decks.

Soldier is a creature class. Soldiers are trained combatants who are part of a formal army. They are tough and disciplined, adept at fighting in concert, and overwhelming the enemy. The subtype was first featured on Icatian cards of Fallen Empires, but Benalish Hero from Alpha and several other early cards have retroactively become Soldiers, as well. (source: MtG Wiki)

With the release of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle Earth, Aragorn, the Uniter came to MtG, offering us the great commander that Soldier Tribal needed. He is a Legendary Human Noble that reward us for casting (multi)colored spells. For every color we get a different reward. Soldiers are primarly white so the most consistent reward we get is creating a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token which is ideal for quickly creating a great army. Running Ink colors, means we get most of the good Soldiers and casting muticolored Soldiers give us multiple rewards. His power lies in flexibility and his ability to easiliy summon Soldiers to our aid.

Synergy Diagram

I always like to make a simple synergy diagram in order to deeply comprehend the potential and the strategy areas that are supported by the commander when I choose top-down building. But in some cases, I do a mix of top-down and bottom-up building.

Soldier Tribal Synergy Diagram

Let’s analyze the main goals of the deck:

  1. Add the best Soldiers. Our priority is to add the multicolored ones with powerful abilities (card draw, ramp, removal, etc.) and Soldiers that create Soldier tokens or have Soldier Tribal synergy.
  2. Add Soldier Tribal support. Cards that create Soldiers or have Soldier Tribal synergy are a great addition for our build.
  3. Add token synergy cards. Since Soldier Tribal is known for going wide, cards that synergize with tokens are very strong in our build.
  4. Add attacking strategy cards. Since part of our plan is attacking in great numbers, card that synergize with that cause are a great addition for our build.
  5. Add cards that synergize with our strategies. To make the best out of our strategies, we can further amplify them by adding cards that support many of our strategies.

For the sake of flavor some of the choices are not optimal, but are (usually budget friendly) alternatives that greatly fit the Soldier Tribal theme.

The deck:

Soldier Tribal

Commander (1)
Aragorn, the Uniter

Creatures (43)
Legion Loyalist
Baird, Argivian Recruiter
Ballyrush Banneret
Cathar Commando
Harbin, Vanguard Aviator
Masked Vandal
Pippin, Guard of the Citadel
Valiant Veteran
Field Marshal
Intrepid Hero
King Darien XLVIII
Mentor of the Meek
Prava of the Steel Legion
Preeminent Captain
Queen Allenal of Ruadach
Siege Veteran
Skystrike Officer
Tajic, Legion's Edge
Torens, Fist of the Angels
Aragorn, Hornburg Hero
Daru Warchief
Enlistment Officer
Faramir, Prince of Ithilien
Firemane Commando
Grey Host Reinforcements
Hero of Bladehold
Immard, the Stormcleaver
Jenny, Generated Anomaly
Keeper of the Accord
Minas Tirith Garrison
Myrel, Shield of Argive
Odric, Master Tactician
Sigil Captain
Yotian Tactician
Catapult Master
Commander Mustard
Defiler of Faith
Rescue Retriever
Serra Redeemer
Captain of the Watch
Darien, King of Kjeldor
Duke Ulder Ravengard
Torsten, Founder of Benalia

Planeswalkers (1)
Elspeth, Sun's Champion

Spells (10)
Unified Strike
Kabira Takedown
Martial Coup
Protect the Negotiators
Call the Coppercoats
Flurry of Wings
Scout the Wilderness
Circuitous Route
Entrapment Maneuver
Makindi Stampede

Artifacts (4)
Skullclamp
Sol Ring
Arcane Signet
Patchwork Banner

Enchantments (8)
Militia's Pride
Rise of the Hobgoblins
Fires of Yavimaya
Mobilization
Annie Joins Up
Ulvenwald Mysteries
Reconnaissance Mission
Cathars' Crusade
Lands (33)
Boros Guildgate
Command Tower
Daru Encampment
Evolving Wilds
Exotic Orchard
Forbidding Watchtower
Forest
Fortified Beachhead
Frontier Bivouac
Gateway Plaza
Gruul Guildgate
Gruul Turf
Island
Izzet Guildgate
Jungle Shrine
Memorial to Glory
Minas Tirith
Mountain
Mystic Monastery
Path of Ancestry
Plains
Seaside Citadel
Secluded Courtyard
Selesnya Guildgate
Selesnya Sanctuary
Terramorphic Expanse
Unclaimed Territory

Comparative Analysis

Let’s see how the deck compares to the general ratios of my deckbuilding guide.

Soldier Tribal Comparative Analysis by category

As we see from the comparative analysis, the rates per category are good except from graveyard recursion category where we see a lack of any recursion spells. That is the only score below the optimal low average while two categories are above the optimal max average. We see two spikes: Protection at 6 and Finishers/ Surprise /Alternate win conditions at 6 which are important since Soldier Tribal is a combat oriented deck.

Deck Highlights, synergy and flavor options:

Ramp

Ballyrush Banneret and Daru Warchief are Soldier cost reducers ( less) so they naturally work well in Soldier Tribal. Daru Warchief also works as a great Soldier Lord, buffing our Soldiers by +1/+2 making him a top choice.

Scout the Wilderness is a Rampant Growth variant with Soldier Tribal synergy. It costs more but it is more flexible as it has Kicker and if it was kicked we create two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens.

Preeminent Captain has great Soldier Tribal synergy as on attack trigger we may put a Soldier from our hand onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. In a deck full of Soldiers, we have a high chance to get great value.

Keeper of the Accord is a top pick for Soldier Tribal as it works both as ramp and as Soldier token creator as long as we fall behind (either or lands or on board presence). It triggers on each opponent’s end step so we can easily make a comeback.

Defiler of Faith is a cost reducer and a Soldier token producer (on casting white spells trigger). Our Soldier Tribal build, although it runs Ink colors, is primary white so Defiler of Faith has high synergy with it.

Patchwork Banner is one of the best cards for Tribal builds as it combines ramp and tribal support. Being both a mana rock and a Tribal Anthem gives us amazing value for its mana cost. Of course it is a top pick for our Soldier Tribal!

Target Removal

Catapult Master is a great repeatable creature removal source, as by tapping five untapped Soldiers we control it exiles at intant speed target creature. Soldier Tribal is known for going wide, so it is more consistent than it seems.

Protect the Negotiators is a counterspell variant with Soldier Tribal synergy. It has Kicker and if it was kicked, we create a 1/1 white Soldier creature token. It counters target spell unless its controller pays for each creature we control and that synergizes well with our going wide strategy.

Intrepid Hero on destroys target creature with power 4 or greater. It is a nice repeatable removal option that greatly fits our Soldier Tribal build.

Entrapment Maneuver is great for removing big threats as it forces target player to sacrifice an attacking creature and we create X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, where X is that creature’s toughness. With a proper timing/setup it can produce many Soldier tokens so it is a great pick for Soldier Tribal.

Masked Vandal is a staple for green creature tribal decks, but in our Soldier Tribal deck it has even better synergy than usual since we get the bonus for casting a green spell from Aragorn, the Uniter. Morover, it has 1 power and that synergizes with Serra Redeemer.

Unified Strike is a nice Instant creature removal spell with Soldier Tribal synergy. It greatly fits the flavor of our deck.

Cathar Commando has Flash so it can be cast at instant speed which makes it much better for removal. By paying and sacrificing it, it destroys target artifact or enchantment, while with 3 power it can also act as a small creature removal. Its flexibility makes it a great choice for Soldier Tribal.

Annie Joins Up is a great card for our build since apart from being a target removal on ETB, its true power lies in being a legendary ability trigger doubler. Doubling the triggers of Aragorn, the Uniter is alone enough to make it a great inclusion to our Soldier Tribal build, but counting the number of other legendaries, we can see why it becomes a top pick.

Immard, the Stormcleaver is a flexible card that can act either as a removal or as an indestructible strike force with lifelink. It involves removing charge counters though so it is a bit slow. Can be explosive with Annie Joins Up.

Board Wipes

Martial Coup is a staple board wipe for token decks and it is optimal in Soldier Tribal as it creates X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens.

Elspeth, Sun’s Champion is an excellent choice for Soldier Tribal as at +1 we create three 1/1 white Soldier tokens and at -3 we destroy all creatures with power 4 or greater. Her ultimate at -7 provides us an emblem with “Creatures you control get +2/+2 and have flying.” which can act as a finisher in our build.

Tutors

Torsten, Founder of Benalia on ETB let us reveal the top seven cards of our library and put any number of creature and/or land cards from among them into our hand. That is a quite poweful tutoring effect. In addition, on death trigger he let us create seven 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, giving us instant value and an army to fight back. Great pick for our Soldier Tribal build!

Enlistment Officer is a Soldier tutor that on ETB let us reveal the top four cards of our library and put all Soldier cards revealed this way into our hand. Great in our Soldier Tribal build that is full of Soldiers.

Protection

Tajic, Legion’s Edge provides other creatures we control protection from noncombat damage which is ideal for a combat oriented deck like our Soldier Tribal. Moreover having Haste and Mentor is a nice bonus and by paying he gains first strike until end of turn which further amplifies his combat potential.

Myrel, Shield of Argive is trully a shield for our Soldiers as during our turn it prevents opponents from casting spells or activate abilities of artifacts, creatures, or enchantments. In addition, on attack trigger, it let us create X 1/1 colorless Soldier artifact creature tokens, where X is the number of Soldiers we control. A must-have card for Soldier Tribal.

Rescue Retriever is a great Dog Soldier that greatly supports our attacking strategy by preventing all damage that would be dealt to other attacking Soldiers we control while at the same time, on ETB it buffs our army at instant speed (Flash) as we put a +1/+1 counter on each other Soldier we control. Great Soldier Tribal support card!

King Darien XLVIII is a Human Soldier that acts as a general Lord, buffing other creatures we control with +1/+1. By paying we put a +1/+1 counter on King Darien and create a 1/1 white Soldier creatur token which is heavy costed but can be a mana dump. The most important ability is the third one: by sacrificing himself, he protects creature tokens we control by gaining hexproof and indestructible until end of turn, a great ability that greatly fits our Soldier Tribal build.

Pippin, Guard of the Citadel is cheap, has Vigilance and Ward[/mana]1[/mana] and by he provides another target creature we control with protection from the card type of our choice until end of turn, which is a powerful protection ability. A real guardian for our Soldier Tribal build.

Protect the Negotiators can also act as a protection spell.

Card Draw

Mentor of the Meek works wonders with creatures and tokens with 2 or less power so it naturally fits our Soldier Tribal. Being a Soldier itself makes it rank even higher in synergy. A must-have card for our build.

Reconnaissance Mission is an enchantment that greatly help us with card draw since we can expect to attack with many creatures and deal many times damage to a player and thus draw many cards from it.

Minas Tirith Garrison is a Soldier that cares about Humans we control. Soldier Tribal runs a great number of Human Soldiers so we have a high chance to draw 2+ cards.

Faramir, Prince of Ithilien is one of the few cards of our build that is not a Soldier but it is a great politics card that help us either with card draw or with Soldier token production. It dissuades players from attacking us otherwise we create three 1/1 white Human Soldier creature tokens. A great pick for our Soldier Tribal build.

Skullclamp is a card draw staple for decks with 1/1 creatures/tokens so it works wonders in our Soldier Tribal build since most Soldier tokens are 1/1’s. A must-have card.

Skystrike Officer on attack trigger creates a 1/1 colorless Soldier artifact token while by tapping three untapped Soldiers we control it let us draw a card. With our going wide strategy it can be more consistent than it seems in our Soldier Tribal.

Firemane Commando, Minas Tirith and Boros Strike-Captain care about attacking with many creatures (2+ for Firemane Commando and Minas Tirith and 3+ for Boros Strike-Captain) and both provide us with card advantage. Firemane Commando also dissuades players from attacking us with two or more creatures as they can draw a card if they attack an other player instead.

Jenny, Generated Anomaly has Double Strike and on player combat damage trigger she explores which is causing us either to draw a land or to buff her with a +1/+1 counter and both seem to be great options for our combat oriented Soldier Tribal.

Finishers/ Surprise /Alternate win conditions

Commander Mustard is a great Soldier Tribal support card since it gives other Soldiers Vigilance, Trample and Haste. Moreover, by paying it gives our Soldiers “Whenever this creature attacks, it deals 1 damage to defending player” which can act aas a finisher combined with our heavy going wide strategy. A must-have card for our build.

Duke Ulder Ravengard at the beggining of combat in our turn, gives another target creature we control Haste and Myriad until end of turn. In our combat oriented Soldier Tribal, multiplying some key cards can be devastating for our opponents.

Cathars’ Crusade works wonders in creature-heavy decks and in our Soldier Tribal build it can easily grow our Soldiers into a terrifying force.

Odric, Master Tactician is another card in our deck that cares about attacking in numbers (needs 3+) and its ability to manipulate combat by letting us choose which creatures block and how those creatures block, can be a finishing move.

Harbin, Vanguard Aviator is yet another card that cares about attacking in numbers (needs 5+ Soldiers) and it gives creatures we control +1/+1 and flying until end of turn. Evasion can be deadly combined with our going wide strategy making him a potential finisher.

Other synergy pieces

Soldier Lords

Valiant Veteran, Field Marshal, Daru Warchief, Yotian Tactician and Captain of the Watch are Soldier Lords and they greatly fit our Soldier Tribal build. Valiant Veteran can buff our Soldiers with a +1/+1 counter even from the grave, by exiling it and paying , Field Marshal also gives our Soldiers First Strike and Captain of the Watch gives our Soldiers vigilance which greatly synergizes with our attacking strategy.

Soldier Token Producers

We run numerous token producers in our Soldier Tribal: Baird, Argivian Recruiter, Queen Allenal of RuadachSiege Veteran, Skystrike Officer, Torens, Fist of the Angels, Aragorn, the Uniter, Faramir, Prince of Ithilien, Hero of Bladehold, Keeper of the Accord, Defiler of Faith, Elspeth, Sun’s Champion, Militia’s Pride and Darien, King of Kjeldor are Soldier token production engines, King Darien XLVIII, Mobilization and Prava of the Steel Legion are repeatable mana dump, Captain of the Watch has a powerful ETB and Torsten, Founder of Benalia has a powerful death trigger. Some spells like Martial Coup, Rise of the Hobgoblins, Flurry of Wings, Entrapment Maneuver and Call the Coppercoats may once create a mass army, while others like Protect the Negotiators, Memorial to Glory and Scout the Wilderness have lesser impact. All together make our deck very consistent in gathering a great army of Soldiers.

Attacking Strategy

Legion Loyalist, Harbin, Vanguard Aviator, Boros Strike-Captain, Aragorn, Hornburg Hero, Firemane Commando, Skystrike Officer, Hero of Bladehold, Myrel, Shield of Argive, Minas Tirith Garrison, Jenny, Generated Anomaly, Militia’s Pride and Odric, Master Tactician are cards that care about attacking (few care about attacking alone and most care about attacking in numbers). A special mention is needed for Legion Loyalist that provides our creatures with First Strike and Trample and make them unblockable by tokens and another one for Aragorn, Hornburg Hero that give attacking creatures we control First Strike and Renown 1, and on top of that he is a +1/+1 counter doubler, as long as a renowned creature we control deals combat damage to a player. Attacking is a core strategy of our Soldier Tribal build.

Soldier Tokens Empowerment

Prava of the Steel Legion acts as a token Lord on our turn, buffing our Soldier tokens with +1/+4 which is huge, Sigil Captain and Serra Redeemer work with all types of our Soldier tokens since they are 1/1’s, while Aragorn, Hornburg Hero empowers all our attacking creatures as analized above and has great synergy with Sigil Captain and Serra Redeemer as they put counters on our Soldiers. Sigil Captain and Serra Redeemer also work with our other creatures with low power. By empowering our Soldier Tokens, we make our Soldier Tribal army a mighty force.

Soldier Tribal Utility Lands

Daru Encampment by paying , buffs target Soldier with +1/+1 until end of turn, Forbidding Watchtower by paying becomes itelf a 1/5 white Soldier creature until end of turn, Fortified Beachhead has Soldier Tribal synergy and by paying , it buffs Soldiers we control with +1/+1 until end of turn and last but not least Memorial to Glory by paying , and sacrificing it, let us create two 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens.

Let’s see some more statistics about our deck. Some important info to care about is the mana curve and the card type distribution, as it can help us understand better our deck and may indicate where there is space for improving it.

Mana Curve

Soldier Tribal Mana Curve

The mana curve is not too far from average. There is a great spike at position 3-4 and an absence of 8+ mana drops. That is a result of our Soldier Tribal build as we rely on low to middle-low mana cost Soldiers to gather an army and go wide, rather that rely on big threats.

Card Type Distribution

Soldier Tribal Card Type Distribution

The Soldier Tribal Card Type Distribution shows the dominant creature-heavy theme with 45 creatures. All other categories have a much smaller presence with Instants at 6, Enchantments at 7, Sorceries at 5,  Artifacts at 4 and Planeswalkers at 1. No Battles are present for the time.

Of course statistics and comparative analysis are great tools but they don’t always tell the whole truth, since many factors like synergy and combo pieces are hard to be measured numerically. For example in this deck, with our commander Aragorn, the Uniter to provide us with different rewards whenever we play a colored spell, the value we can get from casting our Soldiers cannot be measured correctly and our build is much deeper and consistent than it seems at first glance.

Update v1 (Bloomburrow)

Now you can buy the whole deck list with a click of a button!

TCGplayer logo

Great news! Now you can buy the best custom Soldier tokens and Human Soldier tokens made by Mystic Tokens to accompany your Soldier Tribal deck! Buy now on Cardmarket at a special price!

If you liked the deck, don’t forget to revisit the article after every major new release as I will try to keep my decks updated and examine any potential upgrades. If you want to keep being updated, you can follow mtgbudgetcommander.com on social media (facebooktwitter, instagram, pinterest, linkedin, reddit, tumblr, medium).

If you like my tribal series, you can check my other tribal decks.

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