Battlefield Promotion
Instant
Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. That creature gains first strike until end of turn. You gain 2 life. (A creature with first strike deals combat damage before creatures without first strike.)
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Jumpstart
- Price
- $0.08
- EDHREC rank
- #17499
Battlefield Promotion puts a +1/+1 counter on a creature, gives it first strike until end of turn, and creates a 1/1 lifelink token — all at instant speed for two mana. That's three lines of text for the price of a cantrip slot, and the instant timing means it doubles as a combat trick.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Battlefield Promotion earns its slot in go-wide token decks and +1/+1 counter strategies, where the 1/1 lifelink body isn't just a bonus but a trigger for aristocrats, populate effects, or anthem payoffs. Competitive formats mostly ignore it — Modern and Pioneer have faster, more focused combat tricks, and the token doesn't offset the tempo cost at those speeds. Pauper is the one non-Commander format where Battlefield Promotion is worth a second look, particularly in white weenie or blink shells that can extract value from the token beyond the turn it enters. Legacy and Vintage have no use for it.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.08 bulk tier
At $0.08, Battlefield Promotion is deep bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not the card. Price stability is a non-issue at this tier; it'll sit at a nickel or dime indefinitely unless a future commander pushes heavy demand for cheap instant-speed token generators.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.