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Infantry Shield

Artifact — Equipment

Equipped creature has menace and mobilize X, where X is its power. (Whenever it attacks, create X tapped and attacking 1/1 red Warrior creature tokens. Sacrifice them at the beginning of the next end step.)
Equip {2}

CMC
3
Mana cost
{2}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
rare
Set
Tarkir: Dragonstorm Commander
Price
$0.54
EDHREC rank
#3596
Buy on TCGplayer
Infantry Shield card art
Infantry Shield equips for one mana and hands the equipped creature +0/+2 and ward 1 — cheap protection that turns commander damage into a reliable clock rather than a race against removal. In sacrifice shells built around Phyrexian Altar, the one-mana equip cost is low enough to loop without bleeding resources, and Zurgo Stormrender lists run it at nearly 70% inclusion because keeping Zurgo alive through a swing is the whole game plan.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Zurgo Stormrender

Zurgo Stormrender

69.0% of decks · synergy 0.60

Zurgo Stormrender wants every attack to connect and every combat step to end the game, and Infantry Shield delivers ward 1 on the cheap so that one-mana removal spell doesn't undo a whole turn. At 69% inclusion across nearly 18,000 decks, Infantry Shield is essentially a core piece of the Zurgo Stormrender package.

03
Gornog, the Red Reaper

Gornog, the Red Reaper

45.2% of decks · synergy 0.43

Gornog, the Red Reaper rewards stacking damage on a single attacker, and Infantry Shield's toughness buff plus ward 1 keeps the key creature on the board long enough to close the game. It appears in 45% of Gornog, the Red Reaper decks, where survivability directly translates to more triggers.

04
Neriv, Crackling Vanguard

Neriv, Crackling Vanguard

30.0% of decks · synergy 0.21

Neriv, Crackling Vanguard generates value every time it survives and attacks, so Infantry Shield's ward 1 pulls real weight by making the first removal attempt cost more than its equip cost. About 30% of Neriv, Crackling Vanguard lists include it as low-investment insurance on the engine piece.

05
Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder

Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder

19.2% of decks · synergy 0.18

Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder wants the commander live through multiple combats to accumulate loot and pressure, and Infantry Shield slots in as a one-mana way to make that harder to disrupt. It appears in roughly 19% of Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder decks — lower inclusion than the pure aggro commanders, but still a recognized piece of the protection suite.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern not legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Infantry Shield is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, and Commander is the only format where it's a genuine consideration. In Legacy and Vintage the card is simply too slow and narrow — one-mana equipment that provides no offensive stat line doesn't compete in those formats. Oathbreaker mirrors Commander's logic: if your planeswalker or signature spell wants to survive repeated activation windows, a one-mana ward tax is worth the slot. In Commander, Infantry Shield earns its seat almost exclusively in aggressive commander-damage builds and sacrifice loops where the one-mana equip cost is the key selling point.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

150 decks
Infantry ShieldPhyrexian AltarAggravated Assault

Infantry ShieldPhyrexian AltarAggravated Assault

Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite colored mana; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite combat phases; Infinite creature tokens; Infinite untap of creatures you control; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce

View on Commander Spellbook ↗
10 decks
Infantry ShieldThermopodAggravated Assault

Infantry ShieldThermopodAggravated Assault

Infinite LTB; Infinite ETB; Infinite sacrifice triggers; Infinite death triggers; Infinite combat phases; Infinite red mana; Infinite creature tokens; Infinite untap of creatures you control; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce

View on Commander Spellbook ↗

Price Context

Current price

$0.54 bulk tier

At $0.54, Infantry Shield is firmly bulk — you're paying for a functional piece, not a scarce one. The price is stable because demand is real but narrow: it's nearly a staple in Zurgo Stormrender lists and a known piece in sacrifice loops, but it won't see play outside those niches.

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Sources

Mentioned

← All cards

Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.