Spike Soldier
Creature — Spike Soldier
This creature enters with three +1/+1 counters on it.
, Remove a +1/+1 counter from this creature: Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
Remove a +1/+1 counter from this creature: This creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Stronghold
- Price
- $0.16
- EDHREC rank
- #27191
Spike Soldier enters with three +1/+1 counters to distribute freely among creatures you control, making it an immediate board contribution rather than a passive setup piece. The four-mana cost is fair for a 1/1 body that can offload all its counters to a more threatening creature, but the ceiling is firmly mid-tier — this is a synergy card, not a power card.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Spike Soldier earns its keep, slotting into counter-proliferate builds and Spike-tribal shells under commanders like Hapatra, Vizier of Poisons or any Simic +1/+1 counter general. The ability to redistribute counters on demand gives it utility beyond a single enter-the-battlefield trigger, which matters in longer games. Legacy and Vintage allow it but have no competitive home — the card simply doesn't match the power level of those formats. Outside of Commander and niche casual builds, Spike Soldier stays in the binder.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.16 bulk tier
At $0.16, Spike Soldier is deep bulk — you'll find copies in the dollar bin at any LGS. Demand is narrow enough that this price is stable rather than a buy-low opportunity; it's a role-player in specific decks, not a card with broader appeal to push the price up.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.