Thraben Valiant
Creature — Human Soldier
Vigilance
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Avacyn Restored
- Price
- $0.08
- EDHREC rank
- #28426
Thraben Valiant is a 2/1 with first strike that gets a +1/+1 counter when another creature with a counter on it enters your battlefield — playable in a counters-matter shell, nowhere else. Outside that specific synergy context, a two-mana 2/1 with conditional upside doesn't make the cut.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Thraben Valiant belongs in dedicated +1/+1 counter decks where its triggered ability fires consistently — think Atraxa, Praetors' Voice or Hamza, Guardian of Arashin shells where counters are entering on every other creature anyway. Outside that context, it's too small and too conditional to justify a slot in a 99-card format crowded with better options. In Pauper, the commons bar is high and aggressive white decks have more efficient two-drops; Thraben Valiant doesn't make the cut there either. Legacy and Vintage are non-starters — the power level gap is simply too wide.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.08 bulk tier
At $0.08, Thraben Valiant is deep bulk — you're buying it for pennies if the synergy fits, and there's no floor to worry about dropping through. It holds that price the way all low-demand commons do: stably, at near-zero.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.