TYPE
Creature — Human Soldier

ABILITY
First strike; banding (Any creatures with banding, and up to one without, can attack in a band. Bands are blocked as a group. If any creatures with banding you control are blocking or being blocked by a creature, you divide that creature's combat damage, not its controller, among any of the creatures it's being blocked by or is blocking.)

POWER/TOUGHNESS
1/1

FLAVOR TEXT
"As the cavalry bore down, we faced them with swords drawn and pikes hidden in the grass at our feet. 'Don't lift your pikes 'til I give the word,' I said." —Maeveen O'Donagh, *Memoirs of a Soldier*

ILLUSTRATOR
Dennis Detwiller

LEGALITIES
Standard Future Historic Timeless Gladiator Pioneer Explorer Modern Legacy Pauper Vintage Penny Commander Oathbreaker Standardbrawl Brawl Alchemy Paupercommander Duel Oldschool Premodern Predh

LANGUAGES
EN

RULINGS

• 2008-10-01 Creatures in the same band must all attack the same player or planeswalker.
• 2008-10-01 A maximum of one nonbanding creature can join an attacking band no matter how many creatures with banding are in it.
• 2008-10-01 If a creature with banding attacks, it can team up with any number of other attacking creatures with banding (and up to one nonbanding creature) and attack as a unit called a “band.” The band can be blocked by any creature that could block a single creature in the band. Blocking any creature in a band blocks the entire band. If a creature with banding is blocked, the attacking player chooses how the blockers’ damage is assigned.
• 2009-10-01 If a creature in combat has banding, its controller assigns damage for creatures blocking or blocked by it. That player can ignore the damage assignment order when making this assignment.