Akroan SergeantHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

Akroan Sergeant possesses two primary abilities: First strike and Renown 1. First strike ensures it deals damage before most other creatures, allowing it to survive combat against enemies with equal or lower toughness. Renown 1 is a triggered ability that checks if the creature has previously dealt combat damage to a player; if it has not, it receives a permanent +1/+1 counter and gains the 'renowned' status.

Resolving Renown Step by Step

First, Akroan Sergeant must deal combat damage specifically to a player; damage to creatures or planeswalkers will not count. When the damage is dealt, the Renown ability triggers and goes on the stack. Upon resolution, the game checks if the Sergeant is already renowned. If it isn't, you place a +1/+1 counter on it and it becomes renowned. Note that if the Sergeant leaves the battlefield before the ability resolves, it never becomes renowned.

Common Mistakes

A frequent error is assuming Renown triggers every time the creature hits a player. It only triggers if the creature is not already renowned. Additionally, keep in mind that Renown only triggers on combat damage; effects that cause the creature to deal damage via spells or activated abilities will not activate the keyword. Finally, if the creature is removed in response to the Renown trigger, no counters are placed anywhere, and 'whenever a creature becomes renowned' triggers will not fire.

When to Play It

Akroan Sergeant is best deployed when your opponent has a clear board or small blockers that cannot survive a First strike encounter. By forcing damage through early, you turn your 2/2 into a 3/3, making it significantly harder to block in subsequent turns. It also scales well with effects that double triggers or provide evasion.

Interaction examples

Doubling the Glory

Roaming Throne

If you control Roaming Throne and chose 'Human' or 'Soldier' as it entered, Akroan Sergeant's Renown ability will trigger twice when it deals combat damage to a player. The first trigger resolves, putting a +1/+1 counter on the Sergeant and making it renowned. The second trigger then resolves, but since the Sergeant is now already renowned, the second trigger does nothing and no additional counter is added.

Navigating the Blockers

Solemn Simulacrum

When Akroan Sergeant attacks and is blocked by Solemn Simulacrum, First strike allows the Sergeant to deal 2 damage to the Golem during the first combat damage step. Solemn Simulacrum dies before it can deal damage back. However, because the Sergeant dealt damage to a creature and not a player, Renown does not trigger, and the Sergeant remains a 2/2.

Direct Hits

If Akroan Sergeant attacks and is not blocked, it deals 2 damage to the defending player. The Renown 1 ability triggers. When it resolves, the Sergeant gets a +1/+1 counter, becoming a 3/3 renowned creature. In future turns, even if it hits the player again, it will not gain more counters because it is already renowned.