Soldier of FortuneHow it works & interactions with other cards

What It Does

Soldier of Fortune has an activated ability that costs one Red mana and requires you to tap the creature. When activated, you choose a target player, and that player must shuffle their library. It can target any player, including yourself, and can be activated at any time you have priority, provided Soldier of Fortune does not have summoning sickness.

How It Resolves Step by Step

First, you pay the cost by spending one Red mana and tapping Soldier of Fortune. Second, you choose a target player to put the ability on the stack. Once both players pass priority and the ability resolves, the chosen player must physically randomize their entire library. This happens regardless of whether the player recently searched their deck or if no cards have moved.

Common Mistakes

A common mistake is forgetting that shuffling happens even if the player knows the order of their deck. Another error is trying to use the ability to stop a 'search' effect that is already on the stack; while you can make them shuffle afterward or before, shuffling with Soldier of Fortune does not prevent a later search from happening. Finally, remember that as a creature, it cannot use its tap ability the turn it enters the battlefield unless it gains haste.

When to Play It

The best time to use Soldier of Fortune is immediately after an opponent has used an effect to put a powerful card on top of their library. By forcing a shuffle, you send that card to a random location in their deck. It is also useful during an opponent's end step to use up your remaining mana and potentially ruin their future draws.

Interaction examples

Fixing Your Own Draws

Ornithopter of Paradise

If you find yourself needing a specific color of mana, you can tap Ornithopter of Paradise for Red mana. You can then use that mana to pay for Soldier of Fortune's ability, targeting yourself. This allows you to shuffle your library if you know the top cards are not what you need to win the game.

Disrupting the Monkey's Plans

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

If an opponent is playing Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer and uses an effect to see the top card of your library before attacking, you can respond. Before the combat damage step, activate Soldier of Fortune targeting yourself. You shuffle your library, changing the top card so that when Ragavan deals damage, the opponent exiles a random card instead of the one they planned to steal.