Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Enchantments, Artifacts, and a White Soldier's Quiet Power
White has always been the color of steady infantry and elegant defenses, and a single, well-timed aura can turn a modest 1/2 into a sturdy frontline. When you layer enchantments and artifacts onto a small, efficient creature, you’re not just buffing power—you’re shaping tempo, board presence, and long-game inevitability. In the Time Spiral Timeshifted era, a humble Human Soldier like Squire becomes a delightful centerpiece for players who love tugging the thread of card design until it tightens into a winning pattern. 🧙🔥💎⚔️
Meet Squire: a tiny but reliable platform
Printed in Time Spiral Timeshifted as a white creature, Squire shows up as a clean 1/2 for {1}{W}. Its baseline stats aren’t flashy, but its role is about possibility. In a deck built around enchantments and artifacts, this little guy can be the first drop you rely on to anchor your plucky plan. Its flavor text, drawn from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, casts a playful glow on the idea that even a young squire carries weight and potential—an ethos modern players can lean into when they attach auras or equip tools to him. The card’s special rarity and presence in a periodically reimagined set like Time Spiral Timeshifted also make it a touchstone for audience members who love both nostalgia and tactical nuance. 🎨 🛡️
“Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse. Of his stature he was of evene lengthe. And wonderly delyvere, and of greete strengthe.” —Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales
Why enchantments matter for a modest body
Enchantment auras do more than merely pump up power; they create a focused objective for your turns. In a white strategy centered on enchantments, Squire can be a robust anchor for your early game while you assemble a larger board. Auras that grant +2/+2 or grant evasion can transform a fragile 1/2 into a credible race or a protective wall. White auras often emphasize defense, lifegain, and resilience—traits that let you weather discard and removal while your deck’s larger plan comes online. For Squire, the goal isn’t to win the game on the back of a single enchantment, but to establish a loop where each aura purchases tempo and board control, with Squire serving as a reliable recipient of buffs. 💎
- Attachment discipline: Enchantments target a creature you control, so you want a dependable base body to ensure you keep the aura attached through combat. Squire’s 1/2 body gives you a predictable canvas for auras that boost toughness or grant protection.
- Protection and resilience: Auras that grant protection or prevent damage can keep Squire alive long enough to leverage your enchantment-heavy board state. Early protection reduces the risk of removal spells swinging the tempo in your opponent’s favor. 🛡️
- Tempo through evasion: Enchantments that grant flying or other evasion help Squire punch above its weight in the mid-game, letting you pace a win with incremental advantages. 🎈
Artifacts as supporting cast: equipment and mood-setters
Artifacts—especially equipment—pair naturally with a low-cost white body like Squire. The appeal isn’t just the raw stats; it’s the tempo and predictability they offer. An early piece of equipment can turn Squire into a credible threat on the attack, while later pieces can grant extra benefit—like lifelink to sustain you through a defensive turn or a triggered ability that scales with your board. In Time Spiral Timeshifted, the storytelling of artifacts and auras aligns with the set’s theme of revisiting older mechanics with a modern edge, making Squire a charming canvas for this kind of interaction. ⚔️ 🎲
- Low-cost gear that grants pump or evasion lets you push early damage while you assemble your enchantment base. Squire can quickly become a reliable conduit for your equipment-heavy plan.
- Artifactual protection that shields your team or prevents damage can extend the life of your board state, buying you turns to deploy bigger threats or castles of buffs.
- Enchantment-artifact synergies—white decks love effects that hinge on aura permanence and artifact presence; the synergy comes from maintaining a stable frontline while you press your advantage with further buffs or draw.
Flavor, design, and the collector’s eye
In a set like Time Spiral Timeshifted, Squire is more than a functional stake in a white enchantment strategy. It embodies a historical nod to classic MTG design—a simple body that scales through careful aura and equipment choices. The flavor text, steeped in Chaucerian verse, reminds players that even a seemingly small piece of the puzzle can carry weight when placed in the right narrative moment. As a collectible, this card sits in the “special” rarity tier, which gives it a distinct feel in booster packs and collector bins. Its modern practicality—legal in formats like Modern and Legacy—keeps it alive in playable decks even as new sets roll out. The price tag is modest, a reminder that value in MTG isn’t only about chase mythics; it’s about the layered joy of building a theme and watching a tiny soldier carry a chorus of buffs to victory. 💰
A well-tuned aura deck isn’t about a single slam-dunk moment; it’s about a steady, melodic tempo where each enchantment keeps the plan rolling. Squire is the dependable pivot that makes the composition sing. 🎵
Practical tips for weaving Squire into enchantment and artifact decks
If you’re drafting or building a casual commander table around this archetype, here are actionable lanes to explore:
- Choose a core suite of auras that boost power and grant protection, aiming for a consistent aura-to-creature ratio that keeps Squire relevant while you assemble your late-game pieces.
- Pair Squire with a few low-cost equipment options to ensure you can apply pressure early—think of pieces that add a toughness boost or provide a beneficial triggered ability.
- Include a couple of artifact-based protection or utility pieces to shield your team from mass removal. A sturdy front line buys time for your enchantment engine to spin up.
- Watch removal hate in your meta. White decks thrive on redundancy; having multiple enchanters or equipment options helps maintain board state even when the opponent answers your first plan.
As you curate your collection, don’t overlook how the Time Spiral Timeshifted printing of Squire sits among a broader lineage of white, equipment-friendly creatures. It’s a reminder that MTG’s design philosophy has long rewarded patient, layered builds where a single, well-placed buff can tilt the scale at just the right moment. And if you’re looking to bring some similarly tasteful, practical flair to your desk while you brainstorm deck ideas, this product pairing might be worth a quick glance: a sleek, wobble-free phone stand that keeps your thoughts upright while you map your next play. 🧙🔥 💎
For readers who crave more tabletop inspiration, you can explore community resources, price trends, and strategy articles that echo these themes on EDHREC and related hubs. The journey through enchantments and artifacts is a long one, but with Squire in hand, you’ve got an approachable starting point that feels just right as you walk the white path toward a victorious edge. 🎲