Humor and Strategy: Catapult Squad Forges MTG Bonds

In TCG ·

Catapult Squad artwork from Onslaught, a white Soldier with a catapult

Image courtesy of Scryfall.com

Humor, Strategy, and the Bond Between Players

Parody is a potent social sigil in Magic: The Gathering. When fans riff on a card’s theme or choreograph a goofy interaction, they don’t just win a game—they weave stories that travel far beyond the table. Catapult Squad, a white creature from Onslaught, offers a perfect lens to explore how humor and competitive play can cohabitate 🧙‍🔥. Its tiny silhouette on a 2/1 frame belies a surprising potential for shared laughter and shared tactics across casual and commander play 🎲.

Released in 2002 as part of the Onslaught set, Catapult Squad is a classic example of white’s soldier motif meeting a clever combat trick. For a modest mana cost of {1}{W}, you get a 2/1 Human Soldier whose real value comes into focus when you tap two untapped Soldiers you control: this creature deals 2 damage to a target attacking or blocking creature. That little line of text isn’t just removal—it’s an invitation to theatrical play. The moment you announce, “tap two soldiers, boom, a shock to the shield,” you’re labeling the match with a shared joke: strategic humor that binds teammates and opponents alike 🧙‍🔥.

Card profile at a glance

  • Name: Catapult Squad
  • Set: Onslaught (ONS), 2002
  • Mana cost: {1}{W} (CMC 2)
  • Type: Creature — Human Soldier
  • Rarity: Uncommon
  • Power/Toughness: 2/1
  • Colors: White
  • Text: Tap two untapped Soldiers you control: This creature deals 2 damage to target attacking or blocking creature.
  • Flavor text: “Together they could hit anything between the heavens and the horizon.”
  • Illustrator: Brian Snõddy
  • Legalities: Commander legal

In gameplay terms, Catapult Squad nudges players toward a surprisingly active board state. White strategies often revolve around building a resilient, cooperative front—think armies of Soldiers, churning out value, trade, and tempo. When you deploy Catapult Squad in a room full of narrators and joke-tellers, the card’s ability becomes a cooperative punchline: you and your fellow players choreograph a deliberate “two-soldier” rhythm to neutralize threats while giving everyone a moment to cheer or groan at the timing. It’s not just damage; it’s dramatic timing, a shared moment that cements a memory as surely as the victory—an actual parodic bridge between strategy and storytelling 🧙‍🔥.

Together they could hit anything between the heavens and the horizon.

Design-wise, Catapult Squad embodies Onslaught’s era—a time when tribal synergies and straightforward combat tricks made for approachable, memorable games. The flavor text captures the playful whimsy that keeps many players coming back: even in a world of dragons, legends, and destiny, there’s room for the quiet comedy of two soldiers with a catapult. The card’s white color identity and its “tap two soldiers” cost create a natural fit for a casual white-weenie or soldier tribal shell, where humor and efficiency coexist on the same battlefield ⚔️.

Collectors may notice the price tells a small story of its own. On Scryfall, Catapult Squad shows a USD price around $0.19 for non-foil and a modest foil bump, reflecting its status as a beloved common-turned-icon for nostalgia in the early-2000s era of Magic. It’s the kind of card that doesn’t break the bank but yields big smiles when pulled from a booster or added to a commander deck with a story to tell. That’s the magic of parody in MTG: it unlocks value beyond numbers, turning a simple 2/1 into a shared moment of victory and laughter 💎.

Speaking of value, if you’re exploring ways to celebrate the hobby in your daily life, consider a playful cross-promotion that blends your fandom with practical gear. A neon phone case with a card holder—glossy, matte, polycarbonate, MagSafe—could be the perfect desk-side companion for fans who track board states during lunch breaks or simulated drafts at the coffee shop. It’s a small touch that echoes the same joy Catapult Squad brings to the table: a functional, stylish upgrade that keeps the game front and center in everyday life 🎨.

As you assemble your next deck or game-night lineup, remember that parody isn’t just about jokes—it’s a social contract. It signals to your fellow players that they’re in a space where creativity, memory-making, and a little mischief are welcome. Catapult Squad demonstrates that even a modest white creature can spark big moments when paired with the right crowd. Whether you’re deploying it in a casual swarm of Soldiers or simply trading stories about your most ridiculous combat tricks, that shared grin is part of the draw of MTG—the reason the game remains a living, breathing, humorous epic ⚔️.

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