Although they had long been concerned about the Order of the Ebon Hand, the Icatians faced an even greater threat from Goblin and Orcish raiders.

Icatian Infantry

{1}: This creature gains first strike until end of turn.
{1}: This creature gains banding until end of turn. (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.)

The Icatian army easily repelled early surprise attacks by the Orcs on border towns like Montford.

Fallen Empires

o1: Bands until end of turn
o1: First strike until end of turn

"Valiant Icatia was the last of the Sarpadian empires to fall. Its faithful soldiers defended their cities to the very end."
—*Sarpadian Empires, vol. VI*

"Never Surrender"
—Motto carved into a fragment of an Icatian wall

A maximum of one nonbanding creature can join an attacking band no matter how many creatures with banding are in it.

Creatures in the same band must all attack the same player or planeswalker.

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.

If a creature in combat has banding, its controller assigns damage for creatures blocking or blocked by it.