For the most part, the Marvel Super Heroes set is fairly tame in terms of power level. While most of the set’s cards are pretty reasonable, only being suited for Commander, there are a few competitive gems. Within this niche, few have received as much buzz as Hawkeye’s Bow, even though it might not be the set’s best card.
While it might look like Draft chaff on the surface, this new equipment creates a devastating combo in Pauper. Capable of killing on turn three, MTG players have understandably been concerned about this card’s impending release. According to MTG Designer Gavin Verhey, however, this new combo won’t be getting pre-banned.
No Pauper Pre-Bans
Alongside Seeker of Skybreak, which just spiked in price, Hawkeye’s Bow can kill on turn three. Simply play Skybreak on two, play and equip the Bow on three, and then use Skybreak’s ability to tap and untap itself. Since this will deal one damage to each opponent every time, you can instantly end the game if your opponent doesn’t have removal.
While a turn three combo is already scary, this combo can easily be pushed to turn two with fast mana. Despite this quick kill potential, as Gavin Verhey noted in a recent Good Morning Magic video, this combo isn’t ineffable. Thanks to the abundance of creature removal in Pauper, stopping this combo in its tracks isn’t impossible.
Even though this combo can easily be stopped, Verhey still noted that “it has all the hallmarks of something that’s going to be a problem.” Not only is this combo fast, especially when built around, but it can easily be slotted in elsewhere. Since you only need two cards, a bunch of decks could slot in, potentially homogenizing the format.
On top of all this, with protection, this combo could even prove to be surprisingly resilient in Pauper. Despite all of this making it seem problematic, the Pauper Format Panel isn’t pre-banning this card. Instead, Pauper players will get a chance to play with it and let the combo run its course.
Notably, while neither Hawkeye’s Bow or Seeker of Skybreak is being pre-banned, there is an upcoming ban announcement. Scheduled for June 30th, this ban window could let the Pauper Format Panel react as necessary. That said, there are some concerns online that this isn’t enough time to properly assess the combo’s impact.
Two Weeks of Testing
While Marvel Super Heroes is only officially released on June 26th, thankfully, it will be playable a week before then. As has been the case since early 2023, the start of Prerelease events dictates when a set becomes legal. This means MTG players will have roughly ten days to test out this combo.
Hopefully, this will be enough time to figure things out, as otherwise Pauper players may be waiting a while for changes. After June 30th, the next ban window is scheduled for August 10th, which feels like a concerningly long time away. Hopefully, Wizards can account for this; however, with a mini Pauper-only ban window at a more reasonable time, if needed.
Ultimately, for now, it remains to be seen just how problematic the new Hawkeye’s Bow combo will be. Hopefully, it won’t end up disrupting things too much, as it’s always a shame when a format has to endure combo hell for a while.
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