From the moment that it was revealed, MTG players knew that Hawkeye’s Bow could be problematic. Thanks to creating a new two-card infinite damage combo, this card had undeniable potential in Commander and Pauper, too. In fact, some MTG players feared this combo might need to be banned, but the Pauper Format Panel decided not to pre-ban it.
Since that decision was made, Marvel Super Heroes has been released, and the Hawkeye’s Bow combo has already topped a major event. While it’s still early days, there’s a real chance this combo is going to need banning sooner rather than later. Thankfully, with a ban window scheduled for next week, this hypothetical might actually happen.
Unusually Unknown
Despite the next MTG bans being less than a week away, the Pauper Format Panel hasn’t made their minds up yet. This might seem wild, given how close the bans are, but Marvel Super Heroes was only just released. On paper, the set has only been legal since Friday, and it only launched digitally yesterday.
With this in mind, it’s no wonder the Pauper Format Panel is taking their time to decide the right course of action. Beyond just waiting for a few days to see results, however, the Pauper Format Panel is also being proactive. In a YouTube Short from Gavin Verhey and a Reddit post from Paige Smith (TheMaverickGirl), the panel specifically requested early feedback.
Specifically, Verhey and Smith wanted to hear about players’ experiences, rather than theorycrafting, to factor in alongside looking at Magic Online data. Notably, as Verhey stated in his video, this isn’t a popularity contest; however, feedback is invaluable given the tight turnaround. Unfortunately, as both Verhey and Smith note, getting this decision wrong could have huge consequences.
While the next next MTG ban window isn’t too far away, being scheduled for August 10th, there are multiple major Pauper events in the meantime. Should the Hawkeye’s Bow combo not be banned, but then become a problem, these huge tournaments could be ruined. While this combo isn’t confirmed to be format-ruining just yet, even the possibility makes bans feel likely.
With this in mind, it comes down to whether Hawkeye’s Bow or Seeker of Skybreak will be banned on Monday. Personally, it feels like banning Seeker of Skybreak is the right choice, as Wizards isn’t making new cards like this without restrictions. After all, while banning Hawkeye’s Bow would be fine for now, any future similar cards would create the same problems.
A Warm Reaction
As much as a new potentially ban-worthy combo is rarely a good thing, many MTG players have been loving this. Specifically, the care and transparency from the Pauper Format Panel has been a rare and welcome treat. The only other format that gets anything close to the same treatment is Commander, which has its own format panel.
Sadly, as much as MTG players may want dedicated panels for other formats, that feels somewhat unlikely. Still, the transparency that we’re seeing here is incredibly refreshing, and hopefully we’ll see more of that going forward. Whether or not that will actually happen, however, ultimately remains to be seen.
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