Bow of the Hunter MTG Card

Bow of the Hunter - Journey into Nyx Hero's Path

Rarity	Common
Type	Hero Artifact — Equipment
Abilities	Equip
Released	2014-05-02
Set symbol
Set name	Journey into Nyx Hero's Path
Set code	THP3
Number	7e
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Chuck Lukacs

Key Takeaways

Bow of the Hunter provides card advantage and resource acceleration, enhancing strategic gameplay.
Its instant speed equipping ability allows for flexible and unexpected combat maneuvers.
Demands careful play due to the discard requirement and specific mana cost challenges.

Text of card

Equipped creature has ": This creature deals 2 damage to any target." Equip

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Bow of the Hunter is a fantastic tool for gaining an edge in card resources. By potentially drawing a card every time a creature you control deals combat damage to a player, it maintains a steady flow of new options and opportunities flowing into your hand throughout the match.

Resource Acceleration: Besides the card advantage, this artifact can provide significant resource acceleration. With each successful hit, it can add a treasure token to your pool, offering flexible mana to deploy your strategies quicker and more efficiently, potentially outpacing your opponent.

Instant Speed: The ability to attach Bow of the Hunter at instant speed provides a tactical advantage. You can surprise an opponent mid-combat or after they’ve tapped out, ensuring your creatures become more lethal threats whenever it’s most opportune, without telegraphing your moves ahead of time.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: The Bow of the Hunter card compels players to discard another card to activate certain abilities. This can be a significant disadvantage during gameplay, especially when your hand is running low on cards and every asset counts. The requirement to lose a card as part of the cost can be detrimental in the late game when options are scarce.

Specific Mana Cost: The Bow of the Hunter demands a particular arrangement of mana to cast, including both green and other colors. This requirement can potentially restrict the card’s compatibility, making it a less flexible choice for decks that are not heavily invested in green mana or those that run on a tight mana curve.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a card that provides its main advantages through equipping creatures, the Bow of the Hunter comes with a relatively steep mana investment. Other cards in the MTG arsenal may offer similar or enhanced abilities at a lower mana cost, providing players with more economical alternatives for strengthening their creatures on the battlefield.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Bow of the Hunter serves as a multifunctional tool. Whether you’re running a creature-heavy deck that needs an edge or a control deck looking for ways to manage the board, this card seamlessly integrates into various strategies.

Combo Potential: For those crafty deck builders, Bow of the Hunter synergizes well with cards that benefit from dealing non-combat damage or equipping creatures. Its ability to potentially untap creatures leaves room for intriguing and powerful combinations.

Meta-Relevance: In a gameplay environment where creatures play a dominant role, Bow of the Hunter can become a game-changing asset. Its ability to pick off key threats or provide consistent damage makes it relevant and useful against common deck archetypes.

How to beat

The Bow of the Hunter card presents a distinct toolkit for MTG players focusing on enhancing their creature’s capabilities. Its ability to equip creatures with a boost in power and the potential for card draw upon dealing combat damage to a player makes it a valuable asset on the battlefield. However, overcoming this enchantment requires strategic planning.

To counteract the Bow of the Hunter’s advantages, targeted removal spells can prove to be highly effective. These spells, such as Naturalize or Disenchant, can dismantle the opponent’s enhancement, providing a rapid solution to the threat. Another approach is to ensure the equipped creature doesn’t deal combat damage by utilizing control spells or creature removal like Murder or Counterspell to prevent the bow’s card draw ability.

Additionally, hindering the opponent’s resources to prevent them from equipping the Bow of the Hunter in the first place could be a viable strategy. Resource management and disruption can serve as a preemptive strike, making it an uphill battle for the opponent to utilize the bow’s potential. Finally, employing an aggressive strategy to outpace the opponent’s setup could nullify the bow’s impact before it becomes a significant threat.

Cards like Bow of the Hunter

The Bow of the Hunter is an intriguing component for creature-focused decks in Magic: The Gathering. Its ability to provide an equipped creature with a power boost and reach can be likened to other equipment cards such as the Short Sword, which also grants a smaller power increase. However, the Bow of the Hunter distinguishes itself by offering that crucial ability to block flying creatures, similar to how Spider Silk Net grants reach but without the power enhancement.

Analogous to this theme of empowering creatures, O-Naginata is another equipment that demands attention. It not only provides a larger boost to power but also trample, albeit restricted to creatures with high power itself. While the Bow of the Hunter doesn’t grant trample, its lower equip cost makes it more accessible in the early game stages. Another peer worth mentioning is the Trusty Machete, which confers a balanced increase to both power and toughness but lacks the strategic reach ability.

Comparatively, while each equipment card offers unique advantages, the Bow of the Hunter strikes a balance for MTG players looking to protect themselves against aerial threats while strengthening their creatures on the ground.

Cards similar to Bow of the Hunter by color, type and mana cost

Axe of the Warmonger - MTG Card versions

Spear of the General - MTG Card versions

Cloak of the Philosopher - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Bow of the Hunter MTG card by a specific set like Journey into Nyx Hero's Path, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Bow of the Hunter and other MTG cards: