Glint Hawk MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Bird
Abilities	Flying
Released	2010-10-01
Set symbol
Set name	Scars of Mirrodin
Set code	SOM
Power	2
Toughness	2
Number	10
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Dave Allsop

Key Takeaways

Glint Hawk provides card advantage and enables artifact reuse, increasing play options and value generation.
Its quick arrival on the battlefield aids in resource acceleration and supports aggressive artifact-centered strategies.
Although versatile, Glint Hawk requires careful play due to its artifact bounce condition and specific mana cost.

Text of card

Flying When Glint Hawk enters the battlefield, sacrifice it unless you return an artifact you control to its owner's hand.

Its eyes burned nearly blind by the Whitesun, it hunts by metallic gleam.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Glint Hawk boasts the ability to swiftly return an artifact you control to your hand, effectively protecting that asset from removal or enabling a reuse of enter-the-battlefield triggers. This winged creature offers the strategic benefit of potentially providing additional value from your artifacts while setting up for further plays.

Resource Acceleration: The clever utilization of Glint Hawk can act as an enabler for various artifact synergies, allowing you to replay artifacts that may contribute to mana generation or other game accelerating effects. Its early presence on the battlefield works well to advance your strategy with impressive efficiency.

Instant Speed: Although Glint Hawk itself isn’t an instant, its low-cost pairs exceptionally with instant-speed interaction. This lets you keep mana available to respond to threats while deploying a viable creature during your turn, elegantly balancing defense and development of your board state.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the challenges when playing Glint Hawk is the condition that mandates you bounce an artifact back to your hand upon casting. This requirement can be quite disadvantageous, particularly if you’re capitalizing on the board presence of your artifacts to maintain your momentum in the game.

Specific Mana Cost: Glint Hawk features a mana cost that requires white mana, which can be restrictive. This makes it less versatile in decks that aren’t heavily focused on white mana or that don’t include tools to generate the specific mana needed consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite Glint Hawk’s low casting cost, when the requirement to bounce an artifact back to your hand is factored in, the total mana investment can be steep. This is especially true in aggressive strategies where you aim to deploy multiple threats quickly and cheaply.

Reasons to Include Glint Hawk in Your Collection

Versatility: Glint Hawk shines in its flexibility to adapt to various play styles. As a creature with the ability to return an artifact you control to your hand, it fits perfectly in decks that revolve around artifact synergies or require frequent artifact recasting for added benefits.

Combo Potential: This card is a gem when it comes to setting up combos. Its interaction with cheap artifacts can create a continuous cycle of play and replay, providing ongoing benefits each turn. It’s a linchpin in decks looking to exploit enter-the-battlefield effects or requires a steady stream of artifacts for sacrifice.

Meta-Relevance: Considering the pivotal role artifacts play in the meta, having a creature like Glint Hawk can offer essential tempo plays. It ensures that your artifacts are utilized to their utmost every game, making it a relevant addition to collections poised to tackle a vast array of competitive environments.

How to beat

Glint Hawk presents an interesting challenge on the battlefield. With its ability to return an artifact you control to your hand upon entering the gameplay area, it offers an aggressive flying option early in the game. Balancing cost and utility, Glint Hawk can quickly become a recurring threat due to its inexpensive casting cost and the opportunity for artifact synergy.

To counteract Glint Hawk’s effectiveness, consider utilizing removal spells that can target creatures in the air, such as Fatal Push or Skywhaler’s Shot, to manage the board before it can leverage its flying capability. Another strategy is to limit the number of artifacts available for its return-to-hand ability, thereby reducing the card’s potential to be played repeatedly. Direct damage spells and effects that can bypass its flying trait are also excellent choices. Spells like Shock or Lightning Bolt can swiftly deal with Glint Hawk without having to engage it in combat.

A comprehensive approach involves disrupting the player’s artifact synergy as a whole. Engaging in strategies that restrict players from casting multiple low-cost artifacts will diminish Glint Hawk’s presence on the board, making it a less frequent concern and easier to overcome as the game progresses.

Cards like Glint Hawk

Glint Hawk stands out among the flock of low-cost creatures in Magic: The Gathering. This bird mirrors the efficiency of cards such as Skymarcher Aspirant due to its remarkable ability to hit the battlefield early and provide an immediate impact. Glint Hawk, with its ability to return a permanent to its owner’s hand, enables synergy and combo potential that Skymarcher Aspirant lacks.

When considering cards like Kor Skyfisher, we notice a similar effect allowing the return of another permanent to its owner’s hand. While the Skyfisher costs one more mana than Glint Hawk, it offers a sturdy body in return. The robust two power and three toughness stand up in comparison to Glint Hawk’s fragility. Conversely, Esper Stormblade is another allied card with comparable mana value, however, it hinges on multicolor permanents for additional strength — a condition not required by the flexibility of Glint Hawk.

Analyzing the value of Glint Hawk against its counterparts, it’s evident that its unique blend of early-game presence and strategic utility gives it potential advantage in decks designed to exploit artifacts or enter-the-battlefield effects. Through careful assessment, its place in MTG is further solidified as a nuanced option in creature selection.

Cards similar to Glint Hawk by color, type and mana cost

Faerie Guidemother // Gift of the Fae - MTG Card versions

Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Glint Hawk MTG card by a specific set like Scars of Mirrodin, 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 Glint Hawk and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Glint Hawk has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Glint Hawk card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2011-01-01	You choose which artifact to return to its owner’s hand as the triggered ability resolves. If you control no artifacts at that time, you must sacrifice Glint Hawk. Although players can respond to the ability, once it starts to resolve and you choose an artifact you control to return to its owner’s hand, it’s too late for players to respond.
2011-01-01	You may choose to sacrifice Glint Hawk as its triggered ability resolves even if you control an artifact.