Bard the Bowman wants a deck that makes everyone swap their hand for a fresh one. It also suits a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn.
Mana cost
White, Blue ()
Power / toughness1 / 3
RarityUncommon
Reach
Whenever you draw your second card each turn, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. It gains lifelink until end of turn.
Picked for what they do in Bard the Bowman's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Bard the Bowman's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Open the full glossary
explain how Bard the Bowman works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary
Wizards of the Coast29 Jun 2026
If you draw your second card in a turn while recruiting, the Human Soldier you create can be chosen as the target of Bard the Bowman's ability.
Wizards of the Coast29 Jun 2026
The triggered ability can trigger only once each turn. It doesn't matter whether Bard the Bowman was on the battlefield when the first card was drawn. If he's not on the battlefield when the second card is drawn, the ability can't trigger at all that turn. It won't trigger when the third or fourth card is drawn.
Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryWUPlayers write colors as letters: W for white, U for blue. Blue is U because B was already taken by black.WheelsWheel decks make every player swap their whole hand for a fresh one, then profit from all that drawing. One way is making opponents lose life for each card they draw. The name comes from the card Wheel of Fortune.Open the Wheels pageDraw PayoffRewards card drawing: it triggers whenever you or an opponent draws a card, rather than drawing cards itself. Pair it with cards that make everyone draw, like Wheel of Fortune or Howling Mine, so the cards everyone else gets end up working for you. Smothering TitheOpen the Draw Payoff pageCounter EngineAdds +1/+1 counters over and over rather than once. A counter here is a small permanent marker that raises a creature's power and toughness for good. It is not a counterspell, which is a different thing entirely. Something that adds them every turn makes your whole board bigger and keeps it that way. Hardened Scales, Corpsejack MenaceOpen the Counter Engine page+1/+1 Counters+1/+1 counter decks put small markers on their creatures that make each one permanently bigger, and keep adding more every turn. Each +1/+1 counter adds one to a creature's power (the damage it deals) and toughness (the damage it can take).Open the +1/+1 Counters page+1/+1 CountersPuts +1/+1 counters on creatures, permanently raising their power and toughness. Unlike a temporary boost that wears off at end of turn, these markers stay put and stack up over a long game. Hardened Scales, The Great HengeOpen the +1/+1 Counters page
Send Us Feedback
What works, what's confusing, what you wish the site did. We read every one.
Not signed in? That is fine. We only keep what you write.
Optional. We only use it to reply to you.
Can we use Google Analytics cookies?
They show us which pages help people. No ads.
Privacy Policy
Open the full glossary
