EDH Optimizer
Bard the Bowman
Legendary Creature — Human Archer · 1WU
Color identity: Blue · White · Azorius
Bard the Bowman is Azorius (blue and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Reach
Whenever you draw your second card each turn, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature. It gains lifelink until end of turn.
Reference price of the card: €0.09
Average lands in decks for Bard the Bowman: 36
+1/+1 CountersCard DrawTokensHumansGo WideLifegainAggroBlink
Build your Bard the Bowman deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Bard the Bowman 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Bard the Bowman deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: B+ (76/100)
- Consistency89
- Speed60
- Interaction100
- Resilience77
- Closing64
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 36 lands (15 nonbasic, 7 Plains, 14 Island)
Sol Ring · Arcane Signet · Lakeshore Apothecary · Plunder the Trollshaws · Prince Imrahil the Fair · Swords to Plowshares · Bard's Company · Path to Exile · Arcane Denial · Confusticate and Bebother · Thought Vessel · Patient Instructor · Lake-town Lookout · The Mountain-king's Return · Bard, King of Dale · Bilbo Baggins, Burglar // Take a Glance · Celebrate the Mountain-king · Esgaroth Garrison · Brainstorm · Ravenhill Flock · The Council of Four · The Queen of Dale · Mischievous Mystic · Emrakul's Messenger · Kid Loki · Long Lake Nuisance · Moment of Glory · Talisman of Progress · Opt · Sound the Trumpets · Wizard Class · Frantic Search · Chasm Skulker · Bilbo, Luckwearer // Burglar's Plot · Counterspell · Great Gilded Boat · Loran of the Third Path · Old Fat Spider Can't See Me · Mangara, the Diplomat · Azorius Signet · Consider · Lake-town Toymaker · Preordain · Enchanted River's Grasp · Gleaming Splendor · Teferi's Ageless Insight · Faerie Mastermind · Homunculus Horde · Pensive Professor · Proft's Eidetic Memory · Master's Councillors · Quick Study · Thrór's Map · Bard, Heir of Girion · Bender's Waterskin · Damning Verdict · Dovin's Veto · Gandalf, Wandering Wizard · Troop of Ponies · Belladonna Took · Bilbo's Gambit · Chocobo Knights · Hindering Light · Command Tower · Lake-town · Reliquary Tower · Glacial Fortress · Prairie Stream · Adarkar Wastes · Hallowed Fountain · Port Town · Azorius Chancery · Exotic Orchard · Deserted Beach · Path of Ancestry · Skycloud Expanse · Tranquil Cove · Temple of Enlightenment
🃏 Recommended cards for Bard the Bowman
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Bard the Bowman, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Apothecary | 55% | +53% |
| Plunder the Trollshaws | 53% | +52% |
| Prince Imrahil the Fair | 51% | +46% |
| Lake-town | 49% | +46% |
| Confusticate and Bebother | 48% | +46% |
| Bard's Company | 49% | +45% |
| Patient Instructor | 43% | +41% |
| Lake-town Lookout | 40% | +39% |
| Bilbo Baggins, Burglar | 39% | +38% |
| Celebrate the Mountain-king | 40% | +38% |
| The Mountain-king's Return | 39% | +37% |
| Esgaroth Garrison | 39% | +37% |
| Long Lake Nuisance | 38% | +36% |
| Ravenhill Flock | 37% | +35% |
| Sound the Trumpets | 36% | +34% |
| Moment of Glory | 35% | +34% |
| Bard, King of Dale | 39% | +33% |
| Kid Loki | 33% | +32% |
| Mischievous Mystic | 35% | +32% |
| Bilbo, Luckwearer | 33% | +31% |
| Emrakul's Messenger | 35% | +31% |
| Lake-town Toymaker | 31% | +30% |
| Old Fat Spider Can't See Me | 30% | +29% |
| The Queen of Dale | 37% | +29% |
💰 The best cards for your Bard the Bowman deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Lakeshore Apothecary
- Plunder the Trollshaws
- Prince Imrahil the Fair
- Lake-town
- Confusticate and Bebother
- Bard's Company
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Bard, King of Dale
- Damning Verdict
- Arcane Denial
- Teferi's Ageless Insight
- Belladonna Took
- Loran of the Third Path
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- The Queen of Dale
- Bard, Heir of Girion
- Faerie Mastermind
- Minn, Wily Illusionist
- Danny Pink
- Gleaming Splendor
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Bard the Bowman
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Heliod, Sun-Crowned + Walking Ballista → Infinite damage, Infinite lifegain, Infinite lifegain triggers
- Teferi, Time Raveler + Displacer Kitten + Sol Ring → Infinite card draw, Infinite draw triggers, Near-infinite colorless mana, Near-infinite storm count
- Ghostly Flicker + Peregrine Drake + Archaeomancer → Infinite blinking, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite landfall triggers, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana lands you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of lands you control
- Narset's Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite turns, Lock
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Bard the Bowman's color identity?
Bard the Bowman is Azorius (blue and white): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Bard the Bowman come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Bard the Bowman deck (the 99 cards most played with it, with 36 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 3.1 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 100 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 13 % of the time and floods 1 %. Deck health: B+ (76/100).
How many lands should a Bard the Bowman deck run?
Real Bard the Bowman decks run 36 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Bard the Bowman?
The three highest-synergy cards are Lakeshore Apothecary, Plunder the Trollshaws, Prince Imrahil the Fair. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Bard the Bowman decks.
What combos does Bard the Bowman have?
Bard the Bowman has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Bard the Bowman deck cost?
You can start cheap: Lakeshore Apothecary, Plunder the Trollshaws, Prince Imrahil the Fair are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.