EDH Optimizer
Nighthawk, Dark Defender
Legendary Creature — Human Hero · 1W
Color identity: White
Nighthawk, Dark Defender is white: its deck can only run cards of that color plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
Flying
Whenever Nighthawk or another Hero you control enters, target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Reference price of the card: €0.23
Average lands in decks for Nighthawk, Dark Defender: 34
Build your Nighthawk, Dark Defender deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Nighthawk, Dark Defender 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Nighthawk, Dark Defender deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (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+ (75/100)
- Consistency66
- Speed55
- Interaction72
- Resilience96
- Closing89
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 34 lands (21 nonbasic, 13 Plains)
Acclaimed Contender · Akroma's Will · Altar of the Brood · Arcane Signet · Aura of Silence · Austere Command · Blacksmith's Skill · Blasting Station · Blind Obedience · Cathars' Crusade · Cavalier of Dawn · Chivalric Alliance · Cleansing Nova · Court of Grace · Darksteel Mutation · Dauntless Bodyguard · Dawn of a New Age · Deafening Silence · Endless Atlas · Enlightened Tutor · Excise the Imperfect · Fellwar Stone · Flawless Maneuver · Generous Gift · Get Lost · Grasp of Fate · Herald's Horn · Heraldic Banner · Hero of Bladehold · Icon of Ancestry · Idyllic Tutor · Kabira Takedown // Kabira Plateau · Karmic Guide · Kinsbaile Cavalier · Knight Exemplar · Knight of the White Orchid · Lightning Greaves · Makindi Stampede // Makindi Mesas · Marble Diamond · Maskwood Nexus · Mind Stone · Moonshaker Cavalry · Ondu Inversion // Ondu Skyruins · Path to Exile · Pearl Medallion · Phyrexian Altar · Reveillark · Sejiri Shelter // Sejiri Glacier · Skullclamp · Smothering Tithe · Smuggler's Share · Sol Ring · Stroke of Midnight · Swiftfoot Boots · Swords to Plowshares · Teferi's Protection · Thalia, Guardian of Thraben · Thalia's Lancers · The Circle of Loyalty · Tocasia's Welcome · Trouble in Pairs · Valiant Knight · Vanquish the Horde · Vanquisher's Banner · Wayfarer's Bauble · Arcane Lighthouse · Arid Mesa · Castle Ardenvale · Cavern of Souls · Desert of the True · Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire · Emeria, the Sky Ruin · Fabled Passage · Flooded Strand · Marsh Flats · Minas Tirith · Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx · Path of Ancestry · Prismatic Vista · Scavenger Grounds · Secluded Courtyard · Secluded Steppe · Unclaimed Territory · Urza's Saga · War Room · Windswept Heath
🃏 Recommended cards for Nighthawk, Dark Defender
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Nighthawk, Dark Defender, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Unclaimed Territory | 100% | +100% |
| Kinsbaile Cavalier | 100% | +99% |
| Valiant Knight | 100% | +99% |
| Secluded Courtyard | 100% | +99% |
| Acclaimed Contender | 100% | +99% |
| Dauntless Bodyguard | 100% | +99% |
| The Circle of Loyalty | 100% | +99% |
| Cavalier of Dawn | 100% | +99% |
| Maskwood Nexus | 100% | +99% |
| Makindi Stampede | 100% | +99% |
| Knight Exemplar | 100% | +99% |
| Icon of Ancestry | 100% | +98% |
| Arcane Lighthouse | 100% | +98% |
| Excise the Imperfect | 100% | +98% |
| Reveillark | 100% | +98% |
| Altar of the Brood | 100% | +98% |
| Phyrexian Altar | 100% | +98% |
| Blasting Station | 100% | +98% |
| Thalia's Lancers | 100% | +98% |
| Prismatic Vista | 100% | +97% |
| Desert of the True | 100% | +97% |
| Fabled Passage | 100% | +97% |
| Arid Mesa | 100% | +97% |
| Flooded Strand | 100% | +97% |
💰 The best cards for your Nighthawk, Dark Defender 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.
- Unclaimed Territory
- Valiant Knight
- Secluded Courtyard
- Acclaimed Contender
- Dauntless Bodyguard
- The Circle of Loyalty
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Kinsbaile Cavalier
- Cavalier of Dawn
- Altar of the Brood
- Blasting Station
- Windswept Heath
- Aura of Silence
Tier 3 · No cap no cap
The cards your price cap was hiding from you.
- Phyrexian Altar
- Prismatic Vista
- Arid Mesa
- Flooded Strand
- Marsh Flats
- Chivalric Alliance
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Nighthawk, Dark Defender
- Phyrexian Altar + Cathars' Crusade → Infinite +1/+1 counters on most creatures you control, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite colored mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Karmic Guide + Reveillark + Phyrexian Altar → Infinite colored mana, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite recursion of creature cards with power 2 or less
- Blasting Station + Cathars' Crusade → Infinite damage, Infinite death triggers, Infinite +1/+1 counters on most creatures you control, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers
- Karmic Guide + Reveillark + Blasting Station → Infinite damage, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB, Infinite creature sacrifice triggers, Infinite recursion of creature cards with power 2 or less
Other commanders
Frequently asked questions
What is Nighthawk, Dark Defender's color identity?
Nighthawk, Dark Defender is white: its deck can only run cards of that color 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 Nighthawk, Dark Defender come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Nighthawk, Dark Defender deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 34 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 2.1 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 33 % of the time and floods 18 %. Deck health: B+ (75/100).
How many lands should a Nighthawk, Dark Defender deck run?
Real Nighthawk, Dark Defender decks run 34 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 Nighthawk, Dark Defender?
The three highest-synergy cards are Unclaimed Territory, Kinsbaile Cavalier, Valiant Knight. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Nighthawk, Dark Defender decks.
What combos does Nighthawk, Dark Defender have?
Nighthawk, Dark Defender has 4 known combos. The most popular one is Phyrexian Altar + Cathars' Crusade. 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 Nighthawk, Dark Defender deck cost?
You can start cheap: Unclaimed Territory, Valiant Knight, Secluded Courtyard 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.