Iconic Marvel Weapon Is A Multi-Format Combo Engine in MTG

Last updated on June 9, 2026

Hawkeye's Bow | Illustration by Marc Aspinall

Hawkeye might be the least interesting Avenger, but his equipment certainly stands out in Marvel Super Heroes as an infinite combo enabler in multiple formats, including Pauper, Commander, and Standard:

Though simple, pinging your opponents whenever the equipped creature becomes tapped gets out of control right away if you can infinitely tap and untap a creature. That combo potential, coupled with the extremely efficient mana and equip costs, give Hawkeye's Bow legs in multiple formats. Pauper players especially should look out for it because the combo takes two cards. I don’t want to be the player who cried Splinter Twin, but….

Pauper

Pauper will likely see the biggest impact from Hawkeye's Bow because the combo costs practically nothing. All you need is the Bow and Seeker of Skybreak, a common elf from Tempest that taps to untap a creature.

Seeker of Skybreak is far from the only creature that untaps other creatures or permanents, but this oldie has a quirk: It lacks the “another” restriction, so it can target itself, tapping then untapping itself infinitely. Give it access to Hawkeye's Bow and that wins the game for all of 4 mana.

Pauper’s no stranger to infinite combos. Basking Broodscale was recently banned in Pauper because of Sadistic Glee, you can go nuts with Guac & Marshmallow Pizza, a Nettle Sentinel, and a Banishing Knack. This combo stands out for three reasons: Its low cost, ease of assembly, and the resilience of an equipment.

At two cards and four mana, this combo looks similar to Broodscale. An ideal hand wins on turn 3—even turn 2 with Simian Spirit Guide. Because you can play Hawkeye's Bow turn 1, then the Seeker turn 2, you can hold open protection like Snakeskin Veil the turn you want to equip. Even without protection, your opponent gets a minuscule window to remove the Seeker since you’ll often kill the next turn. And even if the Elf dies, equipment is much more flexible than an aura—if your opponent killed Basking Broodscale with Sadistic Glee on the stack, you had to redraw both pieces. But with this combo? Your opponent needs two removal spells to put you back to square one.

Commander

Seeker of Skybreak is legal in Commander, as is Aphetto Alchemist, a functionally identical uncommon from Onslaught. These enable the same combo as above, though I expect to see the Alchemist more than the Seeker. This combo looks best in decks that already run Aphetto Alchemist combos; it’s just another win condition to go with cards like Illusionist's Bracer. As cheap two-card combos, these belong in Bracket 4.

As noted before, the Alchemist and Seeker aren’t unique because they untap permanents but because they can target themselves. If you get two cards that can untap another permanent, you end in up in the same situation, except the two creatures untap one another. Combos like this already exist and typically pair with Deeproot Pilgramage for infinite tokens or a mana dork (and some other conditions) for infinite mana; Hawkeye's Bow offers a cleaner win condition because it wins instantly without other cards.

Another, potentially more niche, combo relies on Retraction Helix/Banishing Knack, a 0-mana artifact, and a creature like Kindlespark Duo that untaps when you cast said artifact. There are many ways to assemble such a loop, and this gives them a win condition that costs next to nothing and is easily tutorable. Because this combo and the one above require so many pieces, they work in Bracket 3.

I doubt any of these combos revolutionize Commander as it has plenty of combos already, but the Bow enhances existing combo shells by providing them a redundant, and potentially more effective, win condition.

Standard

Standard’s version of Bow combo requires two creatures that can untap each other, and Standard has two options: Forensic Researcher and North Pole Patrol. One of each or doubles of one win just the same.

This is the format least likely to care about Bow combo; it requires the most mana and has three pieces, plus Standard is so fast with Badgermole Cube and Stormchaser's Talent running around. It’s not as well-suited to the meta as other options, but you never know—it could be a surprise winner. At the very least, it’ll be a good time on the free play ladder.