The Over/Under - Predicting the Popularity of Marvel Super Heroes Commanders, Part 1

<p style="text-align: right;"><em><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye, Avenging Archer" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye, Avenging Archer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://darius_zablockis.artstation.com/">Darius Zablockis</a></em></p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prodigal Sorcerer|LEB|74"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Tim the Enchanter"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prodigal Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Prodigal Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, often called Tim due to the original art's resemblance to the <em>Monty Python</em> character, is one of my favorite cards from <em>Alpha</em>. Looking back, its design demonstrates just how far away from modern day sensibilities about the color pie the designers were in 1993. A blue creature that does burn damage? What's going on here? It was even printed at common!</p>
<p>Prodigal Sorcerer was a key part of early <em>Magic</em>'s blue experience. This lead to many games in Limited where the board is stalled while some number of Prodigal Sorcerers try to sneak damage through opposing <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Samite Healer" href="#" target="_blank">Samite Healer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s. Eventually, it was worked out that a creature that deals burn damage is better off as a red card, with <em>Apocalypse</em>'s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razorfin Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Razorfin Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <em>Planar Chaos</em>'s <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prodigal Pyromancer" href="#" target="_blank">Prodigal Pyromancer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> coming out and making this effect align better with the color pie. Now, all the way in 2026, <a href="https://edhrec.com/sets/msh"><em>Marvel Superheroes</em></a> has brought with it a new take on Prodigal Sorcerer: <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye, Avenging Archer" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye, Avenging Archer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. In this deck tech, I'm going to take a stab at building a deck around this new Hawkeye that's all about pinging creatures with an army of Tims.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hawkeye, Avenging Archer"></div></div>
<h2>What Does Hawkeye, Avenging Archer Do?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razorfin Hunter"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye, Avenging Archer" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye, Avenging Archer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a 3/4 with reach for <span class="mana-container-container"><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-2" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-u" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span><span class="mana-container"><i class="ms ms-cost ms-r" style="margin-left: inherit !important;"></i></span></span>. Whenever an opposing creature that was dealt damage by Hawkeye this turn dies, you draw a card. Then, he taps to deal one damage to any target, just like a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prodigal Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Prodigal Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razorfin Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Razorfin Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>My build of Hawkeye will look to control the board by giving Hawkeye deathtouch, deploying permanents that amplify noncombat damage, and untap effects. The intricacies will lie in overcoming the ways opponents will try to protect their creatures and how the deck will end the game once the dust settles, all your opponents' creatures are gone, and overwhelming card advantage has been created.</p>
<h2>Key Cards for Hawkeye, Avenging Archer</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Prodigal Sorcerer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Razorfin Hunter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Sharpshooter"></div></div>
<p>First up, I need more pingers than just <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye, Avenging Archer" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye, Avenging Archer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> himself. There are five more in the deck, four of which are just different flavors of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prodigal Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Prodigal Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Razorfin Hunter" href="#" target="_blank">Razorfin Hunter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Zuran Spellcaster" href="#" target="_blank">Zuran Spellcaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Sharpshooter" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Sharpshooter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a big power level outlier among them, as it effectively renders opposing one-toughness creatures unplayable. When combined with the deathtouch effects I'll get to later, Goblin Sharpshooter is functionally a board wipe.</p>
<p>I find a lot of the most satisfying gameplay to occur when I'm still hunting for the pieces to get the engines that take advantage of these pingers running, as there will be a lot of using multiple pingers together to take down larger targets. It really captures the feeling of Hawkeye launching volleys of arrows alongside his team of Archers, or in this case Wizards.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Basilisk Collar"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Gorgon&#039;s Head"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Shadowspear"></div></div>
<p>It's fair to expect that the average casual Commander game isn't decided by one toughness creatures. In order for this Hawkeye deck to be effective, it needs to be able to handle a big creature, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghalta, Primal Hunger" href="#" target="_blank">Ghalta, Primal Hunger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. That's where <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Basilisk Collar" href="#" target="_blank">Basilisk Collar</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Gorgon&#039;s Head" href="#" target="_blank">Gorgon&#039;s Head</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> come in. These Equipment grant deathtouch, which allows Hawkeye and his army of Prodigal Sorcerers to kill a creature by dealing just one damage to it, regardless of that creature's size.</p>
<p>There are just two Equipment in the deck that can grant deathtouch, which means a good suite of tutors will be required to ensure reliable access to this key piece of Hawkeye's strategy. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trinket Mage" href="#" target="_blank">Trinket Mage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Whir of Invention" href="#" target="_blank">Whir of Invention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza&#039;s Saga" href="#" target="_blank">Urza&#039;s Saga</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the primary means to find the deck's Equipment. Both Basilisk Collar and Gorgon's Head have a mana value of one, making all of these tutors a very natural fit. Plus, Trinket Mage is both a Wizard and has a mana value of three, making it searchable via <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Step Through" href="#" target="_blank">Step Through</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Drift of Phantasms" href="#" target="_blank">Drift of Phantasms</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s transmute ability.</p>
<p>The ease with which this deck can find one-mana artifacts allowed me to build a small toolbox of them; that way, these tutors are always live. One tool in that toolbox is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shadowspear" href="#" target="_blank">Shadowspear</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, a critical piece of tech that allows for Hawkeye to get through common protection effects that grant either indestructible or hexproof, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Heroic Intervention" href="#" target="_blank">Heroic Intervention</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tamiyo&#039;s Safekeeping" href="#" target="_blank">Tamiyo&#039;s Safekeeping</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Selfless Spirit" href="#" target="_blank">Selfless Spirit</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Freed from the Real"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Retreat to Coralhelm"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Unstoppable Plan"></div></div>
<p>One of the other issues a commander like Hawkeye can encounter is that there are three opponents' worth of creatures to deal with, and his ability taps him. To keep the board locked down, he needs to get multiple activations per turn cycle. This is where the untap effects come in. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Freed from the Real" href="#" target="_blank">Freed from the Real</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is the most valuable of the bunch, being able to untap Hawkeye a number of times limited only by the amount of blue mana you can make. Meanwhile, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Retreat to Coralhelm" href="#" target="_blank">Retreat to Coralhelm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Unstoppable Plan" href="#" target="_blank">Unstoppable Plan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> have a lower ceiling in exchange for a smaller investment of resources.</p>
<h2>How Does This Hawkeye, Avenging Archer Deck Win the Game?</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Political Trickery"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye, Avenging Archer" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye, Avenging Archer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>'s most potent weapon for winning games is politics. Once he or any of his army of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prodigal Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Prodigal Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s have deathtouch, this deck has a powerful bargaining proposition: "Swing your creature my way, it dies. Send it at someone else, you can keep it." Unlike many other players playing politics at the table, Hawkeye doesn't bluff. His ability to remove a creature is out in the open, and it can be done at instant speed. If an opponent doesn't want to play ball and decides to point removal at Hawkeye, he'll take their best creature down with him.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hawkeye, Young Avenger"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Solphim, Mayhem Dominus"></div></div>
<p>Once Hawkeye has reached the end game and all the opposing creatures have been dealt with, it's time to start pointing the damage at your opponents' faces. Combined with amplifiers, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye, Young Avenger" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye, Young Avenger</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might" href="#" target="_blank">Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Solphim, Mayhem Dominus" href="#" target="_blank">Solphim, Mayhem Dominus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, it's possible to present a fairly fast clock with one or two pingers on board.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hawkeye&#039;s Bow"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Repercussion"></div></div>
<p>The amount of time it takes to kill the opponents in the end game can be shortened drastically by a couple of cards that can burn your opponents directly while still pointing damage at opposing creatures. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye&#039;s Bow" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye&#039;s Bow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be given to any of the deck's pingers and it will get a good start chipping away at opposing life totals every time the equipped creature becomes tapped. Similarly, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Repercussion" href="#" target="_blank">Repercussion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will deal the same amount of damage done to a creature to that creature's controller. Repercussion in particular can get really crazy when combined with the deck's board wipes, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mizzium Mortars" href="#" target="_blank">Mizzium Mortars</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Calamity of Cinders" href="#" target="_blank">Calamity of Cinders</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<h2>Hawkeye, Avenging Archer Commander Deck List</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="TIM TIM" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Hawkeye, Avenging Archer
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Basilisk Collar
*1 Expedition Map
*1 Fellwar Stone
*1 Gorgon&#039;s Head
*1 Hawkeye&#039;s Bow
*1 Izzet Signet
*1 Lavaspur Boots
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Patriar&#039;s Seal
*1 Shadowspear
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Talisman of Creativity
*1 Thought Vessel
*1 Thousand-Year Elixir
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Drift of Phantasms
*1 Goblin Sharpshooter
*1 Hawkeye, Young Avenger
*1 Hydroelectric Specimen
*1 Ioreth of the Healing House
*1 Loki, God of Mischief
*1 Ojer Axonil, Deepest Might
*1 Ornithopter of Paradise
*1 Prodigal Pyromancer
*1 Prodigal Sorcerer
*1 Razorfin Hunter
*1 Solphim, Mayhem Dominus
*1 Trinket Mage
*1 Zuran Spellcaster
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Freed from the Real
*1 Repercussion
*1 Retreat to Coralhelm
*1 Spiteful Banditry
*1 Unstoppable Plan
[/Enchantments]
[Instants]
*1 Brainsurge
*1 Counterspell
*1 Delayed Blast Fireball
*1 Dig Through Time
*1 Dramatic Reversal
*1 Electrickery
*1 Flusterstorm
*1 Into the Flood Maw
*1 Mana Drain
*1 Negate
*1 Octopus Form
*1 Redirect Lightning
*1 Shore Up
*1 Sink into Stupor
*1 Three Steps Ahead
*1 Turnabout
*1 Untimely Malfunction
*1 Whir of Invention
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Calamity of Cinders
*1 Disrupt Decorum
*1 Expressive Iteration
*1 Lórien Revealed
*1 Mizzium Mortars
*1 Step Through
*1 Stock Up
*1 Sundering Eruption
*1 Vandalblast
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Academy Ruins
*1 Arena of Glory
*1 Arid Mesa
*1 Bloodstained Mire
*1 Cascade Bluffs
*1 Command Tower
*1 Flooded Strand
*1 Hammerheim
*6 Island
*1 Minamo, School at Water&#039;s Edge
*1 Misty Rainforest
*4 Mountain
*1 Otawara, Soaring City
*1 Polluted Delta
*1 Prismatic Vista
*1 Riverglide Pathway
*1 Scalding Tarn
*1 Scorched Geyser
*1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
*1 Shivan Reef
*1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance
*1 Spirebluff Canal
*1 Steam Vents
*1 Sulfur Falls
*1 Temple of the False God
*1 Thundering Falls
*1 Turbulent Springs
*1 Urza&#039;s Saga
*1 Wooded Foothills
[/Lands]"></span></div>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hawkeye, Avenging Archer" href="#" target="_blank">Hawkeye, Avenging Archer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the first commanders I saw from <em>Marvel Superheroes</em> that genuinely excited me. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prodigal Sorcerer" href="#" target="_blank">Prodigal Sorcerer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-style creatures haven't had much of a place in even the most casual Commander decks for a long time, and I've always thought that was a real shame. Hawkeye is a sweet design that takes one of my old favorites and pushes it to exactly the power level that is necessary to hang in <a href="https://edhrec.com/guides/edhrec-guide-to-commander-brackets">Bracket</a> 2 (Core) or 3 (Upgraded) without being completely embarrassing.</p>
<p>Speaking of brackets, I'd place this build of Hawkeye in Bracket 3. The deck has all the makings of a Bracket 2 deck. No game changers, no chaining turns, no infinite combos, ect. However, games where Hawkeye gets to do his thing are games where the game is completely warped by a repeatable removal engine that absolutely has to be interacted with. Tables of decks that aren't prepared for that level of interaction, like most traditional battle-cruiser decks in Bracket 2, would get completely demolished.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>


hawkeye

The Over/Under - Predicting the Popularity of Marvel Super Heroes Commanders, Part 1

Hawkeye, Avenging Archer Deck Tech