Art by Miklós Ligeti
Saved commander deck
Bard the Bowman
Trigger Bard's ability on every player's turn by consistently drawing two cards at instant speed. Leverage the steady stream of +1/+1 counters and lifelink to build overwhelming board presence with draw- and counter-synergistic threats.
Prompt: Bard the Bowman commander deck
Commander
1 cards
Bard the Bowman
{1}{W}{U}Legendary Creature — Human Archer
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10 cards
Decanter of Endless Water
{3}Artifact
Ramp and unlimited hand size for draw-heavy turns
Knight of the White Orchid
{W}{W}Creature — Human Knight
Catches up on plains while providing an early blocker
Card Draw
14 cards
Esper Sentinel
{W}Artifact Creature — Human Soldier
Taxes opponents' noncreature spells and draws cards on their turns
Rhystic Study
{2}{U}Enchantment
Premium tax effect that easily triggers Bard on other turns
Faerie Mastermind
{1}{U}Creature — Faerie Rogue
Punishes opponents' extra draws and can force card draws for everyone
Archivist of Oghma
{1}{W}Creature — Halfling Cleric
Draws cards and gains life whenever opponents search their libraries
Brainstorm
{U}Instant
Instant-speed cantrip that easily triggers Bard's second-card condition
Frantic Search
{2}{U}Instant
Free instant-speed looting that triggers second card drawn
Quick Study
{2}{U}Instant
Instant-speed raw two-card draw for an on-demand Bard trigger
Thirst for Knowledge
{2}{U}Instant
Instant draw three to trigger Bard on an opponent's turn
Teferi's Ageless Insight
{2}{U}{U}Legendary Enchantment
Doubles all non-draw-step card draws
Consecrated Sphinx
{4}{U}{U}Creature — Sphinx
Draws two cards whenever any opponent draws, repeatedly triggering Bard
Removal
11 cards
Swords to Plowshares
{W}Instant
Premier single-target creature exile for one mana
Dovin's Veto
{W}{U}Instant
Uncounterable protection against noncreature game-winning threats
Threats/Wincons
20 cards
Chasm Skulker
{2}{U}Creature — Squid Horror
Grows with card draw and leaves behind an islandwalk army upon death
Nadir Kraken
{1}{U}{U}Creature — Kraken
Generates tentacles and grows larger with every card drawn
Minn, Wily Illusionist
{1}{U}{U}Legendary Creature — Gnome Wizard
Makes powerful Illusions whenever you draw your second card each turn
Shabraz, the Skyshark
{3}{W}{U}Legendary Creature — Shark Bird
Grows with card draw and synergizes with Bard's lifegain triggers
Toothy, Imaginary Friend
{3}{U}Legendary Creature — Illusion
Huge threat that accumulates counters with draw and refunds cards on exit
Ominous Seas
{1}{U}Enchantment
Converts draw triggers into massive 8/8 Kraken tokens
The Watcher in the Water
{3}{U}{U}Legendary Creature — Kraken
Generates tentacle tokens whenever you draw on opponents' turns
Psychosis Crawler
{5}Artifact Creature — Phyrexian Horror
Drains the entire table as you draw through your deck
Dream Trawler
{2}{W}{W}{U}{U}Creature — Sphinx
Self-protecting evasive beater that draws extra cards and gains life
The Council of Four
{3}{W}{U}Legendary Creature — Human Noble
Mirrors Bard's second-draw timing with Knights and extra card draw
Ledger Shredder
{1}{U}Creature — Bird Advisor
Connives on multi-spell turns to grow and trigger extra draws
Prince Imrahil the Fair
{W}{U}Legendary Creature — Human Noble
Creates Soldier tokens upon drawing a second card each turn
Danny Pink
{3}{U}Legendary Creature — Human Soldier Advisor
Turns Bard's counter distribution into even more card draw
Abzan Falconer
{2}{W}Creature — Human Soldier
Gives flying to all creatures with counters from Bard
Archangel of Thune
{3}{W}{W}Creature — Angel
Triggers counter distribution across the whole board whenever lifelink hits
Heliod, Sun-Crowned
{2}{W}Legendary Enchantment Creature — God
Grows the team whenever Bard's lifelink grants life
Walking Ballista
{X}{X}Artifact Creature — Construct
Weaponizes Bard's +1/+1 counters into direct damage and removal
Hangarback Walker
{X}{X}Artifact Creature — Construct
Scales with +1/+1 counters and creates a thopter swarm when removed
Proft's Eidetic Memory
{1}{U}Legendary Enchantment
Gives no max hand size and distributes huge power buffs after big draw turns
Wizard Class
{U}Enchantment — Class
Provides hand size, card advantage, and scales creatures based on cards drawn
Utility
7 cards
The Ozolith
{1}Legendary Artifact
Preserves +1/+1 counters placed by Bard across creature deaths
Resourceful Defense
{2}{W}Enchantment
Redistributes counters when creatures leave the battlefield
Swiftfoot Boots
{2}Artifact — Equipment
Gives Bard hexproof and haste for swift activation
Lightning Greaves
{2}Artifact — Equipment
Zero-equip shroud protection for the commander
Reconnaissance Mission
{2}{U}{U}Enchantment
Turns evasive beaters into repeatable card draw engines
Bident of Thassa
{2}{U}{U}Legendary Enchantment Artifact
Coastal Piracy effect on an artifact that can also force unfavorable attacks
