Bow of Nylea
Legendary Enchantment Artifact
Attacking creatures you control have deathtouch.
, 
: Choose one —
• Put a +1/+1 counter on target creature.
• Bow of Nylea deals 2 damage to target creature with flying.
• You gain 3 life.
• Put up to four target cards from your graveyard on the bottom of your library in any order.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Secret Lair Drop
- Price
- $14.00
- EDHREC rank
- #2278
Bow of Nylea is a three-mana enchantment artifact that blankets your entire attacking force with deathtouch, then doubles as a toolbox activation — putting counters on creatures, gaining life, killing fliers, or recycling your graveyard for one green mana each. It's a staple in Lara Croft, Tomb Raider builds and any green deck that wants deathtouch to do real work, and at its price point it earns every slot.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Lara Croft, Tomb Raider
Lara Croft, Tomb Raider rewards you for dealing combat damage with specific creatures, and Bow of Nylea turns every attacker into a deathtouch threat that opponents can't safely chump — making profitable blocks nearly impossible and ensuring Lara Croft, Tomb Raider's triggers fire.
Rendmaw, Creaking Nest
Rendmaw, Creaking Nest generates Insects whenever a non-Insect creature dies, so the deathtouch rider from Bow of Nylea converts trades and blocks into free tokens, feeding the engine with minimal investment.
Fynn, the Fangbearer
Fynn, the Fangbearer wins by dealing deathtouch combat damage to players, and Bow of Nylea makes every attacker qualify — turning even the smallest creature into a two-poison-counter clock and dramatically accelerating the kill.
Toski, Bearer of Secrets
Toski, Bearer of Secrets demands that your creatures connect for card draw, and Bow of Nylea's deathtouch makes blocking any of them a losing proposition, keeping the draw engine running reliably.
Wildsear, Scouring Maw
Wildsear, Scouring Maw cares about attacking and pressuring opponents, and Bow of Nylea's passive deathtouch plus its activated utility — particularly the +1/+1 counter mode — supports both the aggression and the creature development that deck needs.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Bow of Nylea is a legitimate multi-role piece: the passive deathtouch affects every attacker simultaneously, which matters enormously in a format where opponents have large blockers and combat is frequently unfavorable. The activated abilities — especially recycling cards from your graveyard back into your library — give it staying power in longer games where other enchantments would go idle. In competitive Constructed formats like Modern, Pioneer, and Legacy it sees essentially no play, because three mana for a passive and a one-shot activated ability can't keep pace with efficient removal and faster win conditions. Bow of Nylea is a Commander card, full stop, and it should be evaluated entirely through that lens.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
If the price is a barrier, Archetype of Aggression gives your team trample for two mana less, but it doesn't grant deathtouch and offers none of the activated utility. Ohran Frostfang is the closest functional peer — it also grants deathtouch to attackers and replaces itself with cards on damage — but costs more; if you're cutting Bow of Nylea for budget reasons, a simple Pathway Arrows or Viridian Longbow stapled to a cheap deathtouch creature covers the combat deterrence at minimal cost while sacrificing the toolbox modes entirely.
Price Context
Current price
$14.00 mid tier
At $14, Bow of Nylea sits in the mid tier — not a casual pickup, but not a budget-breaking ask either. It holds that price because it sees consistent demand across a wide range of green Commander decks rather than spiking from a single combo, which keeps the value stable rather than volatile.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.