The Black Arrow
AI draftAI-generated draft analysis — not yet human-reviewed. Treat with healthy skepticism.Limited summary
A flexible Equipment that can pick off an X/1 at instant speed, finish a damaged target, or cleanly destroy a Dragon, then remain as a cheap +1/+1 and reach boost. It is solid in most decks and especially valuable in RW Equipment/Storied decks.
Roles
Archetypes
Play around this
When the opponent has three mana available, avoid exposing an important 1-toughness creature or Dragon if possible, and remember that the 1 damage can finish a creature after combat.
Gameplay notes
Flash lets you delay committing the card and use its enter-the-battlefield damage at the best moment, but it does not attach immediately; equip can still be activated only during your own main phase at sorcery speed. Move it onto an attacker when pressing damage, then onto a blocker with good toughness when its reach matters.
Key synergies
The Black Arrow entering triggers Kíli's card-draw ability, contributes toward an enduring story, and can later be moved for free with Kíli's Storied equip-cost ability.
Thorin can attach The Black Arrow without paying its equip cost, and that attachment causes the equipped creature to deal damage equal to its power to an opposing creature. The Arrow's +1/+1 increases that damage.
As a legendary artifact with flash, The Black Arrow can be played in response to an opponent targeting your board; if it is the third qualifying permanent, it permanently establishes the enduring story and immediately adds Thorin's ward tax to that spell or ability.
Each Dwalin trigger adds a hone counter to The Black Arrow, permanently increasing the power bonus it grants and making its cheap equip cost increasingly threatening.
The Arrow cheaply supplies another equipped attacker for Dáin's attack trigger, granting that creature double strike; its +1/+1 is effectively counted twice in double-strike combat.
The Mauler reduces The Black Arrow's equip {1} to {0}, allowing its +1/+1 and reach to be moved onto the Mauler without spending mana.