Greatbow Doyen is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Other Archer creatures you control get +1/+1. Whenever an Archer you control deals damage to a creature, that Archer deals that much damage to that creature's controller.
Complete guide
Greatbow Doyen is a powerful tribal lord that turns your flight of arrows into direct damage against your opponents. By combining a stat boost for your Archers with a potent triggered ability, it ensures that no block goes unpunished.
The Archer Lord's Influence
Greatbow Doyen provides two distinct benefits. First, it offers a static +1/+1 buff to other Archer creatures you control. Second, it has a triggered ability that monitors all Archers you control; whenever one of them deals damage to a creature, the Doyen causes that Archer to deal an equal amount of damage to that creature's controller. This includes both combat damage and non-combat damage from abilities.
Step-by-Step Resolution
When an Archer you control deals damage to a creature, the Doyen's second ability triggers and is put onto the stack. When the ability resolves, the game checks how much damage was dealt to the creature. Then, the Archer itself deals that exact amount of damage to the creature's controller. Note that because the Archer is the source of the secondary damage, qualities like Lifelink or Deathtouch on that Archer will apply to the damage dealt to the player.
Important Limitations
The triggered ability only functions while Greatbow Doyen is on the battlefield. It only triggers when an Archer 'permanent' deals damage, not an Archer spell. Furthermore, the damage is dealt by the Archer, not the Doyen itself. If the Archer that dealt the initial damage leaves the battlefield before the triggered ability resolves, the ability still uses the Archer's last known information to deal the damage to the player.
When to Deploy
Play Greatbow Doyen when you have a board state of Archers or ways to deal non-combat damage. It is particularly effective against decks that rely on blocking with small creatures, as it ensures your opponent's life total drops even if your attacks are intercepted.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf you attack with Greatbow Doyen and your opponent blocks with Solemn Simulacrum, Greatbow Doyen (a 2/4) deals 2 damage to the Golem. This triggers its own ability, causing Greatbow Doyen to deal an additional 2 damage directly to the opponent. The opponent then gets to draw a card from the Simulacrum's death, but they have lost 2 life in the process.
Roaming ThroneIf Roaming Throne enters the battlefield with 'Archer' chosen as the creature type, it gains the +1/+1 bonus from Greatbow Doyen. More importantly, if an Archer deals damage to a creature, Roaming Throne's ability causes Greatbow Doyen's triggered ability to fire an additional time. If an Archer deals 3 damage to a creature, the controller of that creature will be dealt 3 damage twice, for a total of 6 damage.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Greatbow Doyen
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The second ability triggers only when an Archer permanent you control deals damage to a creature. It won’t trigger when an Archer spell you control deals damage.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
The ability will trigger whether the damage is combat damage or not.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Greatbow Doyen
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