Nesting Dovehawk 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
Flying At the beginning of combat on your turn, populate. (Create a token that's a copy of a creature token you control.) Whenever a creature token you control enters, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
Complete guide
Nesting Dovehawk is a powerful engine for token decks, providing both consistent board growth and a scaling offensive threat. As a creature with Flying that populates every turn, it ensures your army never stops expanding.
The Mechanics of Populate
At the beginning of combat on your turn, Nesting Dovehawk triggers its populate ability. This allows you to choose any creature token you currently control and create a copy of it. This process does not target, meaning you make the choice as the ability resolves, and your opponent cannot respond to the specific choice of token once the ability starts resolving. If you control no tokens, the ability simply does nothing.
Growing the Flock
Every time a creature token enters the battlefield under your control—whether from Nesting Dovehawk's populate ability or another source—this Bird receives a +1/+1 counter. This makes Nesting Dovehawk a self-synergizing threat that grows larger every combat. Note that the counter is placed after the token has entered the battlefield, and if multiple tokens enter at once, Nesting Dovehawk will trigger for each one individually.
Copying Characteristics
When you populate, the new token copies the base characteristics of the original token as defined by the effect that created it. It does not copy any counters, Auras, Equipment, or temporary power and toughness changes currently affecting the original token. If you copy a token that is itself a copy of another creature, the new token will have the attributes of whatever that original token is currently copying.
When to Deploy
Since the populate ability triggers at the beginning of combat, you generally want to cast Nesting Dovehawk during your first main phase. This ensures you get immediate value the turn it hits the table, provided you already have a token to copy. It is best protected in decks that can generate a variety of tokens, allowing you to choose the most impactful creature to clone based on the current board state.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf you have a token copy of Roaming Throne on the battlefield (perhaps created by another effect) and have chosen 'Bird' for its type, Nesting Dovehawk's abilities will trigger twice. At the beginning of combat, you will populate twice, creating two new tokens. This in turn triggers Nesting Dovehawk's second ability four times total (twice for each token), resulting in four +1/+1 counters.
Solemn SimulacrumIf you control a creature token that is a copy of Solemn Simulacrum, you can choose to copy it when Nesting Dovehawk populates. As the new token enters the battlefield, its triggered ability goes on the stack, allowing you to search for a basic land. Simultaneously, Nesting Dovehawk triggers to receive a +1/+1 counter because a creature token entered the battlefield.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Nesting Dovehawk
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Populate doesn't target the creature token you're copying. You choose that creature token as you're taking the populate action. You can choose any creature token you control. If a spell or ability causes you to create a creature token and then instructs you to populate, you may choose to copy the token you just created, or you may choose to copy another creature token you control.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If you choose to copy a creature token that's a copy of another creature, the new creature token will copy the characteristics of whatever the original token is copying.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The new creature token copies the characteristics of the original token as stated by the effect that created the original token.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
The new token doesn't copy whether the original token is tapped or untapped, whether it has any counters on it or Auras and Equipment attached to it, or any noncopy effects that have changed its power, toughness, color, and so on.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied token will trigger when the new token enters the battlefield. Any "as [this creature] enters the battlefield" or "[this creature] enters the battlefield with" abilities of the copied token will also work.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If you control no creature tokens when you populate, nothing will happen.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Zinnia, Valley's Voice + Nesting Dovehawk + Combat Celebrant + Frostcliff Siege
- 1Cast Combat Celebrant by paying
plus an additional for its offspring cost. - 2When Combat Celebrant enters, its offspring ability triggers, creating a token copy of it that is 1/1.
- 3At the beginning of your combat phase, Nesting Dovehawk triggers, creating a copy of the Combat Celebrant token.
- 4Declare a Combat Celebrant token as an attacker, choosing to exert it as it attacks. It then triggers, untapping all other creatures you control and causing you to get an additional combat phase after this one.
- 5Repeat from step 3 each combat phase.
Zinnia, Valley's Voice + Timestream Navigator + Nesting Dovehawk
- 1Cast TImestream Navigator by paying
, plus an additional for its offspring cost. - 2If you control ten or more permanents and don't have the city's blessing, Timestream Navigator gives you the city's blessing.
- 3When Timestream Navigator enters the battlefield, it triggers, creating a token copy of it that is 1/1.
- 4If you control ten or more permanents and don't have the city's blessing, the Timestream Navigator token gives you the city's blessing.
- 5At the beginning of your combat phase, Nesting Dovehawk triggers, creating a copy of the Timestream Navigator token.
- 6If you control ten or more permanents and don't have the city's blessing, the Timestream Navigator token gives you the city's blessing.
- 7During your next turn, repeat steps 5 and 6. Then, activate the oldest Timestream Navigator token by paying , tapping it and putting it from the battlefield onto the bottom of your library, causing you to take an extra turn after this one.
- 8Repeat step 7.
Zinnia, Valley's Voice + Nesting Dovehawk + Combat Celebrant + Roar of Resistance
- 1Cast Combat Celebrant by paying plus an additional for its offspring cost.
- 2When Combat Celebrant enters, its offspring ability triggers, creating a token copy of it that is 1/1.
- 3At the beginning of your combat phase, Nesting Dovehawk triggers, creating a copy of the Combat Celebrant token.
- 4Declare a Combat Celebrant token as an attacker, choosing to exert it as it attacks. It then triggers, untapping all other creatures you control and causing you to get an additional combat phase after this one.
- 5Repeat from step 3 each combat phase.
Zinnia, Valley's Voice + Nesting Dovehawk + Combat Celebrant + Rising of the Day
- 1Cast Combat Celebrant by paying plus an additional for its offspring cost.
- 2When Combat Celebrant enters, its offspring ability triggers, creating a token copy of it that is 1/1.
- 3At the beginning of your combat phase, Nesting Dovehawk triggers, creating a copy of the Combat Celebrant token.
- 4Declare a Combat Celebrant token as an attacker, choosing to exert it as it attacks. It then triggers, untapping all other creatures you control and causing you to get an additional combat phase after this one.
- 5Repeat from step 3 each combat phase.
Zinnia, Valley's Voice + Nesting Dovehawk + Combat Celebrant + Anger
- 1Cast Combat Celebrant by paying plus an additional for its offspring cost.
- 2When Combat Celebrant enters, its offspring ability triggers, creating a token copy of it that is 1/1.
- 3At the beginning of your combat phase, Nesting Dovehawk triggers, creating a copy of the Combat Celebrant token.
- 4Declare a Combat Celebrant token as an attacker, choosing to exert it as it attacks. It then triggers, untapping all other creatures you control and causing you to get an additional combat phase after this one.
- 5Repeat from step 3 each combat phase.
Zinnia, Valley's Voice + Nesting Dovehawk + Combat Celebrant + The Fire Crystal
- 1Cast Combat Celebrant by paying plus an additional for its offspring cost.
- 2When Combat Celebrant enters, its offspring ability triggers, creating a token copy of it that is 1/1.
- 3At the beginning of your combat phase, Nesting Dovehawk triggers, creating a copy of the Combat Celebrant token.
- 4Declare a Combat Celebrant token as an attacker, choosing to exert it as it attacks. It then triggers, untapping all other creatures you control and causing you to get an additional combat phase after this one.
- 5Repeat from step 3 each combat phase.
Zinnia, Valley's Voice + Nesting Dovehawk + Combat Celebrant + Fervor
- 1Cast Combat Celebrant by paying plus an additional for its offspring cost.
- 2When Combat Celebrant enters, its offspring ability triggers, creating a token copy of it that is 1/1.
- 3At the beginning of your combat phase, Nesting Dovehawk triggers, creating a copy of the Combat Celebrant token.
- 4Declare a Combat Celebrant token as an attacker, choosing to exert it as it attacks. It then triggers, untapping all other creatures you control and causing you to get an additional combat phase after this one.
- 5Repeat from step 3 each combat phase.
Zinnia, Valley's Voice + Nesting Dovehawk + Combat Celebrant + Tannuk, Steadfast Second
- 1Cast Combat Celebrant by paying plus an additional for its offspring cost.
- 2When Combat Celebrant enters, its offspring ability triggers, creating a token copy of it that is 1/1.
- 3At the beginning of your combat phase, Nesting Dovehawk triggers, creating a copy of the Combat Celebrant token.
- 4Declare a Combat Celebrant token as an attacker, choosing to exert it as it attacks. It then triggers, untapping all other creatures you control and causing you to get an additional combat phase after this one.
- 5Repeat from step 3 each combat phase.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Nesting Dovehawk
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