No this isn't playable, but it has little to do with the existance of Terra Stomper and whether or not it can be countered. Who plays permission anyway? The few decks who do play MD permission do so because they fear Blightning and Thrinax. Big fatties that die to DoJ and Martial Coup and leave nothing behind are a control player's dream.
It is unplayable because the cost is too prohibitive, and decks that can muster fast guys have better use for their mana (like another Joraga Warcaller or an Eldrazi Monument/Overrun to freaking win the game rather than cast a fatty).
If something like Fists of Ironwood was legal then it would be different, I think. With ways to muster lots of tokens, really fast, a free or almost free Hydra would be good because then it would leave mana behind for protection (which Stomper doesn't).
At least the people drooling all over Emrakul and Kozilek are doing so in the face of 12+/12+ guys with broken "when you cast ~" abilities, annihilator X, protection from colored spells, and what not. A french vanilla 8/8? Color me unimpressed.
Well, in my elf deck, I usually have 5 elves out turn 3, some of them llanowars/arbors/archdruids (assuming no deaths), so I could get this guy out easily and quickly and attacking by turn 4. They have to deal with him, so he gets removal out of their hand and not used on my Joraga Warcaller or Elvish Archdruid. I like it and think I will be playing it.
I think everyone is getting a bit carried away by the whole Terra Stomper comparison. The point wasn't so much whether one was better than the other, it's that they're comparable creatures(same colour, size, ability) which can be played as fast as each other(turn 3 is the fastest either can be played in standard and it requires roughly the same hand in both cases) and both are equally vulnerable to removal.
And for some reason despite TS being a dollar rare at best and seeing no play this comparable new creature has been printed as a mythic(with the only special thing about it being it's affinity for green creatures cost reduction) and this is in a set where the other mythics so far are 3 insanely timmy-riffic Eldrazi titans, the flavourful All is Dust colorless sweeper and Lighthouse Chronologist(a creature that can potentially give you lots of extra turns), by comparison this guy just lacks the mythic feel. About the only thing mythic about it is the fact it's a hydra and the art but even then flavour wise it's not even a true hydra(no mechanic reference to growing/regrowing heads) and unlike Progenitus which was a godlike creature which just happened to be a hydra, this is just a normal hydra meaning there's no reason it shouldn't maintain hydra flavour.
I think this card is very playable. You can bet down with this guy and Gelatinous Genesis (that new Ooze token producer). Plus if you throw in Eldrazi Monument GG.:D:D:D I think this card is amazingly fun, but you would also have to watch out for that new wrath too :-/. Anyways its still a cool card. (AND PLAYABLE)
He's playable, but only in certain types of decks, i.e. ones that generate a ton of small green creatures to make him somewhere between cheap and free. In mono-green it's worth about the same as Terra Stomper if you have less than three creatures on the field, but, like the Stomper, he's not MEANT to be a first-turn bomb, more of a fifth-turn, when he can easily be played for free even in a questionably-constructed deck.
Despite that, I don't think they'll appear that much in constructed, but they won't be easy to deal with if they do show up, because a deck will probably be constructed around it if it uses the Hydra.
Id rather first pick a Lorthos in ZZZ over this terribad wannbe Hydra. Lorthos can win the game if it ever is windmilled slammed on the table. Such a bad card in Limited and Constructed. If they are actually trying to make EDH a sanctioned game and actually creating cards for it then I think I need to stop playing Magic.
Here is how I intend to play him:
T1: Forest, Bird
T2: Forest, Harrow, Explore, Khalni Garden
T3: Forest, Eldrazi Monument
T4: Sac plant, Forest, Avenger of Zendikar + 6 plant tokens + FREE 8/8 TRAMPLER
T5: Kill You
I would say that is a pretty good Turn 4.
Although really he would be in the deck to play incase I did not get the monument, I would have another Big threat for free.
There aren't a lot of ways you can keep enough creatures on the board long enough in this meta to make him early enough to be relevant. I don't really like it.
Id rather first pick a Lorthos in ZZZ over this terribad wannbe Hydra. Lorthos can win the game if it ever is windmilled slammed on the table. Such a bad card in Limited and Constructed. If they are actually trying to make EDH a sanctioned game and actually creating cards for it then I think I need to stop playing Magic.
something has to replace legacy.
I like him for the bestial deck I've been envisioning for a while. as a late bomb he's not bad considering he allows for the extra mana to be left open for protection like canopy cover and vines of the vastwood or even bear umbra.
I like the guy, he may not be the most powerful mythic but has an interesting playstyle. I definately see him being a superbomb in limited, and may hit constructed in monogreen stompy decks.
This card costs less than it looks. What's also interesting is that although it looks like a super-green card, in can be played in a two-color deck. I probably wouldn't stretch it to three colors unless you've got a multicolor way to make a pile of tokens.
In a strongly green deck like the Monument where tokens are the norm, you should strongly consider playing this guy. Wolfbriar Elemental, Howl of the Night Pack, and Avenger of Zendikar aren't just threats, they're ramp when you have this guy in your hand. Play out an army of tiny dudes, and follow up with an 8/8.
Obviously agains DoJ you're working uphill unless you have a monument, but against nonwhite you have your removal bases covered. A Pyroclasm would nerf your tokens, but not the Hydra, and a Terminate would nerf the hydra, but not the tokens. The strength of this card will not be mediated on its back alone, but on the strength of green in general.
Consider it for Eldrazi green. It's certainly not something every deck would play, but it can solidify things for you.
Of course, I'm hoping for a full set of these for the casual tables. That's where it's gonna be the most fun.
Can't we just be happy with the cool looking hydra? It probably has no place in tournaments, but that's ok. It owns in noob ground stalls, it's best friends with chroma, it's a free spell that's not broken, and it's a mythic that you'll never have to buy because it'll never be teir 1. Sure, it's not as good as Terra Stomper, but it's a really neat card.
Add in Shroud/Troll-Shroud and he'd be playable. Right now he's worse than Terra Stomper.
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I think if Elves make a comeback he can probably see play in Eldrazi green. He has no sort of evasion but it is yet another threat they have to deal with. With a monument out he is a 9/9 flying indestructable fatty that comes down extremely cheap
false maths everywhere, with a big fat purpple conclusion that screams "I'm a so right because I used SCIENCE" while completly missing the point.
To get terra stomper turn 3, you need a lot of luck (So I fetch / harrow and with lotus cobra...) this card, on the other hand sounds like a very plausible turn 3.
I think it's YOU who completely missed the point of my post. You're trying to tell me that Hydra is better than Stomper because "green has mana dorks". Are you aware that these mana dorks tap for green mana no matter which of the two creatures one is playing?
As an 8/8 for 8, it almost seems like it should have been another Octopus, and got colour shifted to green at some point. Shame; in Blue it might have found a place in the octopus/leviathon deck.
Nice! I would have loved this as an Octopus. Would make a lot more sense with that creature type, since this acts nothing like a Hydra. And in blue, it would have felt truly mythic and unique, rather than just being another cheap green fatty.
I could get this guy out easily and quickly and attacking by turn 4. They have to deal with him, so he gets removal out of their hand and not used on my..
The "I play this card so that my opponent kills it instead of my other cards" argument should have died long ago. Like when the internet was invented and players could learn basic strategy from each other.
I'm kinda happy everyone hates it, now I can get a playset easily for my monogreen stompy Extended deck.
(Note, this is not an advertisement - I am illustrating my point with real life data.) I've been selling playsets on ebay for between $20 and $24 (buy it now) since the card was revealed. I've sold 6 playsets so far. Meanwhile, regular auctions for playsets are already at $36, with 18 hours still to go in the auction. Seems like people are happy paying almost double what they need to
My thought is that when the set comes out in 4 weeks, I'll buy all the Hydras I need for about $2.50 each, and fill my preorders.
@rancored_elf That was just the god hand but I play that deck competativly right now and i usually hit Avenger around turn 5 (sometimes 4 or 6). Quite often, an opponent responds by removing the Avenger before I can get Monumented up or harrow. What the Hydra does in this situation is drop another threat using the tokens in order to overwhelm the amount of removal they can use in a turn.
P.S. I run Monuments and Garruk so I already have the other suggested win cons for tokens in the deck, this is really simply ANOTHER possible win con for my opponent to deal with.
And tapping for G while in the same time reducing the cost of the fatty by G is exactly the same as tapping for G, right ?
RTFC
We all know it has a cost reduction ability. If it didn't, why would anyone even be considering it as potentially better than Terra Stomper, which costs 2 mana less, and is more splashable, and has a better creature type, and is less rare, and is uncounterable? The ONLY way Hydra can be better than Terra Stomper, an unplayable 50c rare, is if you get a discount on the ridiculously high mana cost.
So, yes. I'm aware of what the card does, and how it plays.
i usually hit Avenger around turn 5 (sometimes 4 or 6). Quite often, an opponent responds by removing the Avenger before I can get Monumented up or harrow. What the Hydra does in this situation is drop another threat using the tokens in order to overwhelm the amount of removal they can use in a turn.
Nice. Yes, that certainly seems like a great follow up to a well-set-up successful Avenger strategy. They better hope they have a sweeper!
Yeah it doesn't seem that good. I do think Terra Stomper is playable (and my friend has an annoying deck with it). At the worst, he will be Stompers #5+6 for my friend.
Should at least have G: Regenerate right? And it seems like a bombo with a set that will have many creatures making colorless creature tokens that sac for colorless mana...
No. It's not playable, not for a serious deck anyways. I'm honestly starting to wonder if anything from Rise of the Eldrazi is going to see serious tournament play. Everything seems like fodder for Timmy casual gaming.
I have no problem with cards designed for more casual play. The whole point of Magic is to have fun. If you want serious competition, take up sports.
My elf deck has a high density of threats, with a total of 14-16 cards that need to be answered somehow. With this, it's upped to 16-18. All of them I can play turn 5 consistently, and I mean everything that was in my hand (except maybe a vines of vastwood) is on the field or GY. I will usualy have to make you decide between letting me keep: Protean Hydra, Khalni Hydra, Kicked a lot Joraga Warcaller, Elvish Archdruid, or Omnath. Your choice.
My elf deck has a high density of threats, with a total of 14-16 cards that need to be answered somehow. With this, it's upped to 16-18. All of them I can play turn 5 consistently, and I mean everything that was in my hand (except maybe a vines of vastwood) is on the field or GY. I will usualy have to make you decide between letting me keep: Protean Hydra, Khalni Hydra, Kicked a lot Joraga Warcaller, Elvish Archdruid, or Omnath. Your choice
.
Won't your turn 5 consistency be hurt by adding more threats (and subtracting, presumably, something that helped said consistency)?
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It is unplayable because the cost is too prohibitive, and decks that can muster fast guys have better use for their mana (like another Joraga Warcaller or an Eldrazi Monument/Overrun to freaking win the game rather than cast a fatty).
If something like Fists of Ironwood was legal then it would be different, I think. With ways to muster lots of tokens, really fast, a free or almost free Hydra would be good because then it would leave mana behind for protection (which Stomper doesn't).
At least the people drooling all over Emrakul and Kozilek are doing so in the face of 12+/12+ guys with broken "when you cast ~" abilities, annihilator X, protection from colored spells, and what not. A french vanilla 8/8? Color me unimpressed.
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And for some reason despite TS being a dollar rare at best and seeing no play this comparable new creature has been printed as a mythic(with the only special thing about it being it's affinity for green creatures cost reduction) and this is in a set where the other mythics so far are 3 insanely timmy-riffic Eldrazi titans, the flavourful All is Dust colorless sweeper and Lighthouse Chronologist(a creature that can potentially give you lots of extra turns), by comparison this guy just lacks the mythic feel. About the only thing mythic about it is the fact it's a hydra and the art but even then flavour wise it's not even a true hydra(no mechanic reference to growing/regrowing heads) and unlike Progenitus which was a godlike creature which just happened to be a hydra, this is just a normal hydra meaning there's no reason it shouldn't maintain hydra flavour.
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T2 - Land, Greenweaver Druid
T3 - Land, Bestial Menace
T4 - Land, Bestial Menace
T5 - Khalni Hydra
Despite that, I don't think they'll appear that much in constructed, but they won't be easy to deal with if they do show up, because a deck will probably be constructed around it if it uses the Hydra.
T1: Forest, Bird
T2: Forest, Harrow, Explore, Khalni Garden
T3: Forest, Eldrazi Monument
T4: Sac plant, Forest, Avenger of Zendikar + 6 plant tokens + FREE 8/8 TRAMPLER
T5: Kill You
I would say that is a pretty good Turn 4.
Although really he would be in the deck to play incase I did not get the monument, I would have another Big threat for free.
something has to replace legacy.
I like him for the bestial deck I've been envisioning for a while. as a late bomb he's not bad considering he allows for the extra mana to be left open for protection like canopy cover and vines of the vastwood or even bear umbra.
- whhhhhaaat?
Standard Decks:
UBRGrixis ControlRBU
This card costs less than it looks. What's also interesting is that although it looks like a super-green card, in can be played in a two-color deck. I probably wouldn't stretch it to three colors unless you've got a multicolor way to make a pile of tokens.
Avenger of Zendikar and this guy, that made me giggle.
In a strongly green deck like the Monument where tokens are the norm, you should strongly consider playing this guy. Wolfbriar Elemental, Howl of the Night Pack, and Avenger of Zendikar aren't just threats, they're ramp when you have this guy in your hand. Play out an army of tiny dudes, and follow up with an 8/8.
Obviously agains DoJ you're working uphill unless you have a monument, but against nonwhite you have your removal bases covered. A Pyroclasm would nerf your tokens, but not the Hydra, and a Terminate would nerf the hydra, but not the tokens. The strength of this card will not be mediated on its back alone, but on the strength of green in general.
Consider it for Eldrazi green. It's certainly not something every deck would play, but it can solidify things for you.
Of course, I'm hoping for a full set of these for the casual tables. That's where it's gonna be the most fun.
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T1: Forest, Llanowars
T2: Forest, Llanowars, Elvish Visionary
T3: Forest, Archdruid, gets bolted, Visionary.
T4: Oran Rief, Nissa's chosen, Hydra
T5: Warcaller, kicked once, Riefed once, terminate responded to with Vines of Vastwood, swing with an 8/8 and 4 3/3's, and a 4/5. Lethal damage ensues.
I consider that good.
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:EDH:
GMolimo, Maro-SorcererG
WRTrias, The Betrayer (Gisela)RW
BRWKaalia, of the VastWRB
Thanks to SushiOtter of Hakai Studios for the awesome banner, and Argetlam of Hakai Studios for the equally awesome avvie!
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There is no competitive deck like this.
Add in Shroud/Troll-Shroud and he'd be playable. Right now he's worse than Terra Stomper.
1. Not help against sweepers
2. Not be needed against spot removal.
Back in the day, Serra Angel was considered nuts. Now, an 8/8 (edit: WITH TRAMPLE) that can easily cost 4 or less is looked upon without favor.
Personally, I love this card, but then again I avoid Standard (and all constructed formats) like the plague.
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Standard:Mono-Black midrange, BW Vamp-Blade
Extended: Mono-Black Vampires, Faeries
EDH: Jhoira, Glissa (In progress), Kaervec the Merciless.
Liliana Vess Collection count: 91 and 8 Liliana of the Veil
- whhhhhaaat?
Standard Decks:
UBRGrixis ControlRBU
I think it's YOU who completely missed the point of my post. You're trying to tell me that Hydra is better than Stomper because "green has mana dorks". Are you aware that these mana dorks tap for green mana no matter which of the two creatures one is playing?
Nice! I would have loved this as an Octopus. Would make a lot more sense with that creature type, since this acts nothing like a Hydra. And in blue, it would have felt truly mythic and unique, rather than just being another cheap green fatty.
The "I play this card so that my opponent kills it instead of my other cards" argument should have died long ago. Like when the internet was invented and players could learn basic strategy from each other.
EVERY non-control deck can dream up a god hand to let them win turn 5 against an opponent with nothing but 5 lands in play and nothing in hand.
(Note, this is not an advertisement - I am illustrating my point with real life data.) I've been selling playsets on ebay for between $20 and $24 (buy it now) since the card was revealed. I've sold 6 playsets so far. Meanwhile, regular auctions for playsets are already at $36, with 18 hours still to go in the auction. Seems like people are happy paying almost double what they need to
My thought is that when the set comes out in 4 weeks, I'll buy all the Hydras I need for about $2.50 each, and fill my preorders.
.
P.S. I run Monuments and Garruk so I already have the other suggested win cons for tokens in the deck, this is really simply ANOTHER possible win con for my opponent to deal with.
RTFC
We all know it has a cost reduction ability. If it didn't, why would anyone even be considering it as potentially better than Terra Stomper, which costs 2 mana less, and is more splashable, and has a better creature type, and is less rare, and is uncounterable? The ONLY way Hydra can be better than Terra Stomper, an unplayable 50c rare, is if you get a discount on the ridiculously high mana cost.
So, yes. I'm aware of what the card does, and how it plays.
You?
Nice. Yes, that certainly seems like a great follow up to a well-set-up successful Avenger strategy. They better hope they have a sweeper!
.
Should at least have G: Regenerate right? And it seems like a bombo with a set that will have many creatures making colorless creature tokens that sac for colorless mana...
I have no problem with cards designed for more casual play. The whole point of Magic is to have fun. If you want serious competition, take up sports.
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My elf deck has a high density of threats, with a total of 14-16 cards that need to be answered somehow. With this, it's upped to 16-18. All of them I can play turn 5 consistently, and I mean everything that was in my hand (except maybe a vines of vastwood) is on the field or GY. I will usualy have to make you decide between letting me keep: Protean Hydra, Khalni Hydra, Kicked a lot Joraga Warcaller, Elvish Archdruid, or Omnath. Your choice.
:LEGACY:
XLEDed DredgeX
BTraitor's GateB
:EDH:
GMolimo, Maro-SorcererG
WRTrias, The Betrayer (Gisela)RW
BRWKaalia, of the VastWRB
Thanks to SushiOtter of Hakai Studios for the awesome banner, and Argetlam of Hakai Studios for the equally awesome avvie!
Generation 2556677: The first time you see this, add it to your sig, but add 1 to the number. Call it a social experiment.
Won't your turn 5 consistency be hurt by adding more threats (and subtracting, presumably, something that helped said consistency)?