So a player can go Turn 1 land, turn 2 land ratchet bomb, turn 3 land mind grind for 1 to mill the library and break ratchet bomb for game.
Then you get the satisfaction of winning while having no fun whatsoever. Hope you feel good about it.
Welcome to Spike's mind.
The Hydra can be beat by MonoW and MonoB, and destroyed by Mythic Midrange, Gruul, Esper or Selesnya. There' no need to fight it with a deck other than the one you're taking to Game Day other than being a pompous ******* who wants to "dominate" the game.
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Yes sir, I take fantasy art and character design commissions, PM me for rates.
You don't call "dying to removal" if the removal is more expensive in resources than the creature. If you have to spend BG (Abrupt Decay), or W + basic land (PtE) to remove a 1G, that is not "dying to removal". Strictly speaking Goyf dies to removal, but actually your removal is dying to Goyf.
I wonder if solo play will have any value judging the quality of a constructed deck. I kinda doubt it since the hydra is not interacting with you on your turn (ie stack shenanigans), but perhaps combining the best of two will give some information. Gotta be better than goldfishing.
If it weren't for the Type2 restriction, MirrorWeave kills the fun of playing this deck. No Hydra in play, and no hydra dies so no "head replacing" ability would be triggered.
I thought about this approach after someone posted about inviting people to build a modern deck to play against the hydra at the Modern Sub-Forums. No wonder the eternal formats were left out. LMAO
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On the works: Leyline Deck Wins
:symbu:Null 'n Void:symbu:
Decks built:
:symg::symb::symr::symw::symu:ChangelingsUWRBG
:symru:16 land Ignite Memories Combo:symru:
:symbu:Hunted Singularity:symbu:
The trigger is at the start of the turn, so you'd need to kill the creatures as well.
Also, I want to make a deck specifically designed to help the Hydra. So far, cards I can think to include would be Doran and Spelltwine. Any other suggestions?
The trigger is at the start of the turn, so you'd need to kill the creatures as well.
Also, I want to make a deck specifically designed to help the Hydra. So far, cards I can think to include would be Doran and Spelltwine. Any other suggestions?
I focused on the "The player(s) win when no heads remain on the battlefield." part of the game rules. From what I understand, IF the all the creatures on the Hydra's battlefield are no longer hydras, then you win.
Private Mod Note
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Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
On the works: Leyline Deck Wins
:symbu:Null 'n Void:symbu:
Decks built:
:symg::symb::symr::symw::symu:ChangelingsUWRBG
:symru:16 land Ignite Memories Combo:symru:
:symbu:Hunted Singularity:symbu:
I focused on the "The player(s) win when no heads remain on the battlefield." part of the game rules. From what I understand, IF the all the creatures on the Hydra's battlefield are no longer hydras, then you win.
Yes, that only triggers at the start of each turn.
Yes, that only triggers at the start of each turn.
Umm, Mirrorweave is instant, so you COULD cast it at end of turn of the player BEFORE the Hydra. That way, the Mirrorweave effect only stops until the end of Hydra's turn. Effectively turning his hydra heads into something else at the start of Hydra's turn FTW. You don't have to kill anything.
Umm, Mirrorweave is instant, so you COULD cast it at end of turn of the player BEFORE the Hydra. That way, the Mirrorweave effect only stops until the end of Hydra's turn. Effectively turning his hydra heads into something else at the start of Hydra's turn FTW. You don't have to kill anything.
That doesn't work. You can't cast a spell between the end of one player's turn and the beginning of another. AFAIK, you can't even activate mana abilities at that time. If you had, I dunno, Staying Power, then your combo would work.
While there are undoubtedly going to be 1-2 card win combos against this deck, Mirrorweave can only be a 2 card win.
If you want a 1 card win, look at Mannichi, the Fevered Dream. All he needs in mana and he kills off all the heads, and then again for all regrowth.
I'll let you hit them with BSpy, but I'll use the convention that the land-content standard for 60 card decks is traditionally 24, or 40%, or roughly 1 every 2.5 cards. So there you go by definition I'll rule BSpy mills, say 3 cards the first time, then 2, then 3, then 2, etc.
My copy just arrived. This post will simply involve me confirming things by posting EXACTLY what is in the box.
1x
Rules Foldout, with the playmat on one side and a picture of the Hydra on the other.
11x
Hydra Head
Creature - Head Hero's Reward - When Hydra Head leaves the battlefield, each player gains 2 life.
0/3
4x
Ravenous Brute Head
Elite Creature - Head Hero's Reward - When Ravenous Brute Head leaves the battlefield, each player gains 2 life and draws a card.
0/6
1x
Savage Vigor Head
Elite Creature - Head
At the beginning of the Hydra's end step, reveal the top card of the Hydra's library and the Hydra casts that card. Hero's Reward - When Savage Vigor Head leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
0/8
1x
Shrieking Titan Head
Elite Creature - Head
At the beginning of the Hydra's end step, each player discards a card. Hero's Reward - When Shrieking Titan Head leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
0/8
1x
Snapping Fang Head
Elite Creature - Head
At the beginning of the Hydra's end step, Snapping Fang Head deals 1 damage to each player. Hero's Reward - When Snapping Fang Head leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
0/8
5x
Disorienting Glower
Sorcery
Players can't cast spells until the Hydra's next turn.
5x
Distract the Hydra
Sorcery
Each player may sacrifice a creature. Each player who sacrificed a creature this way chooses a Head and taps it. Each player who didn't sacrifice a creature this way loses 3 life.
4x
Grown from the Stump
Sorcery
Put exactly two cards named Hydra Head onto the battlefield from the Hydra's graveyard. If you can't, reveal cards from the top of the Hydra's library until you reveal a Head card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest into the Hydra's graveyard.
4x
Hydra's Impenetrable Hide
Sorcery
Each Head gains indestructible until the end of the Hydra's next turn.
3x
Neck Tangle
Sorcery
If there are five or more Heads on the battlefield, tap two of them and they don't untap during the Hydra's next untap step. Otherwise, reveal the top card of the Hydra's library and the Hydra casts that card.
4x
Noxious Hydra Breath
Sorcery
Choose one - Noxious Hydra Breath deals 5 damage to each player; or destroy each tapped non-Head creature.
2x
Strike the Weak Spot
Sorcery
Destroy target Head. If that Head was elite, the Hydra takes an extra turn after this one.
5x
Swallow the Hero Whole
Sorcery
Each player exiles a creature he or she controls. Until the Hydra's next turn, when a Head leaves the battlefield, return the exiled cards to the battlefield under their owners' control.
4x
Torn Between Heads
Sorcery
Tap up to two Heads. They don't untap during the Hydra's next untap step. Torn Between Heads deals 5 damage to each player.
6x
Unified Lunge
Sorcery
Unified Lunge deals X damage to each player, where X is the number of Heads on the battlefield.
Rules:
Face the Hydra!
Take the next step on the Hero's Path and play a new form of Magic: The Gathering. Face this Challenge Deck as a single hero or with a group. The deck's rules let you run the Hydra too!
How to Play
You can battle the Hydra alone or with friends (just replace "you" with "each player" in these rules). At the end of any turn, if there are no Heads on the battlefield, you win!
Use the regular Magic rules with the following exceptions:
You start with up to two Hero cards on the battlefield. (You don't need a Hero to play.)
Choose a starting number of Heads. Take that many cards named Hydra Head from the Challange Deck and place tham on the battlefield. Shuffle the remaining cards to form the Hydra's library.
You go first. (Don't draw a card on your first turn.)
Then the Hydra takes it's turn, and so on.
You can attack Heads directly with your creatures. Any number of creatures can attack a single Head
Growing New Heads: Whenever a Head leaves the battlefield, reveal the top two cards of the Hydra's library. Put any Heads onto the battlefield and any sorcery cards into the Hydra's graveyard.
The Hydra's Turn
At the start of the Hydra's turn, untap any tapped Heads.
Reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card. When the spell resolves, if it's a Head, put it onto the battlefield. If it's a sorcery, follow its instructions and then put it into the Hydra's graveyard.
The Hydra deals 1 damage to you for each untapped card named Hydra Head it controls and 2 damage to you for each untapped elite Head it controls.
Special Rules
If the Hydra would be dealt damage or lose life, instead deal that much damage to a Head of your choice.
Ignore effects that would cause the Hydra to draw or discard cards, or any impossible actions.
If a Head would move to any other zone than the graveyard, instead put it into the Hydra's graveyard.
You make any choices for the Hydra.
The back of the box says:
FACE THE HYDRA
Your Hero's Path has led you here. You face a foe beyond all others: the mighty hydra! Cut down one head, and new ones sprout. Defeating such a monster will take everything you've got.
This box contains sixty challenge cards and an instructional playmat. To play against this challenge deck, each player must have a Magic: The Gathering deck.
Any extra questions will be answered ASAP. I'll also try and scan the cards and playmat, though this will probably take a while.
Images time! (Note: These are not super good quality; my printer is really old. Sorry.
Card Back:
Hydra Head
Ravenous Brute Head
Savage Vigor Head
Shrieking Titan Head
Snapping Fang Head
Disorienting Glower
Distract the Hydra
Grown from the Stump
Hydra's Impenetrable Hide
Neck Tangle
Noxious Hydra Breath
Strike the Weak Spot
Swallow the Hero Whole
Torn Between Heads
Unified Lunge
Turn 1 play already locks the hydra since it has to cast everything from its library and the Heads can't be replaced, so it even wins against 11 initial Heads if you have the Ratchet Bomb.
Edit: And if you want to really rules-lawyer the hydra, consider: "Reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card." This doesn't give the hydra permission to pay an alternate cost ("without paying its mana cost"), and the cards don't have mana costs, the lack of which represents an unpayable cost, so the hydra can't cast anything this way.
There appear to be a number of problems with the rules as is, the one I think is the biggest problem being "If a Head would move to any other zone than the graveyard, instead put it into the Hydra's graveyard." because the technically move to the battlefield when being cast. This rule wasn't well thought out, and I can't think of reasons to even have except for "Return to hand" effects. IMO, the draw and discard rules should have been different too, with draw either milling or, if you want a challenge, casting each card drawn.
Also, I concede to the point that, since the loss is now on the end step, that Mirrorweave is an instant win.
Perhaps, like EDH, we should have a group of people outside WotC who try to regulate the rules once the event is over, making rules changes that prevent the deck losing to simple, usually ineffective combos, like the ones mentioned above. It would be cool to make this and the other two challenge decks into proper formats...
EDIT: The first one isn't too bad really, as Humility + Æther Flash seems like it would be a reasonable combo anyway.
hmmm, ratchet bomb, gaze of granite, 2 harvesters, detention sphere for regular heads, anger of the gods, curse of swine, homing lightning, restore the peace, spear of helioid...
hmmm, ratchet bomb, gaze of granite, 2 harvesters, detention sphere for regular heads, anger of the gods, curse of swine, homing lightning, restore the peace, spear of helioid...
Not saying you couldn't build a ridiculous deck targeting the hydra deck, I'm not doing that though. I'm going to run the standard deck I put together for the following tournament, just to see how it goes. My LGS is giving the full art Phalanx Leader card regardless of beating the hydra or not, so I'll get one either way. Rather than cheat the hydra, I'm going to see how my regular deck fairs.(although it's a rock deck, so gaze of granite is in there lol)
Welcome to Spike's mind.
The Hydra can be beat by MonoW and MonoB, and destroyed by Mythic Midrange, Gruul, Esper or Selesnya. There' no need to fight it with a deck other than the one you're taking to Game Day other than being a pompous ******* who wants to "dominate" the game.
Because those decks are against other people (in formats where everyone is playing something powerful).
This is against an auto-pilot fun deck, played for no other reason than to enjoy Magic on Gameday. That's why.
"I hope to have such a death... lying in triumph atop the broken bodies of those who slew me..."
Well, the pros had fun playing it. I will not be making gameday, but I will surely be picking one of these up for home play.
Reprint Opt for Modern!!
FREE DIG THOROUGH TIME!
PLAY MORE ROUGE DECKS!
Reprint Opt for Modern!!
FREE DIG THOROUGH TIME!
PLAY MORE ROUGE DECKS!
I thought about this approach after someone posted about inviting people to build a modern deck to play against the hydra at the Modern Sub-Forums. No wonder the eternal formats were left out. LMAO
On the works:
Leyline Deck Wins:symbu:Null 'n Void:symbu:
Decks built:
:symg::symb::symr::symw::symu:ChangelingsUWRBG
:symru:16 land Ignite Memories Combo:symru:
:symbu:Hunted Singularity:symbu:
Also, I want to make a deck specifically designed to help the Hydra. So far, cards I can think to include would be Doran and Spelltwine. Any other suggestions?
I focused on the "The player(s) win when no heads remain on the battlefield." part of the game rules. From what I understand, IF the all the creatures on the Hydra's battlefield are no longer hydras, then you win.
On the works:
Leyline Deck Wins:symbu:Null 'n Void:symbu:
Decks built:
:symg::symb::symr::symw::symu:ChangelingsUWRBG
:symru:16 land Ignite Memories Combo:symru:
:symbu:Hunted Singularity:symbu:
Yes, that only triggers at the start of each turn.
Umm, Mirrorweave is instant, so you COULD cast it at end of turn of the player BEFORE the Hydra. That way, the Mirrorweave effect only stops until the end of Hydra's turn. Effectively turning his hydra heads into something else at the start of Hydra's turn FTW. You don't have to kill anything.
On the works:
Leyline Deck Wins:symbu:Null 'n Void:symbu:
Decks built:
:symg::symb::symr::symw::symu:ChangelingsUWRBG
:symru:16 land Ignite Memories Combo:symru:
:symbu:Hunted Singularity:symbu:
That doesn't work. You can't cast a spell between the end of one player's turn and the beginning of another. AFAIK, you can't even activate mana abilities at that time. If you had, I dunno, Staying Power, then your combo would work.
While there are undoubtedly going to be 1-2 card win combos against this deck, Mirrorweave can only be a 2 card win.
If you want a 1 card win, look at Mannichi, the Fevered Dream. All he needs in mana and he kills off all the heads, and then again for all regrowth.
/casual rulings
1x
Rules Foldout, with the playmat on one side and a picture of the Hydra on the other.
11x
4x
1x
1x
1x
5x
5x
4x
4x
3x
4x
2x
5x
4x
6x
Rules:
The back of the box says:
Any extra questions will be answered ASAP. I'll also try and scan the cards and playmat, though this will probably take a while.
Card Back:
Hydra Head
Ravenous Brute Head
Savage Vigor Head
Shrieking Titan Head
Snapping Fang Head
Disorienting Glower
Distract the Hydra
Grown from the Stump
Hydra's Impenetrable Hide
Neck Tangle
Noxious Hydra Breath
Strike the Weak Spot
Swallow the Hero Whole
Torn Between Heads
Unified Lunge
T1: Stomping Ground -> Arbor Elf
T2: Temple Garden -> Arbor Elf
T3: Land -> Humility
T4: Land -> Æther Flash -> overload Electrickery -> ERROR: CASCADE FAILURE -> BSOD
I've got a better one.
T1: Land, Grafdigger's Cage
T2: Land, Ratchet Bomb, gg.
Turn 1 play already locks the hydra since it has to cast everything from its library and the Heads can't be replaced, so it even wins against 11 initial Heads if you have the Ratchet Bomb.
Edit: And if you want to really rules-lawyer the hydra, consider: "Reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card." This doesn't give the hydra permission to pay an alternate cost ("without paying its mana cost"), and the cards don't have mana costs, the lack of which represents an unpayable cost, so the hydra can't cast anything this way.
Also, I concede to the point that, since the loss is now on the end step, that Mirrorweave is an instant win.
Perhaps, like EDH, we should have a group of people outside WotC who try to regulate the rules once the event is over, making rules changes that prevent the deck losing to simple, usually ineffective combos, like the ones mentioned above. It would be cool to make this and the other two challenge decks into proper formats...
EDIT: The first one isn't too bad really, as Humility + Æther Flash seems like it would be a reasonable combo anyway.
Not saying you couldn't build a ridiculous deck targeting the hydra deck, I'm not doing that though. I'm going to run the standard deck I put together for the following tournament, just to see how it goes. My LGS is giving the full art Phalanx Leader card regardless of beating the hydra or not, so I'll get one either way. Rather than cheat the hydra, I'm going to see how my regular deck fairs.(although it's a rock deck, so gaze of granite is in there lol)