While I don't think Hydras will stick for Green's iconic big creature, I'm glad to see this guy back. Never has a 1/1 for 3 been such a good investment.
DragonsRCool
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(7 votes)
I love hydras as green's iconic creature, I really don't understand the complaints about them.
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Might be nice for Simic shenanigans, with the hope that they get some nice stuff come autumn.
DarthParallax
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(6 votes)
The only problems I see with Hydras are:
a) I find this one aesthetically ugly. sorry, just do. promo art would be nice.
b) they might be running out of Design space. I mean, ok yes they will always be able to make more
Hydras- but will the creature type start looking like Dragons, where Thundermaw Hellkite is literally the first one in YEARS that doesn't look like a blatant rip off of Shivan Dragon? Can they make NEW, EDGY Hydras?
Sorinclex
★★★★☆ (4.6/5.0)(5 votes)
I don't care if it'll never be played. I loves me some Primordial Hydra. Glad to see it back. <3
Lord_of_Tresserhorn
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(12 votes)
At the pre-release today:
I play Primordial Hydra.
My opponent is not happy with that and plays Pacifism on it.
Primordial Hydra grows, and grows, and grows, while we have something of a standoff.
Finally I say: "I'm sick of waiting!", play Fungal Sprouting, and get 64 Saproling tokens!!!!
Next turn we have a dead opponent.
SocialExperiment
★★★★☆ (4.4/5.0)(4 votes)
So much fun if your opponent is really light on removal. Great lightning rod if they aren't. And if neither of those apply (somehow) and he's not getting anything accomplished, he makes an obvious choice to side out for something else. Not an auto-include, and not always a four-of, but effective if you approach it the right way and hilarious to use against new players that don't know how great spot removal is.
Paladin85
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
We took the counters...and then we doubled it
mrhardy12
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
....I am SUCH a fan of this card, you have no idea. I ran two copies of this big guy in my Elf deck when it was Zendikar, M12 and Scars of Mirrodin format. You have NO idea how satisfying it is to play this guy on turn 5 as a 15/15 as he enters until you do it.
Note - If using this guy in a more casual/traditional format, toss in a Doubling Season or four. That is a FUNNY combo.
Wurmcaller
★☆☆☆☆ (1.0/5.0)(1 vote)
You have no idea how happy I am these things don't get trample...and then they added Rancor back into core. At least I usually have spot removal at the ready.
un_diplomatic
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Won me So many EHD games, nothing funnier than letting it stew with a whispersilk cloak and watching your opponent sweat. It sadly wont be staying as the iconic for green, beasts are growing, are far less niche and Most importantly you wont feel like your selling yourself short because there is no X cost "which could be a bit bigger next turn, and then Next turn...".
stewartmoss
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Ok I have a question. I wanted to add this to my Graveborn deck as one of the large creatures. Obviously with Graveborn I am not casting it from my hand.
If I use Dread Return to resurect the creature from my graveyard, do I still get the option of tapping "X" to put "X" +1/+1 counters on it?
I suspect actually that I can't play this card using Dread Return as the casting cost is where you tap the "X". The hydra will be brought out of the graveyard as a 0/0 and die the moment the spell resolves.
Am I correct or is there a way to play this with Graveborn?
Priz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ stewartmoss: If you bring this out of your graveyard with a grave return it will indeed be still born as a 0/0. You are not casting the card so you cannot tap any mana sources to pay the X or add counters. Any type of Return Card from graveyard to battlefield would effectively do nothing.
Also never really thought of this before but things like cloudshift turn into a nice cheap piece of spot removal against one of these big boys.
Judgemaster_Rolan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is fun. You can play it for as little as 3 mana, then after just 4 turns its a 16/16 with trample.
For more fun, play it for 3 mana on turn 3, then next turn cast Increasing Savagry to increase it to 7/7.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Dude this card is a bomb!! And its only a dollar for a mythic rare online!! You joking? 4 for the price of a booster pack? DONE!!
Seriously, this card reads.... If your opponent has no removal, you win the game. I like combining him with Yeva, Nature's Herald, which I got for 30 cents...
With some ramp and yeva, I flash the hydra at the end of their turn for 7... then I swung with a 10/10 trample. WIN!!!
rollinsclone
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So much synergy with Ghave, Guru of Spores it's amazing. After a few turns in EDH, you can make all the tokens you want and STILL have a 30/30 trampler. It's fantastic.
AncientPrimordial
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
lay down elves like crazy, then play him and a couple of Protean Hydras.
Lotsofpoopy
★☆☆☆☆ (1.4/5.0)(5 votes)
This guy gets huge and eventually gets trample. Huge and trample wins games. I know this because I am a pro.
VirusVescichetta
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
He could conceivably be played from the graveyard with Vigor Mortis if you have green mana. Also, @Priz, how do you plan on targeting him with Cloudshift unless you want to kill your own hydra?
Minder
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Does "double the number of +1/+1 counters" mean "count the number of +1/+1 counters on this creature then put that many counters on it"? If the answer is "yes", this will play nice with Corpsejack Menace :)
As a hardcasting freak, I enjoy this beast of a card especially with a bunch of elves and Elvish Archdruid
ElliotSternberg
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(6 votes)
The other day I played this with X being 8, an opponent pacifies this and everyone forgets about it. Until I drop my Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord and throw a 512/512 Hydra at everyone. Pacifist he may be, but when shot from a cannon at terminal velocity he still hurts!
Radagast
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Horrifyingly powerful (though not in any way broken) if the opponent doesn't have an answer soon. Even as a 5/5 when cast, it'll be a 10/10 trample on its first attack, then a 20/20, and the game's basically gone from there. Obviously more suited to Commander given the ability to get full use of the open-ended casting cost. Hilarious in Jarad Commander decks - watch the Hydra grow, attack, and then sac it to wipe out the table. A fun card and a great example of a strong hydra.
Sleaw
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Playing this in Zegana EDH, I can say it really loves having lots of free counters dumped on it. Repeatedly.
When I run green, this card finds its way into the deck. I'm never disappointed to see it. In my Simic Deck it grows huge and throws counters around. In my Mono Green stompy it is a great early or late game drop. Easily a turn two with a T1 Llanowar Elves and Forest.
This card gets bad-ass. And that's when you don't build around it with cards like, Bramblewood Paragon, Increasing Savagery, Paradox Haze, the deck builds itself when you realize that green loves upkeeps and counters.
ajl99
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
will primordial hydra evolve other creatures when it comes in to play?
Ravens_Razor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this card, when ever I play it I love seeing peoples faces when they don't have a murder cards or something like that. It pretty much wins the game for me in my green red deck, one my best and favecards.
ThinkOriginal
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@J34nM1 Marrow Shards in not in Magic 2013. Your comment does not apply to a Core Set pre-release.
Boros Reckoner will deter anyone from playing it. They'll just end up killing themselves when it's blocked.
Unsung31
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is fun to play.
Stuflames
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(1 vote)
GhostCounselor,
When it hits 10/10+ (trample) Boros Reckoner will probably be more minor annoyance than savior or notable deterrent.
This card is aggressively costed, combos simply in good or even scary ways, and can carry games on his back.
It has flaws - it may come in weak at 3-4 mana and will probably be overcosted for its mana cost in green. . .until your next upkeep at least, dies to normal removal, and is vulnerable to removal by flicker effects.
It also can't be brought directly from the graveyard to the battlefield, but in a deck built with that in mind that's a nice bonus against opponents seeking to turn your dead hydra against you.
edawg99
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have this card in my Selesnya deck. The trample at 10+ counters is what makes this an amazing card. It takes care of opponents who have huge armies. If only it had hexproof.
talcumpowder0046
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So fun, so combo worthy, and sane unlike Baneslayer.
5/5
Morgaledh
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
All sorts of gnarly combos with Simic....
MostlyLost
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@daniel92380: The ability doubles the number of counters on it. Even though agoraphobia dropped its power, it still has 3 counters, so when it doubles it'll have 6 counters and be a 1/6.
daniel92380
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
if my opponent pays 5 and brings primordial hydra out as a 3-3 then passes and i play agoraphobia on it and make it into a 0-3 does it power still double or just its toughness I still don't get how 3 counters double into 1?? And wouldn't agoraphobia actually make the card a -2 on the power??
AlexeiTSE
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have a mana ramping deck built around delivering 4 of this guy at 24/24 the first turn they come out, one at a time of course. Throw Swiftfoot Boots on and hes hexproof and can attack right away.
endersblade
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
As long as it stays on the board (then again, when is that not the case?) this card is a freaking game ender. It just gets bigger and bigger the longer it stays in play, and there are so many different ways to abuse that. I personally use it in a Ghave, Guru of Spores EDH deck for a near-infinite amount of +1/+1 counters for Ghave to munch on.
@GhostCounselor Nope nope nope, you are totally forgetting the trample rules. A trampling attacker only has to do lethal damage to a creature in order to carry over to the opponent/next blocker. So in the Reckoner's case, you deal 3 to it, it deals 3 to you, and the rest of the Hydra smacks your opponent in the face. I have no idea what silly rock you live under that you'd think someone had to do all the damage to the Reckoner. Even better, if someone gave the Hydra deathtouch, it would only have to deal ONE damage to the Reckoner, then the rest carries over, since 1 deathtouch damage is enough to kill the creature. Welcome to Magic.
x4 of Predator's Rapport (Wait till your Hydra has Hexproof/Shroud),
x2 of Ring of Xathrid (just in case one gets destroyed),
x2 of Ring of Rune (just in case one gets destroyed),
x2 of Favor of the Woods (before you cast Predator's Rapport),
x2 Ring of Evos Isle (read the card carfully, also just in case on gets destroyed)....
Nasferot2
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Oh plz print inn 2014
Layk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
And you thought this guy was scary... Kalonian Hydra. My elf/hydra tribal just became that much more powerful.
raginglittepycho
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Simic wants him golgari needs him but little do they know kresh the bloodbraided has him on a leash or several dozen.
BobbySinclair
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Great with Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord. Wait for him to get big. Really big. Then you don't even have to swing for him to spread his multi-headed goodness.
HippieSpartan
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card was too good to be reprinted but people loved it so much that Wizards brought out his Simic favoring cousin. Ladies and mostly gentlemen, I present Kalonian Hydra.
Lord_of_phyrexia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Doubling season
at0micpickle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
The best part is that it gets out of hand real fast
RandomGuyx
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
actually about the whole kalonian hydra debate vs primordial, play this one turn before or after the swing with kalonian and see which is bigger and scarier.....
DiJaxx
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Definitely a crowning favorite of my collection. You don't have to swing, tap, block or do anything with it; it will grow into infinity. You can't beat this when it comes to pure peer and potential.
I once grew it to a 256/256 (trample, indestructible), then used Predator's Rapport, gaining 512 life. Literally. My opponent forfeited.
Not as combo-able as Protean Hydra, but I like it a bit more.
Protean hydra loves getting buffed (which makes it immune to damage), but this thing gets big so fast and on its own that it often doesn't need to worry about damage. Turn 1 manadork into turn 2 this (as a 1/1) isn't even that bad a move. 2/2 turn 3 isn't so great, but 4/4 turn 4 or 8/8 turn 5 is starting to sound better. 16/16 trample turn 6 is going to make your opponent start worrying. A lot.
If you just want a big creature in your big creature deck, go with this. If you are willing to put the effort into global damage/buffs that make protean good, then go ahead.
BlazinBlaze
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Before I had this card I had a really awesome Green Black +1/+1 counter deck with 3 CorpseJack Menace's in it. After trading for this one card I managed to have all 3 Corpsejacks on the field alongside with a 98,944/98,944 Hydra with Trample. My friend was literally speechless.
This card is perfect with Corpsejack. I never thought i could ever get a creature to be so powerful.
Xenagod
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Zeganna: Hmmm sage of hours? You want to join? Simic has no heroic triggers sorry! Primordial Hydra: I bioshift! Sage of hours: Yeah!
Comments (59)
a) I find this one aesthetically ugly. sorry, just do. promo art would be nice.
b) they might be running out of Design space. I mean, ok yes they will always be able to make more
Hydras- but will the creature type start looking like Dragons, where Thundermaw Hellkite is literally the first one in YEARS that doesn't look like a blatant rip off of Shivan Dragon? Can they make NEW, EDGY Hydras?
I play Primordial Hydra.
My opponent is not happy with that and plays Pacifism on it.
Primordial Hydra grows, and grows, and grows, while we have something of a standoff.
Finally I say: "I'm sick of waiting!", play Fungal Sprouting, and get 64 Saproling tokens!!!!
Next turn we have a dead opponent.
Note - If using this guy in a more casual/traditional format, toss in a Doubling Season or four. That is a FUNNY combo.
If I use Dread Return to resurect the creature from my graveyard, do I still get the option of tapping "X" to put "X" +1/+1 counters on it?
I suspect actually that I can't play this card using Dread Return as the casting cost is where you tap the "X". The hydra will be brought out of the graveyard as a 0/0 and die the moment the spell resolves.
Am I correct or is there a way to play this with Graveborn?
Also never really thought of this before but things like cloudshift turn into a nice cheap piece of spot removal against one of these big boys.
For more fun, play it for 3 mana on turn 3, then next turn cast Increasing Savagry to increase it to 7/7.
Seriously, this card reads.... If your opponent has no removal, you win the game. I like combining him with Yeva, Nature's Herald, which I got for 30 cents...
With some ramp and yeva, I flash the hydra at the end of their turn for 7... then I swung with a 10/10 trample. WIN!!!
This card gets bad-ass. And that's when you don't build around it with cards like, Bramblewood Paragon, Increasing Savagery, Paradox Haze, the deck builds itself when you realize that green loves upkeeps and counters.
Marrow Shards in not in Magic 2013. Your comment does not apply to a Core Set pre-release.
Rain of Blades, however, would have been brutal.
@Wurmcaller
RTC. It automatically gets Trample with 10+ counters.
When it hits 10/10+ (trample) Boros Reckoner will probably be more minor annoyance than savior or notable deterrent.
This card is aggressively costed, combos simply in good or even scary ways, and can carry games on his back.
It has flaws - it may come in weak at 3-4 mana and will probably be overcosted for its mana cost in green. . .until your next upkeep at least, dies to normal removal, and is vulnerable to removal by flicker effects.
It also can't be brought directly from the graveyard to the battlefield, but in a deck built with that in mind that's a nice bonus against opponents seeking to turn your dead hydra against you.
5/5
@GhostCounselor Nope nope nope, you are totally forgetting the trample rules. A trampling attacker only has to do lethal damage to a creature in order to carry over to the opponent/next blocker. So in the Reckoner's case, you deal 3 to it, it deals 3 to you, and the rest of the Hydra smacks your opponent in the face. I have no idea what silly rock you live under that you'd think someone had to do all the damage to the Reckoner. Even better, if someone gave the Hydra deathtouch, it would only have to deal ONE damage to the Reckoner, then the rest carries over, since 1 deathtouch damage is enough to kill the creature. Welcome to Magic.
x4 of Predator's Rapport (Wait till your Hydra has Hexproof/Shroud),
x2 of Ring of Xathrid (just in case one gets destroyed),
x2 of Ring of Rune (just in case one gets destroyed),
x2 of Favor of the Woods (before you cast Predator's Rapport),
x2 Ring of Evos Isle (read the card carfully, also just in case on gets destroyed)....
I once grew it to a 256/256 (trample, indestructible), then used Predator's Rapport, gaining 512 life. Literally. My opponent forfeited.
Effectiveness: 6/5 (yes, 6)
Artwork: 4.5/5
Originality: 4.5/5
Protean hydra loves getting buffed (which makes it immune to damage), but this thing gets big so fast and on its own that it often doesn't need to worry about damage. Turn 1 manadork into turn 2 this (as a 1/1) isn't even that bad a move. 2/2 turn 3 isn't so great, but 4/4 turn 4 or 8/8 turn 5 is starting to sound better. 16/16 trample turn 6 is going to make your opponent start worrying. A lot.
If you just want a big creature in your big creature deck, go with this. If you are willing to put the effort into global damage/buffs that make protean good, then go ahead.
This card is perfect with Corpsejack. I never thought i could ever get a creature to be so powerful.
Primordial Hydra: I bioshift!
Sage of hours: Yeah!