MTG: Getting A-head in EDH – Top Five Hydra Commanders
It’s a Herculean task to try and defeat these Commanders. After all, the harder you hit them, the stronger they get.
Welcome Planeswalkers and Praetors to our ongoing series about the best casual experience in Magic: Commander.
Hydras are usually weak on the surface, but don’t let that fool you. With enough open mana, you can make an army of giant creatures in no time. Most of them have “X” in their casting cost, meaning your creatures are as big as you want them to be. If that creature happens to be your Commander, well…that’s just a whole other kettle of deadly snake monsters.
Gargos, Vicious Watcher
A Hydra that STARTS with some teeth, Gargos is a nasty customer. An 8/7 with vigilance for six is already an incredible value, but Gargos doesn’t stop the bidding there. He reduces the cost for all your other Hydras by four, and whenever one of your creatures is targeted by a spell (yours or your opponent’s), Gargos punches one of their creatures in the face.
His cost-reducing ability is surprisingly powerful, especially in a deck filled with X-cost creatures. With the cost reduction, X is automatically equal to at least four. That can get out of hand pretty fast if you have enough open mana, as a single mana investment becomes a 5/5 creature.
Zaxara, the Exemplary
Another Hydra with power and toughness baked in, Zaxara nonetheless benefits an army of X Hydras. She’s a 2/3 with deathtouch and a nice mana ability baked in, so she does a lot of work on her own. However, her biggest ability is her secondary spawning effect.
Whenever you cast an X spell, you get a free Hydra token. Whatever you cast, the X translates into +1/+1 counters for that Hydra. If you just so happened to cast a Hydra, well… two for the price of one.
Polukranos, Reborn
The scourge of Theros, Polukranos, was torn from the Underworld during the events of the Phyrexian invasion. He’s not a bad beater as a 4/5 with reach for three, but he doesn’t really come into his own without an oil treatment. For six and a Phyrexian White mana, you get to unlock a perfect alabaster creation.
This Polukranos adds lifelink and two extra points of power, plus that gorgeous red and white skin tone. Even better, when Polukranos or ANY OTHER nontoken Hydra you control dies, you get to make two more 3/3 Hydras, one with lifelink and one with reach. Not even death can stop your army.
Progenitus
Now, this is a beatstick. A 10/10 with protection from everything that never stays dead, Progenitus is an absolute monster. Sure, you can’t target it with anything to make it stronger, but there’s no stopping it either. You can’t block it, you can’t kill it, and you can’t slow it down. Once this Hydra hatches, it’s just a slow descent into death.
Magus Lucea Kane
A guest from the 40k universe, Magus Kane wants to use her influence to grow your army and profit. She gives one of your creatures (or your opponent’s, if you’re trying to play politics) a +1/+1 counter at the beginning of your combat step, and she can double up your X spells. Everything from Fireball to Shivan Devastator gets out of control with Magus Kane at the helm.
What do you think of these Commanders?
What is Magic the Gathering Commander?
For the uninitiated, Commander is a semi-casual format for Magic: the Gathering. You use a deck of 100 cards led by a legendary creature, aka, your Commander.
Aside from basic lands, you are only allowed one copy of each card in the deck. Moreover, you can only include cards in your Commander’s “color identity” or artifacts. Each color and color combo has a unique playstyle and a wealth of mighty generals to lead your deck to victory. EDHRec.com is an excellent source for Commander info and can give you ideas on how to build your next Commander deck or tune an existing one.
