Hooded Hydra - A Magic the Gathering (MTG) Card Review

by ElspethFTW, Old School Duelist

Hooded Hydra is a mythic rare from Khans of Tarkir that never saw the competitive play it needed to be the really nice sleeper some players thought it would be. Clever Impersonator was a bigger hit in Commander than the Hydra, but in the right deck, Hooded Hydra is pretty sweet. It seemed like a solid enough pickup at $1.50 with the rotation of Theros block, but it slipped into dollar bin obscurity for those who didn't plan on using him in Commander.

At one time, there was speculation that the Hydra could be pretty good as a big beater in a deck fueled by Whisperwood Elemental and Mastery of the Unseen. Being able to manifest it and flip it for only 2 green mana for a 5/5 seemed like awesome value. It seemed like a good candidate to find a place in the Hardened Scales decks that were a thing in Standard for awhile. Neither scenario emerged, though. By February 2016, Hooded Hydra became a $1 card, an all time low price, around which it stayed for some time, before creeping slowly towards $2.

What makes Hooded Hydra a good buy at $2 or less? We’ve seen how good getting X tokens for X +1/+1 counters can be. Hangarback Walker is a perfect example. While obviously not as splashable as Hangarback Walker, it doesn’t take much of a mana investment for this to be good. Plus, if it enters as a Morph creature, it gets an additional 5 +1/+1 counters when it’s flipped face-up. The Hydra will always at least replace itself.

The good news for Hooded Hydra is that it’s very Commander playable. Since he creates Snake tokens for each +1/+1 counter he has when he dies, he’s become a staple in Kaseto, Orochi Archmage EDH decks. Being a Snake tribal deck, more Snakes are always welcome. Rosheen Meanderer, a Red/Green Commander who loves Hydras in their X casting cost, loves this Hydra too. The Giant’s ability gives 4 colorless mana to pay for any X casting costs. That makes Hooded Hydra at the very least a 4/4. Other commanders that can use Hooded Hydra on a regular basis include Seshiro the Anointed (Snake Tribal), Ulasht, the Hate Seed (Hydra Tribal), and Vorel the Hull Clade (+1/+1 counter mayhem.)

With even foils around $3, Hooded Hydra is a pretty good pickup just based on how playable it is in Commander. While it could be quite a long time before Hooded Hydra ever sees a jump in price, it’s a safe buy if you plan to play him in Commander.

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