Ravenous Hydra enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters.
When Raveneous Hydra enters the battlefield, choose one of the following:
* Double the number of +1/+1 counters on Ravenous Hydra.
* Ravenous Hydra may fight with target creature you don't control.
0/1
-
This one seems pretty interesting! Hydroid Krasis definitely surpassed spoiler season expectations, and while this guy doesnt say "Draw cards," it is mono colored and has a 2 for 1 mode in a color sorely lacking one. Being able to choose whether your 3GG dude is a 6/7 trampler or a 3/4 trampler that eats a creature on etb is pretty solid. It can also be an obnoxiously large beater with artifacts/mana doublers, but thats not really enough on it's own. Maybe I'm overvaluing the fight ability, but I've been looking for green creature removal for a while tbh.
GG: 0/1 1GG: 1/2 + Fight OR 2/3 2GG: 2/3 + Fight OR 4/5 3GG: 3/4 + Fight OR 6/7 4GG: 4/5 + Fight OR 8/9 5GG: 5/6 + Fight OR 10/11
and so on.
This doesn't really start to get good until the bigger numbers, but it's pretty respectable at X=2 and up.
But is this really the best green hydra? I'm asking that honestly because I don't know what the best one actually is, but I feel like it probably isn't this one.
I'd throw this in my cube, but only because Protean Hydra is an easy cut. I think the removal option will prove too costly in general.
The problem with the majority of hydras is they fail to get value through removal. Ravenous hydra can get value through removal if the opponent is running smaller utility creatures, but is also be a decent mid sized threat on an empty board.
Think there's a good chance it's the best mono green X hydra for cube (this or genesis hydra).
Probably not good enough to make a medium sized list, but not far off.
Been wanting to replace polukranos for a while, but don't think this quite does it. I do like that unlike polukranos , it can be tutored for with recruiters.
This doesn't really start to get good until the bigger numbers, but it's pretty respectable at X=2 and up.
But is this really the best green hydra? I'm asking that honestly because I don't know what the best one actually is, but I feel like it probably isn't this one.
I think this is far from the best "Dump all your mana and win the game maybe go go go" Hydra, but I feel like the strength of this card in particular is that it can fill out your gaps. It can be a 2GG 2/3 that kills an opponent's Rofellos/JaceLooter if you need it to. It can be a 2GG 4/5 if you need an aggro deterrent. It can be a 3GG 6/7 trampler the turn before your wildfire, or a 3/4 that snipes out a rabblemaster variant. Have an embarrassment of mana? It just scales better from there.
It compares poorly to Redcap at 4/Fight, and poorly to Polukranos at 4/Buff. Poorly to Tolsimir at 5/Fight, and poorly to Verdurous Gearhulk at 5/Buff. Poorly to Ravager Wurm at 6/Fight, and poorly to Carnage Tyrant at 6/buff.
But it has the option to nearly be any of those cards if you need it to be? In mono color, and with the added mana sink dumb beater mode on top. Kalonian Hydra is a better dumb beater, and Genesis Hydra is a better ramp game-ender, but neither of them have the same flexibility of this guy. I just feel like Ravenous Hydra avoiding the inherent Hydra Dilemma in buff mode, while also having an optional removal mode is gonna play better than the all or nothing Hydras.
I do think the fight ability for cheaper mana costs is somewhat unprecedented in green, and having the option of being a bad murderous redcap can be a pretty big deal.
Even 1GG fight a goblin welder/mana elf can be clutch in specific board states.
2GG 4/5 or 2/3 fight (both with trample) ain't bad considering the poor state of green 4-cmc creatures. Being scalable means this can pick off X/1 creatures at 1GG, and you really start getting really great stats at 3GG. Being a Recruiter hit is nice, will probably give this a spin.
Yea I don't know how I'd squeeze this into a 450, but I think it's probably good enough. On the plus side, it's an easy card to squeeze in. Just find your least favorite 4, 5, or 6 drop and swap it out
I think this is the closest Fireball green is going to get. Worth testing. But right now I don’t even have carnage tyrant nor Polukranos and I want to put them in first.
I think this is great. Feels very pushed, with the 0/1 base line which makes the fight ability very strong, and trample to make doubling up on +1/+1 counters worth your while. Very flexible, both in cost and utility. Awesome.
I am 100% underwhelmed by green 4s, and this is solid there and flexible throughout the curve.
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Also, came on here to comment that the card has been pretty good for us. It plays really well in decks with Nissa, Steward of Elements. I am not running Hydroid krasis (Yet), but it makes me want to include it even more, just have not gotten around to acquiring one. All these X spells can give these Simic decks a real identity where you ramp as much as you can risk before dropping these spells which can get a lot of value late game, but also a safety valve if you need to use them early as well. These midrange decks do really well against other midrange decks since once the grinding starts you can get as much value as you have mana for, where as your opponent can only play their midrange threats for whatever value they would have as if it were on curve. As long as you can get something through counterspells they can do pretty well against control as well (or at least as well as midrange can do against control decks). Ravenous Hydra though has the ability to be useful against the aggro decks were as Nissa and Hydroid tend to be a little bit more lackluster and help shore up that matchup as well.
As others have posted above, finding the right cut for the card can be difficult at 450 or smaller, so if you are in that boat, I think it's worth finding something to cut. It's difficult because on paper it doesn't look as good as the other 4, 5 or 6 drops, but the flexibility is really good. I ended up cutting Noose Constrictor (I am still running Wild Mongrel, and while technically mongrel is a little weaker since changing color is worse than reach, I have an OG Odyssey version which is to pretty to get rid of compared to Mongrel, and for the most part they serve as a #23 in aggressive decks, or a discard outlet in reanimator anyway which usually doesn't care about the reach anyway.)
-
Ravenous Hydra
XGG
Creature - Hydra
Trample
Ravenous Hydra enters the battlefield with X +1/+1 counters.
When Raveneous Hydra enters the battlefield, choose one of the following:
* Double the number of +1/+1 counters on Ravenous Hydra.
* Ravenous Hydra may fight with target creature you don't control.
0/1
-
This one seems pretty interesting! Hydroid Krasis definitely surpassed spoiler season expectations, and while this guy doesnt say "Draw cards," it is mono colored and has a 2 for 1 mode in a color sorely lacking one. Being able to choose whether your 3GG dude is a 6/7 trampler or a 3/4 trampler that eats a creature on etb is pretty solid. It can also be an obnoxiously large beater with artifacts/mana doublers, but thats not really enough on it's own. Maybe I'm overvaluing the fight ability, but I've been looking for green creature removal for a while tbh.
GG: 0/1
1GG: 1/2 + Fight OR 2/3
2GG: 2/3 + Fight OR 4/5
3GG: 3/4 + Fight OR 6/7
4GG: 4/5 + Fight OR 8/9
5GG: 5/6 + Fight OR 10/11
and so on.
This doesn't really start to get good until the bigger numbers, but it's pretty respectable at X=2 and up.
But is this really the best green hydra? I'm asking that honestly because I don't know what the best one actually is, but I feel like it probably isn't this one.
I'd throw this in my cube, but only because Protean Hydra is an easy cut. I think the removal option will prove too costly in general.
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The problem with the majority of hydras is they fail to get value through removal. Ravenous hydra can get value through removal if the opponent is running smaller utility creatures, but is also be a decent mid sized threat on an empty board.
Think there's a good chance it's the best mono green X hydra for cube (this or genesis hydra).
Probably not good enough to make a medium sized list, but not far off.
Been wanting to replace polukranos for a while, but don't think this quite does it. I do like that unlike polukranos , it can be tutored for with recruiters.
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I think this is far from the best "Dump all your mana and win the game maybe go go go" Hydra, but I feel like the strength of this card in particular is that it can fill out your gaps. It can be a 2GG 2/3 that kills an opponent's Rofellos/JaceLooter if you need it to. It can be a 2GG 4/5 if you need an aggro deterrent. It can be a 3GG 6/7 trampler the turn before your wildfire, or a 3/4 that snipes out a rabblemaster variant. Have an embarrassment of mana? It just scales better from there.
It compares poorly to Redcap at 4/Fight, and poorly to Polukranos at 4/Buff. Poorly to Tolsimir at 5/Fight, and poorly to Verdurous Gearhulk at 5/Buff. Poorly to Ravager Wurm at 6/Fight, and poorly to Carnage Tyrant at 6/buff.
But it has the option to nearly be any of those cards if you need it to be? In mono color, and with the added mana sink dumb beater mode on top. Kalonian Hydra is a better dumb beater, and Genesis Hydra is a better ramp game-ender, but neither of them have the same flexibility of this guy. I just feel like Ravenous Hydra avoiding the inherent Hydra Dilemma in buff mode, while also having an optional removal mode is gonna play better than the all or nothing Hydras.
Even 1GG fight a goblin welder/mana elf can be clutch in specific board states.
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This looks good to me. I like versatile removal and the stats get quite above curve at 5 mana and up if you go that route. Will test this out.
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Also, came on here to comment that the card has been pretty good for us. It plays really well in decks with Nissa, Steward of Elements. I am not running Hydroid krasis (Yet), but it makes me want to include it even more, just have not gotten around to acquiring one. All these X spells can give these Simic decks a real identity where you ramp as much as you can risk before dropping these spells which can get a lot of value late game, but also a safety valve if you need to use them early as well. These midrange decks do really well against other midrange decks since once the grinding starts you can get as much value as you have mana for, where as your opponent can only play their midrange threats for whatever value they would have as if it were on curve. As long as you can get something through counterspells they can do pretty well against control as well (or at least as well as midrange can do against control decks). Ravenous Hydra though has the ability to be useful against the aggro decks were as Nissa and Hydroid tend to be a little bit more lackluster and help shore up that matchup as well.
As others have posted above, finding the right cut for the card can be difficult at 450 or smaller, so if you are in that boat, I think it's worth finding something to cut. It's difficult because on paper it doesn't look as good as the other 4, 5 or 6 drops, but the flexibility is really good. I ended up cutting Noose Constrictor (I am still running Wild Mongrel, and while technically mongrel is a little weaker since changing color is worse than reach, I have an OG Odyssey version which is to pretty to get rid of compared to Mongrel, and for the most part they serve as a #23 in aggressive decks, or a discard outlet in reanimator anyway which usually doesn't care about the reach anyway.)
http://www.cubetutor.com/cubeblog/63569