Zaxara Hydra Tribal by user5496139

Format: Commander

Commander: Zaxara, the Exemplary

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 23

Deck overview

This is a Sultai X-spell Hydra deck led by Zaxara, the Exemplary. Its central resource engine is simple: ramp into Zaxara, use Zaxara's two-mana ability alongside normal lands and artifacts, then convert large X values into Hydras, cards, life, removal, or drain. Unbound Flourishing, Doubling Season, and Branching Evolution sharply improve the output of each X spell, while The Great Henge, Terrasymbiosis, Rhystic Study, and Inspiring Call help refill the hand. The strongest creature route uses Herald of Secret Streams to make countered creatures unblockable, with Garruk's Uprising supplying trample and additional cards. The deck usually assembles its first usable engine on turn 5, reaches a must-answer board around turn 7, and can finish around turn 9 if its creatures survive. Its main limits are singleton access, modest early acceleration, vulnerability to board wipes and commander removal, and the lack of a compact infinite combo or hard lock.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Altered Ego
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Ash Barrens
  • 1 Assassin's Trophy
  • 1 Beast Within
  • 1 Blue Sun's Zenith
  • 1 Bojuka Bog
  • 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
  • 1 Branching Evolution
  • 1 Brass Infiniscope
  • 1 Breeding Pool
  • 1 Change of Plans
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Condescend
  • 1 Curse of the Swine
  • 1 Cyclonic Rift
  • 1 Deadly Rollick
  • 1 Dimir Signet
  • 1 Doubling Season
  • 1 Drown in Dreams
  • 1 Elementalist's Palette
  • 1 Exotic Orchard
  • 1 Exsanguinate
  • 1 Fabled Passage
  • 1 Finale of Revelation
  • 1 Flooded Grove
  • 5 Forest
  • 1 Gargos, Vicious Watcher
  • 1 Garruk's Uprising
  • 1 Genesis Hydra
  • 1 Geometer's Arthropod
  • 1 Goldvein Hydra
  • 1 Golgari Signet
  • 1 Greater Good
  • 1 Herald of Secret Streams
  • 1 Hungering Hydra
  • 1 Hydroid Krasis
  • 1 Icy Blast
  • 1 Inspiring Call
  • 3 Island
  • 1 Kalonian Hydra
  • 1 Kodama of the West Tree
  • 1 Kurbis, Harvest Celebrant
  • 1 Lifeblood Hydra
  • 1 Lightning Greaves
  • 1 Mind into Matter
  • 1 Mistcutter Hydra
  • 1 Misty Rainforest
  • 1 Morphic Pool
  • 1 Nature's Lore
  • 1 Nyxbloom Ancient
  • 1 Open the Way
  • 1 Opulent Palace
  • 1 Overgrown Tomb
  • 1 Owlin Spiralmancer
  • 1 Primo, the Unbounded
  • 1 Primordial Hydra
  • 1 Prismatic Vista
  • 1 Protean Hydra
  • 1 Pull from Tomorrow
  • 1 Reflecting Pool
  • 1 Rejuvenating Springs
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Repulsive Mutation
  • 1 Retribution of the Ancients
  • 1 Rhystic Study
  • 1 Simic Signet
  • 1 Spinning Wheel Kick
  • 1 Steelbane Hydra
  • 1 Stonecoil Serpent
  • 1 Sunken Ruins
  • 3 Swamp
  • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
  • 1 Terrasymbiosis
  • 1 Tervigon
  • 1 Thassa's Intervention
  • 1 The Goose Mother
  • 1 The Great Henge
  • 1 Three Tree City
  • 1 Three Visits
  • 1 Torment of Hailfire
  • 1 Twilight Mire
  • 1 Unbound Flourishing
  • 1 Undergrowth Stadium
  • 1 Vastwood Hydra
  • 1 Verdant Catacombs
  • 1 Villainous Wealth
  • 1 Voracious Hydra
  • 1 Watery Grave
  • 1 Zagoth Triome
  • 1 Zaxara, the Exemplary
  • 1 Zendikar Resurgent