Hydras by Poketrainer

Format: Commander

Commander: Zaxara, the Exemplary

Bracket: 2

Deck overview

This Sultai deck is a Hydra tribal / X-spell strategy helmed by Zaxara, the Exemplary, whose activated ability banks two mana of any one color and whose trigger turns every {X} spell into an additional Hydra token. The game plan is to ramp into enormous X-cost Hydras - Hydroid Krasis, Genesis Hydra, Primordial Hydra - while stacking +1/+1 counter multipliers like Doubling Season, Branching Evolution, and Hardened Scales to make each body absurdly large. The primary win condition is combat, with Hydra Omnivore as the table-killing finisher (its damage to one opponent hits all others) and Kalonian Hydra doubling the entire counter board on attack. Secondary value comes from Archdruid's Charm and Archmage Ascension for tutoring, and Court of Garenbrig for monarch card flow. It is a classic battlecruiser midrange deck: slow to assemble, but capable of one-shotting the table once the counter engine comes online.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Additive Evolution
  • 1 Aetherflux Conduit
  • 1 Agatha's Soul Cauldron
  • 1 Andúril, Narsil Reforged
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Archdruid's Charm
  • 1 Archmage Ascension
  • 1 Beastmaster Ascension
  • 1 Belt of Giant Strength
  • 1 Benevolent Hydra
  • 1 Biogenic Upgrade
  • 1 Branching Evolution
  • 1 Briar Hydra
  • 1 Chalice of the Void
  • 1 Court of Garenbrig
  • 1 Decanter of Endless Water
  • 1 Doubling Season
  • 1 Elementalist's Palette
  • 1 Fierce Guardianship
  • 1 Force of Negation
  • 1 Force of Will
  • 29 Forest
  • 1 Gargos, Vicious Watcher
  • 1 Genesis Hydra
  • 1 Goldvein Hydra
  • 1 Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager
  • 1 Hardened Scales
  • 1 Hungering Hydra
  • 1 Hunter's Talent
  • 1 Hydra Broodmaster
  • 1 Hydra Omnivore
  • 1 Hydroid Krasis
  • 1 Ironscale Hydra
  • 4 Island
  • 1 Kalonian Hydra
  • 1 Kruphix, God of Horizons
  • 1 Lifeblood Hydra
  • 1 Managorger Hydra
  • 1 Mistcutter Hydra
  • 1 Mossborn Hydra
  • 1 Mystic Remora
  • 1 Necropotence
  • 1 Neverwinter Hydra
  • 1 Nyxborn Hydra
  • 1 Primordial Hydra
  • 1 Protean Hydra
  • 1 Rampaging Aetherhood
  • 1 Rampant Rejuvenator
  • 1 Rhystic Study
  • 1 Scourge of Skola Vale
  • 1 Shamanic Revelation
  • 1 Signature Slam
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Steelbane Hydra
  • 1 Stumpsquall Hydra
  • 2 Swamp
  • 1 Sylvan Library
  • 1 The Goose Mother
  • 1 The One Ring
  • 1 Ulvenwald Hydra
  • 1 Unbound Flourishing
  • 1 Vastwood Hydra
  • 1 Veil of Summer
  • 1 Voracious Hydra
  • 1 Warden of the Grove
  • 1 Whiptongue Hydra
  • 1 Zaxara, the Exemplary
  • 1 Zimone, Infinite Analyst