Distract the Hydra MTG Card
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Sorcery |
| Released | 2013-10-19 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Face the Hydra |
| Set code | TFTH |
| Number | 7 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Alex Horley-Orlandelli |
Key Takeaways
- Distract the Hydra manages multiple threats, opens counterplays, and tips the card economy scale.
- Instant speed usage offers tactical surprise, altering combat dynamics in your favor.
- Despite requiring a discard and specific mana, its versatility and meta relevance are undeniable.
Text of card
Each player may sacrifice a creature. Each player who sacrificed a creature this way chooses a Head and taps it. Each player who didn't sacrifice a creature loses 3 life.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Distract the Hydra exhibits an ability to handle multiple creatures at once. This not only decimates an opponent’s attack but also leaves them open to counterplays, offering a significant swing in card economy on the battlefield.
Resource Acceleration: Although Distract the Hydra itself doesn’t directly provide mana or resource acceleration, its utility in saving crucial defensive resources can indirectly lead to an acceleration of your game plan, as you’re able to commit more to the board with less fear of being overwhelmed.
Instant Speed: The capacity to use Distract the Hydra at instant speed is a game-changer. It enables strategic flexibility, allowing players to wait until the most opportune moment during an opponent’s turn to disrupt their offensive strategy. This element of surprise often translates into powerful defensive momentum.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Distract the Hydra demands a card from your hand as a cost, which can put you at a disadvantage during the game, particularly when your hand is empty or holding crucial strategic cards.
Specific Mana Cost: This card requires a combination of green and colorless mana, making it potentially cumbersome for decks that aren’t focused on green mana or those that run on a tight mana curve.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a mana value that may be deemed steep for its immediate impact on the battlefield, players might opt for alternatives that offer more flexibility or a more significant effect for the same or less investment.
Reasons to Include Distract the Hydra in Your Collection
Versatility: Distract the Hydra offers a unique approach to handling creature threats, allowing you to redirect an attack without relying on traditional removal spells. This card can be a strategic addition to decks that emphasize tactical plays over brute force.
Combo Potential: This card can synergize with effects that trigger upon creatures becoming tapped or being targeted. It pairs well with strategies that aim to benefit from your opponent’s creatures being unexpectedly co-opted during combat.
Meta-Relevance: As the game environment adapts and evolves, proactive control elements like Distract the Hydra can become game-changers. Its usage can thwart common aggressive tactics, positioning it as a smart choice in a creature-heavy meta.
How to beat
Distract the Hydra is a unique challenge in Magic: The Gathering that can be a stumbling block if not tackled skillfully. This encounter functions differently from regular cards, presenting a puzzle-like situation instead of a creature to battle directly. Your objective is to neutralize the Hydra’s heads, and strategically, this task requires precision and cunning rather than brute force.
Success against Distract the Hydra hinges on using abilities that prevent the creature from dealing damage or that reduce its power. Enchantment spells like Pacifism, which bar the creature from attacking or blocking, are particularly effective. Another strong approach is to use spells with the “fight” mechanic cautiously, ensuring you eliminate heads without losing your creatures. For example, Prey Upon can allow a powerful creature of yours to take down a head while staying on the board for further combat.
Keep in mind, destroying all the Hydra’s heads simultaneously is a reliable way to overcome it, as it prevents the Hydra from growing new ones. Board wipes such as Day of Judgment can clear multiple heads in one fell swoop. In essence, to beat Distract the Hydra, a combination of damage prevention, tactical creature removal, and timing is key to controlling this monstrous challenge.
Cards like Distract the Hydra
Distract the Hydra is an intriguing option among MTG’s assortment of challenge cards tailored for group play. One could draw parallels to cards like Glimpse the Unthinkable when thinking about efficient milling strategies, even though Distract the Hydra’s focus is more on creature engagement. Both cards initiate a significant change in game state, yet Distract the Hydra does so by compelling multiple monsters to attack it, rather than altering the contents of a library.
Its unique dynamics resonate with cards like Arena of the Ancients, which similarly manipulates combat by restraining the capacity of legendary creatures to untap. While Distract the Hydra doesn’t lock down creatures long-term, it sets the stage for a pivotal turn of events through enforced combat. In the context of group play, cards like Hunted Troll also share a kinship with Distract the Hydra, as they both interact with opponents’ creatures by forcing action—Hunted Troll by furnishing opponents with creatures, and Distract the Hydra by redirecting their creatures’ aggression.
Ultimately, Distract the Hydra has a distinctive position in MTG, adeptly blending elements of control with the unpredictability of multiplayer confrontations, offering a tactical edge that more traditional cards might not provide.
Cards similar to Distract the Hydra by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Distract the Hydra MTG card by a specific set like Face the Hydra, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Distract the Hydra and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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