Hydroform MTG Card

Hydroform grants the element of surprise, empowering lands to become significant aerial threats. The combination of discard cost and instant speed of Hydroform offers both risk and flexibility. Countering Hydroform relies on anticipatory play and versatile removal strategies.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2013-02-01
Set symbol
Set name	Gatecrash
Set code	GTC
Number	172
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Howard Lyon

Text of card

Target land becomes a 3/3 Elemental creature with flying until end of turn. It's still a land.

"While the sea may be our home, the sky is our destiny." —Prime Speaker Zegana

Cards like Hydroform

Hydroform is an intriguing card, often drawing comparisons to other transformational spells within Magic: The Gathering. Akin to Liquimetal Coating, Hydroform has the ability to change the nature of a permanent on the board. However, Hydroform uniquely targets a land and not only converts it to a creature but also gives it the added perk of flying and makes it a more formidable 3/3 until end of turn.

Peering into the realm of land animation, we see similarities with the likes of Awaken the Ancient. This red spell also brings lands to life, transforming a Mountain into a 7/7 creature with haste, but at a significantly higher mana cost, and without the flexibility of affecting any land nor giving it flying. Hydroform’s single blue and green mana cost makes it highly accessible for quick strategic plays, whereas Awaken the Ancient asks for a heavier investment.

Lastly, Sylvan Awakening stands out as another related card, turning all lands you control into 2/2 creatures with reach, indestructible, and haste until your next turn. Although Sylvan Awakening affects multiple lands, it doesn’t offer the evasion flying provides, which could be decisive in combat situations. Hence, Hydroform offers a unique trade-off between land conversion and creature evasion that can be critical to winning engagements.

Cards similar to Hydroform by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: When played strategically, Hydroform can swing the tide by transforming a land into a formidable creature, essentially netting you an additional threat on the board without losing land resources. This can lead to a favorable board state, boosting your overall card effectiveness in play.

Resource Acceleration: While Hydroform does not directly generate additional mana or treasure, the ability to convert a land into a creature can indirectly accelerate your resource availability. By temporarily boosting your creature count, it enables you to apply pressure and possibly divert resources that your opponent might have used elsewhere.

Instant Speed: The versatility of Hydroform is significantly enhanced due to it being an instant. This flexibility allows players to respond to opponents’ actions or end-of-turn dynamics, creating unexpected blockers or aggressors, which can disrupt an opponent’s strategy.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Hydroform requires the player to discard another card, which might be a setback when the hand size is already reduced, potentially losing valuable resources or strategies in the process.

Specific Mana Cost: While Hydroform’s ability can be quite transformative, its specific blue and green mana cost can hinder its inclusion in multicolored decks that may not support this mana combination consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: For an instant that changes a land into a creature only until end of turn, Hydroform’s cost may seem steep when comparing other cards that provide similar effects or more permanent creature solutions for a similar or lesser investment.

Reasons to Include Hydroform in Your Collection

Versatility: Hydroform is a flexible card, capable of transforming any land into a threat, making it suitable for a variety of blue-green decks focused on land synergies or surprise offensive strategies.

Combo Potential: By turning lands into creatures, Hydroform can enable combos with cards that interact with creature entry or land-based mechanics, enhancing both aggressive and control-oriented plays.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where creature removal is prevalent, Hydroform offers an unexpected way to create board presence, making it a relevant choice against decks heavy on non-creature spells.

How to beat

Hydroform is a card that can turn the tide by transforming lands into threatening 3/3 creatures with flying and hexproof. The surprise factor often catches opponents off guard, leveraging lands that are typically not seen as immediate threats. To counter this card, the key is preparedness and a good control strategy. Having instant-speed removal that can target creatures the moment they lose hexproof is essential. Board wipes are also highly effective since they circumvent hexproof entirely.

Additionally, maintaining a strong control deck with counterspells can prevent Hydroform and similar transformation spells from hitting the battlefield in the first place. A diverse set of removal that doesn’t rely on targeting – such as Supreme Verdict or Terminus – ensure that the elemental creatures won’t have a chance to strike. It’s crucial to recognize the patterns and mana availability that hint at the imminent casting of Hydroform, so a swift reaction can be prepared, keeping your opponent’s lands just as they are – peacefully tapped or untapped without the threat of sudden aerial assault.

Ultimately, winning against Hydroform requires anticipation and a well-stocked arsenal of answers to adapt quickly to any unforeseen land-based threats.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hydroform MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash, 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 Hydroform and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hydroform has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Hydroform card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2013-01-24	Effects that modify power and/or toughness but don’t set them to a specific value (like the one created by Giant Growth), power/toughness changes from counters, and effects that switch a creature’s power and toughness will continue to apply. This may happen if the land was already a creature when Hydroform resolved.
2013-01-24	Hydroform doesn’t affect the land’s name or any other types, subtypes, or supertypes (such as basic or legendary) the land may have. The land will also keep any abilities it had.
2013-01-24	If the target land hasn’t been under its controller’s control continuously since the beginning of their most recent turn, that land won’t be able to attack and its abilities won’t be able to be activated. In most cases, that means it will no longer be able to be tapped for mana that turn.