Ulvenwald Hydra MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
RarityMythic
TypeCreature — Hydra
Abilities Reach
Power *
Toughness *

Key Takeaways

  1. Ensures land availability, offering a tactical edge in deck execution and strategy composition.
  2. Integrates well with ramp decks, expediting high-impact spell casting and bolstering board stance.
  3. Despite its mana intensity, it poses a scalable threat, crucial in creature-focused metagames.

Text of card

Reach Ulvenwald Hydra's power and toughness are each equal to the number of lands you control. When Ulvenwald Hydra enters the battlefield, you may search your library for a land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Ulvenwald Hydra’s potential to fetch a land from your deck upon entering the battlefield plays a pivotal role in generating card advantage. This action not only thins your deck, but also ensures you have the right land to complement your game strategy.

Resource Acceleration: In the realm of ramp decks, the Hydra shines by potentially accelerating your resources. Each land retrieved is a step closer to casting high-impact spells sooner than your opponents, making it a force of nature in green-based ramp strategies.

Instant Speed: While Ulvenwald Hydra itself may not operate at instant speed, it facilitates fetching lands that can be pivotal in casting instant speed spells. Furthermore, its sheer presence on the battlefield can deter opponents from attacking, allowing you to effectively leverage your instant speed removals and counters at opportune times.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Ulvenwald Hydra doesn’t force a player to discard cards directly, it does require a significant pool of mana. Managing resources to summon this creature could lead to a scenario where a player is unable to play another card in the same turn, which indirectly pressures the player’s hand.

Specific Mana Cost: Summoning Ulvenwald Hydra demands a specific mana commitment, including two green mana symbols in its cost. This ties the card to green-centric or multicolor decks with a green base, potentially limiting its flexibility across various deck types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of six mana, including the specific color weighting, Ulvenwald Hydra may enter play later than more cost-effective creatures. In high-paced games, there may be alternate options that deliver a quicker board presence or immediate impact on gameplay.


Reasons to Include Ulvenwald Hydra in Your Collection

Versatility: Ulvenwald Hydra shines as a flexible addition to green-based ramp or monster decks. Its ability to search for any land card upon entering the battlefield can help you find the perfect piece to complement your mana base or to fetch utility lands tailored to the current game state.

Combo Potential: Given its land-search ability, Ulvenwald Hydra pairs well with landfall strategies and can become a powerhouse alongside cards that benefit from lands entering the battlefield. Its variable power and toughness, which scale with the number of lands you control, make it a natural threat that grows stronger as the game progresses.

Meta-Relevance: In a metagame dense with creature-based strategies, Ulvenwald Hydra can act as a formidable roadblock thanks to its sheer size. Furthermore, as a finisher in ramp decks, it can hold its own against control decks by providing a threat that must be answered, while simultaneously bolstering your land presence.


How to beat

Ulvenwald Hydra presents a significant challenge on the battlefield, boasting a power and toughness equal to the number of lands you control. This reach creature not only grows with your land base but also fetches a land from your deck when it enters the battlefield, potentially ramping your mana availability. Nevertheless, like all creatures in Magic: The Gathering, it has vulnerabilities.

To effectively counter this towering giant, targeted removal spells such as Path to Exile or Terminate can dispatch the Hydra before it becomes a bigger problem. Board wipes like Damnation are also a clean solution regardless of the Hydra’s size. It’s also useful to limit the number of lands on your opponent’s side or countering the Hydra upon cast with spells like Cancel or Mana Leak. Ensnaring the beast in pacifying enchantments like Pacifism also renders its size irrelevant. Lastly, leveraging exile mechanics is a robust approach, as most recursion strategies fall short when the creature is removed from the game entirely.

While the Ulvenwald Hydra can dominate in the right setup, it’s not invincible. By strategically planning and utilizing the variety of MTG cards at your disposal, you can mitigate its impact and maintain control of the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG involves recognizing both the strengths and weaknesses of cards like Ulvenwald Hydra. Whether it’s ramping up your land base or challenging your opponent with an ever-growing threat, understanding a card’s full potential is key. But there’s more to explore beyond this mighty creature’s abilities. Tackling the vast ecosystem of MTG cards and strategies is an ongoing quest, and we’re here to guide you through it. Dive deeper with us into the intricacies of deck building, tactical play, and card analysis to ensure each match is a step towards victory. Ready to enrich your MTG knowledge and experience? Let’s embark on this journey together.


Cards like Ulvenwald Hydra

Ulvenwald Hydra stands as a formidable creature in the vast landscape of Magic: The Gathering. It shares the theme of gigantic creature cards like Primeval Titan, which also fetches lands from the library to the battlefield. Yet, Ulvenwald Hydra’s power and toughness are determined by the number of lands you control, differentiating it by potentially becoming much larger as the game progresses.

Another mighty comparison is with Worldspine Wurm, a creature of immense size that brings along Wurm tokens upon death. Although not involved in land manipulation, it’s another creature that can define the board’s presence. Then there’s the Verdant Force, a card that may not be as imposing in size but creates Saproling tokens during each upkeep, ensuring a swelling army over time.

Delving into these comparisons showcases Ulvenwald Hydra’s unique blend of land utility and scaling threat. It’s a card that not only strengthens your land base but also presents a growing threat that must be answered, making it a distinctive choice for deck builders focusing on land synergy and formidable creatures.

Primeval Titan - MTG Card versions
Worldspine Wurm - MTG Card versions
Verdant Force - MTG Card versions
Primeval Titan - Grand Prix Promos (PGPX)
Worldspine Wurm - Return to Ravnica (RTR)
Verdant Force - Tempest (TMP)

Cards similar to Ulvenwald Hydra by color, type and mana cost

Craw Wurm - MTG Card versions
Gaea's Liege - MTG Card versions
Force of Nature - MTG Card versions
Wiitigo - MTG Card versions
Autumn Willow - MTG Card versions
Ancient Silverback - MTG Card versions
Sulam Djinn - MTG Card versions
Verdeloth the Ancient - MTG Card versions
Nemata, Grove Guardian - MTG Card versions
Gang of Elk - MTG Card versions
Kavu Howler - MTG Card versions
Crashing Centaur - MTG Card versions
Giant Warthog - MTG Card versions
Rhox - MTG Card versions
Kodama of the East Tree - MTG Card versions
Terra Stomper - MTG Card versions
Feral Throwback - MTG Card versions
Silvos, Rogue Elemental - MTG Card versions
Brontotherium - MTG Card versions
Elvish Aberration - MTG Card versions
Craw Wurm - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Gaea's Liege - Time Spiral Timeshifted (TSB)
Force of Nature - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Wiitigo - Masters Edition II (ME2)
Autumn Willow - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)
Ancient Silverback - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Sulam Djinn - Invasion (INV)
Verdeloth the Ancient - Modern Masters (MMA)
Nemata, Grove Guardian - The List (PLST)
Gang of Elk - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Kavu Howler - Apocalypse (APC)
Crashing Centaur - Odyssey (ODY)
Giant Warthog - Judgment (JUD)
Rhox - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Kodama of the East Tree - Commander Legends (CMR)
Terra Stomper - Magic Origins (ORI)
Feral Throwback - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Silvos, Rogue Elemental - Onslaught (ONS)
Brontotherium - Legions (LGN)
Elvish Aberration - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ulvenwald Hydra MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad Promos and Shadows over Innistrad, 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 Ulvenwald Hydra and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ulvenwald Hydra Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Raymond Swanland.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-04-08Shadows over Innistrad PromosPSOI 235s2015normalblackRaymond Swanland
22016-04-08Shadows over InnistradSOI 2352015normalblackRaymond Swanland
32020-07-17JumpstartJMP 4392015normalblackRaymond Swanland
42023-03-21Shadows over Innistrad RemasteredSIR 2222015normalblackRaymond Swanland

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ulvenwald Hydra has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

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