Hexdrinker MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost1
RarityMythic
TypeCreature — Snake
Abilities Level Up,Protection
Power 2
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Hexdrinker evolves during gameplay, providing strategic flexibility and card advantage without extra creatures.
  2. Instant-speed level up allows for unexpected plays, enhancing Hexdrinker’s tactical value during matches.
  3. Despite its strengths, Hexdrinker requires significant green mana, influencing deck construction and strategy.

Text of card

Level up (: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.) LEVEL 3-7 4/4 Protection from instants LEVEL 8+ 6/6 Protection from everything


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hexdrinker provides incremental value as it levels up, effectively becoming three different creatures in one card, giving players a significant card advantage without the need to add additional creatures to the battlefield.

Resource Acceleration: Starting as a one-mana creature, Hexdrinker can quickly become a formidable force, offering a fast-paced resource acceleration that can outpace your opponent’s ability to respond effectively.

Instant Speed: While not an instant itself, Hexdrinker’s level up ability can be activated at instant speed, allowing for strategic buffing during the opponent’s turn or at the end of their turn, keeping your mana utilization flexible and your opponents guessing.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Hexdrinker does not have a discard requirement, building your mana base around it is essential. If your deck can’t reliably produce green mana early on, you could find Hexdrinker stranded in your hand when you need to be developing your board.

Specific Mana Cost: One of the challenges faced when incorporating Hexdrinker into your deck is its reliance on green mana. This commitment to green mana can dictate the overall mana composition of your deck, potentially restricting your ability to play a more varied color scheme with less stringent mana requirements.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To unlock Hexdrinker’s full potential and make it to the final level of its transformation, a significant mana investment is required. This can be relatively high when you consider that MTG offers a plethora of creatures with impactful abilities for less mana, making it essential to weigh the cost against the benefits of including Hexdrinker in your strategy.


Reasons to Include Hexdrinker in Your Collection

Versatility: Hexdrinker is a powerhouse in both aggressive and midrange decks, beginning as a scalable threat that’s manageable for early play, yet possesses the potential to become a formidable force with its level up ability.

Combo Potential: In legacy and modern formats, Hexdrinker synergizes well with cards that manipulate counters, exponentially increasing the pace at which it reaches its maximum level and becomes a dominant player on the board.

Meta-Relevance: With protection from instants at level three and eventually from everything at level eight, Hexdrinker is well-positioned in environments heavy with spot removals and control decks, making it a resilient and valuable tool against a variety of common threats.


How to beat

Hexdrinker thrives in Magic: The Gathering as a formidable one-mana creature card known for its potent level up ability. This snake can quickly become a substantial threat, eventually gaining protection from instants and then from everything. To counteract this, prioritizing removal in the early game is crucial. Swift responses such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile work well to dispatch it before it feasts on your strategy.

Should Hexdrinker reach its final form, evasion becomes key. One tactic involves employing creatures or spells that assign damage without targeting, like Pyroclasm or a card with the Deathtouch ability. Board wipes are also effective, such as Damnation or Wrath of God, which can eliminate Hexdrinker regardless of its protection status. Consider employing edict effects that force the opponent to sacrifice a creature, like Liliana of the Veil’s ability, since they neatly sidestep Hexdrinker’s defenses.

Beating Hexdrinker means you must stay one step ahead, using either early creature removal or non-targeted strategies to prevent this creature from outgrowing your control. Knowledge and timing of these tactics will cushion your deck from succumbing to the sneaky strength of the Hexdrinker.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding Hexdrinker’s unique capabilities can be a game-changer for your MTG arsenal. Whether you’re seeking to amplify your deck’s early aggression or secure late-game dominance, this versatile creature offers a pathway to victory. It fits snugly into green-centric builds while standing resilient against removal-heavy metas. And as it scales, the impact on your battlefield presence can be mighty. Ready to transform your playstyle and make each match a tactical triumph? Dive deeper into strategies, synergies, and tips that could enhance your collection and gameplay. Let BurnMana guide your journey to mastering Hexdrinker and claim your wins with confidence.


Cards like Hexdrinker

Hexdrinker is a unique creature card that finds itself in a distinct league in the vast landscape of Magic: The Gathering. It shares its penchant for growth with cards like Figure of Destiny and Scute Swarm. However, Hexdrinker’s ability to level up and gain protection from a wider range of spells and abilities sets it on a pedestal. The more you invest mana into it, the stronger and more resilient it becomes, eventually reaching protection from everything, which is rare for other creatures.

Another close comparison can be made with Managorger Hydra, which also grows as spells are cast but lacks Hexdrinker’s explicit protection abilities. While Managorger Hydra can become a gigantic creature over time, Hexdrinker provides a more immediate threat that can shield itself against most removal spells in the game. Moreover, its initial low mana cost makes it a strategically versatile card suitable for various deck builds seeking to dominate the battlefield early on.

Evaluating the capabilities of Hexdrinker among its contemporaries, it undoubtedly earns its status as a formidable creature in Magic: The Gathering. Its potential for rapid growth coupled with its defensive evolutions make it both a tactical offense and an exceptional defense asset in competitive play.

Figure of Destiny - MTG Card versions
Scute Swarm - MTG Card versions
Managorger Hydra - MTG Card versions
Figure of Destiny - Eventide (EVE)
Scute Swarm - Resale Promos (PRES)
Managorger Hydra - Magic Origins (ORI)

Cards similar to Hexdrinker by color, type and mana cost

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Sacred Prey - MTG Card versions
Stampede Driver - MTG Card versions
Scryb Sprites - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Llanowar Elves - 30th Anniversary History Promos (P30H)
Ghazbán Ogre - Masters Edition (ME1)
Shanodin Dryads - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Wall of Wood - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Rime Dryad - Ice Age (ICE)
Village Elder - Mirage (MIR)
Willow Dryad - Portal (POR)
Spike Drone - Tempest (TMP)
Skyshroud Elite - Exodus (EXO)
Elvish Berserker - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Tree Monkey - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Norwood Ranger - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Ghazbán Ogress - Unglued (UGL)
Wild Dogs - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Elvish Herder - Urza's Saga (USG)
Pouncing Jaguar - Urza's Saga (USG)
Taunting Elf - Urza's Destiny (UDS)
Sacred Prey - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Stampede Driver - Masters 25 (A25)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hexdrinker MTG card by a specific set like Modern Horizons and Secret Lair Drop, 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 Hexdrinker and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Hexdrinker Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2019-06-14 and 2019-12-02. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12019-06-14Modern HorizonsMH1 1682015levelerblackForrest Imel
22019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 12222015levelerborderlessBoneface

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Hexdrinker has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-06-14 If an effect has set Hexdrinker’s power and/or toughness to a specific value after it entered the battlefield, leveling up won’t change that characteristic.
2019-06-14 Level abilities count the number of level counters on the creature. Hexdrinker starts with zero level counters. Once it has at least three but no more than seven level counters, it’s 4/4 and has protection from instants. Once it has eight or more level counters, it’s 6/6 and has protection from everything. It always has level up .
2019-06-14 Protection from everything means that Hexdrinker can’t be the target of any spells or abilities, it can’t be blocked, nothing can be attached to it, and all damage that would be dealt to it is prevented. It can still be affected in other ways (such as by Winds of Abandon cast for its overload cost, for example).
2019-06-14 Protection from instants means that Hexdrinker can’t be the target of instant spells or abilities from instant cards (such as an ability of an instant card that triggers when that card is cycled), and all damage that an instant spell or instant card would deal to it is prevented. Nothing other than these events is prevented or illegal.

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