Hystrodon MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Beast
Abilities	Morph,Trample
Released	2002-10-07
Set symbol
Set name	Onslaught
Set code	ONS
Power	3
Toughness	4
Number	266
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Anthony S. Waters

Key Takeaways

Hystrodon’s combat damage ability offers valuable card draw to sustain hand advantage and strategic depth.
Morphing Hystrodon utilizes instant speed for surprise attacks, providing a layer of tactical unpredictability.
Despite its benefits, Hystrodon’s specific mana cost and cycling discard can limit deck inclusion and versatility.

Text of card

Trample Whenever Hystrodon deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card. Morph o1o Go G (You may play this face down as a 2/2 creature for o3. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: One of the standout features of Hystrodon is its ‘Whenever Hystrodon deals combat damage to a player, you may draw a card’ ability. This offers a layer of card advantage, ensuring that each successful attack can replenish your hand and keep your options open.

Resource Acceleration: Although Hystrodon itself doesn’t offer a direct means of resource acceleration, its synergy with ramping mechanics can be invaluable. By combining Hystrodon with cards that untap creatures or lands, you can expedite your mana development to deploy threats more rapidly.

Instant Speed: Hystrodon’s Morph cost allows you to play it face down as a 2/2 creature for three mana, then turn it face up any time you could cast an instant. This surprise factor can catch opponents off guard, providing ample opportunity to sneak in for damage and card draw when most advantageous.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Hystrodon allows you to cycle and draw a card, this ability still requires you to discard it first. This can be a setback when you’re trying to maintain card advantage or when you’re short on playable creatures.

Specific Mana Cost: To put this dinosaur into play, you’ll need one green and two other mana sources. This specific mana requirement means that Hystrodon is often confined to decks that can reliably produce green mana, potentially limiting its versatility across various deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of three mana for a 3/4 creature, Hystrodon may seem reasonably priced, but in a game where board presence and tempo are crucial, there are more mana-efficient creatures or spells that could take precedence in your deck construction.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Hystrodon offers a unique advantage with its ability to unearth crucial cards through its trample trait. This makes it a fine addition to decks that aim to overpower with myriad card choices.

Combo Potential: The ability to cycle Hystrodon provides synergy with mechanics that benefit from cards being drawn or discarded. This offers new dimensions to strategies that capitalize on such interactions.

Meta-Relevance: Given the shifting landscape of MTG’s competitive scene, Hystrodon’s capacity to sift through the deck quickly keeps it relevant, particularly in metas where getting to the right card swiftly can mean the difference between victory and defeat.

How to beat

Hystrodon is an intriguing creature card within the realm of MTG, renowned for its synergy with the ‘threshold’ ability, allowing easy access to card drawing capability once seven or more cards are in your graveyard. Placed alongside other utility monsters like Eternal Witness or Tarmogoyf, Hystrodon shines in decks that capitalize on large graveyards, granting not just a formidable presence on the board but also vital card advantage.

To outmaneuver Hystrodon, it’s essential to halt its threshold-triggered ability which hinges on a player’s graveyard size. Graveyard management spells like Rest in Peace or Tormod’s Crypt can effectively neutralize its advantage by keeping graveyards clear, thus suppressing its utility. Moreover, leveraging removal spells that bypass its ‘Morph’ trait, such as Path to Exile or Doom Blade, can dispatch Hystrodon before its benefits are brought to bear.

In essence, facing a Hystrodon requires a sound strategy that includes consistent graveyard control and prompt creature removal to prevent it from becoming an insurmountable threat. By adopting this tactical approach, you can maintain dominance over the battlefield and diminish the impact of Hystrodon in your matches.

Cards like Hystrodon

Hystrodon stands out in Magic: The Gathering as a unique beast with the ability to unearth a card from your deck. This utility finds a parallel in creatures like Satyr Wayfinder, which offers a look at the top four cards of your library, allowing you to reveal a land card from among them and put it into your hand. While Satyr Wayfinder also influences your library’s composition, it does not have the attacking prowess of Hystrodon.

Borderland Ranger is another creature card that shares a semblance to Hystrodon’s ability. Upon entering the battlefield, it allows the player to search their library for a basic land card, reveal it, and put it into their hand. The ranger, though, lacks the ability to cycle as Hystrodon does, granting it less flexibility. Wood Elves also serves similar roles, fetching a Forest card onto the battlefield, but it does not provide the card draw option that comes with cycling.

In essence, Hystrodon offers a dual advantage of being a formidable creature to contest the board while also enabling you to maintain card advantage. This blend of capabilities positions Hystrodon in a versatile role within the green creature card lineup.

Cards similar to Hystrodon by color, type and mana cost

Tel-Jilad Lifebreather - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

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