Hydra's Impenetrable Hide MTG Card


Hydra's Impenetrable Hide - Face the Hydra
RarityCommon
TypeSorcery
Released2013-10-19
Set symbol
Set nameFace the Hydra
Set codeTFTH
Number9
Frame2003
LayoutNormal
BorderBlack
Illustred bySteve Prescott

Key Takeaways

  1. Refills your hand in proportion to controlled creatures, making for a powerful card advantage.
  2. Enables faster deployment of large creatures, boosting your board presence significantly.
  3. Instant speed allows for dynamic and strategic responses, safeguarding your gameplay.

Text of card

Each Head gains indestructible until the end of the Hydra's next turn.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide provides a significant edge by potentially refilling your hand with the same number of cards you control, solidifying your control over the game’s flow.

Resource Acceleration: This card can lead to an explosive growth in your board presence by enabling you to cast costlier creatures ahead of schedule, thanks to its synergy with numerous mana-generating cards in your deck.

Instant Speed: With the flexibility of instant-speed interaction, Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide can be a game-changer, ensuring you’re always ready to react to threats or create opportunities at the most opportune moments during the heat of battle.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide means you’ll need to part with another card from your hand. This trade-off can be quite punitive, especially in situations where you’re clinging onto every piece for an optimal play.

Specific Mana Cost: This particular card has a rigid demand for specific mana types to cast it. This can be a hitch in decks that run more than two colors, making it less flexible and potentially a dead card if the correct mana isn’t available at the critical moment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide comes with a relatively hefty mana cost. This could be burdensome compared to other defensive or buff options in MTG. Weighing its advantages against its casting cost is essential, as there might be alternatives that provide similar benefits without taxing your mana pool as much.


Reasons to Include Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide in Your Collection

Versatility: Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide is a robust addition to any deck focusing on creature durability. Its unique ability to protect a creature from most forms of removal makes it adaptable across various matchups.

Combo Potential: This card shines in decks built around +1/+1 counters, where it can be combined with creatures that grow over time, effectively turning your threats into unstoppable forces on the battlefield.

Meta-Relevance: With a game environment that often revolves around targeted removal, Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide offers a decisive edge by making your key creatures resilient against such strategies, keeping them safe and ensuring your board presence.


How to beat Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide

Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide can be a formidable card on the battlefield, granting a creature near invulnerability from most forms of harm. Overcoming this enchanted layer of protection requires strategic maneuvers and card choices. Spot removal spells that don’t target creatures directly, like Wrath of God or Damnation, offer a one-way ticket to clearing the board regardless of any protective enchantments. Cards that force a player to sacrifice creatures, such as Diabolic Edict or Liliana of the Veil, can circumvent the hide’s shield by not targeting the creature directly.

Playing around Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide involves altering your approach, avoiding head-on attacks, and instead employing global board control strategies. Transformative spells or abilities that neutralize the creature without dealing damage or targeting, like Lignify or Imprisoned in the Moon, can also bypass the hide’s defenses. By pivoting your strategy to utilize these indirect methods, you can efficiently handle creatures cloaked in Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide, ensuring your path to victory remains unobstructed.


Cards like Hydra's Impenetrable Hide

Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide offers a unique twist in the realm of creature protection in Magic: The Gathering. It echoes the abilities of cards like Indestructibility, which provides a creature with the coveted indestructible status. Nonetheless, Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide distinguishes itself by not only warding off damage but also granting the creature a power boost, a benefit not seen in Indestructibility.

Alpha Authority is another card that shares some similarities, conferring a creature both hexproof and the inability to be blocked by more than one creature. Although it doesn’t directly prevent damage, the hexproof characteristic serves as a robust defense mechanism. Comparatively, with Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide, while lacking hexproof, the focus is on an outright denial of damage, combined with an offensive enhancement.

Concluding, among protective enchantments in MTG, Hydra’s Impenetrable Hide carries its own merit, offering a dual advantage of nullifying damage while simultaneously increasing a creature’s threat level, an appealing option for players aiming to fortify their creatures beyond mere invulnerability.

Indestructibility - MTG Card versions
Alpha Authority - MTG Card versions
Indestructibility - MTG Card versions
Alpha Authority - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Hydra's Impenetrable Hide by color, type and mana cost

Grown from the Stump - MTG Card versions
Strike the Weak Spot - MTG Card versions
Noxious Hydra Breath - MTG Card versions
Neck Tangle - MTG Card versions
Distract the Hydra - MTG Card versions
Disorienting Glower - MTG Card versions
Unified Lunge - MTG Card versions
Swallow the Hero Whole - MTG Card versions
Torn Between Heads - MTG Card versions
Unquenchable Fury - MTG Card versions
Touch of the Horned God - MTG Card versions
Intervention of Keranos - MTG Card versions
Descend on the Prey - MTG Card versions
Consuming Rage - MTG Card versions
Impulsive Charge - MTG Card versions
Rip to Pieces - MTG Card versions
Impulsive Return - MTG Card versions
Impulsive Destruction - MTG Card versions
Xenagos's Scorn - MTG Card versions
Xenagos's Strike - MTG Card versions
Grown from the Stump - MTG Card versions
Strike the Weak Spot - MTG Card versions
Noxious Hydra Breath - MTG Card versions
Neck Tangle - MTG Card versions
Distract the Hydra - MTG Card versions
Disorienting Glower - MTG Card versions
Unified Lunge - MTG Card versions
Swallow the Hero Whole - MTG Card versions
Torn Between Heads - MTG Card versions
Unquenchable Fury - MTG Card versions
Touch of the Horned God - MTG Card versions
Intervention of Keranos - MTG Card versions
Descend on the Prey - MTG Card versions
Consuming Rage - MTG Card versions
Impulsive Charge - MTG Card versions
Rip to Pieces - MTG Card versions
Impulsive Return - MTG Card versions
Impulsive Destruction - MTG Card versions
Xenagos's Scorn - MTG Card versions
Xenagos's Strike - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Hydra's Impenetrable Hide 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 Hydra's Impenetrable Hide and other MTG cards:

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