Ancient Hydra MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Creature — Hydra
Abilities	Fading
Released	2000-02-14
Set symbol
Set name	Nemesis
Set code	NEM
Power	5
Toughness	1
Number	76
Frame	1997
Layout	normal
Border	black
Illustred by	Scott M. Fischer

Key Takeaways

The Ancient Hydra excels in controlling the board and eliminating small threats efficiently.
Though not a direct resource accelerator, it paves the way for faster wins.
Flexibility with instant speed activation lets players disrupt opponent moves effectively.

Text of card

Fading 5 (This creature comes into play with five fade counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from it. If you can't, sacrifice it.) o1, Remove a fade counter from Ancient Hydra: Ancient Hydra deals 1 damage to target creature or player.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Ancient Hydra can serve as a formidable card advantage engine. The ability to ping multiple targets by removing its fading counters can allow you to pick off an adversary’s smaller creatures, keeping your board presence dominant while diminishing theirs.

Resource Acceleration: Although Ancient Hydra does not directly produce mana or Treasure tokens, its potential to control the board can indirectly lead to resource acceleration. By eliminating key utility creatures of your opponent, you pave the way for your other creatures to attack uninhibited, which could lead to a quicker victory and effectively saving resources in the long term.

Instant Speed: Ancient Hydra’s activation can be used at instant speed, offering flexibility to disrupt your opponent’s strategies during their turn. This potential for interaction can be a game-changer in maintaining board control, especially since you can decide the most opportune moment to remove the counters and deal damage.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Ancient Hydra doesn’t directly require a discard, it’s worth noting that its fading ability effectively diminishes your board presence, akin to a discard, as it loses fading counters over time.

Specific Mana Cost: Ancient Hydra demands a precise mana assembly of four generic and one red mana, which may not be effortlessly integrated into multicolored or non-red-centric decks, potentially limiting its versatility.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing five mana to summon, Ancient Hydra can be somewhat costly, especially considering that other creatures or spells could offer more impactful and immediate board presence or abilities for the same or less investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Ancient Hydra’s flexibility in dealing damage across multiple creatures makes it a robust addition to any collection. Its ability to break up its damage makes it useful against decks that employ a variety of smaller creatures.

Combo Potential: With its Fading ability, Ancient Hydra can be a dynamic piece in combos, particularly in decks that manipulate or benefit from the number of counters on a card. It can also be used as a surprise tactic to control the board before it leaves play.

Meta-Relevance: As metagames often fluctuate, Ancient Hydra remains relevant due to the constant presence of creature-based strategies. Its ability to act as a deterrent to swarming tactics keeps it as an evergreen option in your arsenal.

How to beat

Ancient Hydra is a versatile creature card that poses a formidable threat on the battlefield in MTG. It brings an immediate impact with its fading mechanic and direct damage ability, capable of wiping out multiple smaller creatures or chipping away at an opponent’s life total. To tackle this fiery beast, it’s crucial to adopt effective strategies that neutralize its abilities.

Removal spells are key when it’s on the field. Since it arrives with fading counters, instant-speed removal like Path to Exile can be especially useful before it gets a chance to use its damage ability. Additionally, countering it with spells like Counterspell when it’s cast can prevent it from ever becoming a problem. Creature protection is also vital – hexproof or protection from red can shield your army from its damage.

Another angle is to outpace it. Since the Hydra loses a counter at each upkeep, deploying an aggressive strategy can pressure your opponent and force them to use the Hydra’s ability preemptively, leaving them vulnerable. In essence, handling Ancient Hydra requires prompt intervention, smart shield usage, or an aggressive game plan to surpass its damaging potential.

Cards like Ancient Hydra

Ancient Hydra fits neatly into the pantheon of creature cards with fading and direct damage in MTG. This five-headed beast echoes other creatures like Flametongue Kavu which delivers damage immediately upon entering the battlefield. Both have the ability to alter the board’s dynamics quickly. Yet, where Flametongue Kavu offers a one-time burst of damage, Ancient Hydra’s fading counters allow for a more controlled and potentially repeatable damage output.

Ball Lightning is another classic with a different approach. It provides a substantial one-turn attack, whereas Ancient Hydra caters to a more strategic player who wants to spread the damage over multiple turns or targets. Furthermore, unlike the Hydra, which can be a persistent threat, once the Lightning strikes, it’s gone. Then there’s Arc-Slogger, a creature that can also deal direct damage, yet at a high cost of exiling the top ten cards of your library, making it a risky late-game gamble compared to the more measured approach of Ancient Hydra’s damage distribution.

Rounding up, while there are several cards offering direct damage or impactful entries onto the battlefield, it’s the versatility and staying power of Ancient Hydra that allows players to leverage damage across the course of the game, making it a distinct and calculating choice for many MTG enthusiasts.

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

Balduvian War-Makers - MTG Card versions

Flowstone Salamander - MTG Card versions

Ma Chao, Western Warrior - MTG Card versions

Dwarven Strike Force - MTG Card versions

Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - MTG Card versions

Eron the Relentless - Pro Tour Collector Set (PTC)

Ma Chao, Western Warrior - Portal Three Kingdoms (PTK)

Covetous Dragon - World Championship Decks 1999 (WC99)

Volatile Arsonist // Dire-Strain Anarchist - Magic Online Promos (PRM)

Frost Ogre - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Heartless Hidetsugu - Betrayers of Kamigawa (BOK)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ancient Hydra MTG card by a specific set like Nemesis, 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 Ancient Hydra and other MTG cards: