Goldvein Hydra – Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.63
Casual: 5.0
Limited: 5.0
Multiplayer: 4.0
Commander [EDH]: 4.13
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
The lowest-cost X creatures have often been better than they look – recall Mistcutter Hydra, Endless One, and Shivan Devastator. This card looks really, really good, so I’d probably prepare for either tournament-wide mirror matches involving it and/or a countermeasure that goes in any deck. Having it fight effectively at almost any stage of the game, and in a dominating manner in the late game, is probably expected. Granting an enormous mana advantage when it dies is something we’re not so familiar with, and it’s proportionally enormous at any stage of the game, to the point where you almost wonder why you would need it when X was 5 or above. To be fair, I’m sure someone will find a reason, even if that reason is just an excuse to say “green artifact deck”.
Constructed: 4.5
Casual: 5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Goldvein Hydra feels maybe a bit pushed. While it has the standard hydra stat proclivities, it also has three very useful keywords with which to wreck faces, and it also leaves behind a little something when it dies. It makes for a serviceable and threatening mana sink with use both early and late, and it’s a hard enough creature to out without it creating some chaos. This definitely is positioned to be a force through its entire Standard run, and creatures like this are massive threats if you allow them any room to breathe.
Constructed: 4.75
Casual: 5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
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