Magic: The Gathering - The Hydra (pt1)

Magic: The Gathering - The Hydra (pt1)

In the following paragraphs I hope to (1) Introduce the Hydra to people who perhaps know something about Magic, but not about this particular product. (2) Identify the various dials and variables in this particular game mode. (3) Give readers a toolbox of options for modifying their own challenge deck experience.

About the Author: Dan Regewitz is a certified level 1 magic judge, and tournament organizer. For 5 years he has been keeping things fair and fun in his local community. He is a firm supporter of casual play, commander, and variants.

=== What is the Hydra?

    The Hydra is the first challenge deck issued by Wizards of the Coast. By far the most interesting part of this product is that it supports solo or cooperative play for 1-4 players. The hydra deck not only uses a specialized deck of 60 cards (MSRP 11.99), but also a set of scenario-based rules that only apply when playing against it.

    Hero cards are special promotional cards, released earlier this year, specifically designed to be used against the Hydra. They are totally optional, but if you use them, you may bring up to two into a game with you. The effects of these cards vary, but they essentially sit in the command zone and give you the option for some small advantage each turn.

    Currently, there are 7 of these promos. 5 different ones attached to the five different colors for the Theros prerelease. One promo for solving a visual puzzle on launch weekend, and a second for defeating the hydra on Game Day. According to our best information, an equal number in a similar distribution will be available through Born of the Gods events early 2014.

== The Hydra Rules

The hydra uses special scenario rules that changes setup and play. These rules only apply when facing the hydra.

Setup
    * You may start with up to two hero cards on the battlefield.
    * Choose a starting number of heads, take that many cards named "Hydra Head" From the challenge deck and put them on the battlefield. Shuffle the remaining cards to form the Hydra's library.

Gameplay (players)
    * You go first.
    * You follow all regular Magic rules with the following exceptions:
    * You can attack heads directly with your creatures. Any number of creatures can attack a single head.

Gameplay (hydra)
    * Whenever a head leaves the battlefield, reveal the top two cards of the Hydra's Library. Put any heads onto the battlefield, and any sorcery cards into the Hydra's graveyard.
    * At the start of the Hydra's turn, untap any tapped heads.
    * Reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card. When that spell resolves, if a head - put it onto the battlefield. If a sorcery, follow its instructions and then put it into the Hydra's graveyard.
    * At the end of the turn, the Hydra deals 1 damage to you for each untapped card named hydra head it controls, and 2 damage to you for each untapped elite head it controls.
    * If the Hyrdra would be dealt damage or lose life, instead deal that much damage to a head of your choice.
    * Ignore effects that would cause the hydra to draw or discard cards, or any impossible actions.
    * If a head would move to exile, instead put it into the Hydra's graveyard.
    * You make any choices for the Hydra.

Winning 
    * At the end of any turn, if there are no heads on the battlefield, you win!

I will also take a moment to point out the Official Hero's Path FAQ by Dave Guskin.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/HerosPathFAQ#challenge

== The Hydra Deck

As previously mentioned, the Hydra is a specialized Challenge deck filled with 60 cards that are unique to it alone. I have compiled a deck list, complete with notes on card text for future reference and consideration.

= 18 Heads
11 Hydra Head - 0/3 when this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 2 life.
4 Ravenous Brute Head - 0/6 when this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 2 life, and draws a card.
1 Savage Vigor Head 0/8 At the beginning of the Hydra's End step, reveal the top card of the Hydra's library and the Hydra casts that card. When this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
1 Shrieking Titan Head 0/8 At the beginning of the Hydra's End step, each player discards a card. When this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.
1 Snapping Fang Head 0/8 At the beginning of the Hydra's end step, this deals 1 damage to each player. When this leaves the battlefield, each player gains 4 life and draws a card.

= 42 Sorcery
6 Unified Lunge - This deals X damage to each player, where X is the number of heads on the battlefield.
5 Distract the Hydra - Each player may sacrifice a creature. Each player who sacrifices a creature this way chooses a head and taps it. Each player who didn't sacrifice a creature loses 3 life.
5 Disorienting Glower - Players can't cast spells until the Hydra's next turn.
5 Swallow the Hero whole - Each player exiles a creature they control. Until the Hydra's next turn, when a head leaves the battlefield, return the exiled cards to the battlefield under their owner's control.
4 Hydra's Impenetrable Hide - Each head gains indestructible until the end of the Hydra's next turn.
4 Noxious Hydra Breath - Choose one - This deals 5 damage to each player, or destroy each tapped non-head creature.
4 Torn Between Heads - Tap up to two heads. They don't untap during the Hydra's next untap step. This deals 5 damage to each player.
4 Grown from the Stump - Put exactly two cards named hydra head from the graveyard onto the battlefield. If you can't, reveal cards from the top of the Hydra's library until you reveal a head card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest into the Hydra's graveyard.
3 Neck Tangle - if there are 5 or more heads on the battlefield, tap 2 of them - they don't untap during the hydra's next untap step. Otherwise, reveal the top card of the Hydra's library, and cast that card.
2 Strike Weak Spot - destroy target head, if that head was elite, the hydra takes an extra turn.

=== Digging deeper

    The pre-constructed experience of the Hydra challenge deck is a unique one, and I feel the base experience actually does a decent job of accomplishing what it set out to do - namely make a solo (or cooperative) magic experience that provides some game tension, back and forth play, yet remains simple enough to run itself.

    However in my play tests with and against the Hydra this gameplay experience starts to break down when you push it's limits. With 1-3 players, I think the base deck delivers what it promises. However starting at 4+ players, the Hydra as a much lower chance to reveal (and cast) heads, or regrow lost heads, resulting in it not applying enough pressure in the mid to late game.

    The other arena where it breaks down is adjusting to opposition of the decks brought to bear against it. Anyone who is familiar with competitive magic knows that there is a world of difference between something you might pull out for casual play, and a deck you would play in a tournament.
There can be just as big a difference between that deck you bring to your weekly Friday Night Magic, and that deck you bring to a Grand Prix (large events with thousands of players and cash prizes).

    So if you intend to use the Hydra for 1-3 players against decks that are roughly as strong as an "Event Deck" product - congratulations because I feel like that is the exact sweet spot for creating really good interesting games with the Hydra. If not, we are about to dive into the rabbit hole together and see where it leads.

    Before we go tearing apart the base hydra deck, I feel it is important to know what we can about how it was built and published. Fortunately, there is an article about just that "Building a Hydra" by Sam Stoddard. I encourage anyone who wants to modify their hydra experience to review this.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/ld/270

    Fundamentally, we can tweak our challenge deck by doing one of two things to it.
(1) Build our own Hydra Deck.
(2) Change or introduce rules that create a different 'scenario' for facing the hydra.

    Our goals in this article are thus two-fold
(1) Suggest modifications that will allow the challenge deck to support higher player counts. The challenge deck should provide a functional experience for 1-6 players.
(2) Suggest modifications that will allow the challenge deck to support stronger or more competitive decks, or decks from alternate formats (such as commander).

    Consider anything I may present to you my humble suggestions. Try it out for yourself, and if it makes your challenge deck experience more fun - great. If it does not - don't use it! Also, if you do choose to use any of the tools and options I present in this article for your challenge deck, make sure that any players playing against it are aware of the variations from normal magic.

=== Building a Challenge Deck

    As I mentioned previously, one of the issues the Hydra deck has is that it does not provide sufficient challenge when pitted against decks that are significantly stronger than an event deck. This is largely a design decision to make the Hydra difficult, but not impossible to beat in casual play. That's a great choice by the way, as the Hydra is targeted to that audience.

    This doesn't help us if we want to fight the hydra with our modern, legacy, limited (draft or sealed deck) or commander decks. I think the best way we can create a fun experience in these situations is to build our own challenge deck.

= Card Pool

    The first question we've got to ask ourselves is what cards can the challenge deck include. The most basic answer is that when we build a challenge deck, it can include any cards that the decks it might face could include. Thus, if we construct a challenge deck for the modern format, the Hydra deck must run modern legal cards (8th edition or Mirrodin or more current, excluding any currently banned cards). This limitation can be based on any current format sanctioned or casual.

Wizards resources on formats.
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/tcg/resources.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/resources/formats

    However, the cards from the actual hydra deck are not part of any format. With their non-standard backs, they are not - strictly speaking- legal cards. The intent of the challenge deck is that these cards can and indeed must (in the case of heads) be included.

    * A custom challenge deck may always include cards that were printed in an official Wizards challenge deck, such as the Hydra.

The other thing that is strange about making your own Hydra deck is that the default deck includes more than 4 copies of certain cards, thus breaking a rule that has been around since the early days of tournament magic. For "Hydra heads" I believe this is necessary, less so for other cards.

    * A custom challenge deck may include any number of cards of the same name that were printed in an official Wizards challenge deck, such as the Hydra. [A custom challenge deck may include up to 4 of any other card.]

Because our custom Hydra deck will potentially include standard magic cards, we need the following rules:

    * A custom challenge deck must be prepared in opaque sleeves with identical card-backs.
    * Draw Step: Reveal the top card of the Hydra's library. The Hydra casts that card without paying its mana cost.

    Any other considerations for deck building that I have not mentioned are normal.

= Card choices.

    It should go without saying, but the rules I've outlined for building your own challenge deck certainly allow you to consider more cards, but some (cards with X in the cost, cards with activated abilities requiring mana) are virtually useless for the Hydra.   

    The best cards for the Hydra are ones that effect each opponent, all players (the Hydra is one player facing 1-6 players so most of these are good), all creatures / enchantments / lands / artifacts.

    Also the addition of non-head creatures is somewhat dubious as there is nothing in the base rules that allows those creatures to attack. However, since the player's turn is 'normal' you could interpret that the Hydra can declare blockers. This is a stretch however, and opens up additional complications as what the Hydra blocks (and with what).

    To make use of a large swath of magic cards, you will have to create rules that will allow them to work.

= Add Heads!

    If there is one recommendation I will make to others attempting to make their own Challenge deck, it is to include more heads (cutting spells in the process).

    At 18 Heads in a 60 card card deck, the Hydra is exactly 30% heads, 70% spells. The more heads in the deck the larger the threat from the Hydra becomes, as it can regrow heads easier, cast more heads during the game, and apply pressure to the heroes who face it for longer stretches.

    You can start with 2-4 heads on the field. The thing about this is that the more heads start on the field the chances of getting a head as the top card actually reduces. Starting at 2 heads, heads now make up 27% of the 58 remaining cards. Starting at 4 heads? We're down to 25%. While this does make the Hydra a LOT more dangerous in the early game, it makes it easier in the mid-to-long game, and makes for a weaker challenge (assuming you survive).

    So how many heads do you want in a challenge deck? The answer is likely to vary based on exactly what environment you plan on playing your challenge deck in. However heads are pretty important for the challenge deck as they represent both the victory condition of the scenario and the primary way the challenge deck can actually win. My testing indicates that the challenge deck should be somewhere around 35% heads - or 22 cards in a 60 card deck.

    Playtest note: My playgroup did try a higher 'saturation' of heads. At 40% heads the challenge deck was still beatable, but the scenario was less forgiving and higher pressure. At 45% heads the challenge deck beat us soundly to the point where it seemed unlikely we could ever muster enough board presence to stabilize - let alone win.

    Another relevant question is how many heads you want to start with. The default setup of between 2 and 4 actually has worked in most of my games. However I would recommend adding an extra head at higher player counts. Thus for 4 or more players play with 3-5 starting heads.