Hexdrinker
Creature — Snake
Level up 
(: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.)
LEVEL 3-7
4/4
Protection from instants
LEVEL 8+
6/6
Protection from everything
- CMC
- 1
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Modern Horizons
- Price
- $5.20
- EDHREC rank
- #9724
Hexdrinker is a one-mana green creature that scales into a hexproof, protection-from-everything threat the longer it survives — the level-up cost is real, but the ceiling is a nearly unkillable beater for three total mana invested over several turns. Aphelia, Viper Whisperer decks run it at over 60% inclusion because the snake typing and evasive endgame are exactly what that commander wants.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Aphelia, Viper Whisperer
Aphelia, Viper Whisperer cares about snakes, and Hexdrinker delivers a one-drop that becomes progressively harder to answer — by the time it hits level 8, no removal in the game touches it, which lets Aphelia's engine keep churning without losing a key creature to spot removal.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Hexdrinker is a niche role-player — it fits snake tribal and +1/+1 counter shells, but the level-up investment is slow across a four-player game where you're not guaranteed to untap safely. Legacy is where Hexdrinker historically showed teeth, functioning as a threat that demands an immediate answer or takes over a game by turn three or four in a fair green shell. Modern is legal but the competition at one mana is brutal — there are faster, more impactful options that don't require mana sinking to become relevant. Vintage is legal and mostly irrelevant; the format ends before Hexdrinker levels matter.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Budget Alternatives
Cheaper options that do most of the same work
If the level-up price tag is the issue, Deeproot Elite offers a similar payoff in snake or merfolk builds for well under a dollar — it doesn't hit the same hexproof ceiling, but it distributes its power across the board rather than concentrating it in one creature. Snakeskin Veil at pennies gives a one-mana way to protect a key creature and put a counter on it, covering part of what Hexdrinker does without the ongoing mana commitment.
Price Context
Current price
$5.20 mid tier
At $5.20, Hexdrinker sits in the mid tier — expensive enough to feel like a deliberate inclusion, cheap enough that it's not a budget barrier for most players. The price is stable; it's a niche card with a loyal home in snake tribal and Aphelia lists, so it's unlikely to crater, but don't expect movement unless a new snake commander pushes demand.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.