Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
Creature — Weird // Land
Flash
When this creature enters, you may change the target of target instant or sorcery spell with a single target to this creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- U
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- Modern Horizons 3
- Price
- $0.74
- EDHREC rank
- #630
Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory puts a creature that transforms into a land-based engine on the battlefield for two mana, giving you immediate board presence and a long-game payoff in the same card. Plagon, Lord of the Beach decks in particular treat it as a near-staple because both halves slot directly into what that shell wants to do.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Plagon, Lord of the Beach
Plagon, Lord of the Beach appears in nearly half of all Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory lists because the Specimen's creature type and the Laboratory's activated abilities feed directly into Plagon's resource engine, making it one of the tightest two-card relationships in the archetype.
Katara, Waterbending Master
Katara, Waterbending Master decks run Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory at a 46% clip because the card's transformation mechanic plays well with Katara's water-themed synergy triggers, giving the deck both an early body and a late-game mana outlet.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog's speed-focused shell picks up Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory to exploit the Laboratory side's abilities as a repeatable engine that keeps pace with Sonic's aggressive tempo.
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow lists include Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory primarily for the Specimen side's evasion profile, which slots neatly into Yuriko's ninjutsu-enabling creature package.
Ephara, God of the Polis
Ephara, God of the Polis wants creatures entering on opponents' turns, and Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory gives the deck a two-mana creature that can transition into the Laboratory when its creature utility runs out, keeping the card relevant in both the early and late game.
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 |
Commander is where Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory does its best work — the 100-card singleton format rewards cards that pull double duty, and a creature that converts into a mana-generating or ability-producing land is exactly that kind of two-for-one. In Legacy and Vintage, the card is legal but faces a much higher bar: those formats demand immediate, singular impact, and a two-mana transforming creature rarely clears that threshold outside of dedicated tribal or synergy builds. Modern is the most plausible non-Commander home if a supported archetype emerges, but Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory is currently a fringe consideration there at best. Oathbreaker mirrors the Commander logic — multi-use permanents are strong, and the Laboratory side's late-game value compounds nicely in shorter games.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.74 bulk tier
At $0.74, Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory sits firmly in bulk territory, making it a zero-hesitation pickup for any deck that wants it. Bulk rares with meaningful synergy in popular Commander archetypes can tick up as a set ages into scarcity, but at this price the card is worth grabbing now purely on playability, not price movement.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Plagon, Lord of the Beach
- Katara, Waterbending Master
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow
- Ephara, God of the Polis
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.