Hythonia the Cruel
Legendary Creature — Gorgon
Deathtouch
: Monstrosity 3. (If this creature isn't monstrous, put three +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous.)
When Hythonia becomes monstrous, destroy all non-Gorgon creatures.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- B
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Theros
- Price
- $0.36
- EDHREC rank
- #17017
Hythonia the Cruel turns Monstrous into a one-sided Plague Wind — every non-Gorgon on the board dies while she survives to collect the aftermath. The cost is real: seven mana to cast plus six more to go Monstrous means you need a dedicated ramp shell, and Aphelia, Viper Whisperer is currently the commander most willing to pay it.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Aphelia, Viper Whisperer
Aphelia, Viper Whisperer is a Gorgon typal commander, which means Hythonia the Cruel survives her own board wipe — every creature she kills while Aphelia is in play advances the same tribal engine rather than resetting it.
Damia, Sage of Stone
Damia, Sage of Stone runs Sultai, giving access to the ramp needed to reach Hythonia the Cruel's Monstrous activation; Damia's refill ability means the hand is full again by the turn you spend thirteen total mana wiping the board.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Hythonia the Cruel belongs — the singleton format slows the game down enough that a thirteen-mana investment across two turns is survivable, and Gorgon typal builds treat her board wipe as a feature rather than a reset. In Legacy and Vintage she's theoretically legal but irrelevant; nothing in those formats is waiting around for a seven-mana 4/6. Modern and Pioneer are similarly hostile — midrange clocks are too fast and removal too cheap for a creature that requires an additional six-mana activation to matter. Oathbreaker shares Commander's multiplayer pace and is the one other format where she's plausible, particularly as a signature spell target for an aristocrats-adjacent build.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.36 bulk tier
At $0.36, Hythonia the Cruel is deep bulk — easy to pick up as a throw-in or bulk lot filler. Tribal staples with narrow homes rarely climb unless the tribe gets pushed hard, so treat this as a cheap pickup for Gorgon builds rather than a spec.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.