Lifeblood Hydra
Creature — Hydra
Trample
This creature enters with X +1/+1 counters on it.
When this creature dies, you gain life and draw cards equal to its power.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Commander Masters
- Price
- $2.14
- EDHREC rank
- #3207
Lifeblood Hydra hits the board as a massive trampler and, when it dies, refills your hand and your life total proportional to its power — the payoff is immediate and game-swinging. The cost is that it demands a serious mana investment to be relevant, but in any deck that can reliably dump six or more mana into it, Gargos, Vicious Watcher included, it earns every land it takes.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gargos, Vicious Watcher
Gargos, Vicious Watcher reduces the cost of every Hydra you cast, which means Lifeblood Hydra arrives with more counters for the same mana — and when it dies, the draw and life gain scale directly off that boosted power.
Rosheen, Roaring Prophet
Rosheen, Roaring Prophet's activated ability pumps out mana specifically for X spells, and Lifeblood Hydra is one of the cleanest sinks for that mana in the format.
Zimone, Infinite Analyst
Zimone, Infinite Analyst rewards generating and spending large amounts of mana, and Lifeblood Hydra converts that mana directly into a board presence that also replaces itself catastrophically well when answered.
Polukranos Reborn
Polukranos Reborn helms a Hydra-tribal strategy where every threat benefits from shared synergies, and Lifeblood Hydra's death trigger makes it one of the highest-value pieces in that pile.
Zaxara, the Exemplary
Zaxara, the Exemplary generates tokens whenever you cast an X spell, so casting Lifeblood Hydra nets you a free Hydra token on top of the body — doubling the return on your mana investment.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Lifeblood Hydra is a Commander card through and through — the format's longer games and higher mana counts are exactly what it needs to be worth a card slot. In Legacy and Vintage it's technically legal but never played; a six-plus-mana creature with no immediate board interaction doesn't survive contact with those formats. Commander is where the death trigger matters most: in a multiplayer game, opponents are incentivized to answer a giant trampler, and when they do, you draw several cards and gain a chunk of life that stabilizes your position heading into the mid-to-late game.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$2.14 cheap tier
At $2.14, Lifeblood Hydra sits in impulse-buy territory — easy to slot in without a second thought. It's a casual staple with steady demand across Hydra and X-spell builds, so the price is unlikely to drop significantly.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Gargos, Vicious Watcher
- Rosheen, Roaring Prophet
- Zimone, Infinite Analyst
- Polukranos Reborn
- Zaxara, the Exemplary
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.