Phyrexian Hydra
Creature — Phyrexian Hydra
Infect (This creature deals damage to creatures in the form of -1/-1 counters and to players in the form of poison counters.)
If damage would be dealt to this creature, prevent that damage. Put a -1/-1 counter on this creature for each 1 damage prevented this way.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- G
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Mirrodin Besieged
- Price
- $3.43
- EDHREC rank
- #12388
Phyrexian Hydra enters as a 7/7 infect that redirects damage to -1/-1 counters on itself, making combat removal nearly irrelevant — opponents can't trade into it without poisoning themselves. The catch is that infect's ten-poison threshold is a steep clock in multiplayer, and Gargos, Vicious Watcher is the engine that makes it worth the ask by wiping blockers on entry.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Gargos, Vicious Watcher
Gargos, Vicious Watcher's fight triggers clear blockers the moment Phyrexian Hydra enters, letting a 7/7 infect swing through an empty board as early as turn five — that's a clean path to ten poison counters in two attacks.
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 |
Phyrexian Hydra is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Vintage, and Oathbreaker. Commander is where it does the most work — the singleton rule limits poison-stack redundancy, but the hydra's stat line is large enough to threaten a player with two clean attacks, and multiplayer tables give infect decks enough chaos to sneak through. In Legacy and Vintage it's simply outclassed; seven mana for a creature with no evasion and a self-shrinking ceiling is nowhere near competitive in those formats. Oathbreaker can produce poison-focused signature spells that speed up the clock, making it a reasonable roleplayer there too.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$3.43 cheap tier
At $3.43, Phyrexian Hydra sits in cheap territory — accessible without a second thought for any infect or Hydra tribal build. Niche tribal demand keeps a floor under the price, but it's not a card that appreciates; pick it up when the deck calls for it and don't overthink it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Gargos, Vicious Watcher
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.