Pygmy Hippo
Creature — Hippo
Whenever this creature attacks and isn't blocked, you may have defending player activate a mana ability of each land they control and lose all unspent mana. If you do, this creature assigns no combat damage this turn and at the beginning of your next main phase this turn, you add an amount of 
equal to the amount of mana that player lost this way.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GU
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Visions
- Price
- $1.96
- EDHREC rank
- #24867
Pygmy Hippo swings in and drains your opponent's mana while padding yours — a combat damage trigger that doubles as a resource denial tool. The catch is a 1/1 body that dies to a stiff breeze, so you need either evasion support or a way to make combat damage connect reliably.
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 |
Commander is the only format where Pygmy Hippo earns a real conversation, and even there it demands a dedicated shell. In a one-on-one attack, the mana-siphon trigger is significant; across a four-player table where blocking is cheaper, a 1/1 rarely connects without help. Legacy and Vintage are legal homes on paper, but faster, more resilient threats make Pygmy Hippo a non-starter in both. If you're building around group-slug or mana-denial themes in Commander, it fits — everywhere else, it doesn't.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$1.96 cheap tier
At $1.96, Pygmy Hippo sits at the low end of the bulk-rare range, which is about right for a card with narrow application. It's a stable dollar-bin pickup — niche enough that demand stays low, but not so forgotten that copies vanish entirely.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.