Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn // Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal
Legendary Creature — Elder Wizard // Legendary Creature — God
Whenever you cast a legendary spell, draw a card. This ability triggers only once each turn.
Hero's Sundering — 
, 
: Exile target nonland permanent. Transform Venat. Activate only as a sorcery.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- rare
- Set
- Final Fantasy
- Price
- $0.94
- EDHREC rank
- #3410
Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn // Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal puts a resilient legendary creature on the front half and flips into a powerful back half that generates substantial board advantage — the payoff is real. The cost is a meaningful mana investment and the flip condition, which makes it slower than comparable value engines, but Ardbert, Warrior of Darkness decks don't care: they're built to extract every drop from both halves.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ardbert, Warrior of Darkness
Ardbert, Warrior of Darkness appears in over 68% of Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn // Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal's recorded decks for good reason — Ardbert's ability to drain opponents while growing threats means the life-loss symmetry Hydaelyn creates becomes pure fuel, and the legendary synergy between the two cards tightens the engine considerably.
Aerith Gainsborough
Aerith Gainsborough runs Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn // Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal in over half her decks because both cards reward legendary-matters and life-payment synergies, and Aerith's support-style payoffs compound the back half's board-wide impact.
Atreus, Impulsive Son // Kratos, Stoic Father
Atreus, Impulsive Son // Kratos, Stoic Father appears in nearly 48% of lists running Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn // Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal because the Abzan color identity aligns perfectly and the counters-matter theme on Atreus turns Hydaelyn's back-half triggers into meaningful board scaling.
Kethis, the Hidden Hand
Kethis, the Hidden Hand recurs legendaries from the graveyard, and Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn // Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal is a legendary worth recurring — Kethis decks treat the flip condition as a repeatable engine rather than a one-time payoff.
Reyhan, Last of the Abzan // Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful
Reyhan, Last of the Abzan // Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful builds counters aggressively on legendaries, and Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn // Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal slots in as both a counter recipient and a flip threat that rewards the deck's density of legendary creatures.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn // Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal lives — the legendary supertype matters, the flip condition is achievable over a multiplayer game's longer arc, and the back half's impact scales with the number of opponents. In 60-card formats like Modern and Pioneer, it's legal but almost entirely irrelevant: the flip requirement is too slow, the mana cost too steep, and the payoff insufficiently proactive against focused interaction. Legacy and Vintage have the raw power density to bury it before it flips. Oathbreaker is the one alternative home worth noting — as a signature spell or in the 58, the compressed game length can still let the front half do work.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.94 bulk tier
At $0.94, Venat, Heart of Hydaelyn // Hydaelyn, the Mothercrystal sits at the top of bulk pricing — cheap enough to pick up without thought, but not so established that the price is likely to drift significantly unless Ardbert, Warrior of Darkness decks keep pulling it into more lists. It's a safe include at this price tier for any deck that wants it.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ardbert, Warrior of Darkness
- Aerith Gainsborough
- Atreus, Impulsive Son // Kratos, Stoic Father
- Kethis, the Hidden Hand
- Reyhan, Last of the Abzan // Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.