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Zaxara, the Exemplary

Legendary Creature — Nightmare Hydra

Deathtouch
{T}: Add two mana of any one color.
Whenever you cast a spell with {X} in its mana cost, create a 0/0 green Hydra creature token, then put X +1/+1 counters on it.

CMC
4
Mana cost
{1}{B}{G}{U}
Color identity
BGU
Rarity
mythic
Set
Commander 2020
Price
$2.00
EDHREC rank
#5531
Buy on TCGplayer
Zaxara, the Exemplary card art
Zaxara, the Exemplary puts a free Hydra token on the board every time you cast an X spell — then taps for two mana of any color, which means it recycles directly into more X spells. The cost is a five-mana 2/3 with deathtouch that folds to a removal spell before it untaps, and the infinite-mana line through Freed from the Real is well-known enough that every experienced table will answer it on sight.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
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 Zaxara, the Exemplary is worth building around. As a five-mana legendary creature that rewards a critical mass of X spells, it needs the 99-card singleton structure to support it — Legacy and Vintage are legal on paper, but no competitive shell there wants a value-engine Hydra at five mana. Oathbreaker is legal and theoretically functional, but the 60-card constraint makes assembling enough X spells consistently harder. Play it as a commander, full stop.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

$2.00 cheap tier

At $2.00, Zaxara, the Exemplary sits at the cheap end of mythic rares with genuine combo potential. That price is unlikely to climb — it's been widely opened and reprinted — but for what it enables at the table, two dollars is an easy buy-in.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.