[MTG-ST] BG Hydra

[The Admiral]

This is the current build I'm running for Hydra, after hashing out some of it on Cockatrice (turns out I had more openings than I thought) and running it through the SPP FNM...

Lands:
4x Overgrown Tomb
4x Woodland Cemetery
8x Forest
8x Swamp

Creatures:
4x Arbor Elf
4x Corpsejack Menace
2x Dreg Mangler
4x Primordial Hydra
4x Slitherhead

Other Spells:
2x Abrupt Decay
4x Essence Harvest
4x Farseek
4x Grisly Salvage*
4x Ultimate Price

*Currently being filled by 4x Golgari Keyrune in FNM -- that's what the first build had, and since it's not legal to change your deck at a paper FNM...

Sideboard:
2x Abrupt Decay
4x Golgari Charm
1x Grafdigger's Cage
2x Ground Seal
2x Mutilate
4x Tragic Slip

Sideboard needs adjustment.

The first big thing about this deck is that it's extremely single-minded. It runs some small disruption to keep itself alive while it sets up, but that's about it. It also doesn't really deal well with disruption either -- this is the main reason for Golgari Charm in sideboard, other than to deal with large groups of small creatures more effectively -- it also can be used to stop removal, since no removal except Wooden Stake in standard currently kills and blocks regen. It's also good against token decks (if those are still A Thing), killing off Intangible Virtue and Lingering Souls tokens.

Anyway, the deck itself plays fairly simply. Corpsejack Menace, Primordial Hydra, then Essence Harvest. The Slitherheads, when they die, help alleviate some of the costs on the Hydra. The Dreg Manglers, though, are way less useful. Farseek and Arbor Elf ramp, because hitting T3 Corpsejack is a worthy boost, and having more mana to give to the Hydra is helpful.

Not much to really say here.

 

[palingensia]

after our games the deck just didn't seem to do anything at all when you have a remotely bad draw. grisly salvage should help you a lot, since digging five cards is a lot, but i'm really wondering whether you could run gavony township and splash white just as extra flood insurance. the biggest problem i can see with that is it'll eventually turn into junk midrange if you splash white, since then you can board in centaur healers and stuff. it also makes mutilate unplayable.

 

[Kamotz]

Once GTC comes in, he can have Godless Shrines for White mana (Gavony) and still get the Mutilate bonuses. I think Slitherhead is the weakest link in this deck. You run enough acceleration that you can get stuff out rather early for your curve. I don't think a 1 mana 1/1 is that critical. Especially with all the Pillars running around Standard these days.

White offers you a different strategy though, instead of Midrange you make it combo. You use Mikaeus, the Lunarch, Common Bond, and Gavony Township to keep putting 1/1 counters on everything. You might be tempted to play Mikaeus the Unhallowed, but don't. This will have enough 1/1 counters that they'll negate undying.

 

[The Admiral]

after our games the deck just didn't seem to do anything at all when you have a remotely bad draw. grisly salvage should help you a lot, since digging five cards is a lot, but i'm really wondering whether you could run gavony township and splash white just as extra flood insurance. the biggest problem i can see with that is it'll eventually turn into junk midrange if you splash white, since then you can board in centaur healers and stuff. it also makes mutilate unplayable.

Yeah, this is the problem I've noticed with it; it is extremely single-minded. Either you're all in as soon as you hit the ground, or your goose is cooked.

Once GTC comes in, he can have Godless Shrines for White mana (Gavony) and still get the Mutilate bonuses. I think Slitherhead is the weakest link in this deck. You run enough acceleration that you can get stuff out rather early for your curve. I don't think a 1 mana 1/1 is that critical. Especially with all the Pillars running around Standard these days.

True. The major purpose on Slitherhead is to get it dumped and use it to buff the Hydra, but that won't happen very much depending on what deck I'm in against.

White offers you a different strategy though, instead of Midrange you make it combo. You use Mikaeus, the Lunarch, Common Bond, and Gavony Township to keep putting 1/1 counters on everything. You might be tempted to play Mikaeus the Unhallowed, but don't. This will have enough 1/1 counters that they'll negate undying.

I think I'll kick this around for when Gatecrash comes out. Though, I guess it'd be a different deck entirely then.

 

[palingensia]

so yeah i definitely think a singleton boundless realms and diabolic revelation are worthwhile, probably over the two dreg manglers. maybe also run two breeding pool + watery grave for a fathom mage splash (2-3 of maybe)? i'd probably cut an essence harvest and a corpsejack menace for two, and a hydra for the third.

 

[Kamotz]

I dunno, I don't think the Boundless Realms does enough anymore since it searches for basic lands only, and most decks now use a very few number of basics. Diabolic Revelation has to compete in the tutor spot with Garruk and Increasing Ambition. And Fathom Mage in constructed is...iffy. I think you're much better off with a Prime Speaker Zegana/Master Biomancer over Fathom Mage. The two of them can actually defend themselves.

I think the question ends up being whether you want to go Junk or BUG colors. Before GTC Junk gave you better +1/+1 Counter access, but now you have all the interesting Simic Cards. Bioshift, Nimbus Swimmer(?), ShambleShark, Zameck Guildmage, Master Biomancer, and Zegana. It makes for an interesting conundrum.