All 10 Hydra Commanders in Magic Ranked

Last updated on December 29, 2023

Zaxara, the Exemplary | Illustration by Simon Dominic

Whoever said “two heads are better than one” obviously never met a hydra.

Hydras in Magic may not have much legendary representation, but they’re still an iconic creature type. If you’re up against a hydra deck, you know you’re facing some X spells and some +1/+1 counter strategies.

There are only ten hydras that can be your commander, and surprise, surprise, three of them are Polukranos. But how does this Therosian threat stack up against other legendary hydras, and what can you do to take advantage of your hydra commander?

One thing’s for sure: All these heads are going to make for a lot of flossing.

What Are Hydra Commanders in MTG?

Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager | Illustration by Filip Burburan

Hydra commanders are legendary creatures with the creature type hydra. There aren’t really any other commanders that make sense for hydra commanders, although +1/+1 commanders and X spell commanders can sometimes make use of hydras.

None of the legendary hydras printed as of Wilds of Eldraine can lead your Pauper Commander deck, although there are some uncommon non-legendary hydras that are eligible.

#10. Polukranos, World Eater

No. Just, no. I don’t like the way that costs scale, especially for a monstrosity ability. 3 mana for one +1/+1 counter? Hard pass. Polukranos, World Eater has a second ability that’s a bizarrely worded fight-like ability tied to its monstrosity.  Today? As my commander? Not a chance. (Although it may go in another Polukranos deck for vibes.)

#9. Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager

Grakmaw, Skyclave Ravager is a Golgari () hydra that plays in the +1/+1 counters space, but that also limits its potential as an aristocrats style commander; you need +1/+1 counters on your other creatures for Grakmaw to benefit from their deaths. Makes for a picky aristocrat. I wish the Hydra token that its death trigger gives you came in with +1/+1 counters. Alas.

#8. Ulasht, the Hate Seed

I’m not really sold on Ulasht, the Hate Seed. It needs you to have other creatures on board for it to even be castable, so that’s a knock. I’d probably only use its activated ability to pump out Saproling tokens because I’d rather my pingers just tap to activate.

#7. Polukranos, Unchained

Design-wise, I see where Polukranos, Unchained is going. And usually, I’d salivate at a commander with a built-in fight ability and a way to dodge commander tax. Exiling six cards from my graveyard on top of the mana you have to pay to that escape cost makes me think twice, though. I know, 12 +1/+1 counters… but still, I have to squint to see it.

#6. Gyrus, Waker of Corpses

When I look at Gyrus, Waker of Corpses, I need to remind myself that I don’t need to keep things in my graveyard to use over and over. After all, depending on which bombs you’re grabbing with Gyrus’s attack trigger, you won’t need multiple turns to bring them back; you’ll win the game before you run out of graveyard gas, as it were. Removal ETBs are a good consideration, as are backup abilities like Conclave Sledge-Captain.

#5. The Goose Mother

My nightmares incarnate. I wanna build it. The Goose Mother has a similar path to +1/+1 counters as Gyrus, Waker of Corpses. The Goose is cheaper at its base and both generates and uses Food. I personally have a soft spot for Food mechanics; they just put a smile on my face.

#4. Polukranos Reborn / Polukranos, Engine of Ruin

Somehow, Polukranos has returned.

Three mana for a 4/5 with reach and a transformation ability feels absurd, then I remember that Polukranos Reborn is all green pips but needs white mana (or life) to transform. The flip side of this hydra commander is where this gets fun. Polukranos, Engine of Ruin adds lifelink to the mix and grows to 6/6, plus it gives you Hydra tokens when it and your other nontoken hydras die. The fact that one gets lifelink while the other gets reach is maximum flavor.

#3. Progenitus

Progenitus’s second ability isn’t really that relevant to Commander since you can just return it to the command zone, but a 10/10 for 10 with protection from everything is nothing to sneeze at. Can hydras sneeze? Regardless, its 5-color identity lets you play any hydra you’d like, including any hydra on this list. Feels like another flavor win.

#2. Gargos, Vicious Watcher

Gargos, Vicious Watcher almost tempts me to do mono-green heroic. Almost. Then I look at the actual list of mono-green heroic cards, have a brief cry about Legolas, Counter of Kills being Simic (), and move on to plan B: hydras (what else?).

The cost reduction Gargos gives you means you should slot it into the 99 of other green+ hydra commanders, but it’s no slouch at the helm. Grab your favorite hydras, add in your favorite cantrippy combat tricks like Charge Through, and go to town!

#1. Zaxara, the Exemplary

Zaxara, the Exemplary really leans into the X spell side of hydras in Magic, and it’s one of the most popular of the hydra commanders. X spells come in all kinds, including draw spells, removal spells, and life drain spells. Combine that with +1/+1 counter doublers, and you’re well on your way to becoming a major problem at your table.

Best Hydra Commander Payoffs

Gargos, Vicious Watcher’s cost-reduction makes it mandatory in any hydra deck that can play it.

Lair of the Hydra from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms can become a hydra itself, so it almost counts as two cards. Stumpsquall Hydra should be a consideration no matter how hard or light you’re leaning into the counters theme.

Hardened Scales and other +1/+1 counters effects are going to be useful for most hydra commanders, but some more than others. Some hydras can help with utility, too. You can remove counters from Steelbane Hydra to remove artifacts and enchantments, while Apocalypse Hydra trades its counters in to ping something.

Cards with ferocious like Shamanic Revelation get better when paired with high-power creatures, and hydras have plenty of ways to get huge.

A couple of these commanders have their own fight abilities, but you can never go wrong with other fight and bite spells like Prizefight, Ancient Animus, and Cosmic Hunger.

Considering how tall some of these hydras grow on their own, there’s nothing wrong with adding in some of your favorite ways to grant them abilities like flying, lifelink, and trample to really give your opponent fits.

Hail, Hydras!

Ulasht, the Hate Seed | Illustration by Nottsuo

There may not be many, but these hydra commanders sure pack a punch! I like how there’s some diversity to what you can do with them. This commander works with X spells, but that commander works with +1/+1 counters. And this one works with food! What’s next? A hydra detective that generates Clue tokens? We can only dream.

Which hydra commander(s) do you run? What other kinds of legendary hydras do you want to see in future sets? Let me know down in the comments or over on the Draftsim Discord.

Thanks for reading, and stay hydrated!