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Bristling Hydra

First printed in Kaladesh (2016)

All 4 prints

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  • Kaladesh Remastered (KLR) #156, 2020 (digital) Chris Rahn
  • Kaladesh Promos (PKLD) #147★, 2017 Chris Rahn
  • Kaladesh (KLD) #147, 2016 Chris Rahn
  • Kaladesh Promos (PKLD) #147s, 2016 Chris Rahn

Bristling Hydra

Creature — Hydra

When this creature enters, you get energyenergyenergy (three energy counters).
Pay energyenergyenergy: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. It gains hexproof until end of turn.

4/3

Illustrated by
Chris Rahn

Bristling Hydra legality

Legal in
Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, Historic, Timeless, Penny Dreadful, Gladiator, Commander, Duel Commander, Oathbreaker, Brawl, Competitive Brawl
Not legal in
Standard, Pauper, Future Standard, Alchemy, Premodern, Old School 93/94, Pauper Commander, PreDH, Tiny Leaders, Standard Brawl

Rulings (9)
  • If an effect says you get one or more energy, you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more energy, you lose that many energy counters. You can't pay more energy counters than you have. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters.
  • energy is the energy symbol. It represents one energy counter.
  • Some triggered abilities that state that you "may pay" a certain amount of energy describe an effect that happens "If you do." In that case, no player may take actions to try to stop the ability's effect after you make your choice. If the payment is followed by the phrase "When you do," then you'll choose any targets for that reflexive triggered ability and put it on the stack before players can take actions.
  • Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana "of any type" can't give you energy counters.
  • Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with any specific permanents.
  • If a spell or ability with one or more targets states that you "may pay" some amount of energy, and each permanent that it targets has become an illegal target, the spell or ability won't resolve. You can't pay any energy even if you want to.
  • Keep track of how many energy counters each player has. Potential ways to track this include writing theme down on paper or using dice, but any method that is clear and mutually agreeable is fine. (At higher levels of tournament play, dice may not be allowed for tracking counters that players have.)
  • Some spells and abilities that give you energy may require targets. If each target chosen is an illegal target as that spell or ability tries to resolve, it won't resolve. You won't get any energy.
  • Some triggered abilities state that you "may pay" a certain amount of energy. You can't pay that amount multiple times to multiply the effect. You simply choose whether or not to pay that amount of energy as the ability resolves.

Prices

Paper price: €0.15 / $0.15 , the cheapest non-foil print (Cardmarket, and TCGplayer, otherwise Mana Pool or Card Kingdom, through MTGJSON, 9 Nov 2026).

MTGO price: 0.006 TIX, the cheapest non-foil print (average sell price on GoatBots, 9 Nov 2026).

Combos

3 combos, the most popular first: