01 Face The Hydra - How To Play
01 Face The Hydra - How To Play
01 Face The Hydra - How To Play
Face the Hydra is a Challenge Deck used at the Theros Game Day.
It's also the name of the third quest of the Hero's Path.
Description
The Challenge Deck is a special self-running deck with its own set of rules.
Players are encouraged to pilot it against one another one-on-one or in groups of
up to four with guidance from the included instructional playmat.
The Challenge deck contains 60-cards (18 Heads and 42 Sorcery cards).
The 15 unique cards are not legal in regular Magic, which is made clear by their
different card back.
Some of the Heads have the supertype elite. When playing against this deck the
player may use his Hero cards.
The Hydra follows a predetermined sequence of casting cards from its shuffled deck
and blasting the player for damage.
The goal is to eliminate all of the Hydra heads before it eats you. When you cut
one head down, sometimes more grow back.
If you win against the challenge deck, you win a third Hero card (The Slayer).
The Face the Hydra Challenge Deck is available as a saleable product for $11.99.
Creatures (18)
11 Hydra Head
Sorceries (42)
5 Disorienting Glower
3 Neck Tangle
6 Unified Lunge
How to Play
You can battle the Hydra alone or with friends (just replace "you" with "each
player" in these rules).
At the end of any turn, if there are no Heads on the battlefield, you win!
Use the regular Magic rules with the following exceptions:
You start with up to two Hero cards on the battlefield. (You don't need a Hero to
play.)
Choose a starting number of Heads. Take that many cards named Hydra Head from the
Challenge Deck and place them on the battlefield. Shuffle the remaining cards to
form the Hydra's library.
You go first. (Don't draw a card on your first turn.)
Then the Hydra takes its turn, and so on.
You can attack Heads directly with your creatures. Any number of creatures can
attack a single Head
Growing New Heads: Whenever a Head leaves the battlefield, reveal the top two cards
of the Hydra's library. Put any Heads onto the battlefield and any sorcery cards
into the Hydra's graveyard.
Special Rules
If the Hydra would be dealt damage or lose life, instead deal that much damage to a
Head of your choice.
Ignore effects that would cause the Hydra to draw or discard cards, or any
impossible actions.
If a Head would move to any other zone than the graveyard, instead put it into the
Hydra's graveyard.
You make any choices for the Hydra.
References
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/arcana/theros-game-day-and-challenge-
deck-2013-10-17
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/latest-developments/building-hydra-
2013-10-25