Card Spotlight: Savageborn Hydra


Playing with the Red, Green, and White color combination also known as Naya in the past years made me realize that the archetype really suited my play style. As an effect, I’ve been looking for card components with potential to improve the deck. It is fun time especially when its spoiler season for an upcoming card set.

One card that caught my attention is the Savageborn Hydra of the Gruul guild.

This is a highly potential mythic rare that you can drop to the battlefield even for just two counters and then pump it up later on. It also works well with ramp spells like Farseek on the late game and with the evolving elf, Gyre Sage.

With that in mind, I came up with this list based on Saito’s Big Gruul.

Gruul Fatties v. 1
Standard

Lands
8 Forest
2 Kessig Wolf Run
4 Mountain
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Stomping Ground

Creatures
2 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Thundermaw Hellkite
4 Flinthoof Boar
4 Gyre Sage
4 Arbor Elf
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Savageborn Hydra

Spells
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
2 Domri Rade
2 Increasing Savagery
2 Mizzium Mortars
1 Bonfire of the Damned
4 Rancor

It uses only 22 lands but can curve on the first three turns and get enough mana for an early Hellkite or pump a large Hydra. The other plan is, of course, to aggro them out with Rancored boars and emissaries.

The Red sweepers are divided into two Mortars and a Bonfire. I’ve placed only one for the miracle sorcery since I don’t want it drawn early and increase the chances of its miracle cost in the mid and late game.

Thundermaw Hellkite is my favorite creature of the deck at the moment and it had not failed me since I piloted Naya Midrange into the top 4 of the first World Magic Cup Qualifiers in Manila. The guy’s just too awesome not to include in the deck.

Increasing Savagery, aside from its power up purpose, acts with Gyre Sage in boosting up your mana for a late +1/+1 dump on the hydra or a huge Kessig Wolf Run pump.

What else do you think should go in this deck archetype? Just hit me up in the comment box below.

Until next post and thanks for the visit.