MTG Thunder Junction’s new treasure-spamming card is an immediate fan-favorite

Goldvein Hydra is sure to appeal to MTG players looking for powerful Creatures and huge piles of Treasure. 

Goldvein Hydra is a newly revealed Creature from MTG’s Outlaws of Thunder Junction set, and players are quickly falling in love thanks to its combat prowess and Treasure-generating abilities. 

As one of MTG’s best-loved Creature types, – being green mana’s iconic Creature – Hydras were well overdue a new member. The last new Hydra to debut in MTG prior to Goldvein was The Goose Mother in Wilds of Eldraine. While that ghastly goose generated Food Tokens, Goldvein Hydra is more concerned with Treasure. 

WotC

What makes this Creature stand out, and work as an auto-include in most Hydra decks from here on out, is its combination of power and value. Coming equipped with a full suite of combat tricks in Vigilance, Trample, and Haste puts Goldvein Hydra well ahead of the pack, outstripping the usefulness of many older Hydras without access to any evasion.  

While its ability to hit hard and fast is impressive, Goldvein Hydra can also completely recoup its casting cost upon death. When this Creature dies, its controller creates a number of tapped Treasure Tokens equal to its power. When casting Goldvein Hydra in conjunction with a counter-doubler like Branching Evolution or Doubling Season, you can earn back far more mana than you put into this Creature in the first place! 

So long as Goldvein isn’t subject to non-destruction removal like exile, you can strike it rich and end up with a hefty pile of Treasure to invest into your future casting.  

MTG players on Reddit have taken a real shine to this Creature right away. Commenter broodwarjc responded to the card’s reveal:

“This is the cool flavor the set needs. A Hydra who has gold in its veins, so prospectors hunt it to get rich off its blood… that is cool.”

Other players like Vivi_O were taken aback by the sheer power of the card, even compared to other recent powerhouses:

“Makes Shivan Devastator look like an uncommon.”

Goldvein Hydra is sure to do well in MTG formats across the board, but it will find a particularly fitting home in Commander. There are several great Hydra Commanders to choose from, as well as those focused on X-cost cards like Magus Lucea Kane.  

Zaxara, the Exemplary is another great Hydra Commander pick, and it has plenty of new powerhouse X-cost spells to choose from, like Universes Beyond: Fallout’s Nuclear Fallout spell. Of course, if you’d rather stick to simple and straightforward Hydra power, Gargos, Vicious Watcher won’t steer you wrong 

If Hydras are among your favorite MTG Creatures or Goldvein Hydra has ignited a curiosity about the Creature type, it’s worth keeping an eye out for the Calling All Hydra Heads Secret Lair. Though player mileage may vary given the love-it-or-hate-it art style, the set contains several must-have Hydras and support cards for the archetype.