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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Hythonia the Cruel
Image from Wizards.com

Hythonia the Cruel
- Fate Reforged

Reviewed Jan. 20, 2015

Constructed: 3.00
Casual: 3.67
Limited: 4.17
Multiplayer: 3.67

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 - Horrible  3 - Average.  5 - Awesome

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Card of the Day Reviews 


David Fanany

Player since 1995

Hythonia the Cruel
 
Hythonia here is probably my favorite Gorgon card in the Theros block, though I have to admit I actually don't own a copy. It's mostly theoretical - I look at her and see an ability that in effect reads "Destroy all other creatures. I will be the biggest creature on the table for the rest of the game", which I can't force myself to see as anything but good. Perhaps you're scared of the high mana costs involved, or of Mind Control effects. Consider this, though: if she goes to the command zone and later comes back into play, the game "forgets" that she was previously monstrous . . . 
 
Constructed: 3/5
Casual: 4/5
Limited: 5/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
Michael "Maikeruu" Pierno

Today's card of the day is Hythonia the Cruel which is a six mana Black
4/6 Legendary with Deathtouch and Monstrosity 3 for eight mana that also destroys all non-Gorgon creatures when activated. The initial mana cost is a bit too high for most Constructed formats and the eight for Monstrosity goes even further for an effect that is fairly restrictive in its benefits. There aren't many gorgons and even just having this in play is not quite enough to justify the expense involved. Overall this just isn't likely to see much play and the few decks including it will likely be Commander instead of Standard or other formats.
 
In Limited a six mana 4/6 with Deathtouch is difficult for an opponent to deal with and the mana cost is quite manageable in the format. The Monstrosity can be a serious threat and if stalling for one turn with it is possible it is an excellent two turn topdeck in the later stages of the game. The potential makes this a worthwhile first pick in Booster and an easy choice to include when running Black in Sealed.
 
Constructed: 3.0
Casual: 3.0
Limited: 4.0
Multiplayer: 3.0

Mattedesa

Deck Garage

Hythonia the Cruel
 
I've always found Deathtouch on large creatures to be a bit silly, but 4 power isn't exactly huge, so it still might be relevant, and I suppose you must keep the gorgon flavor. But a 4/6 with deathtouch for 6 mana? I can think of dozens of better ways to spend the mana.
 
The monstrous ability is where things get interesting. Overlooking a moment the fact that it costs 8 to monstrous, the ability is quite devastating. Since there are currently 13 gorgons in all of Magic (not counting Changelings, smarty), it almost always reads, "destroy all other creatures" while making Hythonia a 7/10 monster.
 
Of course, we can't REALLY overlook the 8 cost, because that's huge. Most constructed environments aren't going to give you time to play a 6 CMC creature, wait a turn, then pay 8 mana to destroy everything. 
 
In limited, she's a big creature that's worth playing, and you might occasionally get the 8 to make her a blowout. In multiplayer, she could be a huge political tool that sits there menacingly, waiting to destroy the board at just the wrong time.
 
Constructed: 3.0
Casual: 4.0
Limited: 3.5
Multiplayer: 4.0


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