SultaiLegendary Creature — Nightmare HydraZaxara, the Exemplary
Mana value4Rank#5,550
The Commander
Deathtouch
: Add two mana of any one color.
Whenever you cast a spell with 
in its mana cost, create a 0/0 green Hydra creature token, then put X +1/+1 counters on it.
Guide
Gameplan
Ramp aggressively with Zaxara's mana ability, then dump X spells to generate a board of large Hydra tokens while drawing cards and gaining value. You win by either casting a single huge X spell for a token plus copies/doublers, or by leveraging infinite mana combos to make an arbitrarily large board or burn the table out.
Strengths
- Built-in ramp on the command zone with a two-mana-of-any-color tap ability
- X spells double as removal, ramp, and token generation
- Sultai colors give the best ramp, draw, and tutors in the format
- Easily abuses mana doublers and untap effects for explosive turns
Weaknesses
- Heavily reliant on the commander staying in play to fuel and trigger payoffs
- X spells are often inefficient and mana-hungry without ramp online
- Token board is vulnerable to wraths and mass bounce
- Can be slow to assemble its engine against fast aggro or combo decks
Key Cards
- Doubling Season — Doubles the +1/+1 counters on every Hydra token and doubles tokens from copy effects, instantly making giant threats.
- Unbound Flourish — Reduces and copies your X spells, generating extra Hydra tokens and triggers off Zaxara.
- Hydroid Krasis — An X spell that draws cards and gains life on cast while making a Hydra token, the ideal Zaxara payoff.
- Freed from the Real — Combos with Zaxara's mana ability and any blue mana to generate infinite mana of any color.
- Pemmin's Aura — Another untapper that goes infinite with Zaxara, fueling arbitrarily large X spells.
- Walking Ballista — An X creature that both makes a Hydra and serves as an infinite-mana win by pinging the table.
Upgrade Path
Add fast mana and untap pieces (Sol Ring, Mana Vault, Freed from the Real, Pemmin's Aura) to enable infinite-mana combos with Walking Ballista. Layer in payoffs like Doubling Season, Unbound Flourish, and Rishkar's Expertise, plus protection like Heroic Intervention and a strong tutor package (Demonic Tutor, Mystical Tutor) to find your combo or counter-doubler consistently.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Infinite mana via Freed from the Real/Pemmin's Aura into Walking Ballista or an X-burn spell to kill the table
- ▸Going wide with multiple huge Hydra tokens and swinging, often with a counter doubler
- ▸Casting a massive X draw spell like Stroke of Genius or Pull from Tomorrow to bury opponents in card advantage
- ▸Voltron-style commander damage by piling counters on a single oversized Hydra
Archetypes
- X Spells Matter — Every X spell cast triggers Zaxara to make a counter-laden Hydra, rewarding a deck full of variable-cost spells.
- Combo — Untap auras on Zaxara plus blue mana enable infinite mana to fuel Walking Ballista, Stroke of Genius, or Comet Storm.
- +1/+1 Counters — Hydra tokens enter with counters, synergizing with proliferate and counter-doubling effects for a go-wide stompy plan.
- Ramp/Big Mana — Zaxara's mana ability and Sultai ramp let you cast enormous X spells ahead of the table.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BGU), by popularity.
