Between Edge of Eternities providing new toys and rotation being ushered in, Standard has seen a fairly sizable shake-up. For better or worse, the format hasn’t been entirely upturned, as past archetypes are still powering on. Izzet Cauldron, Dimir Midrange, and even Esper Pixie are all familiar faces in the meta at this point.
Thankfully, even though not everything is different, there have been some major developments and metagame movements recently. In particular, Mono Green decks have been on the rise thanks to impressive Landfall abilities and +1/+1 counter synergies. While this deck is still decidedly tier two, recent results show it’s definitely got competitive legs. Due to this, it seems this deck is now steadily getting more expensive.
Mossborn Hydra
Out of the new Mono Green Counters deck in Standard, Mossborn Hydra is one or two core threats. Sure, Bristly Bill and Icetill Explorer are exceptionally useful, but they rarely get the job done. When it comes to damage, it’s hard to beat Mossborn Hydra and Tifa Lockhart.
Both of these cards have devastating Landfall abilities that effectively double the creature’s power. For Tifa, this doubling is temporary, but Mossborn Hydra doubles up on counters, letting it grow exponentially. Thanks to fetch lands like Evolving Wilds, Escape Tunnel, and Fabled Passage, this can get out of hand quickly.
While this ability is already exceptionally strong, it can get even more oppressive. Using Bristly Bill, Spine Sower allows you to accelerate early counter production significantly, to devastating results. As if that somehow wasn’t enough, Traveling Chocobo can further accelerate Mossborn Hydra’s growth by doubling Landfall triggers.
On top of this, the deck also has Snakeskin Veil to double up as a scaling buff and incredible protection. Along with a fairly robust sideboard, this defensiveness allows Mono Green Counters to be surprisingly competitive. Even though it’s not tier one yet, this archetype has an impressive streak of League wins under its belt so far.
On top of being a powerhouse in Standard, Mossborn Hydra is also fairly popular in Commander. In this format, not only is Mossborn a compelling threat, but it has insane synergy with Terrasymbiosis. With this card in play, all of your card draw problems will be solved, potentially even overly so.
The Spike
As you can see above, Mossborn Hydra has been a fairly popular MTG card for quite some time. While daily sales aren’t outstanding, there has been consistent demand since this Foundations card was released. The majority of this demand likely stemmed from Commander; however, the balance has shifted recently. The recent success of Mono Green Counters decks has further fuelled demand, pushing prices to new heights.
For most of its lifespan so far, Mossborn Hydra has only been worth between $4-$5. There have been some fluctuations over the past six months, but rarely has it stepped outside of this price range. That is, until recently, at least. Over the past few weeks, the price of Mossborn has absolutely exploded.
As always, this price spike is thanks to the age-old balance between supply and demand. Since demand has been increasing recently, supply has been struggling to keep up. Now, it seems we’ve reached the breaking point for this problem, as there are only 18 listings for near-mint copies on TCGplayer.
Due to this significantly depleted supply, recent sales have pushed up to as much as $18.99. Currently, new listings are slightly cheaper, however, only barely at $16.98. Should demand continue, then these prices may well continue to increase past the $20 mark.
Unfortunately for anyone looking for a cheaper copy, those don’t really exist right now. Since there aren’t any other variants of Mossborn Hydra available, the supply is fairly restricted. Even foil copies are selling for $16, and those definitely aren’t preferred for tournament play.
The Future
In theory, a good deal of the demand for Mossborn Hydra is dependent on its current Standard playability. Should Mono Green Counters continue to perform, there will always be players looking to use this card. These players may even be willing to shell out serious money for a competitive edge, so prices may continue to increase.
That being said, Mono Green Counters isn’t the best deck in Standard right now. While Vivi Ornitier can get away with being $45 due to being in the best decks, Mossborn Hydra doesn’t have that luxury. In theory, this may mean there’s a price point at which players turn away from this Hydra as it’s simply too dear.
Even if this does happen, Mono Green is always going to be a popular archetype in Commander as well. While Mossborn Hydra is by no means a super staple auto include, it definitely plays well in a lot of decks. Subsequently, even if competitive demand dries up, it’s unlikely this Hydra’s price will completely crash out.
All that said, Mossborn Hydra is by no means a Reserved List card, and reprints are technically coming already. Since MTG Foundations is Standard legal until 2029, this set will be in print for literally ages. This means new copies of the card should be coming into the game somewhat regularly, which may keep prices in check.
Ultimately, as always, we’re just going to have to wait and see what happens, as we can’t fully predict the future. Mossborn Hydra definitely has the potential to be a seriously expensive MTG card, but we’ll have to see if that lasts.
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