Looking into Mono-Green Hydra Devotion. Using Gearhead93's Hail Hydra deck as basis, but trying to make it more budget friendly. Problems I'm experiencing through play testing are how it takes a bit to get everything running, leaving it weak to fast decks, and lack of protection for my Hydras. Any advice is greatly appreciated, but I do want to try and keep this deck bellow $100.
Mana Sources and How to Get Them
Forest - What else would you put in a Mono-Green?
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Just 2 because it's a Legendary Land, but when your board is set up, you're making a ridiculous amount of Mana.
Search for Tomorrow - Puts the Forest on the field untapped, which is much appreciated. If you can't afford to pay the 3, then you can Suspend it for just one and get that land later. Very nice.
Sylvan Scrying - To get your Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx. If you already got that, then just get yourself another forest.
Elvish Mystic - One drop mana man. Not much explanation needed.
Karametra's Acolyte - Basically Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx in creature form. Only two because of its cost, but it's still fantastic.
Courser of Kruphix - 3 cost, decent chump blocker. Get a life every time you play a land. Plus helps keep you from dead drawing lands by playing them out instead. Clutch.
The Hydra
Genesis Hydra - You want to get his X-Cost to be at least 4 to be able to get practically anyone useful. Except other X-Cost Hydra, since they'd immediately die.
Kalonian Hydra - He doubles EVERYONE'S counters just by attacking and has Trample built in. What else do I need to say?
Managorger Hydra - The lowest costing Hydra, Trample built in, and gets a counter every time a spell is cast. Like most of the creatures in this deck, your opponent has to act fast before they become a problem.
Mistcutter Hydra - Great against blue, Haste, and can come in huge with its X-Cost.
Primordial Hydra - Another X-Cost Hydra. It doubles it own counters each of your Upkeeps, and gives itself Trample at 10-power, so your opponent has to deal with it quickly or else get dunked on.
Polukranos, World Eater - 4 cost, 5/5. Not too much special about him. His Monstrous can help clear the board when you have the ridiculous mana Karametra's Acolyte and Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx can provide. Thought that can be said about any Hydra with X somewhere on it.
Heroes' Bane - 5 cost that enters with 4 counters. Pay four to essentially double his counters. Nice Genesis Hydra target.
Hydra Broodmaster - 6 cost 7/7. If you can go Monstrous at a ridiculous level, it's basically your game.
Khalni Hydra - 8/8 Trample adding 8 to your devotion, lowering its own cost for each creature you have? Very nice, much appreciated.
Oran-Rief Hydra - 6 cost 5/5 Trample, basically getting 2 counters every time you put down a land. I never drew him in any play tests, but in theory he's good, though he'd probably be one of the first to go if I need to double down on a different Hydra or something.
Hydra Support System
Longshot Squad
- Give your Hydras Reach, an ability much needed for those dreaded flyers soaring over our many heads. I wish he costed at least 1 less and he's usually either late to the party or dies quickly. So yeah...
Aspect of Hydra - Go for the kill with this sucker.
Vines of Vastwood - Cheap protection and most likely a nice +4 boost.
Hardened Scales - Adds 1 to your devotion, adds an extra counter (I'm 99% sure this doesn't count for doubling effects, but still). Could be convinced to bump it down slightly, but for now I like it as it is.
Predator Ooze
- 3 to your devotion, indestructible, gets a counter each time it attacks and each time it kills someone. Great for defense and offense. Can practically become a win condition on its own.
Nylea, God of the Hunt - Mainly to give everyone Trample, but she can become an Indestructible 6/6 creature with enough devotion that can boost a creature's attack if needed. How could you not use the God of Mono-Green in your Mono-Green Devotion Deck?
