Tooth and Nail and Protean Hydra's X mana cost?

Asked by The_Lost_Primarch 7 years ago

Tooth and NailChoose one Search your library for up to two creature cards, reveal them, put them into your hand, then shuffle your library. Put up to two creature cards from your hand onto the battlefield.Entwine 2 (Choose both if you pay the entwine cost.)

Let's say that I pay the Entwine 2 cost, and I get Protean Hydra (or any creatures with 'X' in their cost) and I want to field it, do I put or 'pay' an arbitrary mana cost on Protean Hydra (Protean Hydra costs X and Green) since I didn't technically use my lands or creatures to summon it? Can I use Tooth and Nail to give it an instant 20/20?

acbooster says... Accepted answer #1

It would enter as a 0/0 with 0 counters and die due to state-based actions.

The only time X is ever defined on Protean Hydra is when you cast it, declaring a value for X. If it gets put onto the battlefield without being cast or is cast using an alternate cost, X is always 0 because you never have the opportunity to define X.

February 25, 2017 9:23 p.m.