Khalni Hydra

Hydra and Primalcrux Trivia

Hello Mark !!! I've been following Blogatog for many years, yet I have never asked for a birthday question. Can you tell me some nice trivia about my two favorite cards, Khalni Hydra and Primalcrux ? Thank you !!!

Primalcrux came about because we wanted a green creature with all green mana in its cost to work with chroma. The question was the cost per P/T ratio in a vacuum. After various playtests, we ended up with a CMC of 6. Khalni Hydra came about because we wanted a big creature that could be free if you had enough green creatures. Play testing showed that one worked best as an 8/8 for eight green mana. Happy Birthday!

Appreciation Birthday Chroma Creatures Green Hydra Khalni Hydra Mana Primalcrux

Khalni Hydra Oversight

You made poor Khalni Hydra cry in your article. It also has a mana cost of only colored mana and was left out. :(

But not with a converted mana cost of five.

Hydra Khalni Hydra Making Magic Mana

Mana Costs Frequency

"We very infrequently make mana costs with more than three of the same mana symbol." Specifically, 24 times, not including Un-cards. Almost all of those were four of the same symbol; the only exceptions are Rushwood Elemental (GGG GG), Primalcrux (GGG GGG), and Khalni Hydra (GGG GGG GG).

FYI

Elemental Hydra Khalni Hydra Mana Primalcrux Rushwood Elemental Un-sets

Mana Sequence Spacing

Re: Energy costs template. Could high mana sequences of the same symbol also get a small space or two in the middle? For instance, RRRR RRR in the rules text of Geosurge or GGGG GGGG in the mana cost of Khalni Hydra.

My suggestion for future description had a space after three symbols.

Geosurge Hydra Khalni Hydra Mana Rules Templating

Trivia on Specific Cards

My birthday was earlier this week, but my trivia request seems to have been buried. Do you happen to have any trivia about Predator Ooze, Khalni Hydra, or Elvish Mystic, the three cards my very first deck was built around? PS: Thanks for all you do to talk about game design, you've definitely influenced my own games.

Predator Ooze was a top down design of the movie monster The Blob. It was originally designed for Innistrad and got pushed back to Dark Ascension. Happy Belated Birthday!

Birthday Dark Ascension Elvish Mystic Game Design Hydra Innistrad Khalni Hydra Mystic Ooze Pop Culture Predator Ooze Top Down

Mana Symbol Templating

Can you please change the templating of using the same mana symbol a bunch of times? I usually have a hard time finding out how much mana it costs to cast cards like Khalni Hydra or Primalcrux without going on gatherer and looking at the CMC. Plus a change in templating can make it take up less space on the card.

Do you have a suggestion how to change it?

Cast Hydra Khalni Hydra Mana Primalcrux Templating

Diverse Hydra Designs

I for one like Hydras as Green's iconic and don't think they always need to be counter based. How well received were Hydra Omnivore, Khalni Hydra, and Nessian Wilds Ravager?

All hydras do not need to be counter based. Ones that haven’t have been received well.

Green Hydra Hydra Omnivore Khalni Hydra Nessian Wilds Ravager

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