Face the Hydra

Face the Hydra is a challenge deck used at the Theros Game Day. It's also the name of the third quest of the Hero's Path.

Description

The deck contains two kinds of special cards (elite creatures and sorceries). When playing against this deck the player may use his Hero cards. The Hydra follows a predetermined sequence of casting cards from its shuffled deck and blasting the player for damage. The goal is to eliminate all of the Hydra heads before it eats you. When you cut one head down, sometimes more grow back. If you win against the challenge deck, you win a third Hero card. The Face the Hydra Challenge Deck is available as a saleable product for $11.99.

Rules

• Each player starts at 20 life.
• All players can start the Challenge with up to two Hero Cards on the battlefield.
• All cards in the Hydra Deck, including Heads on the battlefield are colorless and have a converted mana cost of 0.
• The Hydra casts its Heads and sorceries. These work like any other spell and can be countered.
• Prevention effects (such as one the Hero Card The Protector creates) still work, but since Heads (and the Hydra itself) have no color, effects that prevent damage from a color (e.g., a green source) won't do anything.
• In Step 3 of the Hydra's turn, it's the Hydra that deals damage. This damage is dealt all at once. Although the Hydra never attacks, you can consider this damage to be combat damage for cards such as Fog.
• If teams are facing the Hydra, it is recommended to use a shared team turn (like what's used in an Archenemy game) with up to four players per team. In this way, the players attack the Hydra together. The Hydra takes its turn as described in the rules, and it deals damage to each player at the end of its turn.
• Players can't gain control of any Heads. If a Head would go to any zone other than the Hydra's graveyard, it's put into the Hydra's graveyard instead.
• The Hydra's ability to "grow new heads" is a triggered ability.
• For gaming purposes, growing new heads isn't regeneration.
• The Hydra plays on even if its library is empty.