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Zaxara, the Exemplary

Zaxara, the Exemplary

Legendary Creature — Nightmare Hydra

Zaxara wants a deck that makes huge amounts of mana for giant spells. It also suits a deck that keeps making its creatures bigger turn after turn.

  • Mana cost1 genericblackgreenblue
  • Blue, Black, Green ()
  • Power / toughness2 / 3
  • RarityMythic

Deathtouch

tap: Add two mana of any one color.

Whenever you cast a spell with X in its mana cost, create a 0/0 green Hydra creature token, then put X +1/+1 counters on it.

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Cards That Fit Zaxara, the Exemplary

Picked for what they do in Zaxara's deck. When two cards do the same job, the one with the lower comes first. All of them fit Zaxara's color identity.Mana ValueThe total amount of mana a card costs, all added up. A card costing two generic and one green has a mana value of three. Wizards renamed this from "converted mana cost" in 2021, so older cards and articles may still use the old name.Sol RingOpen the full glossary

plan6

The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

plan6

The 6 Cards

Rulings for Zaxara, the Exemplary

explain how Zaxara works in tricky situations. They come from Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic.RulingThe official answer to how a card works in a tricky situation. Most rulings are written by Wizards of the Coast, the company that makes Magic, and a few are notes from Scryfall, the card database Magic players use. A ruling explains a card. It does not change what the card says.Open the full glossary

Wizards of the Coast 17 Apr 2020

If an effect, such as that of Parallel Lives, causes Zaxara's ability to create multiple Hydra tokens, they each receive X +1/+1 counters.

Wizards of the Coast 17 Apr 2020

If the spell you cast has {X}{X} in its mana cost, the token gets only X counters, not twice X.

Wizards of the Coast 17 Apr 2020

If X is 0, the 0/0 Hydra token will die immediately after the ability's done resolving unless something else is raising its toughness.

Wizards of the Coast 17 Apr 2020

The Hydra token enters the battlefield as a 0/0 creature. Any abilities that modify or trigger on this event apply. After the token is on the battlefield but before any player can take actions, +1/+1 counters are put onto the token.

Wizards of the Coast 17 Apr 2020

The value of X in Zaxara's last ability is the value of X of the spell you cast.

5 rulings, all written by Wizards of the Coast. Read the originals on Gatherer ↗

Similar Commanders

Commanders that share the most with Zaxara, and what they share.

Color identityEvery color of mana symbol on a card, in its cost and in its rules text. Your commander's color identity sets the limit for your whole deck: every other card has to fit inside it. A deck led by a green and white commander cannot play a card with any blue in its color identity.Open the full glossaryUBGPlayers write colors as letters: U for blue, B for black, G for green. Blue is U because B was already taken by black.Big ManaBig Mana decks build up far more mana than usual, then spend it on huge spells. Some are X spells, which have X in their cost and get stronger the more mana you put in.Open the Big Mana pageBig ManaProduces several mana at once from a single source, rather than the one extra mana most acceleration gives you. That surplus is what lets a deck cast something enormous far ahead of schedule. Compare Ramp, which is a reusable source you build up over time, and Burst Mana, which pays out once and is then gone. Cabal Coffers, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, Savage VentmawOpen the Big Mana pageToken EngineMakes tokens again and again rather than once. A token is a creature or other permanent created by a card, with no card of its own. Something that makes one token gives you a body; something that makes them every turn gives you a board you can keep rebuilding after it is cleared. Grave Titan, Bitterblossom, OphiomancerOpen the Token Engine pageRampAn effect that accelerates your mana, giving you a reusable mana source beyond the usual one land per turn. Cultivate Rampant GrowthOpen the Ramp page+1/+1 Counters+1/+1 counter decks put small markers on their creatures that make each one permanently bigger, and keep adding more every turn. Each +1/+1 counter adds one to a creature's power (the damage it deals) and toughness (the damage it can take).Open the +1/+1 Counters pageCounter EngineAdds +1/+1 counters over and over rather than once. A counter here is a small permanent marker that raises a creature's power and toughness for good. It is not a counterspell, which is a different thing entirely. Something that adds them every turn makes your whole board bigger and keeps it that way. Hardened Scales, Corpsejack MenaceOpen the Counter Engine page+1/+1 CountersPuts +1/+1 counters on creatures, permanently raising their power and toughness. Unlike a temporary boost that wears off at end of turn, these markers stay put and stack up over a long game. Hardened Scales, The Great HengeOpen the +1/+1 Counters pageTokensToken decks fill the battlefield with small creatures made by their cards, then attack with all of them or make them all bigger at once. A token is a creature (or other object) that a card creates, not a card from your deck.Open the Tokens pageToken MakerCreates one or more tokens. Different cards make very different ones: creatures Grave Titan, Treasures Smothering Tithe, Clues Tireless Tracker or Food Gilded Goose. This is one of our largest tags, so pair it with an archetype or theme when you are hunting a specific kind.Open the Token Maker pageHydrasHydras are almost all green; most enter with +1/+1 counters and keep growing, and some let you pick their size by paying X.Open the Hydras page