Bristling Hydra
Bristling Hydra Price Summary
As of Jul 29, 2026, the cheapest tracked printing of Bristling Hydra is $0.15 (KLD #147), and the most expensive is $0.73 (PKLD #147s, Prerelease, Foil). The benchmark price (cheapest playable nonfoil) is $0.15, flat over 7 days, flat over 30 days, down 11.8% over 90 days. All-time tracked high: $0.21 (2026).
Bristling Hydra Printings & Prices
Bristling Hydra has 3 tracked printings across 2 sets, in foil and nonfoil finishes, including prerelease treatments.
Sell Bristling Hydra: Buylist Offers
Card Kingdom currently pays $0.26 cash for PKLD #147s (Foil); the retail-buylist spread on that printing is 80% (wide).
| Buyer | Printing | Finish | Cash offer | Retail | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card Kingdom | PKLD #147s | Foil | $0.26 | $1.29 | 80% |
| starcitygames | KLD #147 | Foil | $0.10 | — | — |
| starcitygames | KLD #147 | Nonfoil | $0.08 | — | — |
| Card Kingdom | KLD #147 | Foil | $0.08 | $0.49 | 84% |
| Card Kingdom | PKLD #147★ | Foil | $0.03 | $0.49 | 94% |
| Card Kingdom | KLD #147 | Nonfoil | $0.03 | $0.49 | 94% |
Bristling Hydra Rules Text & Legality
When this creature enters, you get {E}{E}{E} (three energy counters).
Pay {E}{E}{E}: Put a +1/+1 counter on this creature. It gains hexproof until end of turn.
Bristling Hydra is legal in Pioneer, Modern, Legacy and Commander, and not legal in Standard and Pauper.
Bristling Hydra Rulings
- Jun 7, 2024 Energy counters are a kind of counter that a player may have. They're not associated with any specific permanents.
- Jun 7, 2024 Energy counters aren't mana. They don't go away as steps, phases, and turns end, and effects that add mana "of any type" can't give you energy counters.
- Jun 7, 2024 If a spell or ability with one or more targets states that you "may pay" some amount of {E}, and each permanent that it targets has become an illegal target, the spell or ability won't resolve. You can't pay any {E} even if you want to.
- Jun 7, 2024 If an effect says you get one or more {E}, you get that many energy counters. To pay one or more {E}, you lose that many energy counters. You can't pay more energy counters than you have. Any effects that interact with counters a player gets, has, or loses can interact with energy counters.
- Jun 7, 2024 Keep track of how many energy counters each player has. Potential ways to track this include writing theme down on paper or using dice, but any method that is clear and mutually agreeable is fine. (At higher levels of tournament play, dice may not be allowed for tracking counters that players have.)
Reprints & Reprint Risk
Bristling Hydra has been reprinted 4 times.
| Set | Date | Rarity | Treatment |
|---|---|---|---|
| PKLD #147★ | 2016-09-30 | Rare | Standard |
| PKLD #147s | 2016-09-30 | Rare | Prerelease |
| KLD #147 | 2016-09-30 | Rare | Standard |
| KLD #147 | 2016-09-30 | Rare | Standard |
PKLD #147★ 
KLD #147 Bristling Hydra in Commander
Bristling Hydra is the #17,781 most-played card on EDHREC, down 237 places over the last 30 days.
Bristling Hydra FAQ
How much is Bristling Hydra worth?
Bristling Hydra is worth about $0.15 for its cheapest playable printing as of Jul 29, 2026. Prices range from $0.15 to $0.73 across 3 tracked printings.
Is Bristling Hydra legal in Commander?
Yes — Bristling Hydra is legal in Commander. It is also legal in Pioneer, Modern and Legacy.
Has Bristling Hydra been reprinted?
Yes — Bristling Hydra has been reprinted 4 times, with 3 printings tracked on The Index.
Why is Bristling Hydra cheap?
Bristling Hydra trades at about $0.15 — 4 reprints keep supply plentiful, and Commander demand is modest (#17,781 on EDHREC).