Protean Hydra

As of Aug 4, 2026, the cheapest tracked printing of Protean Hydra is $4.57 (M11 #194), and the most expensive is $15.50 (M11 #194, Foil). The benchmark price (cheapest playable nonfoil) is $4.57, up 0.2% over 7 days, up 6.8% over 30 days, up 19.3% over 90 days. All-time tracked high: $5.59 (2024).

Protean Hydra has 2 tracked printings across 2 sets, in nonfoil and foil finishes.

M11 #194

$4.57

CK $4.99 / $1.00 78%

MP $2.24 76 avail

M10 #200

$4.65 +2%

CK $5.99 / $2.50 46%

MP $4.05 16 avail

M10 #200 Foil

$14.16 +210%

CK $13.99 / $8.40 41%

M11 #194 Foil

$15.50 +239%

CK $13.99 / $7.00 55%

MP $6.25 6 avail

Card Kingdom currently pays $8.40 cash for M10 #200 (Foil); the retail-buylist spread on that printing is 40% (normal).

• Oct 1, 2009 All damage that would be dealt to Protean Hydra is prevented, even if it doesn’t have that many +1/+1 counters on it. This is true even if Protean Hydra has no +1/+1 counters on it at all (and is able to remain on the battlefield because some other effect is boosting its toughness). If the amount of damage that would be dealt to Protean Hydra is greater than the number of +1/+1 counters on it, all the +1/+1 counters on Protean Hydra are removed from it.
• Oct 1, 2009 If a -1/-1 counter is put on Protean Hydra while it has +1/+1 counters on it, that -1/-1 counter and a +1/+1 counter will be removed from it as a state-based action. This will cause Protean Hydra’s last ability to trigger.
• Oct 1, 2009 If any +1/+1 counters are removed from Protean Hydra during the end step, its last ability will trigger and set up a delayed triggered ability that will trigger at the beginning of the next end step (which is near the end of the following turn).
• Oct 1, 2009 If multiple +1/+1 counters are removed from Protean Hydra at once, its last ability will trigger that many times.
• Oct 1, 2009 If unpreventable damage is dealt to Protean Hydra, the Hydra’s second ability will try to prevent it and fail (meaning that damage has its normal results), and it will also remove that many +1/+1 counters from Protean Hydra.

Protean Hydra has been reprinted 4 times.

Set	Date	Rarity	Treatment
M11 #194	2010-07-16	Rare	Standard
M11 #194	2010-07-16	Rare	Standard
M10 #200	2009-07-17	Mythic	Standard
M10 #200	2009-07-17	Mythic	Standard

Protean Hydra is the #6,377 most-played card on EDHREC, down 87 places over the last 30 days.