Zaxara, the Exemplary

Zaxara, the Exemplary card image

Zaxara, the Exemplary: Legendary Creature - Nightmare Hydra, Dominaria United Commander. Deathtouch. Tap: Add two mana of any one color. On Mana Grove.

Mana cost
{1}{B}{G}{U}
Mana value
4
Type
Legendary Creature - Nightmare Hydra
Colour identity
Blue, black and green (UBG)
Power / toughness
2/3
Rarity
Mythic
Set
Dominaria United Commander (DMC)
Released
2022-09-09
Collector number
176
Artist
Simon Dominic
Commander rank
5,699 (by how often it appears in Commander decks)
Keywords
Deathtouch
Commander
Can be your commander

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About Zaxara, the Exemplary

Zaxara, the Exemplary is a Magic: The Gathering card, a mythic rare blue, black and green legendary creature from Dominaria United Commander (DMC), a Commander product released in September 2022. It is collector number 176 in that set, with art by Simon Dominic. It costs {1}{B}{G}{U} (one generic, one blue, one black and one green mana) to cast, for a mana value of 4. It is a 2/3 creature. Its colour identity is blue, black and green. It is legal in Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander and Oathbreaker. It has been printed in 3 sets, from Commander 2020 (2020) to Dominaria United Commander (2022). It can be your commander. The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $1.77 (normal finish, as of 2026-11-01).

Card text

Deathtouch

{T}: 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.

Market price

Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $1.77 (as of 2026-11-01).

The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.

Format legality

Legality of Zaxara, the Exemplary by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.

LegacyLegal
VintageLegal
CommanderLegal
Duel CommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal

Other printings of Zaxara, the Exemplary

Zaxara, the Exemplary has been printed in 3 sets. The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.

PrintingRarityYear
Secret Lair Drop (SLD) #1333Mythic2023
Commander 2020 (C20) #20Mythic2020

Official rulings

Five official rulings apply to Zaxara, the Exemplary, newest first.

  • 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.
  • If the spell you cast has {X}{X} in its mana cost, the token gets only X counters, not twice X.
  • 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.
  • The value of X in Zaxara's last ability is the value of X of the spell you cast.
  • 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.

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