Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Flash When this creature enters, you may change the target of target instant or sorcery spell with a single target to this creature. As this land enters, you may pay 3 life. If you don't, it enters tapped.: Add
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Complete guide
Hydroelectric Specimen is a versatile addition to any blue deck, serving as both a reactive spell-deflector and a reliable source of mana. This modal double-faced card allows you to protect your key permanents by redirecting threats to itself or providing a land when you are falling behind on resources. Whether you need a sudden blocker or a way to soak up a removal spell, this Weird creature has you covered.
Dual Utility on the Stack and Field
Hydroelectric Specimen functions differently depending on where it is. In your hand, you can choose to cast the front face as a 1/4 Weird creature with Flash for three mana, or play the back face, Hydroelectric Laboratory, as a land. Note that if an effect lets you 'cast' a card, you can only choose the creature side, but if an effect lets you 'play' a card, you can choose either side. If the land face enters, you must decide whether to pay 3 life to have it enter untapped or let it enter the battlefield tapped.
Redirecting with Precision
The creature side features a powerful 'enters-the-battlefield' ability that lets you change the target of an instant or sorcery spell to Hydroelectric Specimen. This ability only works if the spell has exactly one target. If a spell targets multiple things, you cannot change any of its targets to the Specimen. Furthermore, the change only occurs if the Specimen is a legal target for that spell; for example, you cannot redirect a spell that says 'target non-Weird creature' or 'target artifact' to the Specimen.
Zone Transitions and Mana Value
While on the stack or the battlefield, the game only sees the face you chose to play. In all other zones, like your library or graveyard, the game only sees the front face, Hydroelectric Specimen. This means if you use an effect to search for a creature card, you can find this card, but you cannot search for it with an effect that only finds land cards. The mana value is 3 in your hand and on the stack (as a creature), while the land face has a mana value of 0.
Strategic Timing
Because of Flash, you should generally hold this card in your hand during your opponent's turn. If they attempt to destroy one of your high-value creatures with a single-target spell like a destruction or exile effect, you can cast the Specimen in response. By the time their spell tries to resolve, its target will have been changed to your 1/4 Weird, leaving your original creature safe. If no threats appear, you can simply play the land face on your own turn to stay on curve.
Interaction examples
Roaming ThroneIf you control Roaming Throne and have chosen 'Weird' as its type, Hydroelectric Specimen's ability triggers twice when it enters the battlefield. While this doesn't allow you to steal two different spells, it does allow you to target two different single-target spells on the stack and change both of their targets to the Specimen.
Solemn SimulacrumIf you use Solemn Simulacrum to search for a basic land card, you cannot choose Hydroelectric Laboratory. Even though the back face is a land, the card is only considered its front face (a non-basic creature card) while it is in your library. You must choose a card with the 'Basic' supertype and the 'Land' type instead.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect allows you to play a land or cast a spell from among a group of cards, you may play or cast a modal double-faced card with any face that fits the criteria of that effect. For example, if an effect allows you to play lands from your graveyard, you can play Garden of Freyalise, but you can't cast Disciple of Freyalise.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect allows you to put a card with particular characteristics onto the battlefield without instructing you to play or cast it, you consider only the characteristics of a modal double-faced card's front face to see if that card qualifies. If it does, it enters the battlefield with its front face up. For example, if an effect allows you to put a creature card from your graveyard onto the battlefield, you can put Disciple of Freyalise onto the battlefield. However, an effect that lets you return a land card from your graveyard to your hand won't let you return Garden of Freyalise to your hand, as that card has only its front face's characteristics while in the graveyard.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
The spell's target is changed to Hydroelectric Specimen only if Hydroelectric Specimen is a legal target for that spell.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell has multiple targets, you can't target it with Hydroelectric Specimen's ability, even if only one of those targets is a creature or all but one of those targets have become illegal.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
To determine whether it is legal to play a modal double-faced card, consider only the characteristics of the face you're playing and ignore the other face's characteristics. For example, if an effect stops you from casting creature spells, you can't cast Disciple of Freyalise, but you can still play Garden of Freyalise.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
If an effect allows you to play a specific modal double-faced card, you may cast it as a spell or play it as a land, as determined by which face you choose to play. If an effect allows you to cast (rather than "play") a specific modal double-faced card, you can't play it as a land.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #7· Wizards of the Coast
The mana value of a modal double-faced card is based on the characteristics of the face that's being considered. On the stack or the battlefield, consider whichever face is up. In all other zones, consider only the front face. This is different than how the mana value of a transforming double-faced card is determined.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #8· Wizards of the Coast
A modal double-faced card can't be transformed or be put onto the battlefield transformed. Ignore any instruction to transform a modal double-faced card or to put one onto the battlefield transformed.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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