NayaLegendary Creature — Human WarriorJared Carthalion, True Heir
Mana value3Rank#13,825
The Commander
When Jared Carthalion enters, target opponent becomes the monarch. You can't become the monarch this turn.
If damage would be dealt to Jared Carthalion while you're the monarch, prevent that damage and put that many +1/+1 counters on it.
Guide
Gameplan
Jared is a Naya monarch payoff who turns damage into growth: while you're the monarch, all damage to him becomes +1/+1 counters, so he snowballs into a lethal threat fast. You hand the monarchy away on cast, then immediately reclaim it via combat or monarch-stealers, and ride a counter-loaded Jared plus extra card draw to overwhelm the table. Turn to turn you protect the crown, swing in for damage and trample, and grind value off the monarch's draw step.
Strengths
- Damage prevention makes Jared nearly impossible to kill in combat or with burn while you hold the crown
- Built-in card advantage engine via the monarch's extra draw, fueling a grindy late game
- Counters scale Jared into a one- or two-shot commander-damage threat
- Naya colors give access to top-tier ramp, counter synergies, and combat tricks
Weaknesses
- Hard removal, edicts, and -X/-X effects bypass the damage prevention entirely
- If you lose the monarchy, Jared loses both his protection and your card engine
- No evasion natively, so a single big blocker or fog can stonewall your attacks
- The crown paints a target on you, drawing the whole table's aggression
Key Cards
- Rite of the Raging Storm — Repeatedly forces creatures to attack you, deflecting damage onto Jared to pile on counters while you're monarch.
- Boros Charm — Indestructible protects Jared from board wipes, the one weakness his damage prevention can't cover.
- Shielded by Faith — Cheap indestructibility and untap synergy keep your counter-loaded threat alive through removal.
- Doran, the Siege Tower — Lets Jared and other big-butt creatures deal damage equal to toughness, turning his counters into massive attacks.
- Loyal Unicorn — Crewless protection: prevents combat damage to your creatures, helping you keep the monarchy and stay safe.
- Skullclamp — Backup card engine and a way to convert counters and tokens into refueling if you fall behind.
Upgrade Path
Add cheap protection (Flawless Maneuver, Heroic Intervention, Teferi's Protection) so removal and wraths can't undo your counter investment, and lean into forced-attack enablers like Disrupt Decorum and Marisi to feed Jared damage. Include trample and double-strike sources (Embercleave, Rancor, Berserkers' Onslaught) to convert his size into kills, plus proliferate (Inexorable Tide, Evolution Sage) to accelerate the snowball. Top-end ramp like Smothering Tithe and fast mana speeds him out early to start hoarding the crown.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Connecting with a counter-stacked Jared for 21 commander damage
- ▸Overwhelming the table with a wide Naya board buffed by anthems and trample
- ▸Out-grinding opponents via persistent monarch card advantage
- ▸Forced-attack effects (Rite of the Raging Storm, goad) feeding Jared into an unkillable beater
Archetypes
- Voltron — Jared's damage-to-counters ability snowballs him into a lethal commander-damage threat that shrugs off combat and burn.
- Monarch / Group Slug — He centers a deck around holding the crown for cards and deflecting forced attacks into growth.
- Counters Matter — The pile of +1/+1 counters synergizes with proliferate, doubling effects, and counter payoffs.
- Aggro Midrange — Naya beatdown with ramp and a resilient general that constantly draws extra cards.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (GRW), by popularity.
