NayaLegendary Creature — Elemental BeastMarath, Will of the Wild
Mana value3Rank#15,138
The Commander
Marath enters with a number of +1/+1 counters on it equal to the amount of mana spent to cast it.
, Remove X +1/+1 counters from Marath: Choose one —
• Put X +1/+1 counters on target creature. X can't be 0.
• Marath deals X damage to any target. X can't be 0.
• Create an X/X green Elemental creature token. X can't be 0.
Guide
Gameplan
Marath is a flexible counter-engine commander that turns mana into +1/+1 counters, then converts those counters into removal (pinging creatures/players), tokens, or buffs. Early game you ramp and protect Marath; mid-game you build infinite or scalable counter loops to machine-gun the table or flood the board with Elementals. The deck wins by combo'ing Marath with counter-doublers and recursion engines for repeatable damage or token armies.
Strengths
- Built-in repeatable removal, ramp into tokens, and a buff outlet all in one card
- Na菐rally enables multiple infinite combos with proliferate/doubling effects
- Jund-into-Naya color access to the best removal, ramp, and counter synergies
- Resilient: re-casting Marath reloads counters and can win on the spot with the right pieces
Weaknesses
- Heavily commander-dependent; repeated removal makes the deck stall without protection
- Combo lines can be assembled but are fragile to instant-speed interaction
- Needs ramp and counter support to be impactful—Marath alone is mana-hungry
- Color-intensive mana base can create early-game color screw
Key Cards
- Doubling Season — Doubles the counters Marath enters with and tokens it makes, accelerating every line.
- Hardened Scales — Cheap counter multiplier that snowballs Marath's counter economy.
- Ozolith, the Shattered Spire — Adds counters and preserves Marath's counters when it leaves, fueling more activations.
- Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider — Doubles counters placed and helps enable Marath ping loops.
- Cathars' Crusade — Turns Marath's token-making into a runaway board buff.
- Sword of the Animist — Ramp on a stick to keep feeding Marath's X activations.
Upgrade Path
Add counter-doubler stax pieces (Doubling Season, Branching Evolution) plus a recursion outlet to assemble loops like Marath + Ozolith + free sacrifice for infinite tokens or damage. Tighten the mana with fast rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet) and dual lands, and include protection (Heroic Intervention, Lightning Greaves) so combos resolve. For higher power, lean into compact two-card infinite combos and tutors to find them consistently.
Core Cards
- Mold Shambler
- Krosan Warchief
- Warstorm Surge
- Selesnya Guildgate
- Darksteel Mutation
- Seer's Sundial
- Slice in Twain
- Forgotten Cave
- One Dozen Eyes
- Homeward Path
- Slice and Dice
- Boros Guildgate
Seeded from a single deck — rates appear once more public decks exist.
Win Conditions
- ▸Infinite Marath pings to damage every opponent out
- ▸Infinite Elemental tokens plus an anthem or sac-drain engine
- ▸Go-wide token swarm with Cathars' Crusade/Craterhoof-style buffs
- ▸Grindy value: repeatable removal clears blockers while counters build lethal attackers
Archetypes
- +1/+1 Counters — Marath both generates and distributes counters, anchoring a proliferate/doubler shell.
- Combo — Pairs with counter-doublers and free sac/recursion outlets for infinite damage or tokens.
- Tokens/Go-Wide — The Elemental token mode plus anthem effects floods the board for a beatdown.
- Aristocrats — Marath's repeatable token and removal output feeds sacrifice synergies and drain effects.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (GRW), by popularity.
