While, in general, an MTG card’s price and popularity are good indicators of its usefulness, this isn’t always the case. Over time, some older cards get lost in the endless shuffle of new product, and players forget how good they are, or even that they existed at all. This results in a lot of bangers not getting the play they deserve, but also plenty of opportunities for thrilling rediscovery as they are eventually rediscovered. This week, Marath, Will of the Wild, a true MTG Commander classic, has received such a blessing.
Marath, Will Of The Wild MTG
Marath, Will of the Wild, a relic from the annals of MTG Commander 2013, is now back in the spotlight thanks to a new video from Mentalmisplay. By getting +1/+1 counters equal to the mana spent on it on entry, Marath fuels a trio of useful abilities. At the core of these, Marath is an excellent choice for a ‘Counters Matters’ deck.
Paired with any counter doubler, like Hardened Scales, Marath can quickly turn into a monster. Not only are they a huge threat, but they’ll have tons of fuel for their trio of abilities. While each of these is very powerful, the token creation ability has tons of easily exploitable synergies.
For starters, since you can create tokens at instant speed, Marath, Will Of The Wild can easily disrupt combat without breaking a sweat. Alternatively, creating a horde of cheap bodies can fuel utility cards like Evolutionary Leap or Fanatical Devotion for additional value.
As if all that wasn’t enough, Marath can simply damage any target if you’ve got counters and mana to spare. At the very least, this is a consistent removal outlet, and one that disincentivizes your opponents from playing low-toughness creatures. All in all, Marath, Will Of The Wild can be a real monster in MTG Commander, especially with enough support.
All Combo, No Breaker
Solid as Marath, Will of the Wild is as a ‘fair’ MTG Commander, it really comes into its own when you consider its combo capabilities. Since its abilities only require colorless mana to activate, there are plenty of ways to break boundaries and go infinite.
Alongside Mana Echoes and a counter-doubler like Conclave Mentor, you can get infinite mana, +1/+1 counters, creatures, and damage. To do this, just create an Elemental token, giving you at minimum two mana, then pay one to make a token with Marath. Thanks to the counter doubler, this will break even, allowing you to create another token for even more mana.
With similar loops being possible with Cryptic Trilobite and Ashnod’s Altar, this combo line is surprisingly resilient and accessible. To make matters even better, you don’t need any pieces on top of this, since Marath is its very own wincon. Thanks to its damage-dealing ability, with infinite counters and mana, closing out a game is trivial.
Lost To History
Despite its great baseline playability and huge combo potential, Marath, Will of the Wild isn’t a particularly popular MTG Commander. According to EDHREC data, in fact, just under 3,000 decks run it at the helm, with a mere 884 running it in the 99. This feels criminally low, especially given how consistently Wizards prints +1/+1 counter support these days. Heck, Loading Zone from last year’s Edge of Eternities is one of the best Marath enablers we’ve ever seen, so the deck certainly isn’t wanting for fresh tools.
While the lack of love for Marath is confusing, it does mean the card is incredibly budget-friendly. You can pick up near-mint copies of the card’s original 2013 printing for only $0.63 right now. If you want to get fancier with it, the Foil Etched version from Commander Legends is similarly affordable at just $1.40. For a Commander of this caliber, especially one with so few printings, these are both incredible bargains.
Marath really is one of the best hidden gem Commanders out there. It’s cheap, it’s powerful, and it’s still uniquely relevant even after 13 years of relentless power creep. If you want a new deck that will get the nostalgia flowing while also providing a fresh, fun experience, you could do far worse than this exemplary Elemental.
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