Overview
Nature of the Beast is a Naya deck of big Beasts led by a flexible commander. Marath, Will of the Wild is a 0/0 that enters with +1/+1 counters equal to the mana spent to cast it, and for {X} you can remove X counters to put X counters on a target creature, deal X damage to any target or create an X/X green Elemental token. The more mana you pour into Marath, the more you get out of it.
The 99 cards are 22 creatures, 6 artifacts, 11 enchantments, 5 instants, 13 sorceries and 42 lands. The Beasts include Rampaging Baloths, Ravenous Baloth, Krosan Warchief, Spellbreaker Behemoth, Valley Rannet and Naya Soulbeast, and big creatures such as Archangel, Avenger of Zendikar, Gahiji, Honored One and Mayael the Anima sit alongside them. Payoffs for big creatures include Where Ancients Tread, Warstorm Surge, Drumhunter and Fires of Yavimaya.
Key Cards
Playing the Deck
The early game is about mana. Sol Ring, Cultivate, Sprouting Vines, Drumhunter and Valley Rannet ramp you, Mayael the Anima and Krosan Warchief make an early board, and lots of lands help landfall cards such as Grazing Gladehart, Seer's Sundial and Baloth Woodcrasher. Fires of Yavimaya gives your creatures haste.
The middle of the game is about big creatures and value. Marath, Will of the Wild can pump, burn or make tokens, Gahiji, Honored One pumps your attackers, Rampaging Baloths and Avenger of Zendikar flood the board, and Where Ancients Tread and Warstorm Surge turn creatures into burn. Magus of the Arena and Contested Cliffs make your creatures fight.
The late game is about huge Beasts and sweepers. Archangel, Naya Soulbeast and Krosan Tusker are large, One Dozen Eyes makes a Beast or five Insects, Savage Twister, Slice and Dice, Crater Hellion and Wrath of God clear small creatures, and Fiery Justice and Fireball finish. Spawning Grounds makes a 5/5 every turn.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths: The deck has a big pile of huge creatures and a lot of burn that scales with them, so it can dominate combat. It also has plenty of interaction, including Naya Charm, Slice in Twain, Hull Breach, Street Spasm, Rain of Thorns and Mold Shambler.
Weaknesses: The deck is three colours and has many expensive cards, so it can stumble early, and several effects, such as Crater Hellion, Savage Twister and Wrath of God, hurt your own creatures. Witch Hunt and From the Ashes are risky political cards that need care.
Want to improve it? See the Nature of the Beast upgrade guide: nine swaps with the data behind each one.
Want to see what a fully optimised Marath, Will of the Wild build looks like? Try the Oracle.
✦ Build with The OracleFrequently Asked Questions
What cards are in the Nature of the Beast decklist?
The Nature of the Beast precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Marath, Will of the Wild. The full Nature of the Beast decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.
When was Nature of the Beast released?
Nature of the Beast was released on November 1, 2013 as part of Commander 2013.
Who is the commander of Nature of the Beast?
Nature of the Beast is led by Marath, Will of the Wild, a Naya (W/R/G) legendary creature.
How many creatures are in Nature of the Beast?
The 99 cards besides Marath, Will of the Wild include 22 creatures.
How many lands does Nature of the Beast have?
Nature of the Beast has 42 lands in the 99 cards besides Marath, Will of the Wild, including basic lands.
Full Decklist
All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Nature of the Beast precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.