The 36 Best Naya Cards in Magic Ranked

Last updated on November 28, 2025

Jetmir, Nexus of Revels | Illustration by Julie Dillon

The first question you often ask yourself when building a new Magic deck is: “Which color combo should I pick?” With a whopping 26 unique combinations to choose from, there’s a lot to consider.

I’ll be making the case for one of my favorites, especially in Commander. Naya () is the color combination of dangerous lands, giant dinosaurs, and wide boards full of creature tokens, to name just a few of its possibilities.

Let’s enter the Jungle Shrine and see what you’ll be capable of when wielding the best Naya cards in Magic.

What Are Naya Cards in MTG?

Atla Palani, Nest Tender | Illustration by Ekaterina Burmak

A card is Naya if its color identity is red, green, and white.

When Magic players talk about Naya, they’re likely referencing the color combination. What you might not know, though, is the history behind the name.

Much like the 10 2-color Ravnican guilds, the five 3-color shards from the Shards of Alara MTG set have become a sort of shorthand for the combinations of colors that they contain. Similarly to Ravnica’s extremely successful formula, Alara’s major focus on those shards resulted in each carrying its own unique identity, both in gameplay mechanics and flavor, leaving a strong impression on Magic players worldwide and setting an expectation for what these colors do together.

Naya’s identity on Alara was one of large creatures: Many cards provided extra value for controlling a creature with power 5 or greater.

In-universe, Naya’s complete absence of blue and black mana resulted in a flourishing jungle plane dominated by massive beasts and inhabited by humans, elves, and the Nacatl race of cat people. These groups survive the unforgiving jungle thanks to a strong reliance on community. Naya is the home and birthplace of Ajani, a Nacatl planeswalker and one of Magic’s most iconic and important characters.

Since Shards of Alara, Naya has represented massive battlefield-dominating creatures, rugged untamed landscapes, and smaller creatures that are stronger together. These qualities define not only what a Naya card does, but how a Naya card feels.

We also have a comprehensive breakdown of all Naya lands in Magic, if you're working on your mana base.

Another Honorable Mention: Wild Nacatl

I’ve got another honorable mention to discuss before we get started, the best Naya card in the history of competitive Magic: Wild Nacatl. In competitive 60-card Magic formats with near-flawless mana as a result of fetch lands and shock lands, this ferocious feline is often a 1-mana 3/3 on the second turn of the game, putting an exceptionally fast clock on your opponent from the get-go, especially in multiples.

One of the best decks in the recent history of Modern is Domain Zoo, which uses Wild Nacatl for this exact purpose. Naya has a long history in Magic, and I really love that one of the cards that defined the shard at its conception is still one of its greatest cards of all time.

#36. Fiery Justice

Fiery Justice is a solid removal spell. Under the right conditions, this can get rid of quite a few problems all at once. In Commander, 5 life for an opponent really isn’t an issue. Use the lifegain for some mild politicking while removing a couple threats, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

#35. Rith’s Charm

Rith's Charm mostly serves a token-creation purpose despite being a classic three-mode charm. Three Saprolings at instant speed is pretty nice, and plenty of cards in the Naya colors can maximize it. The other two modes are unremarkable but not useless.

#34. Druid of the Anima

A plain ol’ mana dork isn’t much to write home about, but it does accelerate your mana and give access to all the Naya colors. Naya decks love to ramp into big creatures and splashy spells, and Druid of the Anima plays the role.

#33. Knotvine Mystic

A Naya mana dork that’s a little less “plain-ol,” Knotvine Mystic requires a steeper initial investment for a greater payoff. Add an untapper like Thousand-Year Elixir to the mix and you’ll find yourself with tons of mana. Either way, it’ll help you cast those big spells at the tippy-top of your mana curve.

#32. Atla Palani, Nest Tender

Atla Palani, Nest Tender is a great inclusion in a deck with lots of big creatures whose mana costs you wouldn’t mind ignoring. It finds itself much more consistently threatening from the command zone, though, and I’d encourage you to embrace its build-around quality.

#31. Samut, Voice of Dissent

While we’ve got untapping on the mind, let’s look at Samut, Voice of Dissent. By giving your entire board haste, it can make your mana dorks way more efficient. Llanowar Elves can immediately replace the mana used to cast it, for example. On top of it all, this Naya warrior can untap your creatures, too. Knotvine Mystic just got a lot scarier.

Samut is a strong Naya commander, but it’s still got plenty of good uses in your main deck.

#30. Shalai and Hallar

Shalai and Hallar has some crazy combo potential with cards like The Red Terror. When they aren’t together, Shalai and Hallar and its combo-enabling partners are pretty low-impact. If this Naya angel elf isn’t your commander, it’ll likely just end up being a mild annoyance for your opponents.

#29. Mayael the Anima

A threatening repeatable mana sink, Mayael the Anima is able to put a creature into play every single turn in the right deck. It’d be higher on the list if its ability weren’t so expensive, but it’s frankly absurd when paired with Seedborn Muse since Mayael’s activated ability can be used at instant speed on other players' turns.

#28. Trace of Abundance

Trace of Abundance is a wonderful little ramp card. It both accelerates and fixes your mana, exactly what you want to do in any Naya deck. This Naya aura gets bonus points in decks that care about enchantments, like with Preston Garvey, Minuteman.

#27. Incandescent Aria

Naya is all about casting big creatures or making tons of little ones. Incandescent Aria is a board wipe that can have its cake and eat it too: This Naya sorcery only destroys smaller, non-token creatures, often leaving your board of tokens or giant threats mostly unscathed. Make sure you’re okay with losing your mana dorks, though!

#26. Titanic Ultimatum

Titanic Ultimatum is a finisher. Once you've established a dominant army, cast this Naya ultimatum and swing the team to victory. While there are better options for your consideration, Titanic Ultimatum will still run your enemies over.

#25. Gahiji, Honored One

In Commander, Gahiji, Honored One makes you a powerful ally. Your opponents will likely spend their combat phases attacking each other, making your job easier. When you’re ready to finish the fight, Gahiji mass-pumps your team’s attackers, too.

#24. Toph, the First Metalbender

Toph, the First Metalbender is one of the best earthbenders and that's something Toph proves right away. This martial art of an effect is on the level of persist and undying and extending this to your artifacts just asks to be broken.

#23. Miles Morales/ Ultimate Spider-Man

Miles Morales is a cool flicker target, and the instant-speed hexproof on Ultimate Spider-Man is a tricky protective effect that works in more ways than you think. The kicker is that this spider side itself doesn't need to attack to start doubling counters, any attacker will do.

#22. Samut, the Driving Force

I forgive Samut, the Driving Force for costing six because it provides a serious cost reduction on your powerful game enders. See the payoffs section below for a taste of the fury you can unleash. Did I mention that power matters? The potential for +4/+0 makes this speedy warrior robust.

#21. Pantlaza, Sun-Favored + Gishath, Sun’s Avatar

For the dino lover, these legendary Naya dinosaurs are everything you could want. Since I’m focusing on the 99 in this list rather than the best Naya commanders, they’ve landed somewhat low. If you’re building a dinosaur deck, you’ll likely find yourself with Pantlaza, Sun-Favored or Gishath, Sun’s Avatar in the command zone, with the others in the 99. Dinosaurs are great, but since they support each other, they tend to thrive when the deck is full of great dinosaurs.

#20. Marath, Will of the Wild

Among the creature-based strategies of the Naya colors, +1/+1 counter decks are some of the most beloved. Marath, Will of the Wild is a beast through-and-through in that kind of deck, either as its +1/+1 counter commander or in the 99. If you’ve got ways to load counters onto it, Marath pays out plus interest with tokens or direct damage. You can even move the counters off of it if you’ve got somewhere better for them to be.

#19. Aragorn, Hornburg Hero

Flavorfully, Aragorn, Hornburg Hero is best suited to lead the charge of your army on the battlefield, giving your creatures renown and first strike. Swing widely, get your tokens and little guys in on your opponents, and watch the fighting force grow exponentially stronger under Aragorn’s command. Throw it in a deck with lots of small creatures and +1/+1 counter synergies and you’ve got yourself an army worth fearing.

#18. Bright-Palm, Soul Awakener

While Aragorn grows when your creatures deal combat damage to a player, Bright-Palm, Soul Awakener only requires an attack. Got a few counters on a creature in the early game? Cast Bright-Palm, backup your would-be attacker, and your threat just got way more threatening. After that, Bright-Palm only counts itself, so make sure to get some counters on it, too!

#17. Ghired, Mirror of the Wilds

Being able to copy any token you’ve created this turn is pretty cool. Outlaws of Thunder Junction‘s Ghired, Mirror of the Wilds asks: “What if your entire team could each copy a token?” That’s a lot of value. Turn one Clue token into two, or a Food token into a few, whew! There’s a lot of fun and powerful tokens to copy, and I’m just scratching the surface of the possibilities.

#16. Huatli, Poet of Unity / Roar of the Fifth People

On the initial investment, Huatli, Poet of Unity from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan seems like a pretty ineffective way to search for a basic land. Pay 5 mana to transform it, though, and you’ve got a fantastic package deal of a saga. Tokens, mana ramp, and a dinosaur tutor all in one; Huatli feels at home in just about any Naya deck.

#15. Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor

Animating lands is pretty cool and Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor seems inclined to agree. The real reason it’s here, though, is its landfall ability. Hitting your land drops rewards you with +1/+1 counters wherever you need them. Obuun is an absolute engine in these colors: Landfall and counters are some of Naya’s favorite types of synergy to build around, so Obuun finds itself at home in the 99 of many a deck.

#14. Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER

Cloud, Ex-SOLDIER is very dependent on equipment. But to draw one or two more cards each turn is incredible, add in the likely treasures and you get all the things EDH wants, ramp and card draw.

#13. Naya Charm

A fan favorite and an all-rounder, Naya Charm is in a ton of Naya decklists for a reason. It’s flexible and functional, and there’s always something to do with this Naya instant. Whether removing an annoying creature, getting yours back to your hand, or tapping down a wall of blockers so that you can deliver a critical blow, Naya Charm is pure performance.

#12. Cabaretti Charm

When Wizards of the Coast brought us to the Streets of New Capenna, the Cabaretti were introduced as a new take on the Naya shard. The Cabaretti are a partying sort, and everybody who’s anybody is on the guest list. Cabaretti Charm demonstrates their principles through gameplay, with all three modes best serving a deck that wants a lot of creatures. Similarly to Naya Charm, there’s always a great use for this instant. Get creatures early, buff up the team later, or remove something problematic.

#11. Mayael’s Aria

The only alternate win-condition on the list, Mayael's Aria lets you snowball in value if your biggest creatures go unchallenged. Controlling a creature with at least 5 power isn’t that hard in Commander, and buffing your entire team every single turn is a fantastic way to lead yourself to victory. Add in the possibility of an automatic game-win in your upkeep, and you’ve got a card that makes being Naya truly worth it.

#10. Cabaretti Ascendancy

As we know, Naya decks love their creatures. Cabaretti Ascendancy isn’t as flashy as many other cards this high up, but it’s here for good reason. This Naya enchantment should be in a deck with a critical mass of creatures, where it lets you draw an extra card most turns, and if you don’t see a creature on top, you can choose whether you want to draw that card or put it on the bottom. It’s a combination of card selection and card advantage that Naya colors don’t get a ton of access to.

#9. Tifa, Martial Artist

Tifa, Martial Artist makes it hurt, a 7/7 trampler just needs to squeak one point of damage in, and you'll untap all your creatures including those you stationed with, mana dorks and pingers. No surprise that this melee monk is a favorite.

#8. Zacama, Primal Calamity

Remember when I said that dinosaurs were mostly good when they’re backing each other up? That’s true for the most part, but Zacama, Primal Calamity is simply a powerhouse no matter what. While it's often used as a dinosaur commander because, well, look at it, any deck that wants to dominate the battlefield in a true-to-form Naya fashion by casting huge creature spells will love Zacama. Ramp into it as fast as you can and untap your lands to start activating its obscene abilities.

#7. Preston Garvey, Minuteman

Our Fallout friend is here to build settlements and help them thrive. It’s also here to ramp. A lot. If it survives for a few turns and you can establish some Settlement tokens, Preston Garvey, Minuteman can swing to untap all those enchanted lands and whichever other permanents have auras attached. Preston works best in a deck with lots of enchantment-based ramp, like Utopia Sprawl. If you can take advantage of its talents, this card will skyrocket your resources until your settlements feel more like an empire.

#6. Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer

Another friend from the Cabaretti, Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer is a versatile creature tutor. Grab a removal-creature like Skyclave Apparition or find your Eternal Witness if there’s something you need from the grave. Or of course, you could make the (probably correct) decision of finding your Dockside Extortionist. Whatever creature you need in your deck, Rocco’s got it on the menu.

#5. Annie Joins Up

With plenty of powerful new legendary creatures in every MTG set, I know many of our Commander decks are chock-full of legendary creatures that just barely didn’t make the cut for a command zone of their own. Annie Joins Up is perfect to accent a list full of powerful legendary creatures. Play an Evolving Wilds and get four +1/+1 counters with Obuun, Mul Daya Ancestor or start a real estate enterprise with Preston Garvey, just to name a couple examples.

Naya’s got plenty of legendary-matters support, too. This would fit right in alongside Bard Class or Reki, the History of Kamigawa in a decklist looking to play an ensemble cast of legends.

#4. Baylen, the Haymaker

In token decks, which many Naya decks are, Baylen, the Haymaker has a very apt name. Able to generate mana and card draw from all of your tokens every single turn, this surefooted fellow finds value everywhere it hops.

#3. Rocco, Street Chef

Rocco has moved on from the Cabaretti and started his own small business as a street chef, apparently. This has been a lucrative career change, though: Both one of the best food commanders and strongest play-from-exile commanders, Rocco, Street Chef knows nothing if not value. While it’s true that this Rocco exiles cards for everyone at the table, this just means that your opponents have a much higher incentive to fight amongst themselves while you reap the rewards in the form of +1/+1 counters and Food tokens. My compliments to the chef!

#2. Jinnie Fay, Jetmir’s Second

Tokens are everywhere in Commander. Every game has tons of tokens entering and leaving play, and we’ve done plenty of token-based discussion in this very list. Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second is the queen of tokens. If you want an adorable army that still packs a punch, Jinnie Fay has you covered. Most of the time, creature tokens are dinky little 1/1s – now they’re 3/1s or 2/2s, depending on your needs. It doesn’t even matter if those tokens aren’t supposed to be creatures. Now all those Food, Treasure, and Clue tokens are a formidable fighting force of dogs and cats on the battlefield, and you’re ready to cast a big payoff spell and win the game.

#1. Jetmir, Nexus of Revels

Oh yeah. This is it. The best Naya card for the 99 of your commander deck–and, sneakily, one of the best payoffs for Naya strategies.

The reason that Jetmir, Nexus of Revels makes the top of the list is simple: It wins the game. If you control enough creatures, Jetmir does the rest of the work. Each of your mana dorks and tokens becomes a trampling, double-striking attacker with +3/+0, and the party goes out with a bang. Slam Jetmir down in the late game when your board is plenty wide and the game may just be over on the spot.

Tokens and “go-wide” creature strategies are among the most effective in the Naya colors: Whether it’s hosting as your aggro commander or a fashionably-late guest, Jetmir is guaranteed to be the life of the party.

Best Naya Payoffs

So, your deck is full of all sorts of Naya cards–you’re generating tokens, making big creatures and oodles of mana… now what?

You need payoffs. A payoff is a card that rewards you for doing the things your deck is designed to do. In Naya’s case, this means cards that benefit from lots of creatures or a bunch of extra mana.

Dazzling Theater gives all your creatures job security and is an excellent room for Naya cards. Shamanic Revelation turns your board full of, say, Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second Cat tokens into card advantage. Caretaker's Talent is a class enchantment from Bloomburrow that really works wonders if you can generate tokens on each turn including your opponents‘, like with Rocco, Street Chef.

Avenger of Zendikar brings an army of tokens with it, especially if you’ve done a lot of land ramping with Cultivate effects, and it fits alongside another common Naya payoff: token doublers like Elspeth, Storm Slayer. Ojer Taq, Deepest Foundation sees those options and demands more, turning humble cards like Rith's Charm into tons of value.

Cathars' Crusade loves that turn you created a few tokens, and once you've got that army, one combat step can turn Beastmaster Ascension into the ultimate anthem for a Naya deck. Warleader's Call is awesome too if you can continue to make tokens, like with Marath, Will of the Wild or Scute Swarm. Sovereign Okinec Ahau is a formidable win-more card that just needs a little push as small as a battle cry to provide absurd amounts of +1/+1 counters.

Winning the Game

You’ve established your presence on the board, accrued value, and built up an army. Now it’s time for the ultimate payoff: winning the game. I’ve already covered the best way for a Naya deck to do that – you’ll want to buff up your army and deliver a game-ending attack. You might already have a couple effects like this, in Jetmir, Nexus of Revels and Titanic Ultimatum, but what else is out there within our color identity?

One of the best vigilance cards in the game and among the strongest protection spells, Akroma's Will lets you take to the skies for your final strike. Overwhelming Stampede just needs one creature with power four or greater to be strictly better than Overrun. Triumph of the Hordes delivers a swift poison counter victory, and everyone’s favorite green game-ender Craterhoof Behemoth is tailor-made to overrun opponents. You could even grab your Craterhoof or Jetmir with a big-mana Finale of Devastation or Rocco, Cabaretti Caterer and stomp over the battlefield, if that’s your style. All manner of mass pump spell make a great Naya finisher.

What Is Naya good at in MTG?

Naya’s biggest strengths lie in its creatures and the value they come with. The abundance of mana dorks, token creation, and aggressive attackers make it the perfect color combo for players that want to flood the board with creatures and start turning them sideways. The best payoffs can be expensive, so ramp early and often to get them online.

Commanding Conclusion

Baylen, the Haymaker | Illustration by Ryan Pancoast

Well, that’s it! You’ve braved the jungle, met the beasts that rule it, and come out the other side stronger with a lot of great ideas for your Commander deck. Get some games in with these great Naya cards and you’ll become a master of your environment, ending games by overrunning opponents alongside your monstrous stampede of creatures.

What do you think of the list? Are you excited to try any of these out? Wish some of them were rated differently? Let out a Resounding Roar in the comments below or in the official Draftsim Discord!

Thank you for reading! Stay safe, and enjoy playing Naya!