Jared Carthalion, True Heir - $105 Precon Competition (EDH / Commander)

Last Updated: 2/5/2022

Primer
Intro:
I really enjoyed this challenge of building our own Preconstructed Commander decks. I feel that PreCons have done so much for the Commander format – they have introduced new and strengthened underrepresented themes and strategies, added new and exciting cards to the game, and provided a fun introduction to the format to newer players. While we couldn’t develop new cards for this competition, I wanted to make sure and accomplish the other two PreCon goals in this deck. I decided on building around Jared Carthalion, True Heir, because I could lean in heavily on Monarch and Chaotic/Forced Combat themes, which isn’t well represented in other existing PreCons and focuses on the social aspect of the game, which is more unique to the multiplayer Commander format.

Deck Goals:
The goal of this deck is to introduce and effectively maintain an advantage through the Monarch theme. I built in a protection and Goad subthemes to help the deck retain the Monarchy when it has it, and keep combat chaotic and focused on the opponents when you need to take it back. Maintaining the Monarchy will strengthen your own board position through Jared and some of the other Monarch creatures’ abilities as well as act as a form of card advantage. This deck is mostly likely to win via Commander damage, as the ultimate goal is to maintain the Monarchy while you control Jared, steadily increasing his power while looking for opportunities to get in attacks with him.

What Makes the Deck Fun:
• Playing a deck built around the Monarchy introduces additional social complexity to a game. You will enjoy this deck if you like navigating these kinds of situations, either manipulating events to your advantage, or working with others for a mutual benefit. Players who embrace this will come to learn that sometimes the best play you can make is interacting with your opponents outside of the cards themselves.
• You will enjoy this deck if you appreciate the challenge of no game ever being the same. Properly managing the monarchy and manipulating your and your opponents’ combat steps to your advantage will be highly situational.
• As a PreCon, this deck is designed to allow for a lot of space for adjustments that fit the player’s personal preferences. Perhaps you like to gain the Monarchy and then focus on protecting it – you could add in more ways to protect yourself from being attacked (Ghostly Prison, Promise of Loyalty). Maybe you want to go deep with chaotic and forced combats – you could remove more of the Monarchy focused cards and add War’s Toll or Goblin Diplomats). You could even focus completely on Jared himself and his ability to survive damage and fight other creatures (Pariah’s Shield, Arni Slays the Troll).

What Makes the Deck Not Fun:
• Unfortunately, the same things that make this deck fun to play can also make it not fun. Some opponents may not be playing decks that incorporate well into what you are trying to manipulate (less creatures, less combat), and some may not be at all interested in engaging in the social back-and-forth. This can make this deck less effective and unable to keep up with some of the more linear strategies.

Notes on Card Choices:
o Rite of the Raging Storm (last reprinted in Commander Anthology II, 2018) - a strong staple for any Chaos/Forced Combat deck that has only been printed in Commander specific products.
o Neyith of the Dire Hunt (last reprinted in JumpStart, 2020) – while not a very old card, it is unique in how it adds a card advantage element to a fight strategy.
o Farseek (last reprinted in Time Spiral Remastered, 2021) – while reprinted somewhat recently, it has only been included in more premium products. Given that the Ikorai Triomes, Kaldheim Snow Duals, and even the Ravnica Shock Lands have been (re)printed recently, the demand for Farseek is that much higher.
o Arena (Time Spiral Timeshifted, 2006) – while not the most efficient card, Arena still carries an ability that we don’t see on lands. Since fight as an ability continues to be a common keyword on modern sets, I would have expected to see this as a reprint before now.
o Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist (Commander, 2017) – at almost $20, this feels like a card that is expensive simply because it only has one printing in a Commander PreCon.