Mayael the AnimaMayael the Anima | Art by Jason Chan

It's a special day at Back to Basics Towers, because this list officially wraps up my set of articles on the most played three-color cards in Commander. Hooray!

I say "officially," though, because after today's Naya () top 10 article, next week's list will look at the most-played three-color cards that aren't legends. And, if you're new here, check out last week's Abzan article and work your way backwards from there.

Let's dive right into Naya, shall we?

10. Atla Palani, Nest TenderAtla Palani, Nest Tender - 12,607 decks, 17,434 as commander

We're kicking this list of with the third most popular commander for Dinosaur theme decks, which are pretty prevalent in Naya colors thanks to the Ixalan sets. Atla Palani is one of the cheaper options for this type, which is a big bonus, and even though she is neither a Dino nor does she have specific synergy with that type, her flavor and abilities scream "Turn Eggs into giant Dinosaur monsters."

Notably, she figures in a combo alongside Thornbite StaffThornbite Staff and Ashnod's AltarAshnod's Altar that lets you put all your creatures into play from your deck, which should win you the game a lot of the time if you built your deck properly:

You can read more about Atla Palani and other combo-tastic Naya cards in this article by Ethan Coover. But, even without shenanigans, you can still build a fun, sacrifice-slanted Dino deck, using Altar, Goblin BombardmentGoblin Bombardment, or SkullclampSkullclamp to turn Palani's HatcherPalani's Hatcher Eggs into an Etali, Primal ConquerorEtali, Primal Conqueror or Apex AltisaurApex Altisaur.

You should know that Dinos aren't the only creature type that produce Eggs. Nesting DragonNesting Dragon makes one too, and Roc EggRoc Egg gives you a little extra value when sacrificed.

9. Jinnie Fay, Jetmir's SecondJinnie Fay, Jetmir's Second - 26,586 decks, 5,580 as commander

Dinosaur decks are popular in Naya, and tokens decks are, too! You'll see Jinnie Fay leading go-wide decks herself, but she's much more commonly utilized as a supporting cast member in other tokens decks, like Rin and Seri, InseparableRin and Seri, Inseparable, who just missed this list and who appreciates her turning different types of tokens into Cats or Dogs, and other legends that made this list.

Rocco, Street ChefRocco, Street Chef's group hug ability gets a little more punishing when you create attackers instead of Food when opponents cast the spells you let them exile, while Aragorn, the UniterAragorn, the Uniter gets three triggers from her color identity while also getting his 1/1 Human Soldiers beefed up in their canine or feline forms.

8. Shalai and HallarShalai and Hallar - 28,193 decks, 9,549 as commander

It's clear that Shalai and HallarShalai and Hallar will perform well in pretty much any deck that goes hard into the +1/+1 counters theme. But what you may not have noticed is that just looking in their direction could lead to them killing you with one of many infinite damage combos.

Whether it's The Red TerrorThe Red Terror, Heliod, Sun-CrownedHeliod, Sun-Crowned, or War ElementalWar Elemental, Shalai and Hallar's ability can go bonkers when paired with any engine that converts damage to counters:

In the 99, there are tons of decks Shallai and Hallar can make a big impact in, even if it isn't for infinite damage. Voja, Jaws of the ConclaveVoja, Jaws of the Conclave, Bright-Palm, Soul AwakenerBright-Palm, Soul Awakener, and Aragorn, Hornburg HeroAragorn, Hornburg Hero are all Naya commanders that have the potential to dump a lot of counters on creatures at once.

If you're looking for a more colorful approach, Ramos, Dragon EngineRamos, Dragon Engine and Jared CarthalionJared Carthalion have you covered.

7. Baylen, the HaymakerBaylen, the Haymaker - 18,448 decks, 21,002 as commander

Shalai and Hallar grab you by the shoulders yelling "Counters!" Baylen does the same, though he absolutely yearns to see you put as many tokens as possible into play so he can go hay. It's exceedingly easy to do that in Commander, which is probably why the Rabbit Warrior is currently the 24th most popular commander on EDHREC.com.

What does going hay look like, specifically? Well, you'll want to play cards that can spit out multiple tokens in one go. Farmer CottonFarmer Cotton and Jacked RabbitJacked Rabbit turn mana into cardboard, while Cadira, Caller of the SmallCadira, Caller of the Small can churn out Rabbits with the help of pump spells.

Scaling spells like Aura MutationAura Mutation can also get you going if your targets are juicy. Doubling SeasonDoubling Season and Second HarvestSecond Harvest can take things to the next level, letting you make the most of Baylen and other payoffs like Halo FountainHalo Fountain.

6. Naya CharmNaya Charm - 47,219 decks

What's not to love about Naya CharmNaya Charm? It kills a small-to-medium-sized creature, recurs your best haymaker - whether its Baylen or some other creature - and it even threatens to win you games with its third mode!

Whether your deck is built around giant Dinosaurs, goes wide with tokens, or goes tall with counters, board stalls can often put a damper on your victory. Casting this out of nowhere to get around any amount of blockers will either force some crucial interaction or let you get in for a ton of damage!

5. Pantlaza, Sun-FavoredPantlaza, Sun-Favored - 26,332 decks, 29,834 as commander

We're back to Dinosaurs! Pantlaza is the most popular commander for this kindred deck as well as number six right now on EDHREC's leaderboard. While he does cost one mana more than Atla Palani, his ability promises a similar torrent of value.

Interestingly, while Atla Palani's Eggs can pop into anything from a Topiary StomperTopiary Stomper to a nine-mana monster, Pantlaza offers more consistent upside: you're probably getting something smaller than the Dino you cast. And, like with number 10 on this list, you can play cards like Rhythm of the WildRhythm of the Wild, Otepec HuntmasterOtepec Huntmaster, and Garruk's UprisingGarruk's Uprising to get extra value out of the creatures you're putting into play with Pantlaza's ability.

4. Gishath, Sun's AvatarGishath, Sun's Avatar - 36,369 decks, 21,551 as commander

This 7/6 is yet another popular Dinosaur commander, while also being a popular option to lead decks that are tagged differently on EDHREC, like Kaheera Companion and Ramp, though they're probably built to incorporate a lot of Dinos as well.

What buffs his deck inclusion numbers to over 36K is the fact that you're almost certainly including Gishath in any Dinosaur kindred deck, whether they're led by the options I've already gone over or by less popular commanders like Huatli or Wayta.

But, if you're looking to lead with one of the biggest, baddest monsters around, then Jeremy Rowe breaks down Gishath-led Dino typal decks here.

3. Jetmir, Nexus of RevelsJetmir, Nexus of Revels - 53,389 decks, 9,454 as commander

If Jetmir's second is on this list, then it makes sense that the Nexus of Revels himself has a place on the podium! His abilities scale like Baylen's, and while they're a little more forgiving in that they don't specify tokens — meaning you can build a creature-spell-oriented deck around him, too — you'll probably want to lean into that theme to consistently have nine or more things on the board.

On the other hand, and because his abilities work with all creatures, he's much more popular as a member of the 99 in different decks, whether they're token-centric, heavy on legends like Aragorn, the Uniter or Jodah, the UnifierJodah, the Unifier would be, or even focused on multicolor permanents like shiny new card Infinite Guideline StationInfinite Guideline Station.

If you do manage to maintain the threshold of nine creatures with Jetmir safely in play, you're probably going to win that game, so make sure you're not attacking in a position where you can get blown out by interaction!

2. Zacama, Primal CalamityZacama, Primal Calamity - 71,732 decks, 3,881 as commander

The biggest Dinosaur Zacama is in a staggering 72K decks, not only slotting into just about every typal deck you can imagine, but in legends decks like five-color Jodah and big mana decks like Jodah, Archmage EternalJodah, Archmage Eternal and Omnath, Locus of AllOmnath, Locus of All to boot.

It helps that she has combo potential alongside self-bounce effects and lands that produce more than one pip of mana:

On the other hand, just casting Zacama will already put you reasonably far ahead on board, especially if you have access to protection like Heroic InterventionHeroic Intervention, Akroma's WillAkroma's Will, or Deflecting SwatDeflecting Swat.

1. Annie Joins UpAnnie Joins Up - 89,241 decks

It's awesome that the most played Naya card in commander is a removal spell! I say that with tongue firmly in cheek, because Annie Joins Up is also just a PanharmoniconPanharmonicon for legendary creature triggers, even ones that happen after those creatures enter.

If only there were a format where you could consistently trigger the absolutely bonkers abilities of legends like Jodah, the Unifier, Aragorn, the Uniter, Gishath, Rin and Seri, Omnath, Locus of All, and many more. Perhaps, if there were a zone of some sort where we could put those legends, allowing us to cast and trigger their abilities multiple times in a game....

My Destiny Is Mine To WeaveMy Destiny Is Mine To Weave

That's all for Naya, and that's all for the top 10 most played cards from each wedge and each shard! Stay tuned for the bonus list on non-legendary spells, and feel free to leave feedback on how you find these articles, or let me know which category you want me to cover next!

Do you want more top 10 lists from older sets, like I've done with original Innistrad? Or do you like to see more mechanic-based articles, like what I wrote on landfall? There's so much to cover!

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