Incredible MTG Graveyard Commander Creates Multiple Instant Death Combos

In Commander, especially at Bracket 3 tables, graveyard decks are often one of the most powerful strategies you can use. With tons of powerful cards available to explosively fill your graveyard, creating lots of value or massive tempo swings from nowhere is easy. Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord is just one example of this, creating graveyard-based death combos with ease.

MTG Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord

While all of Jarad’s abilities do somewhat separate things, there are a few underlying themes that help tie things together. Whether they’re in the graveyard or in play, Jarad cares about creatures, leading the Commander to include lots of creatures that can fill the graveyard.

The usual suspects, like Stitcher’s SupplierStitcher’s SupplierWhen this creature enters or dies, mill three cards. (Put the top three cards of your library into your graveyard.), Splinterfright, and Dredge cards like Stinkweed ImpStinkweed ImpFlying
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a creature, destroy that creature.
Dredge 5 (If you would draw a card, you may mill five cards instead. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand.), kick off Jarad’s game plan nicely, easily creating a massive creature. Aftermath Analyst is a particularly strong inclusion here, both milling over cards and recurring lands sacrificed to Jarad’s last ability. Of course, you can also include noncreature milling cards like Palantir of OrthancPalantir of OrthancAt the beginning of your end step, put an influence counter on Palantír of Orthanc and scry 2. Then target opponent may have you draw a card. If that player doesn't, you mill X cards, where X is the number of influence counters on Palantír of Orthanc, and that player loses life equal to the total mana value of those cards. and Grisly Salvage as strong value pieces.

Once you’ve filled your graveyard with creatures, Jarad wants to leverage high-powered creatures with his second ability, dealing massive blows to your opponents’ life totals. Fortunately, there’s a ton of overlap here, with cards like Lord of ExtinctionLord of ExtinctionLord of Extinction's power and toughness are each equal to the number of cards in all graveyards., Old Stickfingers, and Mortivore becoming massive with a graveyard theme. Alternatively, cards like Ghoultree can become exceptionally easy to cast, while Honest Rutstein can help Jarad put up constant threats.

Sweetening the pot, there’s a whole series of payoffs for high-stat creatures past Jarad’s ability. Between cards like Greater Good and Riskhar’s Expertise, there are tons of insane card draw options for the Commander. You can also use graveyard-centric support pieces like Brawn and Filth to give your big bodies evasion, letting them crash through chump blockers.

Likewise, since you’re already focusing on the graveyard, Jarad also makes for a great reanimation Commander, using cards like Animate Dead to cheat big bombs into play. Alternatively, cards like Conduit of Worlds and Deadbridge Chant can help give Jarad a more incremental value engine that uses the graveyard. Heck, if you want to abuse Jarad’s last effect, you can even use Splendid Reclamation or The Gitrog Monster to strong effect.

You can even build Jarad as a Voltron Commander, dumping a ton of creatures into the graveyard and relying on equipment. If this is your plan, Commander’s Plate and Sword of Feast and Famine can give Jarad Protection from all colors, while doubling up on mana each turn. Otherwise, equipment like Brotherhood Regalia and Whispersilk CloakWhispersilk CloakEquipped creature can't be blocked and has shroud. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities.)
Equip {2} can help make Jarad impossible to block.

Infinite Damage

When it comes to winning the game with an instant combo, Jarad has an absurd number of options. A fair few of these are two-card combos, too, since Jarad can generally end a game by sacrificing any creature with 40 or more power. This makes cards like Jumbo Cactuar, Phyrexian Devourer, and Wall of Blood two-card combos with Jarad, potentially ending the game on the spot.

If you want a bit more consistency, Jarad also has a few three-card death combos to try. Cosmogoyf is responsible for most of these, easily becoming a lethal sacrifice with Demonic Consultation or Leveler. You can also use Hatred to turn any of your creatures into a lethal sacrifice for Jarad, so long as you have enough life.

Notably, these combos are not included in the decklist above, but you can customize it in our deckbuilder if you’d like to add them.

Tons of Synergy and Big Kills

With lots of different ways to build it, and some powerful infinite combos to take advantage of, Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord can be an incredibly powerful and entertaining Commander to tinker with. Heck, with all the different focuses available, you could even build multiple decks for it, especially if you don’t want instant wins in one of them.

With all this in mind, it shouldn’t be too surprising to hear that Jarad is a rather popular Commander. With 5,691 decks on EDHREC, Jarad is just outside of the top 500 Commanders. Fortunately, thanks to a recent reprint in Dragons of Tarkir Commander, Jarad isn’t the most expensive Mythic to pick up, worth about $2.

If you’re looking for a new graveyard-based Commander to try that can support multiple different side themes, Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord should be exactly what you’re looking for.

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