Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on a creature you control, Shalai and Hallar deals that much damage to target opponent.
Shalai and Hallar punishes opponents by converting +1/+1 counter placement into direct damage. You flood the board with counter-generators and proliferate effects, then pump counters onto your team while pinging the table for chunks of damage. The body has evasion and vigilance, so it pressures life totals while also enabling counter-based combat.
Turns every counter trigger into guaranteed, unpreventable direct damage that ignores blockers
Flying, vigilance, and 4 mana make it an aggressively costed, evasive commander
Scales explosively with proliferate and mass-counter effects like doubling enchantments
Naturally fits the deep +1/+1 counter card pool across Naya colors
Heavily commander-dependent; loses its whole engine if Shalai is removed and gets expensive to recast
Counter payoffs are spread thin and can be slow without doubling effects
Vulnerable to graveyard/board wipes that erase your counter investment
No built-in card advantage engine, so it can run out of gas
Legendary Creature — Angel Elf
