Overview:

This Kaalia of the Vast deck leverages aggressive cheats to deploy massive Angels, Demons, and Dragons, aiming to overwhelm opponents through combat. Kaalia is the linchpin, enabling free deployment of high-impact creatures like Avacyn, Angel of Hope and Master of Cruelties as early as Turn 4. The strategy combines combat pressure with selective removal and protection, but hinges heavily on Kaalia surviving to attack. Secondary value engines like Phyrexian Reclamation and Liesa, Forgotten Archangel provide recursion, while finishers like Gisela, Blade of Goldnight amplify damage output.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Prioritize ramping with Sol Ring, signets, or talismans. Deploy protection like Lightning Greaves or Mother of Runes to safeguard Kaalia.
2. Commander Deployment (Turn 4+): Cast Kaalia with haste/protection, attacking immediately to cheat threats like Master of Cruelties (setting a player to 1 life) or Aurelia, the Warleader (enabling extra combats).
3. Mid-Game Dominance: Use Kaalia’s triggers to deploy game-warping creatures (e.g., Avacyn, Angel of Hope for indestructible, Balefire Dragon for board control). Leverage Akroma's Will or Boros Charm for alpha strikes or protection.
4. Recovery/Alternate Lines: Recur key creatures via Phyrexian Reclamation or Liesa, Forgotten Archangel if Kaalia is neutralized. Use tutors (Demonic Tutor, Rune-Scarred Demon) to find critical pieces.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with Kaalia protection (Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots), ramp, and at least 1-2 high-impact Angels/Demons/Dragons.
• Avoid hands lacking early mana or with only high-CMC creatures.

Key Tips:

• Protect Kaalia at All Costs: Prioritize hexproof/indestructible effects to ensure her survival.
• Sequence Threats Wisely: Cheat Master of Cruelties first to set up lethal, followed by evasive creatures.
• Leverage Board Wipes: Use Blasphemous Act or Farewell asymmetrically with Avacyn or indestructible effects.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Commander Dependency: Kaalia removal cripples the deck’s ability to cheat threats, forcing slow manual casting of high-CMC creatures.
• Board Wipes: Lacks mass recursion; rebuilding after a wipe is slow without The Great Henge-style engines.

Moderate

• Artifact/Enchantment Hate: Vulnerable to Vandalblast or Austere Command disrupting ramp/protection.
• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace nullifies recursion from Phyrexian Reclamation/Liesa.

Minor

• Limited Card Draw: Relies on situational engines (e.g., Harvester of Souls) rather than consistent draw.
• Slow Mana Base: Multiple tapped lands (e.g., Nomad Outpost) delay early plays.

Most Important Cards:

• Kaalia of the Vast (Core enabler for cheating threats)
• Avacyn, Angel of Hope (Indestructible board protection)
• Master of Cruelties (One-shot life reduction combo with Kaalia)
• Lightning Greaves (Critical protection for Kaalia)
• Akroma's Will (Game-ending combat trick)
• Boros Charm (Protection/lethal damage)
• Phyrexian Reclamation (Recur key creatures)
• Gisela, Blade of Goldnight (Damage multiplier)
• Demonic Tutor (Tutor for combo pieces/answers)
• Blasphemous Act (Asymmetric board wipe)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins by Turn 5-6 with Kaalia cheats (e.g., Master of Cruelties + evasive attacker), but slower without her.

Resilience: 5/10

• Protection for Kaalia is limited, and recovery from board wipes relies on sparse recursion.

Consistency: 6/10

• Moderate tutor density and Kaalia’s repeatable cheat effect offset high variance in creature draws.

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient spot removal (Swords to Plowshares, Terminate) but lacks stack interaction beyond Boros Charm.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates at a 5.5 - 6.0 power level, capable of explosive T5-6 wins via Kaalia but held back by commander dependency and vulnerability to interaction. Its speed aligns with High-Power Casual (T8-9), while resilience issues prevent higher optimization.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0