Overview:

This Kaalia of the Vast deck focuses on cheating out high-impact Angels, Demons, and Dragons through commander synergy, leveraging combat pressure and incremental value. While potent when unimpeded, it lacks infinite combos and relies heavily on Kaalia's survival, making it vulnerable to disruption.

Primer:

Core Strategy: The deck aims to deploy Kaalia of the Vast by turn 4 using mana rocks, then cheat out game-changing creatures like Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Gisela, Blade of Goldnight. Secondary lines involve using Isshin, Two Heavens as One to double attack triggers and Helm of the Host to create clone armies. Win conditions revolve around overwhelming combat damage supported by effects like Dragon Tempest and Aggravated Assault.

Mulligan Priorities:

• 3 lands (ideally untapped)
• 1-2 ramp pieces (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet)
• At least 1 protective equipment (Lightning Greaves) or threat Avoid hands without early mana sources or creature payoffs.

Key Tips:

• Sequence protection before Kaalia: Deploy Grand Abolisher or Swiftfoot Boots first
• Prioritize haste enablers: Dragon Tempest enables immediate value from cheated creatures
• Use Eerie Interlude to dodge wipes and retrigger ETBs
• Leverage Burning-Rune Demon as flexible tutor/graveyard setup

Avoid Traps:

• Overextending before establishing protection
• Keeping high-CMC hands without ramp
• Wasting removal on non-critical threats

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Relies entirely on Kaalia for threat acceleration (3+ removals cripple strategy)
• Limited recovery from board wipes without Avacyn, Angel of Hope

Moderate:

• Slow mana base (11 tapped lands)
• Minimal graveyard recursion
• No infinite combos for comeback potential

Minor:

• Adequate but non-redundant interaction package

Most Important Cards:

• Avacyn, Angel of Hope
• Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
• Dragon Tempest
• Aurelia, the Warleader
• Grand Abolisher
• Swiftfoot Boots
• Boros Charm
• Aggravated Assault
• Hellkite Tyrant
• Vilis, Broker of Blood

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can deploy Kaalia T3-4 with optimal ramp
• Threatens lethal combat damage by T8-10
• Lacks T5-7 win potential without combat chain

Resilience: 5/10

• Moderate protection (6 equipment/hexproof sources)
• Vulnerable to removal stacking on Kaalia
• Limited recovery from multiple wipes

Consistency: 5/10

• 3 tutors (Diabolic Tutor, Demonic Counsel, Burning-Rune Demon)
• Heavy reliance on natural draws for threats
• No card advantage engine beyond Vilis, Broker of Blood

Interaction: 6/10

• 10 targeted removal (Swords to Plowshares, Chaos Warp)
• 3 board wipes (Crackling Doom, Bond of Discipline)
• Lacks free counterspells or stax elements

Rating Justification:

This deck outperforms precon-level strategies through explosive Kaalia turns (aligning with 5.0's T8-10 combat wins) but lacks the redundancy and protection of optimized lists. While faster than casual decks, its reliance on a vulnerable commander and absence of infinite combos prevent it from reaching high-power tiers. Comparable to upgraded precons with focused gameplans but vulnerable to disruption.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5