Overview:

This Kaalia of the Vast deck focuses on cheating out high-impact Angels, Demons, and Dragons through commander attacks, supported by moderate protection and removal. While capable of explosive plays, it lacks fast mana, consistent tutors, and robust recovery mechanisms, keeping it in optimized casual territory.

Primer:

Core Strategy: This deck aims to resolve Kaalia of the Vast by turn 4 using basic ramp (signets, Sol Ring), then attack to cheat massive threats like Angel of Despair and Reiver Demon. The gameplan unfolds in three phases:

1. Early Setup: Use taplands and 3-mana rocks to reach Kaalia's casting cost by turn 4. Protect her with Mother of Runes and Lightning Greaves.
2. Value Engine: Attack with Kaalia to deploy game-warping creatures like Archangel of Strife and Dread Cacodemon, leveraging their ETB effects for board control.
3. Finishers: Overwhelm opponents through combat damage from evasive threats, supplemented by X-spells like Comet Storm in late-game scenarios.

Mulligan Priorities:

• 3+ lands with at least two colors
• 1 ramp artifact (signet/Sol Ring)
• 1 protection piece or high-impact creature Reject hands without early plays or color fixing.

Key Tips:

• Sequence threats strategically: Deploy board wipes (Akroma's Vengeance) before cheating out creatures
• Use Stranglehold to disrupt combo/tutor decks
• Prioritize hasty creatures like Malfegor post-wipe
• Leverage Master Warcraft to force unfavorable blocks

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Commander dependency (15+ cards require Kaalia)
• No protection from 3+ removals
• Limited card draw/tutors (only Diabolic Tutor)

Moderate:

• Slow recovery from board wipes
• High average CMC (4.1)

Minor:

• Basic-heavy mana base with tapped lands

Most Important Cards:

• Mother of Runes
• Lightning Greaves
• Stranglehold
• Angel of Despair
• Reiver Demon
• Akroma's Vengeance
• Dread Cacodemon
• Archangel of Strife
• Bladewing the Risen
• Comet Storm

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Goldfish T5 wins possible with perfect Kaalia protection + threat chain
• Average goldfish win: T7-8

Resilience: 3/10

• Folds to 2+ Kaalia removals
• Limited recursion (only Bladewing the Risen)
• Minimal stack interaction

Consistency: 4/10

• 1 tutor (Diabolic)
• No card advantage engines
• High variance creature draws

Interaction: 5/10

• 10 targeted removals (Terminate, Path to Exile)
• 4 board wipes
• All interaction at sorcery speed or higher cost

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between "Optimized Casual" (5.0) and "High-Power Casual" (5.5) in the rubric. It exceeds strong precons through explosive Kaalia turns and powerful threats but lacks:

• cEDH fast mana/combos
• Free protection (0 S-tier interaction)
• Redundant tutor suites

The T7-8 average win speed and commander dependence align with 5.0-5.5 benchmarks. While capable of high-roll T5 wins, inconsistent threat deployment and recovery mechanisms prevent higher ratings.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5