Overview:

This Kaalia of the Vast deck focuses on cheating out high-impact Angels, Demons, and Dragons through its commander's attack trigger. While packing strong individual threats and protection, it lacks infinite combos and relies heavily on maintaining board presence through combat. The deck operates at an optimized casual level with moderate resilience to disruption but suffers from commander dependency.

Primer:

Core Strategy: The deck aims to resolve Kaalia by T3-4 using mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet) and attack triggers to deploy game-ending threats like Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Master of Cruelties. Backup plans include reanimation (Karmic Guide) and value engines (Smothering Tithe). Key phases:

1. Setup (T1-3): Ramp into Kaalia while establishing protection (Lightning Greaves, Flawless Maneuver).
2. Threat Deployment (T4+): Use Kaalia's trigger to cheat 6+ MV creatures like Terror of the Peaks or Gisela, Blade of Goldnight.
3. Closing: Overwhelm with flying combat damage, leverage enter-the-battlefield triggers (Angel of Despair), or set up one-shot kills via Master of Cruelties.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 3 lands + 1-2 ramp pieces
• Prioritize early protection (Swiftfoot Boots) over high-cost threats
• Avoid creature-heavy openers without mana acceleration

Key Tips:

• Sequence threats to maximize Dragon Tempest triggers
• Use Rogue's Passage to enable unblocked Master of Cruelties attacks
• Deploy Archfiend of Depravity pre-combat to weaken blockers
• Hold Deflecting Swat for critical Kaalia protection

Avoid Traps:

• Overextending before establishing indestructible (Boros Charm)
• Casting high-MV creatures manually without Kaalia
• Wasting removal on non-critical threats

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Commander dependency (3+ removals cripples strategy)
• Limited recovery from mass removal (only 3 board wipes)

Moderate:

• Vulnerable to flying hate and Propaganda effects
• Slow rebuild speed if Kaalia gets locked out

Minor:

• Weak to land destruction (heavy nonbasic reliance)
• Limited graveyard interaction beyond Bojuka Bog

Most Important Cards:

• Lightning Greaves
• Swiftfoot Boots
• Smothering Tithe
• Demonic Tutor
• Master of Cruelties
• Avacyn, Angel of Hope
• Terror of the Peaks
• Dragon Tempest
• Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
• Rune-Scarred Demon

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10
Can pressure life totals by T5-6 with Kaalia online, but lacks T4 kills. High-MV creatures require commander assistance for early impact.

Resilience: 5/10
Moderate protection suite (4 equipment, 3 free protects) but folds to repeated removal. Some recursion (Liesa, Forgotten Archangel) helps recovery.

Consistency: 6/10
8 tutors and card draw engines provide threat access, but Kaalia remains the primary enabler. Multiple redundant beaters compensate for individual removals.

Interaction: 5/10
10 targeted removals and 3 board wipes offer answers, but limited counterspell protection. Relies on reactive rather than proactive disruption.

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between "Optimized Casual" (5.0) and "High-Power Casual" (5.5) on the rubric. It outpaces precons with explosive Kaalia turns and powerful haymakers but lacks the combo density, free interaction, and redundancy of true high-power decks. The T8-10 win clock through combat/commander damage and moderate resilience to common disruption align with 5.0-5.5 benchmarks.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5