Overview:

Kaalia of the Vast is a high-risk, high-reward commander deck focused on cheating massive Angels, Demons, and Dragons into play via combat triggers. The deck leverages efficient protection, tutors, and recursion to enable explosive turns while maintaining midrange resilience through value engines like Smothering Tithe and Phyrexian Arena. While lacking infinite combos, it threatens overwhelming board states with synergistic beaters like Gisela, Blade of Goldnight and Terror of the Peaks, supported by backup plans like Helm of the Host cloning and Hellkite Tyrant alt-wins.

Primer:

Core Strategy: Deploy Kaalia by turn 3–4 using mana rocks, then swing to cheat game-ending threats like Avacyn, Angel of Hope or Ancient Brass Dragon. Protect Kaalia with Lightning Greaves and Grand Abolisher while accumulating value through Burning-Rune Demon tutors and Ancient Copper Dragon treasures. Secondary wincons include Aurelia, the Warleader combat loops and Teferi's Protection-backed board wipes like Obliterate.

Key Lines:

1. T1-T3 Setup: Ramp with Sol Ring/Arcane Signet, cast Kaalia with protection (Mother of Runes, Deflecting Swat in hand).
2. T4+ Explosion: Attack with Kaalia to drop Archfiend of Despair or Terror of the Peaks, triggering Dragon Tempest damage.
3. Late-Game Dominance: Reanimate threats via Reya Dawnbringer or Phyrexian Reclamation, lock out opponents with Linvala, Keeper of Silence + Avacyn.

Mulligan Priorities:

• 3 lands (prioritize untapped duals)
• 1–2 ramp pieces (Sol Ring, signets)
• Kaalia protection (Swiftfoot Boots, Flawless Maneuver)
• At least 1 high-impact creature to cheat

Adaptive Play:

• Against control: Delay Kaalia until Grand Abolisher/Conqueror's Flail is active
• Vs. aggro: Prioritize Wrath of God/Damnation before committing big threats
• In stax metas: Use Farewell and Anguished Unmaking to clear lock pieces

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Relies on Kaalia surviving 3+ removal spells (no backup cheat engines)
• Limited recovery from repeated board wipes (only 4 recursion effects)

Moderate:

• Vulnerable to Drannith Magistrate/Containment Priest
• Weak to Blood Moon/Back to Basics (heavy nonbasic mana base)

Minor:

• Slow vs. turbo combo (relies on combat steps)
• Limited stack interaction (only 3 free spells)

Most Important Cards:

• Avacyn, Angel of Hope
• Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
• Smothering Tithe
• Demonic Tutor
• Vampiric Tutor
• Teferi's Protection
• Ancient Copper Dragon
• Aurelia, the Warleader
• Hellkite Tyrant
• Grand Abolisher

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10
Can deploy lethal boards by T5 with Kaalia unblocked (e.g., Terror of the Peaks + Balefire Dragon triggers), but requires combat steps and lacks T3 wins.

Resilience: 6/10
Multiple protection layers (hexproof, indestructible, recursion) but folds to 3+ Kaalia removals. Strong vs single-target removal, weak to mass exile.

Consistency: 7/10
10 tutors (including Rune-Scarred Demon/Burning-Rune Demon) and 5+ draw engines ensure threat density. Redundant big creatures compensate for variance.

Interaction: 6/10
Efficient spot removal (Swords, Anguished Unmaking) and 5 board wipes, but lacks free counterspells. Struggles vs instant-speed combos.

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between "Focused" (T7–8 wins) and "Optimized" (T6–7) tiers. It outpaces casual battlecruiser decks with explosive Kaalia turns but lacks cEDH-level speed/interaction. Comparable to rubric 6.0 ("Focused") but edges toward 6.5 due to tutor density and protection packages. Lacks T5 deterministic wins required for 7.0+.

Power level: 6.0 – 6.5