A Deal With the Devil EDH ⫸PRIMER⫷

Commander / EDH Changeling Demons Primer RBW (Mardu)

DemMeowsephs

Lands (32)

Other (7)

Demons (14)

Ramp (12)

Combat Assist (8)

Commander (1)

Changelings/Cheap (13)

Tutors (9)

Removal/Disruption (4)

Maybeboard

Other (10)

UNDERGOING MAJOR DECK & PRIMER REVISIONS! READ AT YOUR LEISURE

Introducing the Deck

Hello everyone... and welcome to... A Deal with the Devil! insert evil cackling noises.

This is one of my first ever EDH decks, and it has come a LONG way over the past year. There are many new components in the deck, a good many fun synergies, much better cards, and a whole lot more! I have been cutting down on the expensive cards I automatically slot into decks, to make them more realistic, and to make it more enjoyable for all of you! But before all of that, thank YOU for reading this! Everyone counts, and I do really appreciate it! If you like the deck, the style, or just feel like a good samaritan, feel free to upvote this deck, it means a lot, and is a super kind thing to do! If you'd like, I'll upvote your deck as well just let me know somewhere here or on my profile- though I usually automatically upvote yours in return anyway! On another note, before we begin, consider checking out some of my other decks afterward. This includes...

Double Trouble EDH ⫸PRIMER⫷: I have worked VERY VERY Long on that deck, and it is one that I personally own so feel free to check that out as well afterward, and support it too! It shows an interesting take on bant Voltron, using things you wouldn't typically expect! Find an easy NON-combo turn 4 wins in a 1v1, killing off a player every turn.
deck:I'm getting triGgeRred EDH: A very developed one of my decks, stalling your opponents while ramping to combo off- all in mono-red!
Strictly Saprolings Please EDH!: Ramp ramp ramp! Ramp all you can, use your commander as a token engine, and overpower the board with an army of saprolings!

Anyway though- enough talk! You came here for a reason and it certainly WAS NOT to hear me blabber. So without further ado, I welcome thy presence and soul to... A Deal with the Devil EDH!

So before we get into the specifics, how does this deck work? What's its goal? Well, as the name suggests, it wins by making a deal with the devil! You may see Kaalia and automatically assume its angel/dragon/demon stuff but blah blah blah, this deck employs quite a different strategy using Kaalia simply as a means to an end. Specifically- winning with Liliana's Contract. The main goal is to get a lot of demons out using our queen, Kaalia of the Vast, (and fake demons too but more on that later), protect them, and win on upkeep! Yup- simple as that. Except it's not. This deck is much more complex than meets the eye, believe it or not. There are many fun, flavorful, synergies this deck enjoys and employs, so let's get into those juicy specifics! You may just find some hidden synergies you'd like to use in your very own decks.

The Hell-born Creatures

MWHAHAHAHA the evilest part of the deck! Demons! There are thirteen of them in total, (it's scary that the scary part of the deck has a scary number...) and they have some scary power levels! Archfiend of Depravity, Overseer of the Damned, Reaper from the Abyss, Demon of Loathing, and Demon of Wailing Agonies, all destroy your opponents stuff, helping you clear up the board and delay your opponent's gameplan which is very very needed in this deck. Let's take a look at them individually. Archfiend of Depravity can seriously clear out the board so much, getting rid of dorks, tokens, important creatures, and virtually anything else. The great part is, it triggers every single one of their turns, making it very hard to recover once he's out, sort of like a reoccurring board wipe. Overseer of the Damned isn't as good as the previous demon, but it is still a great addition, letting you chose the most important and dangerous target on the battlefield, as with archfiend of depravity your opponent gets to chose which two they keep. Thus, if you really want to get rid of one target, overseer might be a better way to go. Reaper from the Abyss is much more conditional than the overseer, however, like the first demon it can happen quite a few times, and again, WE get to chose that target not our opponents. With sacrificing aristocrats themed decks running around lately, this guy is amazing, especially since creatures are usually dying either way. Demon of Loathing is sort of a combination of a bunch of the previous ones, destroying things during combat damage. This one is pretty swell as Kaalia brings it out already attacking, allowing us to get that trigger right away, even though our opponents choose which creatures to get rid of. Demon of Wailing Agonies is pretty much the same so I won't go over him very much! That said, while there aren't too many of your average removal spells in the deck, we have a bunch of hidden demonic gems that can carry out that same purpose, at an even better level! Doom Whisperer, Razaketh, the Foulblooded, Rune-Scarred Demon, and Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire also can help you find the contract ON TOP of them being demons themselves, which is extremely helpful in almost all situations! Doom Whisperer isn't exactly a direct tutor, but any ability that lets you do it as many times as you want at the expense of only life is pretty powerful, especially since winning at 1 does indeed count the same as winning at 40. Razaketh, the Foulblooded is a bit chancier, as you don't always have a creature to sac, but it is still an option and in magic, options are very important. If we have no other tutors, Razaketh can certainly work, though he should never be your first choice. Rune-Scarred Demon and Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire are BY FAR the best of these four, giving you a direct tutor to hand on ETB for rune, as well as counting as a demon for the contract! Varragoth is even better, costing virtually no mana and essentially giving us a Demonic Tutor! Seriously, for a demon, he costs like NO mana. While they may be the best, they are all extremely helpful and are wonderful creatures to have in the deck. Now, what about the other demons? Well, they are in the deck because they just have VERY powerful effects. Take a look at Lord of the Void! This guy can come out turn FOUR with Kaalia, allowing you to play a crazy amount of creatures from your opponent's library, not only screwing up their gameplan, possibly taking out combo pieces, but also taking them for yourself! Now that is a great ability, especially so early on in the game! Master of Cruelties is also a godly card, giving you an INSTANT WIN. Attack with Kaalia, put this bugger out, and their life total becomes one, and then Kaalia deals damage killing them. Two words. You're. Dead. Crazy right? There's also Sower of Discord, and Ob Nixilis, Unshackled which aren't as powerful, but still pretty fun demons! Discord can help encourage a player to attack one of the other players, since it will damage two people not one, discouraging damage coming towards me. Ob Nixilis, Unshackled is also seriously great since almost everyone uses tutors especially high power decks, taxing the players that do so and giving us a huge edge up against aristocrats decks. That said, we are done with the demons for the deck?!

The Changelings

But if that is all the demons of the deck, you may be asking yourself, how does this idiot think he can win with the contract if he only has 13 demons in his whole library?!?!?! Well, my friend, there are actually more! Changelings! Changelings are considered demons too, except they cost WAYYYYYYY less in mana! This allows you to put them out even before Kaalia, and counts toward the contract, so you don't have to just wait to attack with Kaalia every single time which can be pretty annoying! Changeling Outcast and Universal Automaton are both very cheap in mana and very helpful, allowing you to put them out at pretty much any turn!! Metallic Mimic and Adaptive Automaton can also make all the demons bigger while counting as a demon themselves for only and , which is always welcome, I mean who doesn't love extra power! Taurean Mauler can get pretty huge in multiplayer games as well, so it's very important to keep that in mind! He also represents red in the deck whereas white and even more so black tend to steal all the thunder. Irregular Cohort is one of the best, as it will create TWO changelings, itself and the token, which is literally half of what the entire contract requires. Now that's value if you ask me! The others are just the typical changelings, but feel free to check them out up on the decklist, marked under "Changelings/Cheap"! To quickly go over those, we have card:Venemous Changeling and Moonglove Changeling, which discourage people attacking us due to their deathtouch capabilities, Fire-Belly Changeling and Ghostly Changeling which have buffing abilities though those will doubtfully ever be used, and of course the rest: Avian Changeling (yipee a flier), Impostor of the Sixth Pride, Mirror Entity, and lats but not least Skeletal Changeling. The "Cheap" part of the name for this category is used to apply to demons that are cheap in mana, but since they were all taken out besides Baleful Ammit, feel free to ignore it. The question is now- how do you get the contract? What cards help make this game so much faster and make this deck so great? Well! Read on to find out!

Tutors!

The answer is... Tutors! (Duh). There are 12 nondemon tutors in the deck to help you get the contract nice and fast. There isn't too much to talk about here, they are pretty simple as tutors go, so feel free to go check them out under the category marked "Tutors." Nonetheless, let's take a look at each and every one!

I have avoided Imperial Seal as I'd like to keep this deck not TOO expensive, but I do still manage to have some very good tutors! In total, there is Enlightened Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, Cruel Tutor, Gamble, Doomsday, Grim Tutor, Idyllic Tutor, Brainspoil, Tainted Pact, and Beseech the Queen. Enlightened Tutor, Vampiric Tutor, and Demonic Tutor are obviously some of the best, coming at super cheap mana costs with no large drawback. They are great no matter what turn you are on and can be played super early which is a great option to have. Grim Tutor and Idyllic Tutor are also pretty good even though they do cost more, though 3 mana for a tutor to hand isn't that bad. Cruel Tutor is stretching it a bit, as it only tutors to the top, but there aren't too many tutors for enchantments in magic in general, and so we have to make do with what we have. Gamble is also an amazing card, and while you do take the risk that comes with it, it is super cheap in mana and an excellent last resort, as you'll typically find the odds are in your favor (especially if you accidentally happen to get a glance at the cards. Doomsday is SUPER risky, but it can also help your future turns out too, and you'll find that you probably won't live to go through five turns of cards anyway even without doomsday, assuming there are no extra card draw effects. Brainspoil is similar to Grim Tutor in cost (etc.), and in functions quite well too, and while you will almost never use its first ability it is always an option, and in magic, options can be very powerful. Tainted Pact is also great, and it is technically a GUARANTEED tutor, just like a demonic tutor. While we do have to remove other cards from the game, it still is a great card for two mana, and it lies in power between demonic tutor and doomsday. Due to tainted pact I have different types of basics in my deck: snow-covered basics and regular basics. This allows me to use more than one basic while still getting what I want to be guaranteed from the pact. Last but not least we have card:Beesech the Queen, which is probably the worst tutor in the deck that still manages to be ok. We have to cast this very late in the game if we want to use it, however, it is still always an option and as mentioned before, options are key.

Lands

Alas, on to the ramp, lands, and of course disruption; some of the key parts of this deck! Let's tackle the mana base first, specifically, the lands. I have the three shock lands, Sacred Foundry, Blood Crypt, and Godless Shrine, the three pain lands, Battlefield Forge, Sulfurous Springs, and Caves of Koilos, as well as the two better horizon lands, Sunbaked Canyon and Silent Clearing. (If the rakdos horizon land is ever printed, you can count on it coming into the deck). I also have the three dual fetch lands, Arid Mesa, Bloodstained Mire, and Marsh Flats, along with Prismatic Vista despite not being a dual fetch, and the three fast lands, Inspiring Vantage, Blackcleave Cliffs, and Concealed Courtyard, along with the relatively new "battlebond" lands: Spectator Seating, card:Luxury Palace, and Vault of Champions. Last but not least, the three filter lands, Rugged Prairie, Graven Cairns, and Fetid Heath. The thing is, it is quite hard to make a three-deck function only with duals, and so besides all of those, I have the resilient Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, Ancient Tomb, Command Tower, Strip Mine (the deck needs as much removal as it can get), Reflecting Pool, Mana Confluence, City of Brass and as mentioned before Prismatic Vista. With the addition of the few basics, I consider the land base very strong. But what about the ramp?

Ramp Cards

Sadly this deck does not have my favorite two colors (aren't they everyone's nowadays), and so ramping is not too easy of a thing to do- but it is do-able and so here we are. Ramp is very very important as we need to get both Kaalia and the contract out FAST, otherwise, other boards will be too developed and people will be prepared to deal with any threats from this side. As a result, none of the ramp spells here are built for a long extended game- instead, there are many that function best to get Kaalia out fast so our gameplan can get going. There are ten ramp spells in this deck, under the ramp category, and yet we will also go over some ramp spells I am deeply considering. I have two of the signets, Rakdos Signet, and Orzhov Signet, and of course the newish Arcane Signet, (excluding Boros Signet due to the lack of red/white in the deck) since getting out Kaalia and the contract fast are obviously the most necessary parts of the deck. There is also Dark Ritual which is probably one of the best ramp cards there, giving us a huge edge up for some time despite only being temporary, and is most useful in playing the contract for much less. Mind Stone is a great mana-rock and can help us find that last tutor or demon we need earlier, even if the chance of that happening is not high, since the deck is generally low on card draw. Something I love to do, is play something that tutors to the top of my library, i.e Vampiric Tutor, then activate mind stone and draw the cards we need. Sol Ring is obviously self-explanatory, so I won't talk about that! Lotus Petal, Mox Amber, and Simian Spirit Guide are all vastly helpful and similar in putting Kaalia out fast and letting us control the board from earlier on, as they can each put us a turn ahead in getting her out! Jet Medallion is in to help us cast most of the cards in the deck as well as possibly reducing Kaalia's cost if it is played soon enough, and is probably the ONE and only long-termiish ramp card here, though on the contrary it can be played early on as well. The deck is not as strong in red or white so you will not see a Ruby Medallion or a Pearl Medallion here though, as they would just take up space in the deck that could be better used elsewhere. As for cards that will hopefully find their way in the deck some day, I'd love to include Treasonous Ogre as life can certainly be spent in this deck due to the contract letting us win outright, as well as Seething Song/Geosurge, however these I am less sure about since the deck isn't too heavy in red, though on the contrary, the mana could go to a colorless source. Last but not least, card:Dockside Exortionist is amazing in 3+ player games and would be a lovely addition to the deck if I can find cuts! Heck, maybe even a Jeweled Lotus too, even though it's utterly dreadful.

Disruption

Removal is one of the most important and communal parts of magic decks, and while it is a very important category, we need to spare every card we can for more tutors, ramp, and changelings, and as a result the removal category has been sadly quite scarce. Nonetheless, I have Path to Exile, Anguished Unmaking, Teferi's Protection, and of course Deadly Rollick! Path is a wonderful removal spell, and while a land can be quite influential in a game, one simple white mana for its effect is simply broken! In addition to that, it is not often in this deck that you will find lots of mana open to cast things with, and so the less mana the removal costs, the more powerful it is for us, even if the effect is less powerful. Anguished unmaking is here due to its wide removal capabilities, whether it's getting rid of a land, combo piece, or anything really! Teferi's protection is WONDERFUL and SUPER important in the deck since if people know what's coming they want to get rid of everything you own and will own, and thus Teferis protection CAN EASILYYYY decide the fate of many games, protecting Kaalia, the demons/changelings, and possibly even the contract itself. Rollick is also a great addition, and similar to path is wonderful because we can easily use its ability and not waste any mana in doing so. It also EXILES the creature, possibly disrupting an entire gameplan if it revolves around combo pieces! To top it off however, as previously mentioned, Strip Mine is here too!

Other useful cards

But there are also all the other cards that don't really have a category! There are many of these that are EXTREMELY helpful in this deck, so let's go over some of those! Giver of Runes, Reconnaissance, Lightning Greaves, and Spirit Mantle all help protect Kaalia, since she needs to attack for the trigger and we can't afford her dying. Spirit mantle pretty much makes her unblockable, while also protecting her from any sneaky abilities creatures across the board may have. The best part is its first text though, as it allows us to attack freely and get the necessary trigger to put out a bunch of demons. Recon can give the trigger AND still protect her, as we can attack, get the trigger, then remove her from combat, leaving us with an extra blocker and no worse for wear. Plus, recon costs a mere single white mana, making it also very easily played. Lightning greaves can let her attack sooner and protect her, and is a must-have in many attack-based decks, as it can be easily played and equipped while offering two important abilities, especially in our deck! It also costs the same as what an Ancient Tomb or Sol Ring gives, which can help us play it even more easily. Giver of runes is to some degree everything I just mentioned-! By giving her protection, we can allow her to be unblockable towards the chosen color, helping us get damage in. It also can be activated in response to some sort of attack on Kaalia, meaning it gives her quite a reliable source of protection as well, as long as you're careful not to be baited out with a spell in one color, then targeted by one of a different color. The giver can also be activated in response to someone targeting it, meaning in its final moments it can still manage to protect our queen! And alas, speaking of attacking, there are extra combat steps! Extra combat steps can allow multiple Kaalia triggers in a single turn, letting us put out not one, but TWO demons usually, which is sometimes enough to win already, and if it isn't it puts us way ahead for the contract trigger! Aurelia, the Warleader and Seize the Day are (at the moment) what we have for extra combat steps. Why aurelia? Well, though this is a Demons deck, we can't ignore the fact that Kaalia also lets us put out dragons and angels! And so, not only can we play Aurelia fairly quickly but we can use her ability to DEEPLY influence the game on our board. Seize the day is great for its flashback ability and relatively cheap cost, letting us activate it twice over the course of the game, which is much more than it is worth. And then again, speaking of extras we also have two cards that function quite similarly! Last Chance and Final Fortune. An extra turn can get us another Kaalia trigger, or, if you have the contract out, they can give you the extra turn upkeep you need to win, rather than waiting a whole turn cycle! This is especially great, since after you put the contract out, it is targeted by almost every player, while in the situations we had these spells those players wouldn't even have a chance to react! How useful! Now all of that aside, there are also helpful cards that you just want to include in every deck! Necropotence, Phyrexian Arena, and Cathartic Reunion all help you draw, which can get you the contract faster, find you a tutor, or maybe give you an extra powerful demon! Who knows! They were must includes and are very good, so here they are! There is also Vedalken Orrery, though it has a more specific purpose. If you have the orrery out and are going to play the contract, you can play the contract at the end of your opponents turn so they can't respond to it as easily, and then on your upkeep win right away if you have enough demons which is always a very fun surprise win!

Sealing the Contract

In the end, this deck works pretty well, giving a win that by the time your opponent sees it coming, it will be too late. And if anything happens to Liliana's contract, simply control the board with Demons! If you like the deck upvote it (I'd appreciate it!) and leave a comment if you have any suggestions. I'd really appreciate any support! Also, make sure to check out any of my other decks, I put a lot of work into them! My primer, Double Trouble EDH ⫸PRIMER⫷ has recently been decked out with a HUGE description, and CSS, so be sure to check that out- I'd appreciate it! I also have my entire magic inventory minus the commons and uncommons up on deckstats so feel free to check that out too! If anyone needs any help with their deck also feel free to comment here or on my wall, I'd love to help! Thanks, congrats for reading this far, and have a nice day! Happy tapping!

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Revision 14 See all

(3 years ago)

+1	Archfiend of Despair	main
-1	Dockside Extortionist	maybe
-1	Imperial Seal	maybe
-1	Jeska's Will	maybe
-1	Thrill of Possibility	maybe

Top Ranked	Achieved #4 position overall 5 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Combo 5 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Demons 4 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH Lands 5 years ago
Date added	5 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	14 - 0 Mythic Rares 54 - 0 Rares 11 - 0 Uncommons 16 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.18
Tokens	Shapeshifter 2/2 C, Treasure, Zombie 2/2 B
Folders	Red white green, My Primers, or To-Be Primers, Interesting Decks, Playtest Decks, i like dat, Fun Commander Decks to Try, MTG EDH, Starka, Favorite Builds, Interesting/Fun Decks
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