“A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.”
My very first commander deck. I originally bought the 2017 Arcane Wizardry commander deck, and decided to optimize the deck for Inalla. If you are looking to buy this deck you would need to spend about $300. It's a strong deck that holds up very well in the upper end of casual play. If you are looking to play Inalla more competitively I recommend Laboratory Maniac's $500 Inalla Reanimator deck. Inalla Reanimator
The Commander
Inalla ended up being overshadowed by Kess the Dissident Mage since they came in the same box. Kess would end up competing with commanders like Zur in tier 1, but Inalla herself is quite strong finding herself in tier 3 alongside commanders like Marchesa and Purphoros. EDH Commander Tier List She is the strongest option if you want to run a wizard tribal deck and effectively lets you get a second copy of any non legendary wizard creature for a mere 1 colorless mana. Note that if you copy a legendary wizard its enter the battlefield effect will still occur, but one of the copies (your choice) will leave due to the legends rule. You should prioritize wizards that have strong enter the battlefield effects since they will pull double duty, and wizards that can generate value by tapping untapped wizards since you will always have a couple extra wizard tokens hanging around.
Cool tricks with Inalla
Her coolest trick is eminence. Most games Inalla can sit perfectly safe in the command zone generating value.
Normally the tokens that Inalla creates expire at the end of your turn, but if you skip the end of your turn with Sundial of the Infinite the tokens don't leave and stick around permanently.
If Inalla is on the battlefield (not in the command zone) and you have Panharmonicon in play she can make 2 copies of every wizard entering the battlefield for two colorless mana.
By tapping 5 wizards Inalla can deal 7 damage to any opponent. It's not very common, but you can use it to finish off a low health opponent. Note that she can only use this ability from the battlefield.
If you don't have sundial of the infinite on the field or your opponent plays a board wipe sacrifice your wizards to Ashnod's Altar and generate enough mana for a big play.
Infinite Combos
Inalla + Wanderwine Prophets- infinite turns
Inalla + Bloodline Necromancer + Ashnod's Altar - infinite colorless mana
Conjurers Closet or Crystal Shard + Timestream Navigator - infinite turns
Playstyle
This deck ramps decently well and draws plenty of cards. You also have plenty of single target removal and enough board wipes to hold out until you draw one of your win conditions like Cyclonic Rift or Rite of Replication. You can also win by going infinite with Wanderwine prophets repeatedly hitting an opponent for 4 damage. Early game try to ramp and avoid drawing aggro from the table. Use Saheeli Rai and Trophy Mage to copy and search for the artifacts you need to be effective and your other tutors to search for answers like counterspell and rakdos charm.
If you have dualcaster mage in your hand or sigil tracer on the field pay attention to what spells your opponents are playing. Sometimes you can snag a very powerful card draw or lifegain effect for yourself.
Upgrades and substitutions
Exclusion Mage can be substituted for Aether Adept since they are functionally the same card.
If you can't afford or can't get Demonic tutor consider Dark Petition, Diabolic Tutor, Diabolic Intent, or Spell Seeker.
Snapcaster Mage is very powerful with Inalla since you get two copies of it and therefore can give 2 instants or sorceries in your graveyard flashback, but it's a $75 card. Mission Briefing is a much cheaper alternative that lets you cast one instant or sorcery from your graveyard.
Archaeomancer, Anarchist, and Izzet Chronarch can all be copied to allow you to take two instants or sorceries from your graveyard and add them to your hand.
Naban, Dean of iteration can't be copied since he is a legendary, but he can substitute for or act as a second Panharmonicon.
Supreme Inquisitor is an interesting option that let's you exile threats from your opponents deck directly. It can be a little tricky to get 5 untapped wizards on the field though even when copying supreme inquisitor. Due to the way his effect is worded he can tap himself and other wizards on the turn he is played. Laboratory Maniac, Isochron Scepter, and Ulamogg sadly won't be joining us today :)
If you are having trouble against Aggro and Token decks consider Polymorphist's Jest and Aetherize.
Special Thanks to Bababad for the suggestions.
