Kaalia, of the Grave

Commander / EDH RBW (Mardu)

Urplep

Lands (34)

• 1x Blood Crypt
• 1x Bojuka Bog
• 1x Castle Locthwain
• 1x Command Tower
• 1x Emeria, Shattered Skyclave  ^Flip
• 1x Exotic Orchard
• 1x Fabled Passage
• 1x Flamekin Village
• 1x Godless Shrine
• 1x Hanweir Battlements  ^Meld
• 1x Haunted Ridge
• 1x Isolated Chapel
• 3x Mountain
• 1x Orzhov Basilica
• 2x Plains
• 1x Rugged Prairie
• 1x Sacred Foundry
• 1x Savai Triome
• 1x Slayers' Stronghold
• 1x Smoldering Marsh
• 1x Spectator Seating
• 1x Spinerock Knoll
• 3x Swamp
• 1x Temple of Malice
• 1x Temple of Silence
• 1x Temple of Triumph
• 1x Valakut Stoneforge  ^Flip
• 1x Vault of Champions
• 1x Vault of the Archangel

Recursion (5)

• 1x Reanimate
• 1x Animate Dead
• 1x Underworld Breach
• 1x Sword of Light and Shadow
• 1x Bruna, the Fading Light  ^Meld

Graveyard Manipulation (3)

• 1x Buried Alive
• 1x Incarnation Technique
• 1x Burning-Rune Demon

Draw / Tutor (14)

• 1x Esper Sentinel
• 1x Faithless Looting
• 1x Gamble
• 1x Steelshaper's Gift
• 1x Fighter Class
• 1x Wishclaw Talisman
• 1x Imperial Recruiter
• 1x Kaalia, Zenith Seeker
• 1x Morbid Opportunist
• 1x Varragoth, Bloodsky Sire
• 1x Dragon Mage
• 1x Lord of the Void
• 1x Rune-Scarred Demon
• 1x Vilis, Broker of Blood

Removal (8)

• 1x Path to Exile
• 1x Dismantling Wave
• 1x Wear / Tear
• 1x Hide / Seek
• 1x Mythos of Snapdax
• 1x Terror of the Peaks
• 1x Hellkite Tyrant
• 1x Angel of the Ruins

Haste (6)

• 1x Dragon Tempest
• 1x Legion's Initiative
• 1x Lightning Greaves
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Anger
• 1x Sneak Attack

Protection (5)

• 1x Flawless Maneuver
• 1x Angel of Suffering
• 1x Archangel Avacyn  ^Flip
• 1x Serra's Emissary
• 1x Avacyn, Angel of Hope

I'm here because I turn into a dope Eldrazi Angel (1)

• 1x Gisela, the Broken Blade  ^Meld

Commander (1)

Ramp (11)

• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Boros Signet
• 1x Dockside Extortionist
• 1x Dowsing Dagger  ^Flip
• 1x Orzhov Signet
• 1x Rakdos Signet
• 1x Talisman of Conviction
• 1x Talisman of Hierarchy
• 1x Archaeomancer's Map
• 1x Sword of Hearth and Home

Win-Cons / Combo Pieces (7)

• 1x Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1x Akroma's Will
• 1x Helm of the Host
• 1x Master of Cruelties
• 1x Aurelia, the Warleader
• 1x Hellkite Charger
• 1x Gisela, Blade of Goldnight

Wipes (5)

• 1x Damn
• 1x Toxic Deluge
• 1x Living Death
• 1x Balefire Dragon
• 1x Piru, the Volatile

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This is a recursion themed Kaalia of the Vast deck. See the the custom card categories and the information below to get a sense of why certain cards are in the deck and how to win with it.

Game Plan

Early Game

Your goal should be to get Kaalia out ASAP. If you don't get her out in the first 3-4 turns, it's not the end of the world. Post turn 5, don't cast her unless you can swing with her or have a way to protect her.

If you draw a tutor, look for haste, protection for Kaalia, or continuous draw.

Mid Game

This is an aggro deck, so try to identify the most threatening opponent and kill them ASAP. Then kill the next most threatening. Then the next.

This deck is a graveyard deck in the hopes that you are still able to regularly get your threats on the board over and over again, even if they are initially removed and Kaalia has been shut down by spot removal.

As a note, this deck (like any deck, really) works better if you understand what your opponents are trying to do. Have a conversation before the game starts about deck win cons and play styles. As an aggro deck, you suffer the most by having less information and, with Kaalia of the Vast as your commander, your game plan and win cons are pretty predictable. This conversation will help you understand where to use your precious removal and who needs to die first.

Begin looking out for combo pieces, and be careful about how much hate you are drawing if you are starting to run out of steam. We run a lot of draw to specifically avoid this, though.

Late Game

This should be the point where you have been shut down, or you are finishing putting out the final embers of your opponents' life totals. If you are getting late in the game, and the end is not in sight, try to wipe the board and re-build with Kaalia, or look for a combo, ASAP.

Win Conditions

Combat Damage

The main way to win with the deck is by hitting people in the face with difficult to remove creatures (or creatures who have provided their value just by entering the battlefield).

Combos

Despite this being a combat oriented deck, though, there are a few combos in the deck that we can utilize:

• Helm of the Host + Aurelia, the Warleader = Infinite combat
• Sword of Feast and Famine + Hellkite Charger + 7 mana from lands = Infinite combat
• Declare Kaalia of the Vast as attacking an opponent who can't block + Master of Cruelties in hand = The targeted opponent dies.
• Leonin Relic-Warder + Necromancy or Animate Dead + Altar of Dementia = Mill your opponents to death
• Akroma's Will can win the game with enough power on the board.

Other Fun Interactions

These won't win you the game, but they are fun interactions to consider.

• If you have Wishclaw Talisman and Kaalia of the Vast on the board, you can fetch Hellkite Tyrant with Wishclaw Talisman and then immediately steal it back.

Top Ranked	Achieved #45 position overall 3 years ago Achieved #32 position in Commander / EDH 3 years ago Achieved #1 position in Commander / EDH RBW (Mardu) 3 years ago
Date added	3 years
Last updated	2 years
Legality	This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	25 - 0 Mythic Rares 45 - 0 Rares 18 - 0 Uncommons 4 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	3.73
Tokens	Angel Warrior 4/4 W, Copy Clone, Plant 0/2 G, Treasure