Is Kaalia strong enough to compete against the 1vs1 top tiers generals like Zur, Edric or Rafiq ??
Well...you've come to the utmost "end-all, be-all" Primer on this commander, so of course I am of the opinion that it can. If Zur is a problem, you have Chaos Warp, Oblation to send him packing, and in addition you still have the immensely useful discard suite as well. I really don't view rafiq as anything special, every Rafiq I have seen is just generic "good stuff", so I couldn't care less about them(they aren't tuned as heavily tuned as this deck is). Edric(I assume you're referring to duel commander) is banned as a commander in the format you are most likely referring to.
I know my mana base is shaky and some cards are definitely obsolete. I'm willing to put in the money (within reason, less than $100 total would be nice haha) to make this list as close to optimal as possible. In my meta, I see Rafiq, Doran, Asuza, Nicol Bolas, Sigarda, and a handful of other guys but mostly the ones I named. Whatcha guys think?
Hey man, sorry I missed you earlier. Been a bit hectic with our commander series championship and then starting season 2.01 right after on Magic Online.
the first thing I notice is 34 lands is not enough. In addition, you don't have enough mana rocks to appropriately accelerate. Also, high-end rocks like Gilded are ineffective here, as once we hit four mana to get an active Kaalia we don't really care about ramping any harder. The MIR diamonds are a must here, and I am also a fan of Jeweled Amulet. Talisman of Indulgence is incredibly solid as well, and Coldsteel Heart is decent. What do all these rocks have in common, you ask? They all cost two mana(or less for Amulet) which is important because two drop rock = t3 Kaalia. 3 drop rocks = t4 Kaalia which, for all intents and purposes, does not accelerate us into Kaalia at all, so leave your Darksteel Ingots at home!
The extra combat spells don't translate as nicely as one would think here because, nine times out of ten, the follower she brings will still have summoning sickness so it won't be able to partake in the extra combat anyway.
I am not really a fan of your tutour suite(they are expensive, slow, and clunky), but I suppose that can't be helped as Demonic, Enlightened, and Vampiric will run you about ~$60 or so(total out the door).
I'm not a fan of a lot of these, as I tend to prefer Hallowed Burial(mass tuck and an answer to permanents regardless of protection type), Cataclysm, and Balancing Act(the latter two for their sheer destructive power) for my mass removal suite. Austere tends to be an over-costed DoJ(we runs lots of artifacts so we rarely want to sweep those) and Decree is expensive here(the game should be over with this deck before we can even think about casting it). Mortify should be a Vindicate, however I can totally understand not having one. How have Unmake and Wing Shards been treating you? They seem quite clunky to use effectively. Yes, I mentioned *** up there as well because, well, quite frankly I only run three sweepers myself, and I find myself to be just fine as I also run a plethora of spot removal to compliment that.
These are un-needed. The ultimate goal here is to get active Kaalia ready to swing, and these do nothing to help that goal...they are only good when she is active, at which point there are very much win-more cards. That said, the second set of boots(Swiftfoot) is likely not as needed if you're playing 1v1, but can still be handy to have around, and SoLaS, while it can fall under the category of the named equips above, it can also be used as a lock instrument with Yosei, the Morning Star and a sacoutlet so it has more utility and is a more acceptable inclusion to this end.
These aren't really needed, at all. Eternal Dragon is slow(how often are you regrowing him, anyway? Why is your playgroup allowing you to sit back and durdle paying 2 + 3WW every turn to find a land? if you desire this effect, Tithe is quite superior I am sure as it can also find dual lands(usually two when used properly in conjunction with a fetchland). Hellkite Charger is also kind of weak sauce as it not only has what I have dubbed as "Flameblast Syndrome" but it's ability is expensive to activate. Anger will probably not prove as effective as you would like, Godo is not really needed considering the core of this deck only cares about 2-3 equipments(I cut Stoneforge Mystic long ago for this reason and I haven't looked back) And Solemn is directly competing with Kaalia in terms of when it wants to be dropped. It doesn't do much good after she comes down, and if we could play him, we would almost always rather play Kaalia. Mindcensor is alright, I suppose, though I suspect Stranglehold to be a straight-up replacement for it as it is just better.
As for suitable replacements, I like Thundermaw Hellkite a lot more than Bogardan, and I have found Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis to be fantastic and soft-locking my opponent's creatures. Also, Mother of Runes should definitely be in here as it is yet another fantastic way to protect our Kaalia from certain harm. Speaking of protection, I would mention the discard suite here too, but IIRC you said this is multiplayer, so single-targeted discard is a no-go here.
You have a lot of slow lands, Terramorphic, Evolving, the cycling lands, and Temple, Reliquary are colourless and have dubious value. Also, bouncelands really? No. Bad. No. *smacks you with rolled up newspaper*(sorry, I love my Family Guy :D) Likewise we don't really do anything with Urborg aside from...well, nothing. No reason to give the opponents free colour fixing if we aren't really using it to it's maximum effectiveness. How often do you find yourself using Slayer's? The haste doesn't really matter here as it would make our critters cost an additional 1RW, which is just unacceptable when our guys are already a lot of mana on their own. Also, you might consider diversifying your basics which, while it may not seem like it does much, it allows you to dodge effects that care about certain land names(Invader Parasite, Wake of Destruction) and also piggy back a marginal benefit off of someone else's Extraplanar Lens, regardless of if they go snow or non-snow. While the benefit may not seem like much, it's still a [non-zero] amount of benefit and it takes very little effort for us to utilize. You could even play Tainted Pact with this setup as it will at least guarantee you hit exactly what you need to finish a game off.
Once again, sorry for my delay in getting back to you(I actually started this in the morning, but I had some errands to run and all) but I hope this is helpful to your deck!
And of course, if you're looking for a deck geared towards multiplayer, you can go to my primer (link via signature).
Shameless self-promotion haha.
So, a little while back I was listening to these two songs by Iron Attack like all day, the songs being Killing the God of Wind, and Sky Overture, respectively.
Now, you know those boss fights in games where the jerk has like 6 different forms, and the battle theme is just this epic, driving piece of adrenaline? And the boss fight is like this frantic yet insanely fun technical challenge of your skills?
Yeah, that day I was imagining a Kaalia deck being that kind of a boss fight. It was epic.
...
Or, alternatively, you know those YuGiOh games they would always release for the Gameboys and such? Those two pieces of music would still be really fitting for a 10min loop of a Kaalia deck's theme. Right?!
...
If I'm just spoutin' off crazy, feel free to say so. lol
I won't deny it. I need some activity on my thread, and it helps to distinguish and separate discussion on two decks with different needs.
My deck, for example, is built to be an aggressive mid-game type of deck since my experience has usually been either "kill one person, then run out of gas" or "start hitting one person then get hated out because of I have a scary board presence".
Not only that, but I tend to play Kaalia a little more conservatively in my usual playgroup because of the removal/counter spells that lurk around the meta, so I can't always have the fast starts that I usually want. Stuff like Sunforger and Sword of Fire and Ice tend to be my decks bread and butter for grabbing card advantage (the hammer in particular).
I won't deny it. I need some activity on my thread, and it helps to distinguish and separate discussion on two decks with different needs.
My deck, for example, is built to be an aggressive mid-game type of deck since my experience has usually been either "kill one person, then run out of gas" or "start hitting one person then get hated out because of I have a scary board presence".
Not only that, but I tend to play Kaalia a little more conservatively in my usual playgroup because of the removal/counter spells that lurk around the meta, so I can't always have the fast starts that I usually want. Stuff like Sunforger and Sword of Fire and Ice tend to be my decks bread and butter for grabbing card advantage (the hammer in particular).
I was sold as soon as I saw the Disney-esque Kaalia pic. WOW.
I was sold as soon as I saw the Disney-esque Kaalia pic. WOW.
Ya, PolishTamales does great work. He did a rough sketch of Kaalia that I used to have up instead of her with Lord of the Pit. Of course, under fair-use there's nothing stopping you from posting the pic wherever you please so long as you give the artist proper credit.
Ya, PolishTamales does great work. He did a rough sketch of Kaalia that I used to have up instead of her with Lord of the Pit. Of course, under fair-use there's nothing stopping you from posting the pic wherever you please so long as you give the artist proper credit.
I checked out the entirety of Tamales' tumblr, and it's a she, actually. But yeah, epic artwork
Ok, completely random question, but would you guys put a Kaalia deck in white sleeves or red? What do you feel on that?
I checked out the entirety of Tamales' tumblr, and it's a she, actually. But yeah, epic artwork
Ok, completely random question, but would you guys put a Kaalia deck in white sleeves or red? What do you feel on that?
Actually, it IS a guy, believe it or not. The 'she' is just his artist avatar, so to speak. He's joined us on Commandercast a couple of times and even donated a prints of the Kaalia and Drana mats for our Gifts Given 2012. His name's Rick, and he's on MTGSalvation too. He's a good friend of our editor/producer Andy aka Ghooost, so trust me when I say he's a guy.
As for sleeves, I use the red dragonshields. Black would be my second choice. White just seems tacky in most situations, personally.
Actually, it IS a guy, believe it or not. The 'she' is just his artist avatar, so to speak. He's joined us on Commandercast a couple of times and even donated a prints of the Kaalia and Drana mats for our Gifts Given 2012. His name's Rick, and he's on MTGSalvation too. He's a good friend of our editor/producer Andy aka Ghooost, so trust me when I say he's a guy.
As for sleeves, I use the red dragonshields. Black would be my second choice. White just seems tacky in most situations, personally.
...Huh. My bad. /shrug.
How much do dragonshields go for, and how many come in a package?
Jealous. At my old LGS back in Phoenix, Dragon Shields would run me $12.99. And I was happy at that price because they didn't always have them in stock.
Ok, completely random question, but would you guys put a Kaalia deck in white sleeves or red? What do you feel on that?
Well, mine are in G dragon shields, because they match the tribal mikaeus zombies and my tempo sygg deck. I like to use the same colour sleeves for all my decks as it's a bit easier on me when I need replacement sleeves.
Wow that is...very similar to my own deck. I am honoured haha. A few notes I noticed on cards I did play a one point or cards I don't play;
Sword of Fire and Ice- How has this treated you? I know it's a fine choice, though being able to equip it is usually win-more, at least in my experience? Stoneforge Mystic- How useful is she with only a handful of targets? Utvara Hellkite- I'm curious to know your experiences with him. I want him to be good but I am concerned about his whole "Flameblast Syndrome". Path to Exile- I can understand why one would play this card. Stensia Bloodhall- How has this been treating you? It feels...clunky and bad to hold up this much mana commitment just for a shock. I would imagine Vesuva, Ancient Tomb, and Phyrexian Tower to all be better than this.
No Cataclysm/Balancing Act? Insanely powerful "hit everything" sweepers are pretty backbreaking.
If I were to look to any other planeswalker, I would look to Elspeth, Knight-Errant before any of those. Chamdra is bad, Sorin is...not for this deck lol. Elspeth I have been back and forth on, but ultimately I don't really care for in this particular deck(making big creatures bigger seems the epitome of "win-more" lol).
Just some food for thought for you to think about.
If I were to look to any other planeswalker, I would look to Elspeth, Knight-Errant before any of those. Chamdra is bad, Sorin is...not for this deck lol. Elspeth I have been back and forth on, but ultimately I don't really care for in this particular deck(making big creatures bigger seems the epitome of "win-more" lol).
Well, Elspeth could make Kaalia bigger, ya know. And with Shinka, you're paying R for a 5/5 flying first striker, and that's just Kaalia.
You could also think of it as Elspeth being a pseudo, white Lightning Bolt if you connect. If you do run Swords etc, then you just as easily Sword up a Soldier she makes.
Jealous. At my old LGS back in Phoenix, Dragon Shields would run me $12.99. And I was happy at that price because they didn't always have them in stock.
i got them a my local shop for 10$, all colors available.
Well, mine are in G dragon shields, because they match the tribal mikaeus zombies and my tempo sygg deck. I like to use the same colour sleeves for all my decks as it's a bit easier on me when I need replacement sleeves.
I do the same thing. I got blue and black sleeves. It's easier when you swap cards between decks and when you broke some sleeves.
Utvara Hellkite- I'm curious to know your experiences with him. I want him to be good but I am concerned about his whole "Flameblast Syndrome".
I'm testing it, after all, big dragons are playfull. So far, so good for this red critter. The dragon token is nothing to joke about. In two turn, they does 18 damage, those are numbers to consider.
Stensia Bloodhall- How has this been treating you? It feels...clunky and bad to hold up this much mana commitment just for a shock.
I've included one when it first came out. PLay a couple games with it and always wanted it would be anything else. Basic lands are better than this. By the time you are using 6 mana to do 2 damage, you should be casting huge monsters or already winning with Kaalia.
Red Dragonshields here, too, since I bought the precon. ($10 at my LGS, too.) Price is right, and I'm just fond of the sleeves in general. And the general in sleeves. :3
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Currently Playing: Standard: WBG Abzan Midrange Modern: UWR Kiki-Jiki Control EDH: WBR Kaalia of the Vast
Wow that is...very similar to my own deck. I am honoured haha. A few notes I noticed on cards I did play a one point or cards I don't play;
Well yours was the primer I read and based it off of. I have this (bad if you ask my wife) habit of collecting, and when the commander pre-built decks all had collector numbers I groaned, sleeved them up, and started from scratch.
I haven't played much with this typed up version yet but I'll answer a few.
Sword of Fire and Ice- How has this treated you? I know it's a fine choice, though being able to equip it is usually win-more, at least in my experience?
I can see that, and this will be my first cut if it gets that way. I had Batterskull in it's slot before.
Stoneforge Mystic- How useful is she with only a handful of targets?
Isn't the idea to find boot for Kaalia? If not maybe I'm doing it wrong.
Utvara Hellkite- I'm curious to know your experiences with him. I want him to be good but I am concerned about his whole "Flameblast Syndrome".
This is why I went with more Dragons than Demons because of his ability. Haven't thrown down with him...yet.
I may swap for Vesuva so I can get some action on Flagstones, however I think that by the time that happened I would already have WW from other sources.
No Cataclysm/Balancing Act? Insanely powerful "hit everything" sweepers are pretty backbreaking.
If I were to look to any other planeswalker, I would look to Elspeth, Knight-Errant before any of those. Chamdra is bad, Sorin is...not for this deck lol. Elspeth I have been back and forth on, but ultimately I don't really care for in this particular deck(making big creatures bigger seems the epitome of "win-more" lol).
Just some food for thought for you to think about.
I'll have to look at those others you mentioned.
One thing I feel with the deck is it doesn't draw enough, or have ways to find cards you need more often (outside of the tutors). I guess I'm used to standard when I play U.
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currently playing:
Standard UW Control UWB Control UB Control MODERN BRGJund X Affinity UWR Control
In my experience, I find the deck tutors and draws -just enough-. Can always seem to find Top, Enlightened, Vampiric, Demonic, Rune-Scarred, Stoneforge (I still play it. *deal-with-it glasses*), Wayfarer, Arena, Bloodgift, Scrying...even Oblation. One pops up at least once a game. With the inherent power and utility the deck has, I wind up knowing exactly what I need to put the game away, and it's never usually more than 2 cards. If I need to tutor more than twice, it's either a hand I should have thrown back, or poor draws.
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Currently Playing: Standard: WBG Abzan Midrange Modern: UWR Kiki-Jiki Control EDH: WBR Kaalia of the Vast
I run both Necropotence and Promise of Power in my deck (as well as an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth to fix for them) as my big draw effects, and they've been working pretty well. Even Sword of Fire and Ice is good for getting that extra draw I need since my deck is for multiplayer and needs to keep drawing cards.
Used to run Griselbrand, but then, well, you know...
Elspeth is actually a card I've been considering for a little bit now. I do like the ability to make Kaalia bigger, but I'm equipping her with the greaves more often than not (the primary reason I cut Aegis Angel from my list). The soldier token is nice though since it gives me someone who can swing the Sunforger around, and it's pretty much game if I can get her ultimate off.
But then, I've also been considering Liliana of the Dark Realms to help hit my land drops late game. Since I'm running Urborg, that also gives her the chance to pump Kaalia big or remove something just as huge.
But Sorin Markov would have to be near the top of my list since it helps the aggro deck SO much to just drop someone to 10 life, hit them with Kaalia, and flash in something with 8+ power to finish them off.
Just a couple of things on my mind regard walkers...decisions, decisions...
So my LGS wants to have a Competetive EDH tournament in which the 1st place prize is the new Commander’s Arsenal box set thing. The plan is to (hopefully) have 16 (or more) players go into 4-man pods and duke it out. The winners from those pods will face off in a final match to determine a winner.
There’s just one problem.
In trying to keep the shenanigans out of the tournament and to encourage “fair play”, the store owner and the judge want to create a “special” banned list just for this tournament. In addition to the “proper” banned list, the “special” banned list will include all the “extra turn” cards, any infinite combos (I find a lot of grey area in this. :/), Mr. Karn the Planeswalker, and an assortment of easily abused spells and creatures. Can you guess what’s on that list that’s relevant to this thread?
My heart sank when I saw that one. And then I got mad when I tried to fight for her honor. Fortunately the creators of the banned list won’t be playing in this tournament; otherwise I’d call bullcrap on the whole shindig. I understand that they’re trying to create a shenanigan-free environment, a “gentleman’s game” if you will, to make this a lot more fun for everybody (especially since it’s a $20 entry fee), but I feel like they’re just banning cards that they personally don’t like. I guess this is just what happens when you try to turn a casual format into a competitive one. But I digress…
Anyway, I want to play in this thing. I really want a foiled Kaalia. Plus I think that Chaos Warp is in this Arsenal and I could always use more of those. Granted, I haven’t played a gamed of Commander since before RTR came out (I blame the three evils: Standard, work, and school), but if I’m going to win this, I want to do it waving the banner for my favorite winged redhead (And I don’t mean Gisela, but I totally would for her too.). As Rakdos is my witness, Kaalia will reign supreme!
I need everyone’s help with this, however. As you guys know, I’ve stated time and time again that 3drinks has presented us with a true template for a THE 1v1 Kaalia deck. And that’s what I stick by normally. My list only differs from a few cards, due to lack of funds and availability. The key cards I’m lacking are the Alpha duals, Sinkhole, Vindicate, Godless Shrine, Sacred Foundry, and Boseiju. I have a Tithe, but I’m unsure of whether or not it has a home in this list since I’m lacking the Alpha Duals. Since this is going to be a multiplayer event, I have to go the Reanimator/Multiplayer route (again, very similar to 3drinks’ list). I need to know if my substitutions are good enough, especially since I will not be playing with Iona.
Anyway, without further ado, here’s what I’m packing:
The store owner, who is very cool, said that I may borrow the 2 shocklands I’m missing for the tournament, so I included them in this list. If I run them, should I run Tithe? Thoughts on Withered Wretch? Should I switch some creatures out? I have access to anything I need (except for the few cards I listed above).
Thoughts, critique, advice, and suggestions are always welcome.
And for the record, every single one of my decks is sleeved in KMC Pearl White sleeves. They are on par (if not better) than Dragonshields and are about half the price. I have never had a problem with them.
Well...you've come to the utmost "end-all, be-all" Primer on this commander, so of course I am of the opinion that it can. If Zur is a problem, you have Chaos Warp, Oblation to send him packing, and in addition you still have the immensely useful discard suite as well. I really don't view rafiq as anything special, every Rafiq I have seen is just generic "good stuff", so I couldn't care less about them(they aren't tuned as heavily tuned as this deck is). Edric(I assume you're referring to duel commander) is banned as a commander in the format you are most likely referring to.
Hey man, sorry I missed you earlier. Been a bit hectic with our commander series championship and then starting season 2.01 right after on Magic Online.
the first thing I notice is 34 lands is not enough. In addition, you don't have enough mana rocks to appropriately accelerate. Also, high-end rocks like Gilded are ineffective here, as once we hit four mana to get an active Kaalia we don't really care about ramping any harder. The MIR diamonds are a must here, and I am also a fan of Jeweled Amulet. Talisman of Indulgence is incredibly solid as well, and Coldsteel Heart is decent. What do all these rocks have in common, you ask? They all cost two mana(or less for Amulet) which is important because two drop rock = t3 Kaalia. 3 drop rocks = t4 Kaalia which, for all intents and purposes, does not accelerate us into Kaalia at all, so leave your Darksteel Ingots at home!
Liliana Vess should be Liliana of the Veil.
The extra combat spells don't translate as nicely as one would think here because, nine times out of ten, the follower she brings will still have summoning sickness so it won't be able to partake in the extra combat anyway.
I am not really a fan of your tutour suite(they are expensive, slow, and clunky), but I suppose that can't be helped as Demonic, Enlightened, and Vampiric will run you about ~$60 or so(total out the door).
Your Reanimation is alright, though Oversold and Reclamation should be Animate Dead and Dance of the Dead. Zombify should be Miraculous Recovery. Doomed Necromancer could probably be Karmic Guide.
1 Mimic Vat
1 Mind's Eye
1 Crystal Ball
1 Planar Portal
These are all a bit clunky in their applications, I would recomend replacing these for some other options.
1 Wrath of God
1 Austere Command
1 Unmake
1 Mortify
1 Wing Shards
I'm not a fan of a lot of these, as I tend to prefer Hallowed Burial(mass tuck and an answer to permanents regardless of protection type), Cataclysm, and Balancing Act(the latter two for their sheer destructive power) for my mass removal suite. Austere tends to be an over-costed DoJ(we runs lots of artifacts so we rarely want to sweep those) and Decree is expensive here(the game should be over with this deck before we can even think about casting it). Mortify should be a Vindicate, however I can totally understand not having one. How have Unmake and Wing Shards been treating you? They seem quite clunky to use effectively. Yes, I mentioned *** up there as well because, well, quite frankly I only run three sweepers myself, and I find myself to be just fine as I also run a plethora of spot removal to compliment that.
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sunforger
These are un-needed. The ultimate goal here is to get active Kaalia ready to swing, and these do nothing to help that goal...they are only good when she is active, at which point there are very much win-more cards. That said, the second set of boots(Swiftfoot) is likely not as needed if you're playing 1v1, but can still be handy to have around, and SoLaS, while it can fall under the category of the named equips above, it can also be used as a lock instrument with Yosei, the Morning Star and a sac outlet so it has more utility and is a more acceptable inclusion to this end.
1 Hellkite Charger
1 Bogardan Hellkite
1 Anger
1 Godo, Bandit Warlord
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Solemn Simulacrum
These aren't really needed, at all. Eternal Dragon is slow(how often are you regrowing him, anyway? Why is your playgroup allowing you to sit back and durdle paying 2 + 3WW every turn to find a land? if you desire this effect, Tithe is quite superior I am sure as it can also find dual lands(usually two when used properly in conjunction with a fetchland). Hellkite Charger is also kind of weak sauce as it not only has what I have dubbed as "Flameblast Syndrome" but it's ability is expensive to activate. Anger will probably not prove as effective as you would like, Godo is not really needed considering the core of this deck only cares about 2-3 equipments(I cut Stoneforge Mystic long ago for this reason and I haven't looked back) And Solemn is directly competing with Kaalia in terms of when it wants to be dropped. It doesn't do much good after she comes down, and if we could play him, we would almost always rather play Kaalia. Mindcensor is alright, I suppose, though I suspect Stranglehold to be a straight-up replacement for it as it is just better.
As for suitable replacements, I like Thundermaw Hellkite a lot more than Bogardan, and I have found Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis to be fantastic and soft-locking my opponent's creatures. Also, Mother of Runes should definitely be in here as it is yet another fantastic way to protect our Kaalia from certain harm. Speaking of protection, I would mention the discard suite here too, but IIRC you said this is multiplayer, so single-targeted discard is a no-go here.
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Slayers' Stronghold
1 Mistveil Plains
1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Temple of the False God
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Secluded Steppe
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Rakdos Carnarium
1 Boros Garrison
2 Mountain
3 Plains
3 Swamp
You have a lot of slow lands, Terramorphic, Evolving, the cycling lands, and Temple, Reliquary are colourless and have dubious value. Also, bouncelands really? No. Bad. No. *smacks you with rolled up newspaper*(sorry, I love my Family Guy :D) Likewise we don't really do anything with Urborg aside from...well, nothing. No reason to give the opponents free colour fixing if we aren't really using it to it's maximum effectiveness. How often do you find yourself using Slayer's? The haste doesn't really matter here as it would make our critters cost an additional 1RW, which is just unacceptable when our guys are already a lot of mana on their own. Also, you might consider diversifying your basics which, while it may not seem like it does much, it allows you to dodge effects that care about certain land names(Invader Parasite, Wake of Destruction) and also piggy back a marginal benefit off of someone else's Extraplanar Lens, regardless of if they go snow or non-snow. While the benefit may not seem like much, it's still a [non-zero] amount of benefit and it takes very little effort for us to utilize. You could even play Tainted Pact with this setup as it will at least guarantee you hit exactly what you need to finish a game off.
Once again, sorry for my delay in getting back to you(I actually started this in the morning, but I had some errands to run and all) but I hope this is helpful to your deck!
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Shameless self-promotion haha.
So, a little while back I was listening to these two songs by Iron Attack like all day, the songs being Killing the God of Wind, and Sky Overture, respectively.
Now, you know those boss fights in games where the jerk has like 6 different forms, and the battle theme is just this epic, driving piece of adrenaline? And the boss fight is like this frantic yet insanely fun technical challenge of your skills?
Yeah, that day I was imagining a Kaalia deck being that kind of a boss fight. It was epic.
...
Or, alternatively, you know those YuGiOh games they would always release for the Gameboys and such? Those two pieces of music would still be really fitting for a 10min loop of a Kaalia deck's theme. Right?!
...
If I'm just spoutin' off crazy, feel free to say so. lol
--- Meren of Clan Nel Toth --- Jhoira of the Ghitu --- Prime Speaker Zegana ---
--- Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief --- Ghoulcaller Gisa --- Akroma, Angel of Fury --- Titania, Protector of Argoth ---
I won't deny it. I need some activity on my thread, and it helps to distinguish and separate discussion on two decks with different needs.
My deck, for example, is built to be an aggressive mid-game type of deck since my experience has usually been either "kill one person, then run out of gas" or "start hitting one person then get hated out because of I have a scary board presence".
Not only that, but I tend to play Kaalia a little more conservatively in my usual playgroup because of the removal/counter spells that lurk around the meta, so I can't always have the fast starts that I usually want. Stuff like Sunforger and Sword of Fire and Ice tend to be my decks bread and butter for grabbing card advantage (the hammer in particular).
www.commandercast.com
Commandercast on Tumblr!
My EDH/Commander List:
Wedges:
Numot, the Devastator RWU
Damia, Sage of Stone GUB
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
Olivia Voldaren
I was sold as soon as I saw the Disney-esque Kaalia pic. WOW.
Yeah, I just saw that pic. Now, excuse me while I...uhm...err...I have an errand to, uhm...do. >_______________>
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Ya, PolishTamales does great work. He did a rough sketch of Kaalia that I used to have up instead of her with Lord of the Pit. Of course, under fair-use there's nothing stopping you from posting the pic wherever you please so long as you give the artist proper credit.
www.commandercast.com
Commandercast on Tumblr!
My EDH/Commander List:
Wedges:
Numot, the Devastator RWU
Damia, Sage of Stone GUB
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
Olivia Voldaren
Liar! lol
I checked out the entirety of Tamales' tumblr, and it's a she, actually. But yeah, epic artwork
Ok, completely random question, but would you guys put a Kaalia deck in white sleeves or red? What do you feel on that?
--- Meren of Clan Nel Toth --- Jhoira of the Ghitu --- Prime Speaker Zegana ---
--- Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief --- Ghoulcaller Gisa --- Akroma, Angel of Fury --- Titania, Protector of Argoth ---
I would put it in red sleeves instead of white. Mine is in black sleeves.
The only black sleeves I have are old, bent in the corners, and just gross. So I have 1 vote for red.
--- Meren of Clan Nel Toth --- Jhoira of the Ghitu --- Prime Speaker Zegana ---
--- Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief --- Ghoulcaller Gisa --- Akroma, Angel of Fury --- Titania, Protector of Argoth ---
Actually, it IS a guy, believe it or not. The 'she' is just his artist avatar, so to speak. He's joined us on Commandercast a couple of times and even donated a prints of the Kaalia and Drana mats for our Gifts Given 2012. His name's Rick, and he's on MTGSalvation too. He's a good friend of our editor/producer Andy aka Ghooost, so trust me when I say he's a guy.
As for sleeves, I use the red dragonshields. Black would be my second choice. White just seems tacky in most situations, personally.
www.commandercast.com
Commandercast on Tumblr!
My EDH/Commander List:
Wedges:
Numot, the Devastator RWU
Damia, Sage of Stone GUB
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
Olivia Voldaren
...Huh. My bad. /shrug.
How much do dragonshields go for, and how many come in a package?
--- Meren of Clan Nel Toth --- Jhoira of the Ghitu --- Prime Speaker Zegana ---
--- Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief --- Ghoulcaller Gisa --- Akroma, Angel of Fury --- Titania, Protector of Argoth ---
Well I have white sleeves but I'll be buying new ones soon.
When SCG Cincy happened in Feb 2012 I didn't have an EDH deck. As of SCG Cincy Oct 2012 I had a solid EDH deck, and here she is.
1 Kaalia of the Vast
Artifacts(15)
1 Boros Signet
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Defense Grid
1 Fire Diamond
1 Jeweled Amulet
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Marble Diamond
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Quicksilver Amulet
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Talisman of Indulgence
Creatures(19)
1 Angel of Despair
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Balefire Dragon
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Blinding Angel
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Bogardon Hellkite
1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Karmic Guide
1 Mother of Runes
1 Moonveil Dragon
1 Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Scourge of Kher Ridges
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Stonefore Mystic
1 Utvara Hellkite
1 Impending Disaster
1 Phyrexian Arena
Instants(11)
1 Chaos Warp
1 Dismember
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Oblation
1 Path to Exile
1 Return to Dust
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Terminate
1 Tithe
1 Vampiric Tutor
Planeswalker(2)
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Armageddon
1 Ashes to Ashes
1 Castigate
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Dreadbore
1 Duress
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Mind Twist
1 Profane Command
1 Terminus
1 Vindicate
Lands(37)
1 Arid Mesa
1 Badlands
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Bojuka Bog
1 City of Brass
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Command Tower
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Fetid Heath
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Godless Shrine
1 Graven Cairns
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 High Market
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Marsh Flats
1 Plateau
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Scrubland
1 Stensia Bloodhall
1 Strip Mine
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Snow-Covered Mountain
1 Snow-Covered Plains
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Swamp
possible SB
1 Animate Dead
1 Beacon of Unrest
1 Necromancy
1 Unburial Rites
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Tariel, Reckoner of Souls
1 Debtor's Knell
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Swiftfoot Boots
cards I'm watching
Chandra, the Firedbrand: I would probably then want Devil's Play and/or other cards that would be good to double up on.
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad: I like Planeswalkers
Rakdos Charm: When faced with the combo of Patron of the Moon, Thawing Glaciers, and Meloku the Clouded Mirror one must have an answer right?
Thoughts?
currently playing:
Standard
UW Control
UWB Control
UB Control
MODERN
BRGJund
X Affinity
UWR Control
LEGACY
Dredge
R Burn
UWx Miracles
EDH
BRW Kaalia
______
Quotes:
My Magic Card nicknames.
Just a quick note, but Nefarox is pretty anti-synergistic with Kaalia.
Not that much. If you manage to drop nefarox, you can just attack with him untill they find an awnser.
Jealous. At my old LGS back in Phoenix, Dragon Shields would run me $12.99. And I was happy at that price because they didn't always have them in stock.
XD! Hey, I am the personal liaison to Kaalia after all...
Well, mine are in G dragon shields, because they match the tribal mikaeus zombies and my tempo sygg deck. I like to use the same colour sleeves for all my decks as it's a bit easier on me when I need replacement sleeves.
Wow that is...very similar to my own deck. I am honoured haha. A few notes I noticed on cards I did play a one point or cards I don't play;
Sword of Fire and Ice- How has this treated you? I know it's a fine choice, though being able to equip it is usually win-more, at least in my experience?
Stoneforge Mystic- How useful is she with only a handful of targets?
Utvara Hellkite- I'm curious to know your experiences with him. I want him to be good but I am concerned about his whole "Flameblast Syndrome".
Path to Exile- I can understand why one would play this card.
Stensia Bloodhall- How has this been treating you? It feels...clunky and bad to hold up this much mana commitment just for a shock. I would imagine Vesuva, Ancient Tomb, and Phyrexian Tower to all be better than this.
No Cataclysm/Balancing Act? Insanely powerful "hit everything" sweepers are pretty backbreaking.
If I were to look to any other planeswalker, I would look to Elspeth, Knight-Errant before any of those. Chamdra is bad, Sorin is...not for this deck lol. Elspeth I have been back and forth on, but ultimately I don't really care for in this particular deck(making big creatures bigger seems the epitome of "win-more" lol).
Just some food for thought for you to think about.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
Well, Elspeth could make Kaalia bigger, ya know. And with Shinka, you're paying R for a 5/5 flying first striker, and that's just Kaalia.
You could also think of it as Elspeth being a pseudo, white Lightning Bolt if you connect. If you do run Swords etc, then you just as easily Sword up a Soldier she makes.
/shrug. Just sayin'.
--- Meren of Clan Nel Toth --- Jhoira of the Ghitu --- Prime Speaker Zegana ---
--- Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief --- Ghoulcaller Gisa --- Akroma, Angel of Fury --- Titania, Protector of Argoth ---
i got them a my local shop for 10$, all colors available.
I do the same thing. I got blue and black sleeves. It's easier when you swap cards between decks and when you broke some sleeves.
I'm testing it, after all, big dragons are playfull. So far, so good for this red critter. The dragon token is nothing to joke about. In two turn, they does 18 damage, those are numbers to consider.
I've included one when it first came out. PLay a couple games with it and always wanted it would be anything else. Basic lands are better than this. By the time you are using 6 mana to do 2 damage, you should be casting huge monsters or already winning with Kaalia.
Standard:
WBG Abzan Midrange
Modern:
UWR Kiki-Jiki Control
EDH:
WBR Kaalia of the Vast
Well yours was the primer I read and based it off of. I have this (bad if you ask my wife) habit of collecting, and when the commander pre-built decks all had collector numbers I groaned, sleeved them up, and started from scratch.
I haven't played much with this typed up version yet but I'll answer a few.
I can see that, and this will be my first cut if it gets that way. I had Batterskull in it's slot before.
Isn't the idea to find boot for Kaalia? If not maybe I'm doing it wrong.
This is why I went with more Dragons than Demons because of his ability. Haven't thrown down with him...yet.
Stensia Bloodhall- How has this been treating you? It feels...clunky and bad to hold up this much mana commitment just for a shock. I would imagine Vesuva, Ancient Tomb, and Phyrexian Tower to all be better than this.
I may swap for Vesuva so I can get some action on Flagstones, however I think that by the time that happened I would already have WW from other sources.
If I were to look to any other planeswalker, I would look to Elspeth, Knight-Errant before any of those. Chamdra is bad, Sorin is...not for this deck lol. Elspeth I have been back and forth on, but ultimately I don't really care for in this particular deck(making big creatures bigger seems the epitome of "win-more" lol).
Just some food for thought for you to think about.
I'll have to look at those others you mentioned.
One thing I feel with the deck is it doesn't draw enough, or have ways to find cards you need more often (outside of the tutors). I guess I'm used to standard when I play U.
currently playing:
Standard
UW Control
UWB Control
UB Control
MODERN
BRGJund
X Affinity
UWR Control
LEGACY
Dredge
R Burn
UWx Miracles
EDH
BRW Kaalia
______
Quotes:
My Magic Card nicknames.
Standard:
WBG Abzan Midrange
Modern:
UWR Kiki-Jiki Control
EDH:
WBR Kaalia of the Vast
--- Meren of Clan Nel Toth --- Jhoira of the Ghitu --- Prime Speaker Zegana ---
--- Drana, Kalastria Bloodchief --- Ghoulcaller Gisa --- Akroma, Angel of Fury --- Titania, Protector of Argoth ---
Used to run Griselbrand, but then, well, you know...
Elspeth is actually a card I've been considering for a little bit now. I do like the ability to make Kaalia bigger, but I'm equipping her with the greaves more often than not (the primary reason I cut Aegis Angel from my list). The soldier token is nice though since it gives me someone who can swing the Sunforger around, and it's pretty much game if I can get her ultimate off.
But then, I've also been considering Liliana of the Dark Realms to help hit my land drops late game. Since I'm running Urborg, that also gives her the chance to pump Kaalia big or remove something just as huge.
But Sorin Markov would have to be near the top of my list since it helps the aggro deck SO much to just drop someone to 10 life, hit them with Kaalia, and flash in something with 8+ power to finish them off.
Just a couple of things on my mind regard walkers...decisions, decisions...
www.commandercast.com
Commandercast on Tumblr!
My EDH/Commander List:
Wedges:
Numot, the Devastator RWU
Damia, Sage of Stone GUB
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
Olivia Voldaren
There’s just one problem.
In trying to keep the shenanigans out of the tournament and to encourage “fair play”, the store owner and the judge want to create a “special” banned list just for this tournament. In addition to the “proper” banned list, the “special” banned list will include all the “extra turn” cards, any infinite combos (I find a lot of grey area in this. :/), Mr. Karn the Planeswalker, and an assortment of easily abused spells and creatures. Can you guess what’s on that list that’s relevant to this thread?
Iona, Shield of Emeria.
My heart sank when I saw that one. And then I got mad when I tried to fight for her honor. Fortunately the creators of the banned list won’t be playing in this tournament; otherwise I’d call bullcrap on the whole shindig. I understand that they’re trying to create a shenanigan-free environment, a “gentleman’s game” if you will, to make this a lot more fun for everybody (especially since it’s a $20 entry fee), but I feel like they’re just banning cards that they personally don’t like. I guess this is just what happens when you try to turn a casual format into a competitive one. But I digress…
Anyway, I want to play in this thing. I really want a foiled Kaalia. Plus I think that Chaos Warp is in this Arsenal and I could always use more of those. Granted, I haven’t played a gamed of Commander since before RTR came out (I blame the three evils: Standard, work, and school), but if I’m going to win this, I want to do it waving the banner for my favorite winged redhead (And I don’t mean Gisela, but I totally would for her too.). As Rakdos is my witness, Kaalia will reign supreme!
I need everyone’s help with this, however. As you guys know, I’ve stated time and time again that 3drinks has presented us with a true template for a THE 1v1 Kaalia deck. And that’s what I stick by normally. My list only differs from a few cards, due to lack of funds and availability. The key cards I’m lacking are the Alpha duals, Sinkhole, Vindicate, Godless Shrine, Sacred Foundry, and Boseiju. I have a Tithe, but I’m unsure of whether or not it has a home in this list since I’m lacking the Alpha Duals. Since this is going to be a multiplayer event, I have to go the Reanimator/Multiplayer route (again, very similar to 3drinks’ list). I need to know if my substitutions are good enough, especially since I will not be playing with Iona.
Anyway, without further ado, here’s what I’m packing:
1 Kaalia of the Vast
Creatures (25)
1 Weathered Wayfarer
1 Mother of Runes
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Disciple of Bolas
1 Sun Titan
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Angel of Despair
1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
1 Blinding Angel
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Karmic Guide
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Dragon Mage
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Yosei, the Morning Star
1 Scourge of Kher Ridges
1 Balefire Dragon
1 Moonveil Dragon
1 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
1 Rakdos the Defiler
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Nefarox, Overlord of Grixis
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Bloodgift Demon
Enchantment (5)
1 Animate Dead
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Necromancy
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Stranglehold
Sorcery (7)
1 Hallowed Burial
1 Blasphemous Act
1 Balancing Act
1 Ashes to Ashes
1 Beacon of Unrest
1 Unburial Rites
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Terminate
1 Mortify
1 Chaos Warp
1 Oblation
1 Rack and Ruin
1 Return to Dust
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Miraculous Recovery
Artifact (14)
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Defense Grid
1 Quicksilver Amulet
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Sol Ring
1 Talisman of Indulgence
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Boros Signet
1 Fire Diamond
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Marble Diamond
Land (36)
2 Plains
2 Swamp
2 Mountain
1 Sacred Foundry *
1 Godless Shrine *
1 Blood Crypt
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Command Tower
1 City of Brass
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Fetid Heath
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Graven Cairns
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 High Market
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Strip Mine
1 Volrath’s Stronghold
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Verdant Catacombs
The store owner, who is very cool, said that I may borrow the 2 shocklands I’m missing for the tournament, so I included them in this list. If I run them, should I run Tithe? Thoughts on Withered Wretch? Should I switch some creatures out? I have access to anything I need (except for the few cards I listed above).
Thoughts, critique, advice, and suggestions are always welcome.
And for the record, every single one of my decks is sleeved in KMC Pearl White sleeves. They are on par (if not better) than Dragonshields and are about half the price. I have never had a problem with them.
Thanks for reading!