I know this is similar to another thread here, but I think this is different enough to warrant its own thread. I've been playing EDH for about three months now. I've played likely 30 games and haven't won yet. If I'm playing Kaalia of the Vast, I get focused no matter what I do. There was even a game where I could not draw any sources of white mana; I had nothing of note on the board and was still focused by two people. When got Kaalia out, she was killed one turn after that, and I was milled to death. Everyone else had at least moderate threats on the table. In case anyone is curious, my decklist is at: [url=https://www.mtgsalvation.com/forums/the-game/commander-edh/multiplayer-commander-decklists/789993-kaalia-of-the-vast-angel-tribal[/url] Keep in mind I'm still missing 5 card draw spells, some multi-lands, and some of the better angels on my list.
I've tried explaining to people that I only use Kaalia of the Vast because I want to play angel tribal, and I need Kaalia's ramp, and colors for the deck to do what I want. I still find myself instantly targeted by at least one person every time, often before Kaalia even hits the table. On the rare occasions I don't die first, I make very little impact and die second. I also play Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith equipment Voltron. I haven't altered the precon very much, and I find it's not good enough to win at my local game store. I put a lot into my Kaalia deck. My questions are these: Should I focus on finishing the Kaalia deck and hope I can hold off people long enough to actually maybe win a game or two? Do I put my Kaalia deck on hold for a while and work on finishing my Nazahn deck? Do I maybe start playing Nazahn a lot more than I play Kaalia, so I hopefully start getting a reputation as a Nazahn player and not a Kaalia player? Winning isn't the most important thing to me, but I would like to smash face with my big creatures every now and then. Much more important is making friends and playing with cards I like. Magic is still fun for me, and I want it to remain fun, but I am starting to get a little bit discouraged. Any advice in this is much appreciated.
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"Cut it down, bury it in the snow, put it to the torch. The rose will still bloom again."
Unfortunately, Kaalia is just a lightning rod. She is fairly weak herself, but allowed to attack, can get out of control very quickly, so most players who understand her at all will keep her off the table if they can. That's not them being mean, it's just reasonable threat assessment.
I would recommend making a few decks and only playing the Kaalia deck for a game or two before switching, at least until your playgroup figures out it isn't some maximized threat version of Kaalia. Nazahn is going to be a lot less threatening in many environments, but keep in mind that too strong a Voltron threat is also going to draw some wariness.
You may want to make a deck that goes wide with a range of threats, rather than focusing on ones that are based completely around the commander, and thus subject to being easily shut down. Tribal decks (not super-tuned Edgar Markov) or ones focused on generals like Saskia could be good options to mix things up in your group.
The thing is, Kaalia of the Vast comes with a reputation. There are a lot of commanders that do - Oloro, Ageless Ascetic (I still don't get it), Narset, Enlightened Master, Zur the Enchanter. End of the day, if they go easy on you, you're going to stomp their face. Now, given that this doesn't seem to be an optimized deck (no offense meant, it just seems early days is all) I can sympathize. These commanders, you play them and you might as well be waving a red flag at a bull to coin a phrase.
That being said, I'm not saying change commanders. I just think if they've already tarred you with the 'major threat' brush, bring the pain and make them hurt every time they try to mess with you. Fight fire with fire; If you're an archenemy, you're going to need to anyway.
Have you tried talking to these people about this? It does seem like you're getting discouraged, and it sounds like they're unnecessarily targeting you. It's probably going to be hard to break that sort of bias, but it might be worth it.
Otherwise, there's definitely things you could do to protect Kaalia, put a few more tricks up your sleeve, cheaply optimize and so forth. It might be handy to know what you're playing against - which commanders are you seeing? What trouble spells are you seeing lots of? Mardu has some cool tricks up its sleeve, so you do have options, it just depends what tricks you need.
EDIT: Use Nazahn instead if you really want to, but if you don't, make this work. There's ways and means, so get brewing
I mean, if you need to, you could switch the deck to Tariel, Reckoner of Souls for the same colors and Angel focus. You would lose the ramp element of Kaalia, but if your commander is really drawing that much hate then you might live longer this way anyways. If you cut some expensive spells (maybe some of the demons, for theme?) and added more ramp, more board wipes or other forms of interaction, some card draw... goodstuff basically, then I can see it being a deck that has a weak early game that it survives through with board control, that blossoms into a late-game powerhouse.
It'd be a different deck, which would suck, but if your playgroup is targetting you this heavily then it might be a choice between an optimized Kaalia deck or a tribal Angels deck.
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--Buck v Bell, 1927. This case, regarding the compulsory sterilization of inmates at mental institutions, has -- somehow -- never been overturned. Just a wee PSA for ya.
Thing is, I really want to play angel tribal, and I really want to play a cat equipment deck. I'm on a very limited budget, I've basically bought precons and gradually upgraded them to the form they are now. As far as threat assessment, I even got targeted when someone else was playing a very fast infect deck, and another person had multiple big dinosaurs on the table. I really like the Boros angels and Nahiri, the Harbinger, and I don't like playing without card draw and decent tutors, and hate playing blue, so that leaves me with Mardu or Jund colors as a best option. That's why I decided on Kaalia, having no idea of her reputation, just seeing that someone on eBay was selling the Kaalia deck out of the Commander Anthology box. Maybe after I get my cat equipment deck to a level where it's strong, I'll make something goofy like a group hug deck or squirrel tribal with Rhys the Redeemed or Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist at the helm.
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"Cut it down, bury it in the snow, put it to the torch. The rose will still bloom again."
If you really want to stick with Kaalia, stick with it - part of the joy of playing this game is having a deck that's totally your own. You should be able to upgrade it reasonably cheaply, too. Some of the stronger staples you might need to leave, but there's plenty of things you can do to give yourself a fighting chance.
I've told people that all I really want to do is play an angel deck that's not super-slow with Mardu colors, and Kaalia accomplishes that. I'd hate to cut black and lose the card draw, awesome targeted removal and tutors, but would a better option for angel tribal be Gisela, Blade of Goldnight? I'd still get all of my favorite angels except for Angel of Despair and I could even keep most of the creatures I have.
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"Cut it down, bury it in the snow, put it to the torch. The rose will still bloom again."
Tariel is an option. I already have ten mana rocks, including Chromatic Lantern. How many would I need for Tariel? I have three hard board wipes and two "soft" board wipes Oros, the Avenger and Steel Hellkite, and 10 cards for targeted removal. I think I'm more than covered there.
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"Cut it down, bury it in the snow, put it to the torch. The rose will still bloom again."
Honestly, 30 games and not a single win probably has more to do with your lack of experience than anyone targeting you unfairly. Even a weaker deck can snatch a win from time to time. I'd encourage you to keep at it and focus on improving your game. Look in the mirror and don't blame the other players at the table.
Why are they killing Kaalia every time you cast her? Are you just throwing her onto the battlefield as soon as you have the mana or are you waiting for them to expend some resources first so she has a chance to go unanswered?
Would Gisela, Blade of Goldnight get me focused a lot less? It seems like she could be very good as a political card too. Why bug me and do half damage when you can do double damage to literally everyone else? I can also run cards like Pyrohemia with her and not take any of the damage from it. It would be burn for my opponents and a one-sided board wipe. I'll likely put together a Gisela deck soon to build at some later date and post it here on the forums for feedback. Also, I forgot to mention this, but it might help to for context when people are responding. I tend to be sort of a cross between a "Timmy" and a "Johnny" type player. I like big creatures and flashy spells, the quality of wins is more important than the quantity. Magic is a social thing first and foremost for me, as well. I also have the "Johnny" quality that I love brewing new decks. I literally spend nights doing nothing but looking at cards and building decks. I lost my collection a while back, so I'm rebuilding from scratch. I mostly use edhrec and magiccards.info to look at what cards I want to use. How do you get around the lack of good draw and tutors if you're playing Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, as you only have red and white to work with? Wheel effects and the Land Tax/Scroll Rack combo with lots of shuffle effects for the card draw, and just run Gamble and hope for the best? Enlightened Tutor and Idyllic Tutor are so-so, and Imperial Recruiter is both beyond my budget and won't fetch anything big like an angel.
Gabrielle Angelfire, I can understand where you're coming from as I was somewhat in your shoes: I gave up my collection many moons ago, but then started getting into EDH/Commander about 18 months ago, starting with a pre-constructed deck from the 2015 set and then another pre-con a couple months in from the 2016 set. Man, those first few months were rough, considering it was like re-learning how to play Magic all over again because of a new format with generally different ways to play (bigger spells with longer games, singleton format, etc.) and different strategies. I think I went a while with any real wins too (maybe not 3 months though). One of the main things I've learned over the last 1.5yrs is that it's not worth the ire of my playgroup to play commanders with stigma's attached to them - the ones like Kaalia of the Vast, Narset, Enlightened Master, etc. Ultimately, I want to play cards, have a good time with my pals, and be involved in the game; not be the first one bopped out first all the time.
With that said, if it were me with the Kaalia deck being heavily targeted, despite what I perceive as other seemingly real threats, I would keep the Angel Tribal theme because that's what makes me happy to play, but seriously consider choosing a different commander to lead my Angel Army. If you press on the Kaalia deck and tune it to some maximum potential in an attempt to fight back your opponents (who I imagine are your friends outside the game), it's only going to solidify and reinforce their notions to take you out ASAP and then all kinds of other problems can start to arise with them building decks specifically to take out your Kaalia deck or, worst case, voice that they don't want you to play Kaalia anymore (I personally don't think anyone is of the position to be able to tell someone else what to play and what not to play, but some groups collectively hate on a commander or deck and believe that for their group health and sanity try to suppress those decks). You know the group better than any of us here, so it's your call if you think that's how the group would likely react or if in another way entirely.
I understand you're on a limited budget, and you do enjoy the angels, which is why I think you can and should keep the majority of your deck intact, but maybe switch to a commander that doesn't give off such a negative vibe. The aforementioned Tariel, Reckoner of Souls is a good suggestion, or I think even better if you come to grips with dropping B is Aurelia, the Warleader. Aurelia should be able to cast earlier at 1CMC less and an easier color requirement (2 colors vs 3) than Tariel, has haste (so can attack as soon as she's out, which enables her ability of another combat), and I feel definitely fits the theme of Angels smashing face ("Warleader" Angel herself and extra combats). This should mean you can cast her more than once in a game if needed as well, but that your whole game-plan doesn't require her to be out to be effective. There's a bunch of resources out now that can assist players in developing draw and ramp for Boros colors (just Google "Boros EDH" or "Boros ramp/draw EDH" and you'll find some good stuff with some gems here and there). The Command Zone podcast (they're on YouTube too), a Commander-focused player resource, has a whole episode titled "Breaking Boros" if you're interested, which showcases ways that Boros players can address Boros's natural weaknesses of lack of reliable draw and ramp sources. I don't think it should actually be too difficult with enough mana rocks and other "deck thinning" tricks like getting a bunch of lands out with W stuff Land Tax, Tithe, Gift of EstatesWeathered Wayfarer, Knight of the White Orchid, Oreskos Explorer, etc., all ensure your land drops.
So, I say switch Kaalia up with Aurelia, the Warleader, get the gang off your back, stick in the games longer both by that alone and by just playing a lot better (there's always so much more to learn) and tune the deck here and there, and watch your Angel Army rise! You can switch up playing Aurelia and Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith, who I am also a fan of.
You've made some very good points, Turtlerock, and thanks for the long and well-thought-out response. I'll give a Boros angel deck some serious consideration. While I will lose some very awesome removal (Angel of Despair, Mortify, and Anguished Unmaking), the amazing tutors and solid card draw that black offers, and Kaalia herself, it might show my play group that I'm not a Spike who wants to crush everyone every game, and show them my much more laid back real personality. I just bought some card draw for Kaalia, which I will have to eat the cost of (around $8), and some goodies for my Nazahn deck, but I think that if I go this route, I'll focus on building a good Boros mana base with lands and mana rocks, buy Gisela, Blade of Goldnight, which is getting reprinted soon, and focus on Boros angels. Either Boros Gisela or Aurelia would make for a good commander, but I think you're right about Aurelia's mana cost being right on the money. I can use Gisela, Blade of Goldnight as one of the 99, as well as Gisela, the Broken Blade and the couple of other angels I was considering purchasing for my Kaalia deck, along with what I already have. Because of Aurelia's ability, I am thinking of a "combat matters" type theme, with Master Warcraft, Firemane Avenger, Basandra, Battle Seraph, Blinding Angel, Combat Celebrant, Gleam of Battle and other combat shenanigans shaping how I build the deck. That combined with the advice you gave, and watching The Command Zone and Tolarian Community College should point me in the right direction. I'll try to build an at least semi-functional deck with what I have and gradually buy the other pieces I need.
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"Cut it down, bury it in the snow, put it to the torch. The rose will still bloom again."
I wouldn't shy away from Kaalia of the Vast at all. You wanna build her? Build her!
An important thing is to build the deck in a way, that it won't fold without your commander but is heavily improved with it on the board.
The first 2 things that instantly come to mind are haste and protection. Dragon Tempest, Fervor, Hammer of PurphorosIn the Web of War and the likes support your commander, as you can swing the turn you cast her, and support your fatties, if you have to hard-cast them.
As far as protection goes, the "problem" with Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots is, that your opponents literally see your protection, so all they have to do is hold onto their removal until you want to equip. I'd still play both of them as they give haste as well. Idk, but Darksteel Plate feels "ancient". At least in my playgroup exiling and force-saccing creatures and artifacts is the way to go, so the protection would only be granted from (most) board wipes and blocking.
I'd rather protect my turn from disruption with Grand Abolisher and Conqueror's Flail instead. Or go for more surprising protection like Boros Charm, Make a Stand, Rootborn Defenses and Teferi's Protection, as they can turn board wipes into one sided effects. Valorous Stance is underrated as well, with both modes being great in EDH.
watching The Command Zone and Tolarian Community College should point me in the right direction.
While i subscribed to both of them, be wary. Every playgroup has their own meta game going on and you'll have to find out about yours.
Last Command Zone podcast was the epitome of their playstyle and deckbuilding. There are tons of great things to learn from them, especially about the social aspects, politics and readyness, but throwing Ancient Tomb and Vedalken Orrery into each and every deck isn't one of them, as far as i am concerned.
Apparently you love brewing as much as i do, so thoroughly analyze your Meta, be creative, do your own research and enhance your decks through external and personal input.
Thing is, I really want to play angel tribal, and I really want to play a cat equipment deck. I'm on a very limited budget, I've basically bought precons and gradually upgraded them to the form they are now. As far as threat assessment, I even got targeted when someone else was playing a very fast infect deck, and another person had multiple big dinosaurs on the table. I really like the Boros angels and Nahiri, the Harbinger, and I don't like playing without card draw and decent tutors, and hate playing blue, so that leaves me with Mardu or Jund colors as a best option. That's why I decided on Kaalia, having no idea of her reputation, just seeing that someone on eBay was selling the Kaalia deck out of the Commander Anthology box. Maybe after I get my cat equipment deck to a level where it's strong, I'll make something goofy like a group hug deck or squirrel tribal with Rhys the Redeemed or Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist at the helm.
I personally love the idea of a Mirri squirrel deck.
Also, NoNeedToBragoBoutIt makes some good points above.
I've never actually got him out, but I was considering removing him. And I agree, Master of Cruelties is even worse than infect, or a big Voltron threat.
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"Cut it down, bury it in the snow, put it to the torch. The rose will still bloom again."
NoNeedToBragoBoutIt, I agree with a lot of your points, especially that Ancient Tomb and Vedalken Orrery aren't necessary all the time. About the only card I'd put in each and every EDH deck when it's allowed is Sol Ring. It's just too good not to include. Even if it gets destroyed instantly, you still have one extra colorless mana the turn you cast it.
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"Cut it down, bury it in the snow, put it to the torch. The rose will still bloom again."
Food for thought here; the decks you're facing down really have no reason to complain about Kaalia - The Mimeoplasm, Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord, and Zacama, Primal Calamity are hard gaming decks, generally - everyone one of those commanders is capable of ending the game on the spot at a given point.
This tells me further that you should stick with Kaalia - to my mind what they're trying to do is target you until you cave and play a different commander, so don't give them the satisfaction. Also, if you play a different commander you're going to run into the same problems. I think the problem is they've set you up with a really steep curve to meet, and you might not quite be there yet. You've got yourself a theme, and you can make that work, it's just a case of giving yourself some contingencies, and making your deck a little resilient.
I'll make some suggestions regarding your decklist in the appropriate thread. It's far from gospel, but feedback at the least helps you think about areas you might need to improve.
If you want tips on Kaalia...look no further than the link in my sig. We've got quite a motley crue of helpful players and pages upon pages of discussion on the deck. Which is to be expected for a primer that was started in 2011.
I've actually decided that playing Kaalia just isn't worth it, and I'll be switching to Archangel Avacyn to play angel tribal. Your guide is really good, though. I just don't want to have to resort to playing mass land destruction in a casual group and get a reputation.
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"Cut it down, bury it in the snow, put it to the torch. The rose will still bloom again."
I've tried explaining to people that I only use Kaalia of the Vast because I want to play angel tribal, and I need Kaalia's ramp, and colors for the deck to do what I want. I still find myself instantly targeted by at least one person every time, often before Kaalia even hits the table. On the rare occasions I don't die first, I make very little impact and die second. I also play Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith equipment Voltron. I haven't altered the precon very much, and I find it's not good enough to win at my local game store. I put a lot into my Kaalia deck. My questions are these: Should I focus on finishing the Kaalia deck and hope I can hold off people long enough to actually maybe win a game or two? Do I put my Kaalia deck on hold for a while and work on finishing my Nazahn deck? Do I maybe start playing Nazahn a lot more than I play Kaalia, so I hopefully start getting a reputation as a Nazahn player and not a Kaalia player? Winning isn't the most important thing to me, but I would like to smash face with my big creatures every now and then. Much more important is making friends and playing with cards I like. Magic is still fun for me, and I want it to remain fun, but I am starting to get a little bit discouraged. Any advice in this is much appreciated.
RWArchangel Avacyn, GWNazahn, Revered Bladesmith, RKari Zev, Skyship Raider (French Duel)
I would recommend making a few decks and only playing the Kaalia deck for a game or two before switching, at least until your playgroup figures out it isn't some maximized threat version of Kaalia. Nazahn is going to be a lot less threatening in many environments, but keep in mind that too strong a Voltron threat is also going to draw some wariness.
You may want to make a deck that goes wide with a range of threats, rather than focusing on ones that are based completely around the commander, and thus subject to being easily shut down. Tribal decks (not super-tuned Edgar Markov) or ones focused on generals like Saskia could be good options to mix things up in your group.
That being said, I'm not saying change commanders. I just think if they've already tarred you with the 'major threat' brush, bring the pain and make them hurt every time they try to mess with you. Fight fire with fire; If you're an archenemy, you're going to need to anyway.
Have you tried talking to these people about this? It does seem like you're getting discouraged, and it sounds like they're unnecessarily targeting you. It's probably going to be hard to break that sort of bias, but it might be worth it.
Otherwise, there's definitely things you could do to protect Kaalia, put a few more tricks up your sleeve, cheaply optimize and so forth. It might be handy to know what you're playing against - which commanders are you seeing? What trouble spells are you seeing lots of? Mardu has some cool tricks up its sleeve, so you do have options, it just depends what tricks you need.
EDIT: Use Nazahn instead if you really want to, but if you don't, make this work. There's ways and means, so get brewing
It'd be a different deck, which would suck, but if your playgroup is targetting you this heavily then it might be a choice between an optimized Kaalia deck or a tribal Angels deck.
--Buck v Bell, 1927. This case, regarding the compulsory sterilization of inmates at mental institutions, has -- somehow -- never been overturned. Just a wee PSA for ya.
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I've told people that all I really want to do is play an angel deck that's not super-slow with Mardu colors, and Kaalia accomplishes that. I'd hate to cut black and lose the card draw, awesome targeted removal and tutors, but would a better option for angel tribal be Gisela, Blade of Goldnight? I'd still get all of my favorite angels except for Angel of Despair and I could even keep most of the creatures I have.
RWArchangel Avacyn, GWNazahn, Revered Bladesmith, RKari Zev, Skyship Raider (French Duel)
RWArchangel Avacyn, GWNazahn, Revered Bladesmith, RKari Zev, Skyship Raider (French Duel)
Why are they killing Kaalia every time you cast her? Are you just throwing her onto the battlefield as soon as you have the mana or are you waiting for them to expend some resources first so she has a chance to go unanswered?
RWArchangel Avacyn, GWNazahn, Revered Bladesmith, RKari Zev, Skyship Raider (French Duel)
With that said, if it were me with the Kaalia deck being heavily targeted, despite what I perceive as other seemingly real threats, I would keep the Angel Tribal theme because that's what makes me happy to play, but seriously consider choosing a different commander to lead my Angel Army. If you press on the Kaalia deck and tune it to some maximum potential in an attempt to fight back your opponents (who I imagine are your friends outside the game), it's only going to solidify and reinforce their notions to take you out ASAP and then all kinds of other problems can start to arise with them building decks specifically to take out your Kaalia deck or, worst case, voice that they don't want you to play Kaalia anymore (I personally don't think anyone is of the position to be able to tell someone else what to play and what not to play, but some groups collectively hate on a commander or deck and believe that for their group health and sanity try to suppress those decks). You know the group better than any of us here, so it's your call if you think that's how the group would likely react or if in another way entirely.
I understand you're on a limited budget, and you do enjoy the angels, which is why I think you can and should keep the majority of your deck intact, but maybe switch to a commander that doesn't give off such a negative vibe. The aforementioned Tariel, Reckoner of Souls is a good suggestion, or I think even better if you come to grips with dropping B is Aurelia, the Warleader. Aurelia should be able to cast earlier at 1CMC less and an easier color requirement (2 colors vs 3) than Tariel, has haste (so can attack as soon as she's out, which enables her ability of another combat), and I feel definitely fits the theme of Angels smashing face ("Warleader" Angel herself and extra combats). This should mean you can cast her more than once in a game if needed as well, but that your whole game-plan doesn't require her to be out to be effective. There's a bunch of resources out now that can assist players in developing draw and ramp for Boros colors (just Google "Boros EDH" or "Boros ramp/draw EDH" and you'll find some good stuff with some gems here and there). The Command Zone podcast (they're on YouTube too), a Commander-focused player resource, has a whole episode titled "Breaking Boros" if you're interested, which showcases ways that Boros players can address Boros's natural weaknesses of lack of reliable draw and ramp sources. I don't think it should actually be too difficult with enough mana rocks and other "deck thinning" tricks like getting a bunch of lands out with W stuff Land Tax, Tithe, Gift of Estates Weathered Wayfarer, Knight of the White Orchid, Oreskos Explorer, etc., all ensure your land drops.
So, I say switch Kaalia up with Aurelia, the Warleader, get the gang off your back, stick in the games longer both by that alone and by just playing a lot better (there's always so much more to learn) and tune the deck here and there, and watch your Angel Army rise! You can switch up playing Aurelia and Nazahn, Revered Bladesmith, who I am also a fan of.
Best of luck and brewing!
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RWArchangel Avacyn, GWNazahn, Revered Bladesmith, RKari Zev, Skyship Raider (French Duel)
An important thing is to build the deck in a way, that it won't fold without your commander but is heavily improved with it on the board.
The first 2 things that instantly come to mind are haste and protection. Dragon Tempest, Fervor, Hammer of Purphoros In the Web of War and the likes support your commander, as you can swing the turn you cast her, and support your fatties, if you have to hard-cast them.
As far as protection goes, the "problem" with Lightning Greaves and Swiftfoot Boots is, that your opponents literally see your protection, so all they have to do is hold onto their removal until you want to equip. I'd still play both of them as they give haste as well. Idk, but Darksteel Plate feels "ancient". At least in my playgroup exiling and force-saccing creatures and artifacts is the way to go, so the protection would only be granted from (most) board wipes and blocking.
I'd rather protect my turn from disruption with Grand Abolisher and Conqueror's Flail instead. Or go for more surprising protection like Boros Charm, Make a Stand, Rootborn Defenses and Teferi's Protection, as they can turn board wipes into one sided effects. Valorous Stance is underrated as well, with both modes being great in EDH.
While i subscribed to both of them, be wary. Every playgroup has their own meta game going on and you'll have to find out about yours.
Last Command Zone podcast was the epitome of their playstyle and deckbuilding. There are tons of great things to learn from them, especially about the social aspects, politics and readyness, but throwing Ancient Tomb and Vedalken Orrery into each and every deck isn't one of them, as far as i am concerned.
Apparently you love brewing as much as i do, so thoroughly analyze your Meta, be creative, do your own research and enhance your decks through external and personal input.
Good luck!
I personally love the idea of a Mirri squirrel deck.
Also, NoNeedToBragoBoutIt makes some good points above.
RWArchangel Avacyn, GWNazahn, Revered Bladesmith, RKari Zev, Skyship Raider (French Duel)
RWArchangel Avacyn, GWNazahn, Revered Bladesmith, RKari Zev, Skyship Raider (French Duel)
This tells me further that you should stick with Kaalia - to my mind what they're trying to do is target you until you cave and play a different commander, so don't give them the satisfaction. Also, if you play a different commander you're going to run into the same problems. I think the problem is they've set you up with a really steep curve to meet, and you might not quite be there yet. You've got yourself a theme, and you can make that work, it's just a case of giving yourself some contingencies, and making your deck a little resilient.
I'll make some suggestions regarding your decklist in the appropriate thread. It's far from gospel, but feedback at the least helps you think about areas you might need to improve.
Steel Sabotage'ng Orbs of Mellowness since 2011.
RWArchangel Avacyn, GWNazahn, Revered Bladesmith, RKari Zev, Skyship Raider (French Duel)