Hey BlueRam, your list inspired mine a bit, though I've changed some cards due to my meta and card availability.
Is there anyway to turn dead land draws into gas? Some kind of reusable loot effect, cheaper Seer's Sundial, or a one-sided Horn of Greed? I find that I keep drawing land in the longer games and would like some way of recyling them, short of hoarding them for a MLD.
the most aggressive would be to great a haste-filled Kaalia, I'd recommend going MLD route becasue i personally feel it is the superior build
though if u really want to show him up, then get a Azorius deck that makes sure Kaalia stays in the command zone. That way he'll have a hand filled with ADDs and no way to cast them
Here's my decklist. I took some things from the main post and your updated list and tweaked a few things. There are some budget cards in there (the dual Khans lifelands will be swapped for the Shadowmoor lands), but I built it around my playgroup that deals with a bit of removal and threat presence.
I do have a question though, why no Aurelia in your list?
Also, I'm considering swapping out SoFaI to some more budgety, would love suggestions for that and any to my list.
Hello everyone. I have unfortunately not played EDH regularly in awhile, and need some help/suggestions on updating this list for multiplayer. It's just casual (i.e.: not sanctioned), but budget is not much of a concern. The focus is on multiplayer (usually 4+ players), and I have not updated the deck since M14 was released, so I am behind.
- There are arguably better 2-cmc rocks than diamonds like Fellwar Stone, Sphere of the Suns and Coldsteel Heart. Imo you could also cut one or two. Obviously you are missing Mana Vault and Mana Crypt.
- Linvala doesn't support your game plan while the effect still can be very useful. Same is true for Sensei's Top and maybe Stranglehold.
- You clearly have a reanimation subtheme going on so adding Faithless Looting could be a good idea?
- I find 5cmc animate spells bit expensive tho I play Unburial Rites my self.
- I don't like Tithe in this deck. It doesn't ramp.
- I prefer Ghostway over Legion's Initiative
- How often do you get Yosei-lock going on? Not sure if he is worth the slot outside the combo with a sac outlet. And even then, it's only one opponent.
- Wear // Tear is imo very good removal
- You could consider Earnest Fellowship. I've found it very good protection for Kaalia. Also Dragon Tempest ain't bad haste-outlet which you don't have too many.
Thanks for the reply, and suggestions.
When I have played it I seem to run out of gas, and wouldn't mind adding more creatures. I have looked at card like Dragon Tenpest but I think I would have to be exclusively dragons for it work right?
I also would be ok with ditching the reanimate on theme. The reason I had cards like that is to either get my guys back, or take theirs that die. I seem to be a target so being more aggressive is fine.
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Currently playing: MODERN BRG Jund WU Control UBRG Dredge BG Elves G Tron
Affinity
Building: WR Boros Burn UB Tezzerator
I also play Legacy, and EDH. Follow me at MTGPackFoils on Twitter.
I am looking for some help with tuning the deck and have most of the standard pieces mentioned in both the Multi and 1v1 primers, however I am struggling to compete with token decks and combo decks.
I am wondering what the general opinion is for keeping those decks at bay?
I run board wipes and MLD and I still cannot seem to keep them at bay, even with taking them out first.
I am looking for some help with tuning the deck and have most of the standard pieces mentioned in both the Multi and 1v1 primers, however I am struggling to compete with token decks and combo decks.
I am wondering what the general opinion is for keeping those decks at bay?
I run board wipes and MLD and I still cannot seem to keep them at bay, even with taking them out first.
Any ideas?
In addition to Wrath sorceries, there's also Steel Hellkite and Balefire Dragon, both of which can help deal with decks when they've gone wide. Rakdos the Defiler can also help, but I'm not a huge fan of it since it's usually only good for 1, maybe 2 attacks after the first time you cheat its trigger. Magus of the Moat is also good for stopping a lot of decks from attacking while still letting almost all of your relevant attackers keep attacking.
I don't have much advise for dealing with Combo players, sadly. Hopefully someone else with more experience can help with that
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Decks
Modern: UWUW Control UBRGrixis Shadow URIzzet Phoenix
I am looking for some help with tuning the deck and have most of the standard pieces mentioned in both the Multi and 1v1 primers, however I am struggling to compete with token decks and combo decks.
I am wondering what the general opinion is for keeping those decks at bay?
I run board wipes and MLD and I still cannot seem to keep them at bay, even with taking them out first.
Any ideas?
In addition to Wrath sorceries, there's also Steel Hellkite and Balefire Dragon, both of which can help deal with decks when they've gone wide. Rakdos the Defiler can also help, but I'm not a huge fan of it since it's usually only good for 1, maybe 2 attacks after the first time you cheat its trigger. Magus of the Moat is also good for stopping a lot of decks from attacking while still letting almost all of your relevant attackers keep attacking.
I don't have much advise for dealing with Combo players, sadly. Hopefully someone else with more experience can help with that
I have all of those except for Magus of the Moat.
I will try to track one down and see if that is of any help.
Combo is my worst enemy with this deck. I've invested quite a lot into the deck and it just can't seem to beat combo no matter how delicately I play around the combos.
I will post a deck list shortly with what I have built.
Essentially my trouble is infinite combos. My play group plays Arcum, Oloro, Brago, Azusa, Rafiq, Ruhan and Niv Miz.
I usually end up either flooding out or losing steam and having to stop dead in my tracks.
In my experience Kaalia will not beat combo unless you can just focus them and kill them turn 3-4 with Master of Cruelties. If there is only one combo player at the table I will just focus all my attacks on them until they die or win. You can also try to get the other players to gang up on them too. If you're up against three combo decks... good luck.
You could also try things like Pyroblast/Red Elemental Blast to fight through counters or counter blue based combo. There are also things like Sadistic Sacrament/Jester's Cap to pre-emptively remove their combo win conditions assuming its just a couple cards and not 20 different ways to make infinite mana. If there is one specific card you are losing too you could even try Nevermore. If it is graveyard based combo Rest in Peace works wonders. If they are storming out you can add Eidolon of Rhetoric/Rule of Law. Stop people tutoring for the win with Stranglehold/Aven Mindcensor.
Kaalia was one of my first decks in commander and I still have it assembled but honestly feel it is my worst deck. Aggro has it rough in commander and Kaalia is too fragile compared to some of the other aggro options.
In my experience Kaalia will not beat combo unless you can just focus them and kill them turn 3-4 with Master of Cruelties. If there is only one combo player at the table I will just focus all my attacks on them until they die or win. You can also try to get the other players to gang up on them too. If you're up against three combo decks... good luck.
You could also try things like Pyroblast/Red Elemental Blast to fight through counters or counter blue based combo. There are also things like Sadistic Sacrament/Jester's Cap to pre-emptively remove their combo win conditions assuming its just a couple cards and not 20 different ways to make infinite mana. If there is one specific card you are losing too you could even try Nevermore. If it is graveyard based combo Rest in Peace works wonders. If they are storming out you can add Eidolon of Rhetoric/Rule of Law. Stop people tutoring for the win with Stranglehold/Aven Mindcensor.
Kaalia was one of my first decks in commander and I still have it assembled but honestly feel it is my worst deck. Aggro has it rough in commander and Kaalia is too fragile compared to some of the other aggro options.
I am a little dissapointed that you have not had much luck with the deck. I have not either, but was hoping I could could make it to compete.
Here are some thoughts. I don't think this will help you beat combo in general but it will bring down the CMC a bit and give you a combo of your own in Aggravated Assault + Sword of Feast and Famine. It also gives you a third way to blow up all lands and come out unscathed with Faith's Reward (adding to Boros Charm and Avacyn, Angel of Hope). You are woefully short on draw effects other than Necropotence which is addmittedly great. Are you just tutoring it first every game? Also I'd recommend Ravages of War but it is $$$. Maybe they will reprint it soon. I also like the look of Hour of Revelation from the new set.
Also you are running 38 land, you could easily go down to 35-36 in my opinion. Maybe even more and add some more 2 cmc mana rocks to accelerate into a turn 3 Kaalia.
Here are some thoughts. I don't think this will help you beat combo in general but it will bring down the CMC a bit and give you a combo of your own in Aggravated Assault + Sword of Feast and Famine. It also gives you a third way to blow up all lands and come out unscathed with Faith's Reward (adding to Boros Charm and Avacyn, Angel of Hope). You are woefully short on draw effects other than Necropotence which is addmittedly great. Are you just tutoring it first every game? Also I'd recommend Ravages of War but it is $$$. Maybe they will reprint it soon. I also like the look of Hour of Revelation from the new set.
Also you are running 38 land, you could easily go down to 35-36 in my opinion. Maybe even more and add some more 2 cmc mana rocks to accelerate into a turn 3 Kaalia.
Those are some good suggestions, I do not mind getting Ravages of War, they made a Judge Promo reprint that is not too bad compared to some of the other cards in the deck.
I already have a Sword of Feast and Famine and was considering using it, but had not made the decision to do so yet. I have the following cards also I can try,
I will see if I can locate the other suggested cards and give them a whirl. I can also remove the two scry lands and see how that works, and maybe add in a couple more mana ramp spells and lower my overall casting cost.
In my experience Kaalia will not beat combo unless you can just focus them and kill them turn 3-4 with Master of Cruelties. If there is only one combo player at the table I will just focus all my attacks on them until they die or win. You can also try to get the other players to gang up on them too. If you're up against three combo decks... good luck.
You could also try things like Pyroblast/Red Elemental Blast to fight through counters or counter blue based combo. There are also things like Sadistic Sacrament/Jester's Cap to pre-emptively remove their combo win conditions assuming its just a couple cards and not 20 different ways to make infinite mana. If there is one specific card you are losing too you could even try Nevermore. If it is graveyard based combo Rest in Peace works wonders. If they are storming out you can add Eidolon of Rhetoric/Rule of Law. Stop people tutoring for the win with Stranglehold/Aven Mindcensor.
Kaalia was one of my first decks in commander and I still have it assembled but honestly feel it is my worst deck. Aggro has it rough in commander and Kaalia is too fragile compared to some of the other aggro options.
As a very competitive player with three cEDH decks that I play now (Yisan Combo, Memnarch Combo, and Teferi Stax), I will comment that any way that you can limit or destroy mana sources, things that Mardu is VERY good at, than you will have a fair chance of winning the game. Kaalia is uniquely suited for this role because once she's out in play, you can ignore your mana base entirely and just drop in creatures to deal enough combat damage. In analyzing the cEDH scene, or generally top tier strategies, there are two basic methods of ramp that are most effective in winning. Creature based ramp, a la Birds of Paradise and co., or mana rocks. Destroying these will give you a strong advantage against the top-Tier decks. Combine that with a very strong creature removal package, which is a natural strategy to clear the skies for Kaalia anyways, and the deck nearly builds itself. I would suggest starting off with a strong artifact removal suite, perhaps something like this:
There's a ton of sweet synergies here and the cards I hate above all in this list are Cursed Totem and Pithing Needle. They are stupidly hard to fight against with the lists I play, and by the time I've spent resources trying to solve those problems which seriously hinder my game plan, my wife has cast Kaalia and is dropping something stupid into play and pressuring my life total. It's a very, very strong list that brutalizes creature decks and blue-based combo decks, hard.
I have made some suggested adjustments and will update after testing tomorrow. I play tested today a little and it worked better. I have a Ravages of War on order, and will be expecting that within a week or so. I lowered the overall cost of cards to play by a bit and that seemed to help.
I will update tomorrow afternoon after the tournament.
@MagicMasterJr
All competitive EDH decks keep their CMC low, so anything you can do to shave the CMC of your deck will help your deck get streamlined. Fast Mana and compact CMC's pretty much make cEDH what it is. I think that Kaalia hate-bears/Stax/MLD, fast mana, and the natural suite of heavy hitting Angels, Demons, and Dragons that are normally played could be cEDH material. It won't be Ad Nauseam material, of course, but I think redesigning the main-deck to include hate-bears and Stax elements might bump her up to the higher Tiers.
@MagicMasterJr
All competitive EDH decks keep their CMC low, so anything you can do to shave the CMC of your deck will help your deck get streamlined. Fast Mana and compact CMC's pretty much make cEDH what it is. I think that Kaalia hate-bears/Stax/MLD, fast mana, and the natural suite of heavy hitting Angels, Demons, and Dragons that are normally played could be cEDH material. It won't be Ad Nauseam material, of course, but I think redesigning the main-deck to include hate-bears and Stax elements might bump her up to the higher Tiers.
I am not sure if that stax would be fast enough to kill the combo players off first? I do have some hate bears and some stax cards, but am not really sure how I would go about building the Kaalia deck without diluting its raw power and effectiveness....
Stax effects are inherently game-slowing, so you are correct in that they won't be fast enough to kill the combo players first. But that's not the point. Usually, the highly efficient combo decks are very, very tight on their resources. They literally need every card to be a mana source, card draw, or protection so that they can execute their combo. Any stax effect strains these resources to the point where it takes them several turns to assemble the correct amount of resources to execute their combo. During those turns where their lands are gone, they can only play one spell per turn, that is where Kaalia shines.
Kaalia doesn't need lands to cast spells; she is the mana engine for the deck by circumventing the mana cost of Angels, Demons, and Dragons entirely. If you play a Thaalia, Guardian of Thraben, it might slow your ability to play removal spells, but for the storm player or combo player who needs to play 2-3 cards simultaneously on their turn, adding an additional 2 for those spells is back-breaking and locks them out of executing their combo. Further, some of the Angels, Demons, and Dragons that are played are very disruptive pieces by themselves.
Consider this line of play, which I don't think to be unreasonable: T1 Fetch-land for a Scrubland into Mana Crypt into a Eidolon of Rhetoric. The combo players (who have fast mana as part of their decks) can now only play one spell per turn. Their best line of play could be a T1 Mana Crypt or Sol Ring, so that's what they do. On our next turn, we play a land and cast Kaalia of the Vast. They match our Kaalia play by casting a Tutor in order to find the combo pieces they need or, better yet, a piece of removal for the Eidolon of Rhetoric. The fact that they can only play a single spell per turn is slowing them down drastically, as they would have probably been able to play fast mana AND the tutor on their T1. On our T3, we attack with Kaalia, windmill slam Iona, Shield of Emeria naming blue (since the best combo decks are blue-based), and then cast a tutor or another stax piece. The opponent now needs to deal with Iona and the Eidolon before they can even execute their game-plan.
So, now each opponent is trying to remove these threats, while you are continuing to apply ridiculous pressure to their resources and their life total. Do you begin to see the value of Stax pieces? In the example above, your opponents were drastically slowed because they needed to spend even more turns and resources to either solve the highly problematic board state. Since Ad Nauseam[/CARD} based combo decks are clearly the fastest, followed VERY closely by Food Chain decks, anything we do to pressure their life total drastically decreases their effectiveness.
I would suggest keeping about 20+ Kaalia targets, including the best ones for disruption (Sire of Insanity, Rakdos the Defiler, Iona, Shield of Emeria, etc.), adding about 5-6 additional Stax pieces, and then fast mana. Any remaining slots should be for card draw and removal. Adding in the Stax pieces won't dilute Kaalia's strength; on the contrary, I believe that will enhance the mana denial game plan that Kaalia decks are so famous for already.
Okay, I do have those two, and a few more. I used to run Grand Arbiter IV so I have most of those stax cards. I can try that game plan and see how that works and if it has the desired effects.
I will fiddle around with it and make some changes and post a new list.
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I would recommend looking at cards that require a discard cost, like Tormenting Voice, or retrace cards like Waves of Aggression / Raven's Crime.
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My EDH/Commander List:
Wedges:
Numot, the Devastator RWU
Damia, Sage of Stone GUB
Niv-Mizzet, Dracogenius
Olivia Voldaren
Which is the most aggressive route?
though if u really want to show him up, then get a Azorius deck that makes sure Kaalia stays in the command zone. That way he'll have a hand filled with ADDs and no way to cast them
1x Temple of Malice
1x Temple of Silence
1x Temple of Triumph
1x Shadowblood Ridge
1x Blood Crypt
1x Bojuka Bog
1x Cavern of Souls
1x Clifftop Retreat
1x Command Tower
1x Dragonskull Summit
1x Godless Shrine
1x Hall of the Bandit Lord
1x High Market
1x Homeward Path
1x Isolated Chapel
2x Mountain
1x Nomad Outpost
1x Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
1x Strip Mine
2x Swamp
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Vault of the Archangel
1x Temple of the False God
1x Orzhov Basilica
1x Boros Garrison
1x Rakdos Carnarnium
1x Wind-Scarred Crag
1x Bloodfell Caves
Enchantment (6)
1x Animate Dead
1x Greed
1x Angelic Renewal
1x Stranglehold
1x Hammer of Purphoros
1x Legion's Initiative
1x Angel of Despair
1x Angelic Arbiter
1x Angel of Serenity
1x Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1x Rakdos the Difiler
1x Baneslayer Angel
1x Bloodgift Demon
1x Sire of Insanity
1x Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
1x Grand Abolisher
1x Hellkite Tyrant
1x Steel Hellkite
1x Iona, Shield of Emeria
1x Iroas, God of Victory
1x Karmic Guide
1x Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1x Lord of the Void
1x Magus of the Moat
1x Bogardan Hellkite
1x Master of Cruelties
1x Rune-Scarred Demon
1x Aurelia, the Warleader
1x Stoneforge Mystic
1x Dragon Mage
1x Akroma, Angel of Wrath
Sorcery (7)
1x Akroma's Vengeance
1x Armageddon
1x Catastrophe
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Merciless Eviction
1x Dreadbore
1x Reforge the Soul
1x Boros Signet
1x Coldsteel Heart
1x Sword of Light and Shadow
1x Lightning Greaves
1x Mind Stone
1x Orzhov Signet
1x Rakdos Signet
1x Sol Ring
1x Sphere of the Suns
1x Swiftfoot Boots
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Talisman of Indulgence
1x Whip of Erebos
1x Sunforger
1x Fellwar Stone
Instant (11)
1x Boros Charm
1x Chaos Warp
1x Enlightened Tutor
1x Cloudshift
1x Mortify
1x Path to Exile
1x Rakdos Charm
1x Swords to Plowshares
1x Utter End
1x Wear / Tear
1x Hero's Downfall
Here's my decklist. I took some things from the main post and your updated list and tweaked a few things. There are some budget cards in there (the dual Khans lifelands will be swapped for the Shadowmoor lands), but I built it around my playgroup that deals with a bit of removal and threat presence.
I do have a question though, why no Aurelia in your list?
Also, I'm considering swapping out SoFaI to some more budgety, would love suggestions for that and any to my list.
Lymphoma Cancer Survivor!
RGWMayael the AnimaRGW
UBRMarchesa, the Black RoseUBR
Modern Decks
RGWNaya BurnRGW
Here is the list:
1 Kaalia of the Vast
Artifacts
1 Boros Signet
1 Charcoal Diamond
1 Defense Grid
1 Fire Diamond
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Marble Diamond
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Quicksilver Amulet
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Sensei's Diving Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Talisman of Indulgence
Creatures
1 Angel of Despair
1 Archangel of Thune
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Balefire Dragon
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Disciple of Bolas
1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Hellkite Tyrant
1 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
1 Karmic Guide
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Lord of the Void
1 Mother of Runes
1 Rakdos the Defiler
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Scourge of Kher Ridges
1 Sire of Insanity
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Sun Titan
1 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Yosei, the Morning Star
Enchantments
1 Animate Dead
1 Legion's Initiative
1 Necromancy
1 Phyrexian Arena
1 Stranglehold
Instants
1 Boros Charm
1 Chaos Warp
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Path to Exile
1 Return to Dust
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Tithe
1 Unexpectedly Absent
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Armageddon
1 Ashes to Ashes
1 Cataclysm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Merciless Eviction
1 Night's Whisper
1 Obzedat's Aid
1 Reanimate
1 Rise from the Grave
1 Vindicate
Lands
1 Arid Mesa
1 Badlands
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Boseiji, Who Shelters All
1 Cavern of Souls
1 City of Brass
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Command Tower
1 Fetid Heath
1 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Godless Shrine
1 Graven Cairns
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Homeward Path
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Marsh Flats
1 Phyrexian Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Scrubland
1 Strip Mine
1 Plateau
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 Swap
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Aurelia's Fury
1 Blinding Angel
1 Castigate
1 Duress
1 Hymn to Tourach
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Jeweled Amulet
1 Master of Cruelties
1 Nefaros, Overlord of Grixis
1 Orzhov Charm
1 Rix Maadi, Dungeon Palace
1 Wrecking Ball
1 (open slot)
MODERN
BRG Jund
WU Control
UBRG Dredge
BG Elves
G Tron
Affinity
Building:
WR Boros Burn
UB Tezzerator
I also play Legacy, and EDH. Follow me at MTGPackFoils on Twitter.
Thanks for the reply, and suggestions.
When I have played it I seem to run out of gas, and wouldn't mind adding more creatures. I have looked at card like Dragon Tenpest but I think I would have to be exclusively dragons for it work right?
I also would be ok with ditching the reanimate on theme. The reason I had cards like that is to either get my guys back, or take theirs that die. I seem to be a target so being more aggressive is fine.
MODERN
BRG Jund
WU Control
UBRG Dredge
BG Elves
G Tron
Affinity
Building:
WR Boros Burn
UB Tezzerator
I also play Legacy, and EDH. Follow me at MTGPackFoils on Twitter.
The haste part works on any creature with flying. Almost all Angels/Demons have flying
MODERN
BRG Jund
WU Control
UBRG Dredge
BG Elves
G Tron
Affinity
Building:
WR Boros Burn
UB Tezzerator
I also play Legacy, and EDH. Follow me at MTGPackFoils on Twitter.
I am looking for some help with tuning the deck and have most of the standard pieces mentioned in both the Multi and 1v1 primers, however I am struggling to compete with token decks and combo decks.
I am wondering what the general opinion is for keeping those decks at bay?
I run board wipes and MLD and I still cannot seem to keep them at bay, even with taking them out first.
Any ideas?
I don't have much advise for dealing with Combo players, sadly. Hopefully someone else with more experience can help with that
Modern:
UWUW Control
UBRGrixis Shadow
URIzzet Phoenix
I have all of those except for Magus of the Moat.
I will try to track one down and see if that is of any help.
Combo is my worst enemy with this deck. I've invested quite a lot into the deck and it just can't seem to beat combo no matter how delicately I play around the combos.
Essentially my trouble is infinite combos. My play group plays Arcum, Oloro, Brago, Azusa, Rafiq, Ruhan and Niv Miz.
I usually end up either flooding out or losing steam and having to stop dead in my tracks.
You could also try things like Pyroblast/Red Elemental Blast to fight through counters or counter blue based combo. There are also things like Sadistic Sacrament/Jester's Cap to pre-emptively remove their combo win conditions assuming its just a couple cards and not 20 different ways to make infinite mana. If there is one specific card you are losing too you could even try Nevermore. If it is graveyard based combo Rest in Peace works wonders. If they are storming out you can add Eidolon of Rhetoric/Rule of Law. Stop people tutoring for the win with Stranglehold/Aven Mindcensor.
Kaalia was one of my first decks in commander and I still have it assembled but honestly feel it is my worst deck. Aggro has it rough in commander and Kaalia is too fragile compared to some of the other aggro options.
Retired Lists: Ghave - Hanna - Thrun - Zur
Pauper: Crypt Rats
I am a little dissapointed that you have not had much luck with the deck. I have not either, but was hoping I could could make it to compete.
Here is my deck list:
1 Kaalia of the Vast
Creature:
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Linvala, Keeper of the Silence
1 Karmic Guide
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Aurelia, the Warleader
1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
1 Angel of Serenity
1 Tariel, Reckoner of Souls
1 Angelic Arbiter
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Ob Nixxilis, Unshackled
1 Rakdos the Defiler
1 Sire of Insanity
1 Rakdos, Lord of Riots
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Balefire Dragon
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Malfegor
1 Hoard-Smelter Dragon
1 Stoneforge Mystic
Instant:
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Bathe in Light
1 Dawn Charm
1 Boros Charm
1 Return to Dust
1 Orim's Thunder
1 Chaos Warp
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
Sorcery:
1 Gamble
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Diabolic Tutor
1 Dark Petition
1 Wrath of God
1 Damnation
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Insurrection
1 Armageddon
1 Jokulhaups
1 Obliterate
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Quicksilver Amulet
1 Defense Grid
1 Hammer of Purphoros
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Chrome Mox
1 Mana Crypt
1 1 Sol Ring
1 Grim Monolith
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Boros Signet
Enchantment:
1 Legion's Initiative
1 Dragon Tempest
1 Necropotence
1 Stranglehold
1 Berserker's Onslaught
1 Animate Dead
Land:
1 Mana Confluence
1 Command Tower
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Blood Crypt
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Godless Shrine
1 Temple of Triumph
1 Temple of Silence
1 Plateau
1 Badlands
1 Scrublands
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Graven Cairns
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Flooded Strand
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
1 Arid Mesa
1 Marsh Flats
1 Slayers Stronghold
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Homeward Path
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep
2 Plains
2 Swamp
1 Mountain
Let me know of any improvements, substitutions or what not that you would suggest.
You could also Add Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker + Zealous Conscripts for another combo win. Hey if you can't beat them, join them, right?
Also you are running 38 land, you could easily go down to 35-36 in my opinion. Maybe even more and add some more 2 cmc mana rocks to accelerate into a turn 3 Kaalia.
1 Faith's Reward
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Crackling Doom
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Painful Truths
1 Vindicate
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Aggravated Assault
1 Gisela, the Broken Blade
1 Archangel of Thune
1 Catastrophe
1 Vandalblast
1 Tariel, Reckoner of Souls
1 Angelic Arbiter
1 Malfegor
1 Orim's Thunder
1 Bathe in Light
1 Dawn Charm
1 Akroma's Vengeance
1 Insurrection
1 Obliterate
1 Berserkers' Onslaught
1 Hammer of Purphoros
1 Whip of Erebos
1 Darksteel Plate
Retired Lists: Ghave - Hanna - Thrun - Zur
Pauper: Crypt Rats
Those are some good suggestions, I do not mind getting Ravages of War, they made a Judge Promo reprint that is not too bad compared to some of the other cards in the deck.
I already have a Sword of Feast and Famine and was considering using it, but had not made the decision to do so yet. I have the following cards also I can try,
I will see if I can locate the other suggested cards and give them a whirl. I can also remove the two scry lands and see how that works, and maybe add in a couple more mana ramp spells and lower my overall casting cost.
As a very competitive player with three cEDH decks that I play now (Yisan Combo, Memnarch Combo, and Teferi Stax), I will comment that any way that you can limit or destroy mana sources, things that Mardu is VERY good at, than you will have a fair chance of winning the game. Kaalia is uniquely suited for this role because once she's out in play, you can ignore your mana base entirely and just drop in creatures to deal enough combat damage. In analyzing the cEDH scene, or generally top tier strategies, there are two basic methods of ramp that are most effective in winning. Creature based ramp, a la Birds of Paradise and co., or mana rocks. Destroying these will give you a strong advantage against the top-Tier decks. Combine that with a very strong creature removal package, which is a natural strategy to clear the skies for Kaalia anyways, and the deck nearly builds itself. I would suggest starting off with a strong artifact removal suite, perhaps something like this:
1 By Force
1 Rakdos Charm
1 Hellkite Tyrant
1 Vindicate
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Council's Judgment
1 Nahiri, the Harbinger
Then, add some mass land destruction with:
1 Cataclysm
1 Ravages of War
Finally, a strong punisher theme would be useful as well:
1 Rakdos, the Defiler
1 Spiteful Visions
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Overwhelming Splendor
I'll post my wife's optimized list below for reference.
1 Kaalia of the Vast
Her Forces from Above and Below (25)
1 Grand Abolisher
1 Academy Rector
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Bloodgift Demon
1 Master of Cruelties
1 Karmic Guide
1 Hellkite Tyrant
1 Sire of Insanity
1 Admonition Angel
1 Sun Titan
1 Aurelia, the Warleader
1 Kothophed, Soul Hoarder
1 Rakdos the Defiler
1 Harvester of Souls
1 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
1 Angel of Despair
1 Lord of the Void
1 Balefire Dragon
1 Angel of Serenity
1 Scourge of Kher Ridges
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Razaketh, the Foulblooded
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
Her Magicks (9)
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Path to Exile
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Rakdos Charm
1 Crackling Doom
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Vandalblast
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mizzium Mortars
1 Council's Judgment
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Vindicate
1 Painful Truths
1 Armageddon
1 Cataclysm
1 Ravages of War
1 Damnation
Her Enchantments (6)
1 Dragon Tempest
1 Necropotence
1 Spiteful Visions
1 True Conviction
1 Stranglehold
1 Overwhelming Splendor
Her Advisor (1)
1 Nahiri, the Harbinger
Her Artifacts (14)
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Diamond
1 Sol Ring
1 Pithing Needle
1 Grim Monolith
1 Talisman of Indulgence
1 Coldsteel Heart
1 Rakdos Signet
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Boros Signet
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Defense Grid
1 Cursed Totem
Her Realms (34)
1 Nomad Outpost
1 Reflecting Pool
1 Command Tower
1 Forbidden Orchard
1 Badlands
1 Scrubland
1 Plateau
1 Blood Crypt
1 Godless Shrine
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Dragonskull Summit
1 Clifftop Retreat
1 Isolated Chapel
1 Rugged Prairie
1 Fetid Heath
1 Graven Cairns
1 Caves of Koilos
1 Battlefield Forge
1 Sulfurous Springs
1 Orzhov Basilica
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Hall of the Bandit Lord
1 Vault of the Archangel
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Homeward Path
1 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Mountain
1 Arid Mesa
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Marsh Flats
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
There's a ton of sweet synergies here and the cards I hate above all in this list are Cursed Totem and Pithing Needle. They are stupidly hard to fight against with the lists I play, and by the time I've spent resources trying to solve those problems which seriously hinder my game plan, my wife has cast Kaalia and is dropping something stupid into play and pressuring my life total. It's a very, very strong list that brutalizes creature decks and blue-based combo decks, hard.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I will update tomorrow afternoon after the tournament.
All competitive EDH decks keep their CMC low, so anything you can do to shave the CMC of your deck will help your deck get streamlined. Fast Mana and compact CMC's pretty much make cEDH what it is. I think that Kaalia hate-bears/Stax/MLD, fast mana, and the natural suite of heavy hitting Angels, Demons, and Dragons that are normally played could be cEDH material. It won't be Ad Nauseam material, of course, but I think redesigning the main-deck to include hate-bears and Stax elements might bump her up to the higher Tiers.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I am not sure if that stax would be fast enough to kill the combo players off first? I do have some hate bears and some stax cards, but am not really sure how I would go about building the Kaalia deck without diluting its raw power and effectiveness....
Kaalia doesn't need lands to cast spells; she is the mana engine for the deck by circumventing the mana cost of Angels, Demons, and Dragons entirely. If you play a Thaalia, Guardian of Thraben, it might slow your ability to play removal spells, but for the storm player or combo player who needs to play 2-3 cards simultaneously on their turn, adding an additional 2 for those spells is back-breaking and locks them out of executing their combo. Further, some of the Angels, Demons, and Dragons that are played are very disruptive pieces by themselves.
Consider this line of play, which I don't think to be unreasonable: T1 Fetch-land for a Scrubland into Mana Crypt into a Eidolon of Rhetoric. The combo players (who have fast mana as part of their decks) can now only play one spell per turn. Their best line of play could be a T1 Mana Crypt or Sol Ring, so that's what they do. On our next turn, we play a land and cast Kaalia of the Vast. They match our Kaalia play by casting a Tutor in order to find the combo pieces they need or, better yet, a piece of removal for the Eidolon of Rhetoric. The fact that they can only play a single spell per turn is slowing them down drastically, as they would have probably been able to play fast mana AND the tutor on their T1. On our T3, we attack with Kaalia, windmill slam Iona, Shield of Emeria naming blue (since the best combo decks are blue-based), and then cast a tutor or another stax piece. The opponent now needs to deal with Iona and the Eidolon before they can even execute their game-plan.
So, now each opponent is trying to remove these threats, while you are continuing to apply ridiculous pressure to their resources and their life total. Do you begin to see the value of Stax pieces? In the example above, your opponents were drastically slowed because they needed to spend even more turns and resources to either solve the highly problematic board state. Since Ad Nauseam[/CARD} based combo decks are clearly the fastest, followed VERY closely by Food Chain decks, anything we do to pressure their life total drastically decreases their effectiveness.
I would suggest keeping about 20+ Kaalia targets, including the best ones for disruption (Sire of Insanity, Rakdos the Defiler, Iona, Shield of Emeria, etc.), adding about 5-6 additional Stax pieces, and then fast mana. Any remaining slots should be for card draw and removal. Adding in the Stax pieces won't dilute Kaalia's strength; on the contrary, I believe that will enhance the mana denial game plan that Kaalia decks are so famous for already.
UB Dralnu, Lich Lord
RBW [Primer]-Kaalia of the Vast
BUG [Primer]-Tasigur, the Golden Fang
GWU [Primer]-Arcades, the Strategist
WUB Primer-Aminatou, the Fateshifter
UBR Nicol Bolas, the Ravager
I will fiddle around with it and make some changes and post a new list.