Overview:

This Kaalia of the Vast deck focuses on cheating out high-impact Angels, Demons, and Dragons via Kaalia's attack trigger, supported by aggressive combat phases and reanimation backup plans. The commander is critical to the strategy, enabling explosive turns where creatures like Master of Cruelties, Rakdos, Lord of Riots, and Gisela, Blade of Goldnight enter attacking. Secondary strategies include extra combat enablers (Aurelia, the Warleader, Moraug, Fury of Akoum), reanimation (Karmic Guide, Whip of Erebos), and a light stax package (Blind Obedience). The deck struggles with commander dependency and recovery but can pressure opponents quickly with flying beaters.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-3): Prioritize ramp (Sol Ring, signets, Thran Dynamo) and protection (Lightning Greaves, Swiftfoot Boots). Cast Kaalia by Turn 3-4.
2. Kaalia Triggers (Turns 4+): Attack immediately to cheat game-enders:
   • Master of Cruelties (instantly reduces a player to 1 life)
   • Rakdos, Lord of Riots (enables massive creature discounts)
   • Gisela, Blade of Goldnight (doubles damage output)
3. Combat Multipliers: Use Aurelia, the Warleader, Moraug, Fury of Akoum, and Full Throttle for extra attacks.
4. Recovery/Backup: Reanimate key threats with Reanimate, Karmic Guide, or Whip of Erebos if Kaalia is disrupted.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, at least 1 ramp artifact, and Kaalia protection (Greaves/Boots).
• Prioritize red sources for Sneak Attack/combat spells.
• Avoid hands with only high-CMC creatures and no ramp.

Key Tips:

• Use Masterwork of Ingenuity to clone Sunforger for instant-speed interaction.
• Sudden Spoiling can neutralize blockers or disrupt combos during combat.
• Sneak Attack provides an alternate cheat engine if Kaalia is unavailable.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Extreme reliance on Kaalia: Removal-heavy metas cripple the deck.
• Minimal card draw engines (only Phyrexian Arena, Horn of the Mark, etc.) lead to empty hands.
• No counterspells to protect against combo finishers.

Moderate

• Vulnerable to board wipes (only Semester's End and Boros Charm for protection).
• Graveyard hate (Rest in Peace) disrupts reanimation plans.

Minor

• Clunky mana base with multiple tapped lands (e.g., Boros Garrison, Myriad Landscape).
• Limited artifact/enchantment removal (only Utter End, Anguished Unmaking).

Most Important Cards:

• Kaalia of the Vast (Primary cheat engine)
• Master of Cruelties (One-shot kill enabler)
• Sneak Attack (Alternative cheat engine)
• Rakdos, Lord of Riots (Mana discount for follow-up plays)
• Lightning Greaves (Critical protection)
• Aurelia, the Warleader (Combat multiplier)
• Sunforger (Flexible interaction)
• Moraug, Fury of Akoum (Landfall combat phases)
• Boros Charm (Protection/finisher)
• Karmic Guide (Recurrence)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10
Capable of threatening lethal via Kaalia triggers as early as Turn 4 (e.g., Master of Cruelties + unblocked attack), but inconsistent without fast mana.

Resilience: 4/10
Heavily reliant on Kaalia surviving; limited recovery tools beyond reanimation and no countermagic.

Consistency: 5/10
Minimal tutors (Rune-Scarred Demon, Sunforger-fetchable spells) and card draw hinder reliability.

Interaction: 6/10
Strong targeted removal (Swords to Plowshares, Toxic Deluge) and Sunforger package, but lacks stack interaction.

Rating Justification:

The deck can threaten wins as early as Turn 4 with optimal draws but falters against interaction and lacks the redundancy/tutors of higher-tier decks. Its combat-focused plan and moderate speed align with the "Focused" tier (T7-8), adjusted downward for fragility.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0