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    Kaalia of the Vast
    Commander Guide

    Kaalia of the Vast Commander Deck Guide

    B manaR manaW mana

    Kaalia of the Vast puts an Angel, Demon, or Dragon from your hand onto the battlefield attacking whenever she attacks an opponent.

    Last updated: October 20262 min read

    What Kaalia of the Vast does

    Kaalia of the Vast puts an Angel, Demon, or Dragon from your hand onto the battlefield attacking whenever she attacks an opponent.

    She costs {1}{R}{W}{B}, has flying, and turns each attack into a chance to deploy another creature without paying its mana cost. The creature enters tapped and attacking the same opponent, so choosing where Kaalia attacks also determines where your new threat goes. You don't need her to deal combat damage to get the trigger.

    The appeal is getting to play expensive creatures while spending your mana on setup and interaction instead. That creates a clear balancing act: you need enough eligible creatures in hand, enough colored mana to cast Kaalia, and a realistic opportunity to attack. Loading up on threats alone won't solve all three. Her ability is optional, too, so you can hold a creature back when committing more to the battlefield looks risky. Players who enjoy creature-heavy combat with meaningful sequencing decisions have plenty to work with here.

    How Kaalia of the Vast plays

    Early on, establish access to red, white, and black mana. Sol Ring helps cover generic costs, while Arcane Signet supplies any of your commander's colors. Keep an opening hand that develops mana rather than one filled only with creatures you hope Kaalia will deploy.

    In the mid game, cast Kaalia and look for an attack that won't simply lose her to a blocker. Have an eligible creature ready in hand. Use Swords to Plowshares or Path to Exile when a creature is obstructing that plan.

    The main route to winning is repeated combat pressure: attack, add another threat, and force opponents to answer your growing battlefield. Keep something in reserve rather than committing everything at once.

    Build Kaalia of the Vast from your collection

    The builder starts with Kaalia of the Vast as your commander and fills the 99 from cards you own.

    Build Kaalia of the Vast from your collection

    Key staples

    Synergy pieces

    • Karmic Guide

      Karmic Guide

      Appears in both builds, but no oracle text was supplied to establish its specific role.

    • Faithless Looting

      Faithless Looting

      A shared inclusion in both builds; its effect and sequencing can't be described from the supplied text.

    • Night's Whisper

      Night's Whisper

      Included in both builds, though its missing oracle text prevents a supported description of what it does here.

    • Entomb

      Entomb

      Puts any card from your library into your graveyard; with Anger in your list, it can set up haste.

    • Anger

      Anger

      Gives your creatures haste from the graveyard while you control a Mountain, letting a newly cast Kaalia attack.

    • Damn

      Damn

      Destroys one creature normally, or each creature for {2}{W}{W}, giving you targeted removal or a full creature reset.

    • Buried Alive

      Buried Alive

      Loads your graveyard with up to three creature cards; Anger is a useful choice if you're running it.

    Staples in these colors

    • Sol Ring

      Sol Ring

      Produces two colorless mana to accelerate setup, but doesn't cover Kaalia's red, white, or black requirements.

    • Arcane Signet

      Arcane Signet

      Produces red, white, or black mana, helping you assemble Kaalia's three colored requirements.

    • Swords to Plowshares

      Swords to Plowshares

      Exiles a troublesome creature, including a potential blocker, at the cost of giving its controller life equal to its power.

    • Path to Exile

      Path to Exile

      Exiles a creature obstructing your attack, though its controller may get a tapped basic land.

    • Fellwar Stone

      Fellwar Stone

      Adds a color an opponent's land could produce; check the available colors before counting on it to fix Kaalia's mana.

    Card images and card data courtesy of Scryfall. Magic: The Gathering is © Wizards of the Coast. ManaBuilder is unaffiliated with Wizards of the Coast.

    The numbers

    • 8 Draw
    • 15 Ramp
    • 36 Lands
    • 28 Theme
    • 2 Wipes
    • 10 Removal
    • 1 Commander

    Draw

    Count
    8

    Ramp

    Count
    15

    Lands

    Count
    36

    Theme

    Count
    28

    Wipes

    Count
    2

    Removal

    Count
    10

    Commander

    Count
    1

    Reference build for Kaalia of the Vast: 100 cards including the commander.

    Sample decks

    Budget build (~$47)

    The budget build gives you a broad creature selection, including Lathliss, Dragon Queen, Drakuseth, Maw of Flames, and Lyra Dawnbringer. Build your opening turns around Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, and Fellwar Stone, then attack with Kaalia while keeping an eligible creature in hand. Anger offers a concrete haste setup: once it's in your graveyard and you control a Mountain, Kaalia can attack the turn she enters. Don't count on Entomb or Buried Alive to arrange that here; neither appears in this list. Swords to Plowshares and Path to Exile can remove problematic creatures before combat. Preserve a follow-up hand instead of deploying everything.

    Decklist · 100 cards

    Commander (1)

    • 1 Kaalia of the Vast

    Artifacts (15)

    • 1 Sol Ring
    • 1 Arcane Signet
    • 1 Fellwar Stone
    • 1 Boros Signet
    • 1 Rakdos Signet
    • 1 Orzhov Signet
    • 1 Talisman of Indulgence
    • 1 Talisman of Hierarchy
    • 1 Talisman of Conviction
    • 1 Mind Stone
    • 1 Wayfarer's Bauble
    • 1 Key to the City
    • 1 Conqueror's Flail
    • 1 Mask of Memory
    • 1 Tome of Legends

    Creatures (26)

    • 1 Lathliss, Dragon Queen
    • 1 Drakuseth, Maw of Flames
    • 1 Scourge of the Throne
    • 1 Atsushi, the Blazing Sky
    • 1 Junji, the Midnight Sky
    • 1 Steel Hellkite
    • 1 Taurean Mauler
    • 1 Archfiend of Ifnir
    • 1 Archfiend of Depravity
    • 1 Angel of the Ruins
    • 1 Karmic Guide
    • 1 Luminous Broodmoth
    • 1 Sunscorch Regent
    • 1 Lyra Dawnbringer
    • 1 Emeria Shepherd
    • 1 Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
    • 1 Firemane Commando
    • 1 Exemplar of Light
    • 1 Anger
    • 1 Bastion Protector
    • 1 Selfless Spirit
    • 1 Guardian of Faith
    • 1 Mangara, the Diplomat
    • 1 Giada, Font of Hope
    • 1 Chainer, Nightmare Adept
    • 1 Feldon of the Third Path

    Enchantments (1)

    • 1 Rising of the Day

    Instants (9)

    • 1 Blacksmith's Skill
    • 1 Big Score
    • 1 Thrill of Possibility
    • 1 Swords to Plowshares
    • 1 Path to Exile
    • 1 Generous Gift
    • 1 Chaos Warp
    • 1 Terminate
    • 1 Stroke of Midnight

    Sorceries (12)

    • 1 Faithless Looting
    • 1 Night's Whisper
    • 1 Painful Truths
    • 1 Syphon Mind
    • 1 Victimize
    • 1 Persist
    • 1 Dread Return
    • 1 Feed the Swarm
    • 1 Vindicate
    • 1 Blasphemous Act
    • 1 Austere Command
    • 1 Crux of Fate

    Lands (36)

    • 1 Command Tower
    • 1 Exotic Orchard
    • 1 Path of Ancestry
    • 1 Nomad Outpost
    • 1 Clifftop Retreat
    • 1 Dragonskull Summit
    • 1 Isolated Chapel
    • 1 Battlefield Forge
    • 1 Caves of Koilos
    • 1 Sulfurous Springs
    • 1 Rugged Prairie
    • 1 Fetid Heath
    • 1 Smoldering Marsh
    • 1 Foreboding Ruins
    • 1 Furycalm Snarl
    • 1 Shineshadow Snarl
    • 1 Canyon Slough
    • 1 Fabled Passage
    • 1 Ash Barrens
    • 1 Bojuka Bog
    • 1 Rogue's Passage
    • 1 Slayers' Stronghold
    • 1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
    • 6 Plains
    • 3 Swamp
    • 4 Mountain
    Build this from your collection

    Upgraded build (~$495)

    The upgraded build retains Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, and Fellwar Stone, while adding Entomb, Buried Alive, and Damn. Separate your hand plan from your graveyard plan: Kaalia deploys creatures only from your hand, so putting a card into your graveyard doesn't make it available to her trigger. Anger isn't in this list, so the supplied graveyard tutors don't establish that haste setup without a change. Use Damn on one obstructing creature when you're ahead; overload it when a full reset is worth losing your own creatures. Despite the higher supplied budget, judge opening hands by colored mana and a workable Kaalia attack, not by their individual card names.

    Decklist · 100 cards

    Commander (1)

    • 1 Kaalia of the Vast

    Creatures (17)

    • 1 Aurelia, the Warleader
    • 1 Goldspan Dragon
    • 1 Hellkite Tyrant
    • 1 Karmic Guide
    • 1 Mirror Entity
    • 1 Grand Abolisher
    • 1 Mother of Runes
    • 1 Dauthi Voidwalker
    • 1 Drannith Magistrate
    • 1 Professional Face-Breaker
    • 1 Blood Artist
    • 1 Mirkwood Bats
    • 1 Zulaport Cutthroat
    • 1 Gray Merchant of Asphodel
    • 1 Viscera Seer
    • 1 Academy Manufactor
    • 1 Etali, Primal Storm

    Artifacts (17)

    • 1 Sol Ring
    • 1 Arcane Signet
    • 1 Fellwar Stone
    • 1 Talisman of Indulgence
    • 1 Talisman of Hierarchy
    • 1 Talisman of Conviction
    • 1 Rakdos Signet
    • 1 Orzhov Signet
    • 1 Boros Signet
    • 1 Lightning Greaves
    • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
    • 1 Skullclamp
    • 1 Thought Vessel
    • 1 Mind Stone
    • 1 Basilisk Collar
    • 1 Panharmonicon
    • 1 Bolas's Citadel

    Instants (11)

    • 1 Dark Ritual
    • 1 Flawless Maneuver
    • 1 Boros Charm
    • 1 Silence
    • 1 Entomb
    • 1 Swords to Plowshares
    • 1 Path to Exile
    • 1 Anguished Unmaking
    • 1 Generous Gift
    • 1 Chaos Warp
    • 1 Akroma's Will

    Enchantments (5)

    • 1 Reconnaissance
    • 1 Animate Dead
    • 1 Black Market Connections
    • 1 Ghostly Prison
    • 1 Phyrexian Arena

    Sorceries (13)

    • 1 Diabolic Intent
    • 1 Buried Alive
    • 1 Reanimate
    • 1 Victimize
    • 1 Living Death
    • 1 Faithless Looting
    • 1 Night's Whisper
    • 1 Toxic Deluge
    • 1 Damn
    • 1 Blasphemous Act
    • 1 Feed the Swarm
    • 1 Vandalblast
    • 1 Exsanguinate

    Lands (36)

    • 1 Command Tower
    • 1 Exotic Orchard
    • 1 City of Brass
    • 1 Reflecting Pool
    • 1 Godless Shrine
    • 1 Blood Crypt
    • 1 Sacred Foundry
    • 1 Luxury Suite
    • 1 Spectator Seating
    • 1 Vault of Champions
    • 1 Clifftop Retreat
    • 1 Dragonskull Summit
    • 1 Isolated Chapel
    • 1 Brightclimb Pathway // Grimclimb Pathway
    • 1 Blightstep Pathway // Searstep Pathway
    • 1 Needleverge Pathway // Pillarverge Pathway
    • 1 Rugged Prairie
    • 1 Graven Cairns
    • 1 Fetid Heath
    • 1 Bloodstained Mire
    • 1 Flooded Strand
    • 1 Wooded Foothills
    • 1 Plaza of Heroes
    • 1 Arena of Glory
    • 1 Bojuka Bog
    • 1 Plains
    • 1 Swamp
    • 1 Mountain
    • 1 Reliquary Tower
    • 1 Path of Ancestry
    • 1 Rogue's Passage
    • 1 Evolving Wilds
    • 1 Terramorphic Expanse
    • 1 Myriad Landscape
    • 1 Fabled Passage
    • 1 Windswept Heath
    Build this from your collection

    Kaalia of the Vast FAQ

    Frequently Asked Questions

    No. Her ability triggers when she attacks an opponent, before combat damage. Flying helps her find attacks, but connecting isn't a requirement.
    No. It enters tapped and attacking the same opponent Kaalia attacked.
    No. Her ability uses an Angel, Demon, or Dragon creature card from your hand. Entomb and Buried Alive put cards into your graveyard, not your hand.
    No. Entering attacking isn't the same as being declared as an attacker. Keep that distinction in mind when choosing creatures for Kaalia.
    Anger must be in your graveyard, and you must control a Mountain. While both conditions are true, your creatures have haste. Anger is in the budget build, but not the upgraded build as supplied.

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