If you are a really bad person, well... This deck is perfect for you!

> Introduction

I don't think it would be honest from me to tell you that "With this deck you'll win every single game!" or "The winning percentage is extremely high!" because you won’t always have good hands with which to start (and you’ll be forced to mulligan), instantly casting Kaalia and win in five or six turns. It is precisely for this reason that the deck I built is made up of cards that "help each other", especially to protect our Commander, target number 1 of your opponents as soon as she enters the battlefield.
Inside this deck you will find some of the most powerful Angels, Demons and Dragons that have ever been created: all these cards will serve our beautiful lady.

> Why Kaalia?

Kaalia of the Vast is my favourite card and I will always play Commander tournaments with her, even if it means facing the most difficult and annoying strategies.
I don’t want to seem superficial but when I saw this card for the first time I immediately fell in love with it and decided to spill blood and sweat and tears to create something noteworthy, and I think that this community appreciated my effort… So, thank you all!
The mai goal of this deck is to be able to cast in three or four turns Kaalia (ready to attack) and start the duel. For this reason I decided to add cards like Dragon Tempest, Swiftfoot Boots and Lightning Greaves for the "haste" skill, but not only (more on this in the following sections).
You won't have an easy life, I ensure you but, what I like about this deck is that every duel is a battle, made EPIC by every single creature on the battlefield. If you get goosebumps looking at them, you've come to the right place!

> Before We Start

Don't expect me to say "In turn 1 you have to cast this or that… because if you don’t you’ll soon lose the game!" and so on. We're not playing standard or modern; we are playing Kaalia, and Kaalia means WAR and a lot of fun (for us, of course)! This deck is designed to respond to any type of threat (you will find a good amount of “removals” and cards that have or give “protection”) both in single (with the correct adjustments keeping in mind the ban list) and multiplayer, just to hold off your opponents.
As I said earlier, the only tactic to follow is to cast Kaalia as soon as possible (always with the certainty of having her on the battlefield without limitations and ready to attack), all the rest depends on probability. You’ll find Tutors if you get stuck in unpleasant situations (if Banishing Light exiled one of our creatures you’ll need to get them back, for example searching for Return to Dust or Mortify), but the goal I always kept in mind is the following: "Try to win with what I have at my disposal without valorizing too much one card or another". It sounds like a stupid thing to say (and maybe it is), but until recently this was a strong Kaalia-dependent deck, in the sense that if Kaalia wasn’t on the battlefield or was destroyed/exiled too many times the game was practically over. It took some time but after months of work I proudly present my finished Masterpiece.
I call it “Masterpiece” because it was a project I worked on with love and dedication for a very long time, doing many tests with printed cards (to see who would have had the honor to officially join the team) and against different opponents (for example Thraximundar, Dragonlord Ojutai, Atraxa Praetors' Voice and others).
I would have liked to make a video to show you my cards for real but I think I’ll be forced to abandon the idea due to a lack of equipment: I hope this guide will be equally appreciated:)
You will find a very long list of the cards I added to the deck. All the descriptions of the following cards have been directly taken from the Gatherer, in this way you don't have to go check the effect every single time.
Thanks for the time you spent on me and on Kaalia. We wish you a good reading.

> Single Card Discussion

> Lands

• Command Beacon = If you cast Kaalia from your hand, the additional cost based on the number of times you’ve cast it from your Command Zone (called Commander Tax) doesn’t apply. Additionally, that casting won’t add to the tax if you later cast her from the Command Zone.
• Clifftop Retreat / Dragonskull Summit / Isolated Chapel = These lands check for lands you control with the land type Plains, Swamp or Mountain, not for lands named Plains, Swamp or Mountain. The lands they check for don’t have to be basic lands.
• Maze of Ith = This card can target an untapped attacking creature. It will still prevent damage in that case. The creature isn’t removed from combat; it just has its damage prevented. It’s still an attacking creature until the combat phase is complete. You can activate Maze of Ith’s ability targeting an attacking creature you control during the combat damage step or the end of combat step. It’ll be untapped and the damage it had already dealt won’t be undone.
• Shizo, Death's Storehouse = A creature with fear can't be blocked, except by artifact creatures and by creatures that are black.
• Vault of the Archangel = This card's last ability affects only creatures you control when that ability resolves. It won’t affect creatures that come under your control later in the turn. Multiple instances of deathtouch or lifelink on the same creature are redundant.

[UPDATE April 2023 | Centurion] Sundown Pass, Shattered Sanctum and Haunted Ridge --> Maze of Ith, Reliquary Tower and Nomad Outpost.

> Artifacts

• Chromatic Lantern = Lands you control won’t lose any other abilities they had. They also won’t gain or lose any land types.
• Lightning Greaves = You are not allowed to “unequip” equipment from a creature. If this card is attached to the only creature you control, you won’t be able to attach other equipment to it (or target it with anything else) until you have another creature onto which you can move Lightning Greaves.
• Sensei's Divining Top = This card's second ability may be activated in response to its first ability. If so, you’ll draw a card, put Sensei’s Divining Top on top of your library, and then look at the top three cards and rearrange them. If this card leaves the battlefield while its second ability is on the stack, you’ll draw a card and leave Sensei’s Divining Top in the zone it’s moved to.
• Swiftfoot Boots = If a creature enters the battlefield under your control and gains haste, but then loses it before attacking, it won’t be able to attack that turn: this means that you can’t use one Swiftfoot Boots to allow two new creatures to attack in the same turn.
• Sword of Feast and Famine = You’ll untap all lands you control even if the player doesn’t discard a card.
• Helm of the Host = Substitution (24/10/2021) for Quicksilver Amulet (a special thank to Taurgon for the idea!). Combo: Aurelia, the Warleader + Helm of the Host for an "additional" additional battle phase.

[UPDATE April 2023 | Centurion] Sensei's Divining Top --> Thrill of Possibility, Sol Ring --> Deflecting Palm. Helm of the Host <--> Akroma's Will, Whispersilk Cloak <--> Robe of Stars

> Enchantments

• Dragon Tempest = The two abilities aren’t mutually exclusive. If a Dragon with flying (e.g., Balefire Dragon orDrakuseth, Maw of Flames) enters the battlefield under your control, both abilities will trigger.
• Reconnaissance = One of the most useful cards that I have: it does not undo any effects which triggered on declaration of attackers or blockers. This means that if Kaalia would be blocked and destroyed by a creature, with Reconnaissance you can put a big guy onto the battlefield and remove Kaalia from attacking your opponent (keeping hera live).

[UPDATE April 2023 | Centurion] Necropotence --> Reanimate

> Instants

• Anguished Unmaking = If the nonland permanent becomes an illegal target, Anguished Unmaking doesn’t resolve. You won’t lose 3 life.
• Boros Charm = If you choose the second mode, permanents that come under your control later in the turn will not have indestructible.
• Cloudshift = Once the exiled permanent returns, it’s considered a new object with no relation to the object that it was. Auras attached to the exiled permanent will be put into their owners’ graveyards. Equipment attached to the exiled permanent will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Any counters on the exiled permanent will cease to exist. Note that the returned card won’t be the target of any spells or abilities that targeted it before. Any spells that don’t target, such as Damnation, will still affect it. This card help me a lot of times saving Kaalia from certain death!
• Path to Exile = If the targeted creature becomes an illegal target by the time Path to Exile would resolve, the entire spell doesn’t resolve. The creature’s controller won’t search for a basic land card. The controller of the exiled creature isn’t required to search their library for a basic land. If that player doesn’t, the player won’t shuffle their library.
• Swords to Plowshares = The amount of life gained is equal to the power of the targeted creature as it last existed on the battlefield. If the creature’s power is negative, its controller doesn’t lose or gain life.

[UPDATE April 2023 | Centurion] Return to Dust <--> Fiery Confluence

> Sorceries

• Demonic Tutor = You don’t reveal the card to your opponent. Note that this card is put directly into your hand, it is not drawn (just an advice: Grim Tutor is a good alternative for 1v1 matches).
• Vindicate = This card is a good alternative to Dreadbore. Even if Vindicate has a CMC = 3 and Dreadbore a CMC = 2, the first one is a better choice, in my opinion, because of the extension of the removal effect. Dreadbore is limited to only creatures and planeswalkers, while Vindicate also targets artifacts, enchantments and lands.

[UPDATE April 2023 | Centurion] Demonic Tutor --> Grim Tutor

> Creatures

• Akroma, Angel of Fury = The legend rule cares about legendary permanents with the exact same English name. You can control Akroma, Angel of Fury and Akroma, Angel of Wrath at the same time.
• Angel of Serenity = You choose the targets as part of putting the ETB (ETB stands for Enters The Battlefield) trigger on the stack. You choose up to three total targets from among other creatures on the battlefield and creature cards in graveyards. You could also choose zero targets.
• Angelic Arbiter = During your turn, Angelic Arbiter’s abilities have no effect on the game. During an opponent’s turn, that opponent may either cast spells or attack with creatures, but not both (assuming that Angelic Arbiter is on the battlefield for the entirety of that turn). The player may perform other actions, such as activating abilities and playing lands. If Angelic Arbiter leaves the battlefield during an opponent’s turn, its abilities cease to affect the game. For example, if an opponent casts Mortify to destroys Angelic Arbiter, that player may then attack with creatures. The last ability applies if an opponent attacked with at least one creature during the current turn.
• Angelic Skirmisher = You choose which ability creatures you control will gain when Angelic Skirmisher’s ability resolves. This happens before attacking creatures are declared. Only creatures you control when the ability resolves will gain the chosen ability. Creatures that come under your control later in the turn (for example thanks to Kaalia’s ability) will not gain the ability.
• Archangel of Thune = Archangel of Thune’s last ability triggers just once for each life-gaining event. Each creature with lifelink dealing combat damage causes a separate life-gaining event. For example, if two creatures you control with lifelink deal combat damage at the same time, Archangel of Thune’s last ability will trigger twice. However, if a single creature you control with lifelink deals combat damage to multiple creatures, players, and/or planeswalkers at the same time (perhaps because it has trample or was blocked by more than one creature), the ability will trigger only once. Note that if a creature you control is dealt lethal damage at the same time that you gain life, it won’t receive a counter from Archangel of Thune’s last ability in time to save it.
• Archfiend of Despair = This card’s last ability counts only how much life was lost. It doesn’t care whether a player also gained life.
• Aurelia, the Warleader = You untap all creatures you control, including ones that aren’t attacking. You don’t have to attack with any creatures during the additional combat phase. If Aurelia is put onto the battlefield attacking with Kaalia’s ability, the triggered ability won’t trigger.
• Avacyn, Angel of Hope = A permanent with indestructible can’t be destroyed (even from a creature with deathtouch), but it can still be sacrificed, exiled, put into a graveyard, and so on. Creatures with indestructible still have damage marked on them, even though that damage won’t destroy them. If Avacyn leaves the battlefield, creatures that lose indestructible and have lethal damage marked on them will be destroyed.
• Baneslayer Angel = Protection from Demons and from Dragons means the following: -- Baneslayer Angel can't be blocked by creatures with the creature type Demon or the creature type Dragon. -- Baneslayer Angel can't be targeted abilities from sources with the creature type Demon or the creature type Dragon, or by spells with either of those types. -- All damage that would be dealt to Baneslayer Angel by sources with the creature type Demon or the creature type Dragon is prevented. -- Baneslayer Angel can't be enchanted by Auras or equipped by artifacts that have somehow gotten the creature type Demon or the creature type Dragon.
• Drakuseth, Maw of Flames = You can’t choose the same target multiple times to have it be dealt 6, 7, or 10 damage.
• Gisela, Blade of Goldnight = Gisela doubles damage dealt to opponents and permanents your opponents control from any source, including sources controlled by those opponents. If damage dealt by a source you control is being divided or assigned among multiple permanents an opponent controls or among an opponent and one or more permanents they control simultaneously, divide the original amount and double the results. For example, if you attack with a 5/5 creature with trample and your opponent blocks with a 2/2 creature, you can assign 2 damage to the blocker and 3 damage to the defending player. These amounts are then doubled to 4 and 6 damage, respectively. You can’t double the damage to 10 first and then assign 2 to the creature and 8 to the player.
• Giver of Runes = Protection from a color means that the target creature can’t be blocked by creatures of that color, can’t be the target of spells of that color or abilities from sources of that color, can’t be enchanted or equipped by Auras or Equipment of that color, and all damage that sources of that color would deal to it is prevented. Nothing other than these events is prevented or illegal. Similarly, protection from colorless means that the target creature can’t be blocked by colorless creatures, can’t be the target of colorless spells or abilities of colorless sources, can’t be enchanted or equipped by colorless Auras or Equipment, and all damage that colorless sources would deal to it is prevented. A permanent gaining protection may cause a spell or ability on the stack to have an illegal target. As a spell or ability tries to resolve, if all its targets are illegal, that spell or ability doesn’t resolve. None of its effects happen, including effects unrelated to the target. If at least one target is still legal, the spell or ability does as much as it can to the remaining legal targets, and its other effects still happen.
• Grand Abolisher = This creature doesn’t stop your opponents from activating abilities of artifact, creature, or enchantment cards in zones other than the battlefield. This creature doesn’t affect triggered abilities or static abilities.
• Kaalia, Zenith Seeker = You can put up to three cards into your hand this way: one Angel card, one Demon card, and/or one Dragon card.
• Linvala, Keeper of Silence = Activated abilities contain a colon. They’re generally written “[Cost]: [Effect].” Some keywords are activated abilities and will have colons in their reminder text. No abilities of creatures your opponents control can be activated, including mana abilities. Linvala’s last ability affects only creatures on the battlefield. Activated abilities that work in other zones (such as bloodrush or unearth) can still be activated. Triggered abilities (starting with “when,” “whenever,” or “at”) are unaffected. This card can be substituted with [[Drana and Linvala]]: same CMC, + vigilance, + additional effect.
• Lord of the Void = This creature’s ability isn’t optional. If there is a creature card among the seven cards you exiled, you must put one onto the battlefield under your control.
• Master of Cruelties = An ability that triggers when something “attacks and isn’t blocked” triggers in the declare blockers step after blockers are declared if (1) that creature is attacking and (2) no creatures are declared to block it. It will trigger even if that creature was put onto the battlefield attacking rather than having been declared as an attacker in the declare attackers step. Master of Cruelties’s last ability won’t trigger if it attacks a planeswalker. Assigning no combat damage isn’t the same as preventing that damage. Effects that make damage unpreventable will have no effect if no combat damage can be assigned.
• Steel Hellkite = Steel Hellkite’s last ability destroys only nonland permanents whose converted mana cost is exactly equal to X, and only those controlled by players who have been dealt combat damage by Steel Hellkite this turn. If Steel Hellkite’s third ability is activated with X equal to 0, it will destroy each nonland permanent with converted mana cost 0 the appropriate players control. If a permanent is copying something else, its converted mana cost is the converted mana cost of whatever it’s copying. In all cases, ignore any alternative costs or additional costs (such as kicker) paid when the permanent was cast. If the mana cost of a permanent includes X (colorless), X is considered to be 0. If a nonland permanent has no mana symbols in its upper right corner (because it’s a token that’s not copying of something else, for example), its converted mana cost is 0.
• Vilis, Broker of Blood = A player loses life if they pay life. If you pay life to cast a spell or activate an ability, you don’t draw cards until after you’ve finished casting that spell or activating that ability. You draw those cards before that spell or ability resolves, but after targets are chosen for it.

> Planeswalkers

• Nahiri, the Harbinger = You can activate Nahiri’s first ability with no intention of discarding a card just to add loyalty to Nahiri. If the artifact or creature put onto the battlefield with Nahiri’s third ability leaves the battlefield before the next end step, it won’t be returned to your hand from its new zone.
• Serra the Benevolent = Serra’s first ability affects only creatures you control with flying at the time it resolves. Creatures you begin to control later in the turn or that gain flying later in the turn won’t get +1/+1. Serra’s emblem doesn’t prevent damage. It only changes the result of damage dealt to you. For example, a creature with lifelink that deals damage to you will still cause its controller to gain life, even if that damage would reduce your life total to less than 1. Serra’s emblem doesn’t stop loss of life from effects that say that you lose life. Note that combat damage you’re dealt by a Commander is still tracked, even if it doesn’t change your life total.

> Why so many cards with the symbol “<--->”?

The Commander deck I’m showing you must be the more versatile possible: this means that a lot of cards can be “substituted” with others that are very similar but that can become handy in particular situations… Let me explain better with the following list (you will find all of the substitutions in the Maybeboard for a quick reference).

• Maze of Ithcan be substituted with the Labyrinth of Skophos. This second card, unlike the Maze, represents a colorless mana source and, for an additional cost, can remove a creature from combat. What does this mean? A creature removed from combat by Labyrinth of Skophos remains tapped if it was tapped. If a blocking creature is removed from combat, the creature it blocked remains blocked. Unless that creature has trample, it won’t deal combat damage. Once creatures attack or block, they remain attacking or blocking creatures through the end of combat step unless removed from combat (by Labyrinth of Skophos or a similar effect).
• Commander’s Sphere (CMC 3) can be substituted with Fellwar Stone (CMC 2), depending on your opponent’s colors (I suggest you this swap only if there are al least two shared colors).
• Return to Dust can be substituted with Fiery Confluence: this second card has the same CMC of Return to Dust but a different color. The main drawback of Fiery Confluence is that we are talking about a Sorcery (Return to Dust is an instant), so you cannot cast it during your opponent turn. Depending on your opponent's deck and strategy you could prefer this card (e.g., you are against Breya and you have the chance to destroy 3 arfifacts). Return to Dust forces you to cast it during your main phase (like a sorcery) to destroy up to an additional enchantment/artifact.
• Baneslayer Angel can be substituted with Lyra Dawnbringer: they are both 5/5 angels with the same attributes. The choice depends on the opponents you're facing. Baneslayer Angel is good only if your opponent has a Demon or Dragon (or both) deck. Lyra has the same effect and the same mana cost, providing your angels with a +1/+1 bonus.
• Drakuseth, Maw of Flames can be substituted with Terror of Mount Velus: they have the same CMC. Do you want to destroy relatively small creatures with Drakuseth or do you want to double the damage of your creatures if you’re sure you’ll blocked. The choice depends on the opponents you’re facing. Remember that multiple instances of double strike on the same creature are redundant and that the triggered ability affects only creatures you control at the time it resolves? Creatures you begin to control later in the turn won’t gain double strike.
• Giver of Runes can be substituted with Mother of Runes. Giver of Runes provides protection against artifacts and colorless spells in general. Mother of Runes doesn't have this ability but the protection she offers is extended to herself (Giver of Runes can only protect other creatures). The choice depends on your opponent's deck (they both have the same mana cost).
• Sephara, Sky’s Blade can be substituted with Akroma, Vision of Ixidor: an amazing new card that I suggest to include if you don't think you'll need lifelink. Remember that A creature with more than one of the listed keyword gets +1/+1 for each of those keywords it has. A creature with more than one instances of one of the listed keywords gets just +1/+1 for that keyword. Similarly, if a creature has multiple variants of the same keyword (e.g. protection from black and from red), it gets just +1/+1 for that keyword. Which creatures are affected and the size of their individual bonuses is determined only as Akroma’s triggered ability resolves. Gaining or losing keywords after that time won’t cause a creature to grow or shrink.
• Steel Hellkite (CMC 6) can be substituted with Terror of the Peaks (CMC 5). Steel Hellkite is convenient when your opponent plays with low CMC creatures and thus easy to destroy with the dragon's second effect. I chose Terror of the Peaks as a possible alternative to the Hellkite because its powerful effect triggers when a creature of ours enters the battlefield. The damage inflicted this way to our opponent is pretty high (think about the power of the vast majority of this deck's creatures).

> Counterproductive Cards

In this section I briefly enumerate the cards I included in the first versions of this deck but that I removed.

• Benevolent Bodyguard: the interaction of Reconnaisance with Kaalia on the battlefield is mind-boggling. The Bodyguard is a one-time use, Reconnaisance can be used throughout the game.
• Debtors' Knell is cheaper and extends Reya Dawnbringer's ability to other graveyards. Unfortunately, in recent times I also removed Reya (maybe she can be substituted with another angel with a high CMC).
• Demonlord Belzenlok: too low probability of drawing a “> CMC 4” card.
• Dragon Mage: there's too much risk with this card. What if my opponents only have 1-3 cards each? What if I'm holding two key removal spells that could be lost due to the Mage? Let's use a more controlled structure of one-sided card draw, and that is where Necropotence shines (exceed seven cards, discard a biggun or two, recur the later).
• Generator Servant. Hall of the Bandit Lord: paying 3 lives for each activation could be pricey in the long-run, but the potential of utilizing it multiple times over the course of a game provides greater value than a tap-and-sacrifice effect of Generator Servant.
• Orim’s Chant: unfortunately this card doesn't work as a counter.

> Banned Cards

Unfortunately Griselbrand and Iona, Shield of Emeria are banned… Maybe for illegal tournaments with friends you can include these cards to annihilate and humilate the people around you. Not sure if it’s a good thing hahaha:)

> Centurion format

After the "Land Update" of September 2021 I decided to add this new section dedicated to the Centurion format.

The combo of Necropotence + Reliquary Tower has been removed: in Centurion the amount of starting life is 30 and not 40. Paying life to draw cards with the enchantment is pretty demanding and a Centurion match has to end quickly (in multiplayer we can keep the combo). I thought Reanimate is a good card that can be useful (if needed) in a quick match.

The substitutions considered for the Centurion format won't be part of the Sideboard: in the Sideboard I will include the only cards that can be swapped with the corresponding one in both multiplayer and Centurion (the changes depend on the opponent you're faceing). In the Maybeboard you'll find the substitutions for this specific format.

> Final Thoughts

This is the end. It took a while to write down everything… In the next years changes will be made, or maybe not. The only thing that matters when playing Kaalia is that you will have fun! You’ll have fun casting (well… If things go as expected you’ll never pay your mana for the big ones!) beautiful and really strong creatures.
I really hope this guide met your expectations and, from the deep of my heart, I hope you’ll use this deck of mine as main structure for yours. Thank you for the time you spent reading all of this. THANK YOU SO MUCH!