Dab to Win! (EDH / Commander)

Here is a link to my tappedout profile of this deck: https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/kaalias-dab/

I will update this deck as often as i can on this site, (Last Updated: 9/27/19).

Intro: I've been playing competitive EDH for well over a year now and am showcasing this deck to you all. She is by far my favorite commander and I will likely never stop playing this deck. My drive to make her as great as possible will not stop! Feel free to give me any and all feedback you may want to provide.

PRO'S: She is deceptively quick and used to be the fastest combat based clock attacker there was until recently. Impervious to stax and can quickly make the game end with the correct hand. With creatures such as Razaketh and Doom Whisperer, it enables her to win-cons you otherwise wouldn't get to. She is an extension of Sneak Attack and and the fact she is a flyer makes for great upside.

Onto the strengths of Mardu: We have access to majority of the best wipes, Spot Removal, Reanimation and on likely fatties such as (WDG, Razaketh, Vilis), then there is card draw (mainly a strength of black), which red is no slouch either in that aspect.

CON'S: The biggest thing to remember is Kaalia is a card that draws a lot of threat generation by simply being a general. What she does is elegant and to the point, but most importantly is it can be fast and brutal. In big games with 2+ other non-Kaalia players, it is much easier to handle her because of this. No one wants to get repeatedly smashed by an army of big creatures, so she can become the target just by hitting the board whether or not they are in the deck.

Onto the weakness of Mardu: Mono U/G are our biggest issue. One has all of the counters and the other can just play a land and be okay. Partners just dunk on us.

With that being said, this should not steer you away from playing her, no deck is perfect!

Attack Lines:
1.) Worldgorger Dragon:

Lets start this off with a classic, the feared Worldgorger Dragon combo, once banned in Legacy, now the line sits in relative obscurity in favor of other bombs like Griselbrand (If only EDH had it back) in that format (damn you rules committee!!!!). While it may currently take the backseat line to Razaketh, the Foulblooded it was the first combo to really get some traction for competitive Kaalia builds grinding in the format and has the most synergies with the big scary monsters the deck wants to play, so it is only right to start here. The weaknesses are that it is a three card combo (needs a way to get the dragon to the graveyard, an Animate Dead effect, and a win condition that works off infinite mana or repeated enter and leave the battlefield triggers) and can backfire spectacularly if an opponent knows how to fight it (making you exile your own board in the process). The strengths are that there are very few dead cards, in the right setup it can be quick and win through stax, and it is one of our turn one wins. Beyond that I get to answer the many questions I get about why cards like Bogardan Hellkite are in the deck.

2.) Runescarred Demon:

card:Runescarred Demon makes the Worldgorger Dragon package a two card combo and pre-Razaketh, was the foundation of the premier lines in the deck. The basic line required Runescarred Demon and one half of the Worldgorger enabling package in hand (either Entomb but more often an Animate Dead effect). How it works is deceptively simple, but can sometimes have far reaching effects.

Kaalia cheats in card:Runescarred Demon, usually by turn four, and the demon finds the other missing piece of the puzzle. From there the player Entombs Worldgorger Dragon , Animate Dead 's it, generate's infinite mana and tutors up their library. From there it's pretty easy to win the game. What makes this line so powerful is that it bypasses most stax effects and if you have Necromancy as the animate effect you can win the game at instant speed. Remember, Bogardan Hellkite is a badass card and it has flash.

3.) Leonin Relic-Warder:

Requires Razaketh, one creature to sacrifice (usually Kaalia), and four mana (WWB1). This cost can be shortcut to WWB or WW1 if you have a mana rock in play. The four to three mana is significant because by the time you get your first Kaalia attack going, you should have exactly three to four mana on your board. The line works like this:

Cheat in Razaketh

Sacrifice your creature (-2 life)

Tutor up and play Leonin Relic-Warder () If you have a mana rock in play you can exile it here to make the line cheaper.

Sacrifice Leonin Relic-Warder (-2 life). The mana rock will now reenter untapped.

Tutor up and play Animate Dead () targeting Leonin

When the Leonin enters play, exile Animate Dead

This action can create an infinite enter and leave the battlefield loop, broken only if the player decides to target something else with the leonin. But what's crucial about it for us is that the leonin can be sacrificed in response to Animate Dead's leave the battlefield clause, and with Razaketh on the field this means infinite tutors bound by half your life total. From this position, tutor up a bunch of fast mana, cast Impact Tremors and Necromancy on the Leonin to win the game, or you can transition to the Worldgorger Dragon combo, if you like to live dangerously. One caveat though to note about this line is that the tutors will not resolve until you decide to break the loop, so know going in what you want to grab.

4.) Doomed Traveler:

Fundamentally the same setup as the Leonin line. Razaketh, one creature to sacrifice, but only needs w to function. How it works is as follows:

Cheat in Razaketh

Sacrifice your creature (-2 life) and tutor up Doomed Traveler

Play it ()

Sacrifice the Traveler (-2 life) to find and cast Lion's Eye Diamond

Sacrifice the Spirit Token left behind by the traveler (-2 life) and crack LED in response for ()

Use the tutor to find and play Leonin Squire ()

Bring back LED and crack it for (), a total of ( in pool)

Sacrifice the Squire (-2 life) to find Reanimate

Animate the Squire ( and -2 life) and bring back LED

Crack LED for ( in pool)

Sacrifice Leonin Squire (-2 life) to find Leonin Relic Warder

Cast Leonin Relic Warder () and pivot into the Leonin Line from above ( in pool for setting up with Animate Dead).

5.) Doom Whisperer:

Somewhat subtle in terms of application. This deck does not run full, direct combo lines with the whisperer because they would require too many dead cards which, without a draw source in the command zone, this deck cannot afford. However, in conjunction with with either a reanimate effect, draw spell, or tutor in hand, Doom Whisperer can functionally initiate one of the deck's other combos. Being able to mill out Worldgorger Dragon, Razaketh, Leonin Relic-Warder, or Rune-Scarred Demon while sculpting the top deck is immensely powerful even without a way in hand to immediately capitalize on it.

Win Conditions:
1.) Corpse Knight + Leonin Relic-Warder or Worldgorger Dragon + Animate Dead (Infinite Burn)

2.) Cut / Ribbons + Worldgorger Dragon + Animate Dead (Infinite Burn)

3.) Razaketh, the Foulblooded + Leonin Relic-Warder + Animate Dead (Finite Tutoring)

4.) Dragon Tempest + Worldgorger Dragon + Animate Dead (Infinite Burn)