[EDH / Commander] Dab to Win!

[FlashAndretti]

Dab to Win!

Here is a link to my tappedout profile of this deck: https://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/kaalias-dab/
I update it often and I will try on this site when I can.


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 is the fastest combat based clock attacker there is. Impervious to stax and can quickly make the game end. With creatures such as Razaketh and Doom Whisperer, it enables her to win-cons you could only dream of. She is an extension of Sneak Attack and that is her upside.


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.


Attack Lines:
1.) Entomb + Animate Dead

Rune-Scarred Demon and either Animate Dead or Entomb in hand. Use Kaalia to cheat in Rune-Scarred Demon to find either Animate Dead or Entomb (whichever is not currently in hand). Entomb Worldgorger Dragon, Animate it, tutor your deck, flash in Bogardan Hellkite to win.

2.) Buried Alive + Animate dead

Cast Buried Alive to put Worldgorger Dragon, Rune-Scarred Demon, and a third creature of your choice into the graveyard. Animate the dragon and continue the loop until you have a huge amount of mana. Re-target the Animate effect onto Rune-Scarred Demon. Tutor up Cut / Ribbons. Burn out the table.

3.) Sneak Attack + Rune-Scarred Demon

Cast Sneak Attack. Cheat Rune-Scarred Demon into play. Demon finds Worldgorger Dragon. Cheat in Worldgorger. End the turn. At the end of the turn the dragon will die and your permanents will re-enter, including Rune-Scarred Demon. Tutor Necromancy and flash it into play targeting Worldgorger Dragon. Tutor your deck and use Sneak Attack to cheat in any creature you'd like. Win by flashing in Bogardan Hellkite.

4.) Sneak Attack + Command Beacon

Cast Sneak Attack. Sac Beacon and cheat Kaalia into play. Swing with her and cheat out Rune-Scarred Demon, get Razaketh out with sneak, sac rune for Doomed Traveler, sac him twice and win with WGD/Searing Touch or Bogardan.

5.) Sneak Attack + Auriok Salvagers

Cast Sneak Attack. Cheat is Auriok. Make sure LED and Cut//Ribbons are in hand or graveyard, either is fine. Activate Auriok’s effect and cast LED from GY and pick white for however many times then black and use Ribbons afterlife effect to win you the game


Win Conditions:
1.) Bogardan Hellkite + Worldgorger Dragon + Animate Dead (Infinite Burn)

2.) Impact Tremors + Leonin Relic-Warder + Animate Dead (Infinite Burn)

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

4.) Auriok Salvagers + Lion's Eye Diamond + Cut / Ribbons (Infinite Burn)

[Morganator 2.0]

I've been testing some hands with this deck and I've been getting some pretty low success rates. It seems like each of this deck's combos are dependent on you having two or three specific cards in hand. When your deciding on an opening hand, how do you know when to keep and when to mulligan? And on approximately which turn do you consistently win on?

Also, I'm not so sure this deck is impervious to stax. Every combo uses the graveyard in some way, so Rest in Peace or Leyline of the Void would mess you up.

[Soren841]

Don't forget Grafdigger's Cage and Containment Priest.. oh and don't forget Aven Mindcensor hurts Razaketh a lot

[FlashAndretti]

I have been on the receiving end of those cards @Soren but they are not the worst thing to happen. Generally if those cards come out successfully, they generally don't just hurt me, but the table as well. GY decks are super prevalent in competitve edh. Luckily i can play through them and have the proper removal as well.

@Morganator which 3 specific cards are you speaking of? As far as stax goes kaalia doesn't mind it, in fact there are builds that run them and she is the prefect General for Tempo Stax since she is kind of a double spell commander. To top that off this deck can play the long game. The 2 cards you mentioned do suck, but they are ways around them, so its not that big of a deal.

[Morganator 2.0]

Combo 1 requires Rune-Scarred Demon and Animate Dead/Entomb (2 cards)

Combo 2 requires Buried Alive and Animate Dead (2 cards)

Combo 3 requires Sneak Attack and Rune-Scarred Demon (2 cards)

Combo 4 requires Sneak Attack, Command Beacon, and Rune-Scarred Demon (3 cards) (and at that point, it should just be combo 3).

Combo 5 requires Sneak Attack, Auriok Salvagers, Lion's Eye Diamond, and Cut // Ribbons (4 cards).

How do you decide on what is a good opening hand to get into one of these combos?

[FlashAndretti]

Generally you want to open 1 animate, 1 or two ramps and a land with any tutor and haste enablers (if you dont have it, its not that big of an issue) for kaalia. Sneak attack is there in case kaalia (your main play) gets shut down. There is a lot more info I have yet to put down including a sample hand section due to time restraints and work. I.e, other combos not yet posted. But as stated this isn't the end all be all deck, it is still a work in progress but definitely getting there.

[FlashAndretti]

After 3 tournaments since the last comment Auriok is out and also the testing Jeweled Amulet is done. While not a bad card, I feel it has no place in Kaalia, furthermore Boros Signet, Blood Pet, Azra Oddsmaker, Burnout and Phyrexian Arena are in!

[FlashAndretti]

Revision 16

Added/removed cards:
-1 Jet Medallion
-1 Sire of Insanity
+1 Leonin Squire
+1 Nahiri, the Harbinger

[FlashAndretti]

Revision 19

Added/removed cards:
-1 Balefire Dragon
-1 Blood Pet
-1 By Force
-1 Cathartic Reunion
-1 Chalice of the Void
-1 Grand Abolisher
-1 Impact Tremors
-1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
-1 Magus of the Moon
-1 Rakdos Signet
-1 Sensei's Divining Top
-1 Swords to Plowshares
-1 Torch Courier
+1 Chandra, Acolyte of Flame
+1 Children of Korlis
+1 Corpse Knight
+1 Dockside Extortionist
+1 Exotic Orchard
+1 Fellwar Stone
+1 Flame Sweep
+1 Loyal Retainers
+1 Ransack the Lab
+1 Ricochet Trap
+1 Silent Clearing
+1 Sunbaked Canyon
+1 Talisman of Hierarchy
+1 Vandalblast
+1 Vilis, Broker of Blood