Best Cards for Kaalia of the Vast (2026)
Kaalia of the Vast is one of the most iconic Commanders in Magic, offering a thrilling playstyle that cheats massive Angels, Demons, and Dragons directly into play—attacking. This
Whether you're building Kaalia for the first time or upgrading an existing list, this guide covers the essential cards that make her shine. Looking to test these cards before buying? Use our Card Editor to design custom proxies or head to the Proxy Printer to print your decklist.
The Angels
Angels provide protection, resilience, and powerful combat effects. These are the staples every Kaalia deck needs.
1. Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Mana Cost:
Avacyn is the ultimate boardstate protector. Making all your permanents indestructible means your opponents need exile effects to deal with your threats. Cheating her out with Kaalia on turn 4 or 5 can completely lock out aggressive strategies and make board wipes one-sided.
Why it's essential:
- Protects Kaalia and all your other threats
- Survives your own Wrath effects
- 8/8 flying vigilance is a serious clock
2. Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
Mana Cost:
Gisela is a damage math nightmare for your opponents. She doubles damage dealt to them while halving damage dealt to you. With Kaalia already attacking, Gisela effectively lets Kaalia deal 4 commander damage instead of 2. Stack this with other creatures and games end fast.
Why it's essential:
- Doubles your damage output
- Halves incoming damage for defense
- Creates extremely fast clocks with multiple attackers
3. Aurelia, the Warleader
Mana Cost:
Extra combat phases mean extra Kaalia triggers. When Aurelia enters attacking via Kaalia's ability, you get an additional combat phase, allowing you to drop another creature from your hand. This can lead to explosive turns where you deploy 2-3 massive threats in a single turn.
Why it's essential:
- Grants an additional combat phase
- Double Kaalia triggers means double threats
- Vigilance keeps your board ready to block
4. Liesa, Forgotten Archangel
Mana Cost:
Liesa provides crucial recursion for your creature-heavy strategy. When your non-token creatures die, they return to your hand at end step. Meanwhile, your opponents' creatures get exiled instead of going to their graveyards, shutting down graveyard strategies.
Why it's essential:
- Returns your creatures to hand when they die
- Shuts down opponent graveyard strategies
- 4/5 flying lifelink is solid value
5. Sephara, Sky's Blade
Mana Cost:
While you likely won't use her alternate cost, Sephara's ability to grant all your other flying creatures indestructible is invaluable. Since nearly every creature in a Kaalia deck flies, this protects your entire army.
Why it's essential:
- Grants indestructible to your flying creatures
- Stacks protection with Avacyn
- 7/7 flying lifelink wins races
The Demons
Demons offer tutors, card draw, and devastating disruption. They're the engine that keeps your deck running.
6. Vilis, Broker of Blood
Mana Cost:
Vilis turns every point of life lost into card advantage. Fetch lands, shock lands, and even combat damage translate into cards. His
Why it's essential:
- Massive card draw engine
- Removal stapled to a creature
- 8/8 flying body closes games
7. Rune-Scarred Demon
Mana Cost:
A tutor on a 6/6 flying body. When Rune-Scarred Demon enters the battlefield, you search your library for any card and put it in your hand. With Kaalia, you're essentially getting a free Demonic Tutor alongside a serious threat.
Why it's essential:
- Unconditional tutor effect
- Finds answers or threats
- 6/6 flying is relevant
8. Master of Cruelties
Mana Cost:
This is Kaalia's famous one-shot combo. Normally, Master of Cruelties can only attack alone. However, when Kaalia puts him into play already attacking, he bypasses this restriction. If unblocked, Master sets the defending player's life to 1—then Kaalia's combat damage finishes them off.
Why it's essential:
- Instantly eliminates a player if unblocked
- Bypasses the "attacks alone" restriction with Kaalia
- Forces opponents to hold blockers
9. Burning-Rune Demon
Mana Cost:
A tutor with a twist. When Burning-Rune Demon enters, you search for two cards. An opponent chooses one to go to your hand and one to your graveyard. Pair this with reanimation effects and both choices benefit you.
Why it's essential:
- Finds two cards at once
- Synergizes with graveyard strategies
- 6/6 flying for combat
10. Lord of the Void
Mana Cost:
Lord of the Void steals your opponents' best creatures. When it deals combat damage to a player, you exile the top seven cards of their library and put a creature from among them onto the battlefield under your control. It's card advantage and theft rolled into one.
Why it's essential:
- Steals opponent creatures
- Mills aggressively
- 7/7 flying trample
The Dragons
Dragons bring raw power, board control, and explosive damage. They're your finishers.
11. Terror of the Peaks
Mana Cost:
Terror of the Peaks punishes creature ETBs by dealing damage equal to their power. In Kaalia, every creature you cheat out triggers this, dealing 5-8+ damage to any target. Board presence becomes burn damage.
Why it's essential:
- Converts creature ETBs into damage
- Hits creatures or players
- Makes every creature a threat
12. Balefire Dragon
Mana Cost:
When Balefire Dragon deals combat damage to a player, it deals that much damage to each creature they control. Drop it with Kaalia and clear an opponent's entire board instantly. It's a one-sided Wrath effect on a stick.
Why it's essential:
- Clears an opponent's board on hit
- 6/6 flying body
- Instant board control
13. Ancient Copper Dragon
Mana Cost:
When Ancient Copper Dragon deals combat damage to a player, you roll a d20 and create that many Treasure tokens. Even average rolls generate absurd amounts of mana, letting you hard-cast backup threats or activate expensive abilities.
Why it's essential:
- Generates massive treasure hoards
- Enables explosive follow-up plays
- 6/5 flying body
14. Drakuseth, Maw of Flames
Mana Cost:
Drakuseth deals 4 damage to any target and 3 damage to up to two other targets whenever it attacks. This trigger happens on attack, not combat damage, so it fires even if Drakuseth is blocked or removed.
Why it's essential:
- Removal on attack trigger
- Hits multiple targets
- 7/7 flying body
15. Hellkite Tyrant
Mana Cost:
Hellkite Tyrant steals all artifacts from any player it deals combat damage to. Against artifact-heavy decks, this is devastating. It also offers an alternate win condition if you control twenty or more artifacts at your upkeep.
Why it's essential:
- Steals all artifacts on hit
- Alternate win condition
- Shuts down artifact strategies
Essential Support Cards
Your creatures need protection and ramp to function. These cards ensure Kaalia survives and attacks.
Protection
- Lightning Greaves — Shroud and haste for equip cost
- Swiftfoot Boots — Hexproof and haste for equip cost
- Mother of Runes — Repeatable protection
- Giver of Runes — Protection for Kaalia or threats
- Mithril Coat — Indestructible equipment
Mana Acceleration
- Sol Ring — The staple
- Arcane Signet — Perfect fixing
- Talisman of Conviction/Indulgence/Hierarchy — Fast colored mana
- Fellwar Stone — Typically provides all your colors
Build Your Kaalia Deck
Ready to assemble your Kaalia army? Design custom versions of these cards with our Card Editor, or print proxies of the real cards using the Proxy Printer. Check out our Gallery for inspiration from other players' custom creations.
Kaalia of the Vast rewards aggressive, creature-focused play. Protect her, attack early, and cheat massive threats onto the battlefield. Your opponents won't know what hit them.
Inspired to Create?
Turn your ideas into professional-looking Magic: The Gathering cards in seconds. Our editor is free, powerful, and easy to use.