Kalamaximum Security

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 4 years ago

Ikoria has a wealth of new generals from which to choose, and I decided to go with Kalamax for two reasons:
1) I'm tearing apart Maelstrom Wanderer, so I barely have to touch the manabase
2) Spell-copy seems like a really cool concept that I've never built.

Kalamax (Did you say Kalamax?) I said Kalamax!

Approximate Total Cost:

So here's a first draft. Any thoughts? See something that absolutely sucks? See a card that I completely glossed over? Let's talk about it.

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 4 years ago

Release notes on Kalamax:
If Kalamax becomes tapped as a cost to cast your first instant spell in a turn, its first ability triggers.
Kalamax's first ability considers the entire turn. If you cast an instant spell before Kalamax becomes tapped, its first ability won't trigger when you cast your second.
A copy is created even if the spell that caused Kalamax's ability to trigger has been countered by the time that ability resolves. The copy resolves before the original spell.
If the spell that's copied is modal (that is, it says "Choose one —" or the like), the copy created by Kalamax's first ability will have the same mode or modes. You can't choose different ones.
If the spell that's copied has damage divided as it was cast, the division can't be changed, although the targets receiving that damage still can. The same is true of spells that distribute counters.
You can't choose to pay any additional costs for the copy created by Kalamax's first ability. However, effects based on any additional costs that were paid for the original spell are copied as though those same costs were paid for the copy too.
The copies that Kalamax's first ability creates are created on the stack, so they're not "cast." Abilities that trigger when a player casts a spell won't trigger.
An ability that triggers when a player copies a spell resolves before the copy. It resolves even if that spell is countered.
If an effect copies an instant spell multiple times, Kalamax's last ability triggers that many times.
If an effect copies a card rather than a spell (such as that of God-Eternal Kefnet), this doesn't cause Kalamax's last ability to trigger.

The Original Build

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Kalamax (Did you say Kalamax?) I said Kalamax!

Commander (1)

1 Kalamax, the Stormsire

Land (38)

7 Forest

7 Island

6 Mountain

1 Steam Vents

1 Survivors' Encampment

1 Taiga

1 Tropical Island

1 Volcanic Island

1 Wooded Foothills

Mana Rocks (2)

1 Sol Ring

1 Arcane Signet

Stuff to copy (20)

1 Atarka's Command

1 Brain Freeze

1 Brainstorm

1 Burn Trail

1 Chaos Warp

1 Comet Storm

1 Electrolyze

1 Giantbaiting

1 Growth Spiral

1 Finale of Revelation

1 Harrow

1 Mana Drain

1 Pyromatics

Stuff that copies (26)

1 Bonus Round

1 Doublecast

1 Dualcaster Mage

1 Fork

1 Fury Storm

1 God-Eternal Kefnet

1 Increasing Vengeance

1 Izzet Guildmage

1 Jace's Sanctum

1 League Guildmage

1 Melek, Izzet Paragon

1 Mirari

1 Radiate

1 Reiterate

1 Repeated Reverberation

1 Swarm Intelligence

1 Temur Charm

1 Thousand-Year Storm

1 Twincast

1 Twinning Staff

1 Wild Ricochet

Stuff that taps my general (4)

1 Crackleburr

1 Cryptic Gateway

1 Honor-Worn Shaku

1 Springleaf Drum

Misc (9)

1 Cyclonic Rift

1 Elixir of Immortality

1 Guttersnipe

1 Keranos, God of Storms

1 Midnight Clock

1 Song of Creation

1 Talrand, Sky Summoner

1 The Locust God

1 Whirlwind of Thought

Approximate Total Cost:

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 4 years ago

First round changes:
OUT:

IN:

As much as I love cards that have built-in copy effects in my copy deck, turns out that Kalamax doesn't care one whit about sorceries, or Kefnet. So they're out. In exchange I'm going to add some cards that let me untap lands so that I can do more of the things. Things are nice, and I like to do them.

Nature's Will is fairly questionable due to my low creature count. Maybe Sword of Feast and Famine might do better, since it also helps to protect my general AND can punch him through to get that connection trigger.

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 4 years ago

An instant- and sorcery- focused deck, and I forgot Mystic Sanctuary. Shame on me.

OCPunisher · Post by **OCPunisher** » 4 years ago

Whirlwind of Thought really sucks if you can't legally make white mana to cast it

Slipperygecko · Post by **Slipperygecko** » 4 years ago

Earthcraft seems like it could be a solid tapper too, turns Kala into a hastey mana dork

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 4 years ago

OCPunisher wrote: ↑
4 years ago
Whirlwind of Thought really sucks if you can't legally make white mana to cast it

Yikes. I initially read the card as costing Temur and not Jeskai. I guess that's what happens when I read from a spoiler and not from an actual card in front of me. Ahhhh, that sucks, I was really looking forward to that effect, too!

Slipperygecko wrote: ↑
4 years ago
Earthcraft seems like it could be a solid tapper too, turns Kala into a hastey mana dork

I considered Earthcraft, but I don't know if there are enough other creatures to make it worth it. I also have a terrible habit of squeezing basics out of decks, so I'd want to up the basic count a bit, maybe cut one or two of the CIPT trilands.

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 4 years ago

Changelog: I couldn't find Jace's Sanctum, so I swapped in Cloven Casting. Then I realized that it costs 7 and only lets me double four of my spells, two of which are ramp spells, so I changed that out for Berserk which will absolutely win games. If I swing with a fresh Kalamax, Berserk makes him a 20/5 Trampler. If I have one copy spell in my hand, then he's a 48/6 instead.

Outcryqq · Post by **Outcryqq** » 4 years ago

Cool deck, I like this commander. Your deck relies heavily on having your commander out - you might consider a few ways to give him hexproof? Swiftfoot Boots?

Artaud · Post by **Artaud** » 4 years ago

You need Seedborn Muse.

Outcryqq · Post by **Outcryqq** » 4 years ago

Artaud wrote: ↑
4 years ago
You need Seedborn Muse.

Seedborn Muse is great, but it also untaps Kalamax, the Stormsire. If you don't have a reliable way to tap him multiple times, it works against your theme.

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 4 years ago

Artaud wrote: ↑
4 years ago
You need Seedborn Muse.

Outcryqq wrote: ↑
4 years ago
Seedborn Muse is great, but it also untaps Kalamax, the Stormsire. If you don't have a reliable way to tap him multiple times, it works against your theme.

Yeah, pretty much this. I have a couple cards that untap all my lands, and I could see adding another one. The Muse isn't the worst thing in the world, because I have a plan for tapping Kalamax during my attack step, but it also draws fire like nobody's business and I don't want to appear too threatening too soon.

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 4 years ago

If I don't have Metalcraft for Molten Psyche, then it's no good. I think that I at least rotate two lands in to help - Darksteel Citadel and Academy Ruins. I don't really want to cut too many more basics, so the trilands might be on the chopping block? Not entirely sure.

Magiqmaster · Post by **Magiqmaster** » 4 years ago

Given your low creature count, you will probably have problems using Crackleburr and Cryptic Gateway. So how about adding Paradise Mantle to tap Kalamax? I also use Cryptolith Rite and Opposition in my deck.

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 4 years ago

Cryptic Gateway is a definite cut, especially because I'm not tribal. Crackleburr is a card that I've always loved and never found a home for, so I'm a little loath to cut it but it's probably the right call.

Post by **benjameenbear** » 3 years ago

My brother gifted me with a Kalamax Precon (totally unexpected) and I've played it right out of the box. It's a ton of fun, frankly, and I didn't know that copying spells would be so fun and satisfy my inner Control player so well.

Anyways, my critique of your decklist is that it focuses heavily on copying spells at the expense of ignoring the board state. From what I can see, there aren't too many cards that remove opposing problem cards nor are there a ton of ways to keep the fuel going. Perhaps shaving off some of the copy effects in favor of card draw and removal could be something you look at.

My own decklist, which incorporates some elements of your deck, is below. Thankfully, I don't have to go out and buy a whole bunch of cards because of what I already had lying around.

EDIT: I updated the list to my actual paper list. I guess I didn't have a Cryptic Command, so I'll be looking for a copy to trade for if I can.

Kalamax Control

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Kalamax Control

Commander

1 Kalamax, the Stormsire

Mana Sources (12)

1 Sol Ring

1 Exploration

1 Farseek

1 Harrow

1 Cultivator's Caravan

1 Grow from the Ashes

1 Thran Dynamo

Win Conditions/Utility (18)

1 Comet Storm

1 Spellseeker

1 Wilderness Reclamation

1 Archaeomancer

1 Chandra's Ignition

1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun

1 Wort, the Raidmother

1 Caged Sun

1 Expansion // Explosion

1 Vengeful Rebirth

1 Swarm Intelligence

Card Draw (16)

1 Opt

1 Brainstorm

1 Thrill of Possibility

1 Impulse

1 Chemister's Insight

1 Rashmi, Eternities Crafter

1 Mystic Confluence

1 Xyris, the Writhing Storm

1 Dig Through Time

Removal/Counterspells (16)

1 Rapid Hybridization

1 Rolling Earthquake

1 Tribute to the Wild

1 Snap

1 Starstorm

1 Temur Charm

1 Memnarch

Lands (36)

1 Steam Vents

1 Shivan Reef

4 Island

3 Forest

4 Mountain

Approximate Total Cost:

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 3 years ago

benjameenbear wrote: ↑
3 years ago
My brother gifted me with a Kalamax Precon (totally unexpected) and I've played it right out of the box. It's a ton of fun, frankly, and I didn't know that copying spells would be so fun and satisfy my inner Control player so well.

Anyways, my critique of your decklist is that it focuses heavily on copying spells at the expense of ignoring the board state. From what I can see, there aren't too many cards that remove opposing problem cards nor are there a ton of ways to keep the fuel going. Perhaps shaving off some of the copy effects in favor of card draw and removal could be something you look at.

My own decklist, which incorporates some elements of your deck, is below. Thankfully, I don't have to go out and buy a whole bunch of cards because of what I already had lying around.

Kalamax Control
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Kalamax Control

Commander

1 Kalamax, the Stormsire

Mana Sources (13)

1 Sol Ring

1 Wild Growth

1 Arcane Signet

1 Rampant Growth

1 Farseek

1 Simic Signet

1 Izzet Signet

1 Thought Vessel

1 Harrow

1 Natural Connection

1 Cultivate

1 Search for Tomorrow

1 Skyshroud Claim

Win Conditions/Utility (17)

1 Crop Rotation

1 Lightning Greaves

1 Comet Storm

1 Electrodominance

1 Sword of Feast and Famine

1 Twinning Staff

1 Crackling Drake

1 Talrand, Sky Summoner

1 Primal Amulet

1 Wilderness Reclamation

1 Chandra's Ignition

1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun

1 Shark Typhoon

1 Expansion // Explosion

1 Vengeful Rebirth

1 Seasons Past

1 Swarm Intelligence

1 Refuse // Cooperate

Card Draw (16)

1 Opt

1 Thrill of Possibility

1 Impulse

1 Growth Spiral

1 Manamorphose

1 Pull from Tomorrow

1 Thassa's Intervention

1 Supreme Will

1 Frantic Search

1 Blue Sun's Zenith

1 Fact or Fiction

1 Chemister's Insight

1 Rashmi, Eternities Crafter

1 Mystic Confluence

1 Xyris, the Writhing Storm

1 Dig Through Time

Removal/Counterspells (16)

1 Lightning Bolt

1 Rapid Hybridization

1 Rolling Earthquake

1 Hull Breach

1 Reality Shift

1 Snap

1 Into the Roil

1 Cyclonic Rift

1 Starstorm

1 Temur Charm

1 Beast Within

1 Decoy Gambit

1 Dream Fracture

1 Commit // Memory

1 Channeled Force

1 Prophetic Bolt

Lands (36)

1 Holdout Settlement

1 Simic Growth Chamber

1 Izzet Boilerworks

1 Mystic Sanctuary

1 Frontier Bivouac

1 Ketria Triome

1 Temple of Mystery

1 Temple of Epiphany

1 Cinder Glade

1 Command Tower

1 Reflecting Pool

1 Breeding Pool

1 Stomping Ground

1 Steam Vents

1 Hinterland Harbor

1 Sulfur Falls

1 Rootbound Crag

1 Yavimaya Coast

1 Shivan Reef

1 Scalding Tarn

1 Misty Rainforest

1 Wooded Foothills

6 Island

4 Forest

4 Mountain

Approximate Total Cost:

Okay, first, I love love LOVE the idea of Vengeful Rebirth. Card draw (basically) and face-murdering all in one. I'm making room for it somehow - probably by cutting a copy effect or two. Hull Breach should probably also find its way in. Maybe Frenzied Tilling? You're right that I need a little more removal.

Post by **benjameenbear** » 3 years ago

If you're considering Land Destruction effects, Mwonvuli Acid-Moss is a cheaper option that does the same thing.

I've been pretty pleased with Vengeful Rebirth. Being able to grab a dead enchantment or creature has been pretty critical in winning the game since this deck plays out as a true Control/Tempo strategy and its threats are sparse. The fact that it also can kill a planeswalker or creature is an excellent bonus. I've yet to copy it, but I imagine that it would feel even better to return 2 cards and deal upwards of 10+ damage across the board.

I also totally forgot about Thousand-Year Storm. I definitely want that card in my deck because it's flavorful as hell and a great card by itself even if I'm only triggering it once or twice.

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 3 years ago

@Ulka also brewed up a list, and one of the cards that's on his list is Spider Fog, which I now have to add.

Out:
All three Guildmages - too limiting, too fragile, and too expensive to use.
Naru Meha - I don't want to pay 4 for a fork with a body.
Bonus Round - Tough call, but I feel like this is wishing for Magical Christmasland to happen. I have it, AND the spell I want to copy, AND a spell to copy it, AND eight mana. And the end result is ... 4 of that spell? Okay. Other people probably wreck worse when I cast this.
Radiate - I just don't have single-target stuff. It's really cute, but not in this particular deck.
Mirari - I'm spending a turn on this, and I don't know that I like that.

IN:
Arachnogenesis to make a ton of tokens
Destructive Revelry to deal with problematic permanents
Ezuri's Predation the one time where Forking a Wrath is a net plus
Nucklavee to get things back
Vengeful Rebirth both to get things back and to go to the face
I dunno, two more rocks? I want to up my artifact count and I'm realizing how much mana I'm going to be spending all at once if I want things to really copy copy copy.

I decided against the acid-moss or the ting in the end, both because I don't want to be That MLD Pilot, but also because my current playgroup doesn't have lands that need to be answered. Nobody runs Academy Ruins The Game, or Volrath's Stronghold, or Gaea's Cradle. If people start deploying them, I'll rotate in some answers, but for now we'll call it a meta decision.

Outcryqq · Post by **Outcryqq** » 3 years ago

What's spider fog?

Myllior · Post by **Myllior** » 3 years ago

Outcryqq wrote: ↑
3 years ago
What's spider fog?

Probably Arachnogenesis.

Post by **SquirrelToken** » 3 years ago

Myllior wrote: ↑
3 years ago

Outcryqq wrote: ↑
3 years ago
What's spider fog?
Probably Arachnogenesis.

Correct! I'll go back and edit tags in.

Post by **Ulka** » 3 years ago

Another couple cards That I found on my list that I love but not yours is Dig Through Time and Fact or Fiction .

toctheyounger · Post by **toctheyounger** » 3 years ago

Loving the idea of this deck. I'm waiting for my precon to arrive before I start brainstorming myself, so I wanted to get in on this thread myself to grab some ideas. Here's some of what I'm looking into that I don't see here:

Paradise Mantle seems a great, super cheap way to get your commander tapped down.
Vehicles for the same? Firstly the idea of a dinosaur driving a vehicle is hilarious, secondly it throws the Flintstones on their heads, and thirdly, Smuggler's Copter and Cultivator's Caravan could be great.
This card doesn't get the love it deserves: Narset's Reversal - it's great control for your opponents, but it also gives you a second shake at copying your own stuff over and over. I use it in my Dralnu list and it's a really nice piece of utility. (never mind, just saw it in the list!)
With Mystic Sanctuary, are you into ways of getting repeated use from it? If so, potentially ravnica bouncelands (Simic Growth Chamber, Izzet Boilerworks, I forget the name of the Gruul one) could be decent. If you can manage to sacrifice it somehow (Harrow/Crop Rotation?) Life from the Loam could be a great add too. Mina and Denn, Wildborn does work too, and gives your commander some well-needed ramp and trample for surprise commander kill goodness.
Did you consider leaving Wort, the Raidmother in the list? It copies spells itself and gives you yet another way to tap your commander down. Expensive to cast, but it's capable of obscene things. I personally think it's miles better than Melek, Izzet Paragon, and I've run Melek in the command zone before. Too many hoops to jump through there.

Post by **benjameenbear** » 3 years ago

Personally, I don't have a Paradise Mantle so I won't be playing it and I think that Holdout Settlement is a fine replacement for that sort of effect anyways. I do like the idea of Cultivator's Caravan though, so I'll add that in to replace my precon Commander's Sphere.

Great point about Mystic Sanctuary and I'm running the two blue karoo lands in my own decklist already.

Wort, the Raidmother is excellent, btw. I was able to get her out alongside a tapped Kalamax and I copied an Explosion for X=6 and it was an incredible feeling. A card I strongly recommend for this list is Thought Vessel because your hand size can get ridiculous. This also might be the deck where Reliquary Tower truly shines as well.

Based in the few games I've been able to play, copying X spells are actually the most realistic Win Condition for this deck. I was actually able to nearly deck out an opponent with a thrice copied Blue Sun's Zenith for X=16 with Kalamax and Swarm Intelligence . He was left with only 3 cards in his deck before he killed us all with his Golos Dinosaur Horde, but it made me realize that Kalamax's copying ability is best suited for large payoff spells. The control elements in the list are incredible, especially when copied, and I will say that the modal Counterspells (Temur Charm. Archmage's Charm, Mystic Confluence, Cryptic Command, Supreme Will, etc.) are VERY welcome in this deck. The sheer amount of flexibility this deck could have at any given point is lovely.

Also, Volcanic Offering is an instant. That is all.

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