Kaalia, Zenith Seeker "Certified Air Raid Material" Blink/Recursion

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RowanKeltizar
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Post by RowanKeltizar » 4 years ago

Kaalia, Zenith Seeker

"CERTIFIED AIR RAID MATERIAL"
~BLINK/REANIMATOR~

TABLE OF CONTENTS



INTRODUCITON
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WHO AM I?

Among formats, I play Commander exclusively. I enjoy this format because it's an eternal format. It allows creation of flavorful decks using nearly any card printed. It's one of the more challenging formats mainly because of the sheer number of options when deckbuilding and the complexity of a multiplayer setting. Also, having access to otherwise restricted or downright banned cards is awesome!

I would describe myself as "casually competetive" None of my decks are really at a cEDH level and I don't really plan to take them that far. I enjoy more niche decks and interactions. However, I do care about winning. I like my decks to have a high degree of synergy and consistency. I don't have a ton of free time to play either, usually just for a few hours on the weekends.

I was born in 1989, live in a small town in New Mexico and have been playing magic consistently since Rise of the Eldrazi (2010). The first time I saw a magic card was in Junior high, 2004?? Some of my friends played up in Alaska where I grew up. The thing that really struck me was the ARTWORK. The words and characters depicted really intrigued me, long before I ever sat down to learn how the game actually worked.

I own a flooring installation business. Hobbies include bicycling, computer gaming (warframe mostly), and cooking. I am on the board of a small local non-profit tackling the issue of recycling and waste management in our community. I dabble in theater, screenwriting, and gardening. I live with my wife and my cat.
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DECK HISTORY

About 9 years ago, I helped my friend build his first commander deck: Kaalia of the Vast. At that time we listened to a lot of electronic, heavy rock, and metal music, hence the name of the deck: "Certified Air Raid Material" which is the name of album and title song by eDIT:
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In keeping with the origins of this deck I will stealthily embed as many songs as possible into this post, hehe. I'll choose a variety so maybe you will find something you like! Hopefully these songs will get you into the mood of building and playing this list.
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Building the deck tought me a lot about the game and I really grew an attatchment for it. He eventually took ownership of the list, made his own changes, and we moved to different states. I don't really hear from him anymore and I'm not even sure if he still owns the deck.

What really stuck with me was the subthemes of reanimation and blink that I wanted to bring forward. Kaalia 1.0 never really fully supported those subthemes and more encouraged the route of stax which is totally legitimate, but not what I had envisioned for the deck.

For years, I steered away from Kaalia for the plain reason that she is a hate magnet and not exactly welcome at more casual tables. The deck is very expensive to build well since you really need the higher power cards to stay in the game. It also focuses very heavily on Kaalia's trigger, therefore your setup is crucial. Casting Kaalia early with haste, and then landing some game breaking creature, followed by a stax piece. The playstyle just never appealed to me.

Fast forward about 8 years and we get Kaalia, Zenith Seeker. At first glace, she is inferior to the original, however after playing with her for some time, I will argue she is an appropriate commander for the deck if you are looking to go the route of blink/reanimator and NOT looking to become arch-enemy on turn one.

That said, I do think she could stand to get little bit of a buff to her power level and not be too OP. Something like "Creature spells with flying you cast cost 1 less to cast" or just the ability to dig a little deeper with her trigger, 7 cards instead of 6. This would allow her to really shine as a commander for this type of deck.

Recently, we got a lot of awesome cards for this deck and it has quickly become one of my favorite builds. Terror of the Peaks, Mythos of Snapdax, Burning-Rune Demon and Goldspan Dragon all help tremendously in bringing this deck up to an acceptable power level for me.
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WHY PLAY KAALIA, ZENITH SEEKER?

And more specifically, why play Kaalia, Zenith Seeker over Kaalia of the Vast? In this section we will answer those questions.

I play Kaalia for the aesthetic and the SATISFACTION of landing some of the most powerful and iconic creature types in magic: angels, demons and dragons! It is decidedly METAL and evokes the same pleasure as hearing the delicate twinkle of a piano paired with the forceful distorted warble of a scream. Whenever I lean into a game with this deck, I feel very at home. I think this deck strokes all the archetypes for me at some level: Spike, Timmy, Johnny, and Vorthos.
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In Mardu colors, you get access to some of the best removal and tutors in the game. You also get access to the likes of Sneak Attack, Smothering Tithe, and Ruinous Ultimatum. But I truly think this deck speaks for itself. You want to be getting those awesome iconic creatures into play so they can swing in for massive aerial damage and accumlate overwhelming value.

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Why play Zenith Seeker over OG Kaalia?

1. Interestingly, she offers something that the original Kaalia doesn't: card advantage, which is something I always struggled getting with the oringial Kaalia. You will actually want Zenith Seeker to die so you can get another trigger. However, there is a pretty wide margin in effectiveness for this trigger. It ranges from a complete whiff to fetching up to six creatures in combination with Panharmonicon and the other blink effects, or entering her into a blink engine such as Gift of Immortality plus a sac outlet. I've found it best to try and set her up for this kind of scenario where you are getting multiple triggers for a single cast. As soon as she goes back to the command zone, you will be paying 2RWB for the effect which should be avoided.

2. She offers combo potential with Worldgorger Dragon and Animate Dead. This is a fairly simple three card combo that puts all the angels, demons, and dragons within your deck into your hand with basically infinite mana at your disposal. I will go into more details about this combo later, but suffice to say it is easier to pull off than you might think. You could build this deck as a purely combo deck focused around these cards and I think it would be pretty consistent. The reason for this is that we have all the tutors and protection to make it happen. Because Animate Dead and Kaalia herself are so cheap, you can do this very early.

3. She encourages a higher density of creatures than the original commander. In fact, to get the most value from her, you will want to be running as many angels, demons, and dragons as possible!

4. Having an ETB ability herself, you can comfortably main deck things like Gift of Immortality and Ephemerate and know you will get consistent value from them. Therefore she really enables the blink archetype if you choose to go that route.

5. We get to run A.D.D. With Flameblast Dragon syndrome! This includes creatures with an "on attack" trigger. While Kaalia of the Vast is in the list, we can nearly always choose something without a flameblast syndrome to put onto the battlefield with her ability.
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OTHER COMMANDER OPTIONS

CONTENT


THE DECK

MY CURRENT DECKLIST

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Decklist

COMMANDER

ADDITIONAL DRAW

LANDS (36)

Basics

Approximate Total Cost:


BUDGET DECKLIST

CONTENT

COMBO CENTRIC DECKLIST

Alright, so you asked for it! Here is a decklist that focuses on getting the World Gorger Dragon / Animate Dead combo into play effectively and actually winning with it early and consistently. This is for you cEDH / combo players out there. I throw budget to the wind with this decklist.

The main differences here is that you no longer need so many A.D.D. since you are primarily using her trigger as an infinite combo NOT as a value engine. The A.D.D. we do run are specifically there to utilize the infinite mana at our disposal once the combo goes off OR to also combo with WGD to win.

We are running all the rituals and tutors we can to make this combo happen early. We are also running a lot more protection and interaction for the combo itself so it is harder to disrupt.

We are running redundancy to Animate Dead as well so we get even more chances to attack WGD to it.
SPOILER
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Decklist

COMMANDER

LANDS (35)

Basics

Approximate Total Cost:


DECK PHILOSOPHY


Kaalia, Zenith Seeker certainly asks for a very different type of build than you might pursue with Kaalia of The Vast. The main difference being that you can no longer reliably cheat 6cmc + creatures into play turn after turn without some extra help.
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The strategy here instead is to select efficiently costed ADD (Angels, Demons, and Dragons - 5cmc or less being the sweet spot) and flood the board with them or create value over time. Sneak Attack, Heartless Summoning, and Rakdos Lord of Riots are there to support this gameplan as is the robust reanimation package and artifact ramp. It is also preferable to have a effect from an ADD body so that Kaalia can dig it up for us and it can interact with our other creature engines. I am still determining what the ideal concentration of ADD is in the deck, but generally I feel that the more we can get away with the better. Currently I have 27 and that feels pretty good.

It is important to realize the value that Zenith Seeker brings to the table and to build around it. She is a card advantage engine. Her ability to fill our hand with ADD is certainly powerful when the rest of the deck supports it. Getting as many triggers from her as possible is very important. We can go a little lighter on card draw effects in the deck because of this. What we have instead are efficient tutors that allow us to grab our key non-ADD pieces.

There is a strong ETB theme here which I feel gives us a lot of value over time. Because our commander sports an ETB ability we can comfortably maindeck support for it. You don't want too many of these effects however. It is better to focus on the strongest ones. This is still in flux however and I am still considering what other blink engines might be fitting for the deck.
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WIN CONDITIONS

AERIAL ASSAULT:

At its heart, my current decklist is an aggro deck and wins through combat damage. Fielding as many A.D.D. as possible and swinging in for lethal is our main path to victory. Some pretty explosive turns are possible with Living Death as long as our graveyard has enough A.D.D. in it.

DEATH BY DRAGONFIRE:
Terror of the Peaks should be mentioned separately as its own win con because it can deal massive damage in this deck and often deal lethal out of nowhere. Getting him to play and keeping him there will ensure we get to threaten our opponents' life totals.

COMBO VICTORY:
Now lets talk about the Worldgorger Dragon combo with Animate Dead. This combo works so well with our commander and many other ADD in our list. If Kaalia is on the field, we can put all the ADD in our deck into our hand with infinite mana at our disposal. Terror of the Peaks will also kill the table as will some other creatures in the list.

How does this combo work?

This combo generates infinite:

Mana from lands (any color you have available)
ETB triggers
Death/LTB triggers

NOTE: In additon to Animate Dead this combo also works with Dance of the Dead or Necromancy .

  1. Have Worldgorger Dragon in your graveyard and Animate Dead in your hand.
  2. Cast Animate Dead , targeting Worldgorger Dragon .
  3. Worldgorger Dragon enters the battlefield, causing it to exile all other permanents you control.
  4. Animate Dead gets exiled along with all your other permanents.
  5. Animate Dead 's LTB ability triggers, sacrificing Worldgorger Dragon .
  6. All permanents exiled with Worldgorger Dragon enter the battlefield.
  7. Target Worldgorger Dragon with Animate Dead , have this ability stay on the stack and in response, tap all lands you control and activate any abilities of permanents you control.
  8. Let everything resolve.
  9. Repeat steps 3-8.
Note 1: Creatures entering the battlefield from exile have summoning sickness, so you cannot activate tap abilities of creatures that don't have haste.

Note 2: This combo is an unstoppable looping combo. What this means is that this combo will force the game to a draw as it will forever continue its iterations. The only way to stop it is to meet the following criteria:

Counter the abilities or Animate Dead when it is a spell.
Remove Worldgorger Dragon in response to its ETB ability.
Have another creature in any graveyard.
Call a judge and ask what to do if the above cannot be met.

As a side note, even without Animate Dead, WGD also works nicely with Sneak Attack as a battlefield blink for R.
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SIDEBOARD

CONTENT

PLAYING THE DECK

CONTENT

VULNERABILITIES/MATCHUPS

CONTENT


CARD CHOICES

CARD SELECTION

Here I will go into depth about my card selection process and why I chose some cards over others.

CREATURES - The meat and potatoes of the deck. Selecting quality A.D.D. for the deck is fairly challenging. They can't just be big game changing creatures like Avacyn, Angel of Hope and Razaketh, the Foulblooded. We will struggle to cast them without Kaalia of the Vast in our command zone. So let's go over some of the important criteria when selecting A.D.D. for the deck.

[*]CMC - we want to pay attention to our curve a bit here. As I said earlier, we can't just fill our hand with 7-9 cmc creatures. The sweet spot really is 3-5 cmc. It's ok to have some truly spectacular creatures at the 7 or 8 cmc spot. Stuff that fits in this category will be Knollspine Dragon. Now, you can go too heavy on the other end and throw too many non-impactful creatures with low cmc into the deck and I think this is also a mistake.

[*]COLOR WEIGHT - You'll notice I run very few triple color costed cards. This is because we will struggle to consistently get those three colors to hard cast them. Our cost reducers: Heartless Summoning and Rakdos, Lord of Riots work better with single or double color weighted cards. Our goal here is to pump out 2 or 3 creatures per turn with these reducers in play.

[*]ABILITIES - We really want our creatures to be more than just beat sticks. The abilities have to serve a general function in the deck such as removal, tutors, ramp, or card advantage. We don't want to be durdling around. Each creature we put on the battlefield really needs to have a function and a purpose. Clearly an ETB ability is going to be ideal, however there are some choices that are just too strong to ignore. I'm talking about stuff like Goldspan Dragon. It also important to keep in mind that we run an effect on a creature body whenever possible. For example, I run Shadowborn Demon instead of something like Hero's Downfall. This is for the simple reason that this deck is built to support creatures. We should be able to get several triggers from Shadowborn Demon and dig him up with Kaalia's trigger, where as an instant or sorcery based effect doesn't give us that synergy.

[*]FLYING - I have personally made the choice to only include A.D.D. with flying. Notably, there are several demons without flying that would probably be good for the list. The reason I do this to fully support Dragon Tempest and Ryusei, the Falling Star

BLINK/CHEATING
These are the enablers that we are going to fetch with our tutors most of the time. Sneak Attack being one of the best cards to get. Nearly all of these cards allow us to create value engines or dump creatures onto the field in overwhelming numbers.
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REMOVAL/BOARD WIPES

We only include the best ones available to us and preferably at instant speed. Instant speed is something that our A.D.D. will typically lack (barring Sneak Attack). Sometimes having an Anguished Unmaking or Path to Exile in hand is just what we need in order to stay in control.

I run Ruinous Ultimatum and Mythos of Snapdax because. 1. They hit almost all types of relevant permanents and 2. They are one sided, therefore it's the closest we can get to a Cyclonic Rift in these colors. We don't want to be wrathing our own creatures.

LANDS
We are kind of an aggro deck at heart so we really don't want our lands coming into play tapped. That's why I don't run the "check lands" a-la Isolated Chapel. Being in 3 colors, it's just too much of a risk in my experience.

Any color lands and fetch lands are going to be the premium types to slot in, unfortunately those are some of the most expensive.

Notably, we still run a decent number of basics to support Land Tax.
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WISHLIST


Mana Crypt - because our mana curve is higher with a lot of colorless component to our spells this would be a great addition allowing us to cast some of our 4 or 5 cmc creatures as early as turn 2 or 3.

Vampiric Tutor - really one of the best black tutors

CONSIDERATIONS

CONTENT

NOTABLE EXCLUSIONS

CONTENT


FOOTNOTES

CUSTOM CARDS

SPOILER
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CHANGELOG

SPOILER
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OUT: Sunscorch Regent IN: Terror of Mount Velus - Regent didn't quite fit the strategy I was going for with the deck. This deck has a lot of creatures entering and leaving the battlefield which causes him to lose the counters. Also, I try to steer away from beatsticks in commander as they tend to eat removal and not get a lot of mileage. Terror of Mount Velus on the other hand gives us an immediate and abusable effect.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

CONTENT

CASUAL VS COMPETETIVE

CONTENT

CREDIT AND THANKS

CONTENT
Last edited by RowanKeltizar 2 years ago, edited 104 times in total.
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
Budget Starter Decks
UBSygg, River Cutthroat
WU Shorikai, Genesis Engine
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benjameenbear
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Post by benjameenbear » 4 years ago

I'm not sure how I missed this decklist, [mention]RowanKeltizar[/mention] , but welcome to MTGNexus!

I'm interested to see that you have 0 Signets in your decklist and are running Mox Amber. Why is this?

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RowanKeltizar
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Post by RowanKeltizar » 4 years ago

I've actually went ahead and purchased most of this list. In my paper list I've added all 3 signets, and don't have the Amber yet. My theory with the amber is that Kaalia should see a lot of battlefield time. We also have quite a few legendary creatures in the list. It should enables a pretty consistent turn 4 creature of 5 cmc.

The Worldgorger combo is pulling off the most consistent wins for me. Final Parting is helping a lot toward this end. This is something that feels pretty awesome to pull off, especially with Kaalia in play, but also is relatively consistent. I think it's worth building around.

In my playtesting, I actually feel I might have an over saturation of creatures. I find that it is more important to have creatures that give me a lot of value even if they are higher CMC. I am thinking of adding: Knollspine Dragon, Angel of Despair, and Rune-scarred Demon as they have some of the best ETB effects.

I also find that if I am able to abuse Kaalia's trigger, I can dig up quite a few ADD pretty quick, therefore lessening the need for so many.

I also feel that I need more regular draw power. While ADD that can give me this ability are preferred, I am also looking at some alternative sources that can be tutored for.

While the discard lockdown strategy was good in theory I am struggling to do it consistently. Not sure what can be done here or if it is really worth building for.
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
Budget Starter Decks
UBSygg, River Cutthroat
WU Shorikai, Genesis Engine
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benjameenbear
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Post by benjameenbear » 4 years ago

Meh, I think that a dedicated Discard strategy isn't particularly effective for Kaalia, unless it's Sire of Insanity. Kaalia likes to have fuel in hand for her trigger and a Discard strategy is antithetical to this purpose.

I'd recommend a Stax strategy. The Kaalia Primer I have in my sig has been very effective in the games that my wife has played and Smothering Tithe/Alms Collector + Wheel effect = Glory, as a suggestion for additional Card Draw engines you could explore.

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Isabelle
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Post by Isabelle » 4 years ago

[mention]benjameenbear[/mention] to be clear this is a Kaalia, Zenith Seeker list, which is going to shape up much differently than a og Kaalia list.

I'm thinking about putting together a Zenith Seeker list, just trying to decide what direction I want to take it. Right now I'm thinking that etb's are the most important, so getting as much of them as possible is what matters. This lends itself to blink and reanimation which is perfect for the colors we are in. Reanimation points towards discard and also Aristocrats which works well with the theme of Angels Demons and Dragons considering cards like Butcher of the Horde or Harvester of souls.

I think the direction I want to take this list in is trying to bury our opponents in card advantage value, while being resilient as possible to interaction.

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Post by 3drinks » 4 years ago

If its draw power you want, I'd recommend looking to an astral slide build. It's so powerful and an easy way to coast into late game, can retrigger Kaalia, and disrupt theft and people reanimating from our graveyard.

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R{R/W} 87guide Burn
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WRKellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
RTorbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
WBRAlesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
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Post by Isabelle » 4 years ago

While the cycling route seems interesting I really think there is an Aristocrats deck in here somewhere.

With ADD we get access to a few free and instant speed sacrifice outlets: Butcher of the Horde, Fallen Angel, Krav, the unredeemed, Reaper of flight Moonsilver.
As well as some slower limited sacrifice outlets: Demonic Taskmaster, Demonlord of Ashmouth.

There are also a few token generators: Militant Angel, Rakshasa Gravecaller, Rapacious Dragon, Lathliss, Dragon Queen. As well as some other more expensive options.

Good payoff cards for sacrificing our dudes: Demon of Dark Schemes, Adarkar Valkyrie, Harvester of Souls, Requiem Angel.
Aristocrats decks really benefit from Pact and Dictate, and being in white allows us access to enchantment tutors. Though she is not an ADD Academy Rector is great here.

Also gives us some cards that want to be sacrificed: Boneyard Scourge, Hoarding Dragon, Soulcage Fiend, Soulstinger, Kokusho, the Evening Star, Ryusei, the Falling Star, Yosei, the Morning Star.

We abuse etb/death triggers with mass blink/reanimation: Eerie Interlude, Wake the Dead, Second Sunrise.

We also have access to ADD which blink/reanimate: Angel of Condemnation, Angel of Serenity, Emancipation Angel, Karmic Guide, Restoration Angel, Swift Warkite, Wispweaver Angel.

There are about 13 single target blink/reanimate effects such as: Cloudshift, Flicker, Undying Evil, Abnormal Endurance.
There are also a couple Heat Shimmer effects in Red.
This may be enough to start looking into incorporating Feather, the Redeemed into the deck.
Feather also points towards Mirrorwing Dragon both of witch are ADD which seems good.

While the aristocrats deck may not be the most obvious I feel this list comes together in a pretty clean way.

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Post by RowanKeltizar » 4 years ago

I do like quite a few of those cards. I think instant speed sac outlets are strong and we definitely have some good payouts for that effect. With Gift of Immortality, you have a very nice blink engine.

I would like to give the Feather and Mirrorwing combo a try, but it takes a lot of building around to make it happen just like Astral Slide. I think with enough tutors, *cough cough* Insidious Dreams, it might work. I am just leery of adding in too many instant/sorcery blink effects. I hesitate to invest too much into Feather when she isn't in our command zone and we have to tutor for Mirrorwing to get the engine going.

I played a few games with the deck, and overall I was happy with how it was doing even as gimpy as mine currently is. Definitely missing many dual lands some of the better cards that the deck needs to function well.

One thing that keeps bothering me is the lack of explosive card draw. I think Knollspine Dragon should help a lot with that as we have a lot of support for him. I think the effect definitely justifies the cmc, especially when we should be able to cheat him into play fairly reliably.
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
Budget Starter Decks
UBSygg, River Cutthroat
WU Shorikai, Genesis Engine
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Isabelle
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Post by Isabelle » 4 years ago

RowanKeltizar wrote:
4 years ago
I do like quite a few of those cards. I think instant speed sac outlets are strong and we definitely have some good payouts for that effect. With Gift of Immortality, you have a very nice blink engine.

I would like to give the Feather and Mirrorwing combo a try, but it takes a lot of building around to make it happen just like Astral Slide. I think with enough tutors, *cough cough* Insidious Dreams, it might work. I am just leery of adding in too many instant/sorcery blink effects. I hesitate to invest too much into Feather when she isn't in our command zone and we have to tutor for Mirrorwing to get the engine going.
Yeah those are my concerns as well as far as feather/mirrorwing dragon go. I think initially I'm gonna build a pretty grindy aristocrats/reanimator shell and see how far I can go with that. For that list I'm suuuper into Insidious Dreams (thanks for the suggestion) and have ordered it along with a bunch of other cards for the list. Sadly I ordered them to my college address on accident (home with my parents for a couple more weeks). So I won't be able to start testing for a little while. Overall though I'm super excited to put this deck together and start testing.
RowanKeltizar wrote:
4 years ago
I played a few games with the deck, and overall I was happy with how it was doing even as gimpy as mine currently is. Definitely missing many dual lands some of the better cards that the deck needs to function well.

One thing that keeps bothering me is the lack of explosive card draw. I think Knollspine Dragon should help a lot with that as we have a lot of support for him. I think the effect definitely justifies the cmc, especially when we should be able to cheat him into play fairly reliably.
I think for my list I'm gonna air more on the side of lower cmc grindy card advantage. It seems like your deck is more combo oriented which feels like it can support Knollspine better and is rewarded more for explosive card advantage vs grindy card advantage.

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Post by 3drinks » 4 years ago

I'm still looking over the Feather stuff. I'm not entirely sure on the Mirrorwing package too since it is as you said a lot of slots and it does take away from the slide package and everything else.

Hmm. This is some tricky balancing indeed. OG Kaalia never demanded this much puzzle work 😂

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R{R/W} 87guide Burn
Commander
WRKellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
RTorbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
WBRAlesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
WBRKaalia HQ

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Post by RowanKeltizar » 4 years ago

So, some time has passed and I have put quite a few games with this deck under my belt. I find a lot of satisfaction in a deck like this. Blink/Reanimator is an archetype I personally really enjoy.

The primary win condition here is Worldgorger Dragon + Animate Dead + Kaalia, or another game ending ETB effect. However, there are other paths to victory, namely combat damage.

There are a few obvious improvements to be had. My mana base could definitely use a few upgrades, namely more 3 color lands and fetches. I am missing a few duals. A couple additional artifact ramp pieces would not be unwelcome either. Than Dynamo or Worn Powerstone could help a lot but I struggle to find space.

Because this is such a combo focused deck, more tutors would also be welcome. Diabolic Intent and Enlightened Tutor are on my wish list. Gamble is being considered. Some of the more expensive tutors are probably beyond the scope of my budget.

When it comes to creatures, I've prioritized splashy ETB abilities that I can abuse, largely ignoring mana cost, contrary to my initial approach. Rune-Scarred Demon, Knollspine Dragon, and Angel of Despair all exemplify this strategy. I am not happy with a few of the players here, namely Sunscorch Regent as it doesn't directly play into my strategy.

I am struggling a bit to find the right number of creatures for the deck. I think about 25 is where I want to be. Right now I have 21. Where possible or efficient I have prioritized an angel, demon, or dragon for an effect, but a few more swaps might be needed. I have trouble finding ADD that I really love. Additional ADD I'm considering: Kokusho, the Evening Star, Terror of Mount Velus, Angel of Serenity, Ryusei, the Falling Star. Generally I do want to steer away from ADD with color heavy costs. 1 or 2 color pips is ideal.

One of the other biggest improvements is finding some good sac outlets. I'm thinking Ashnod's Altar, Phyrexian Tower, and Butcher of the Horde might be some of the better choices here.

I will probably end up swapping out Hero's Downfall and Magmaquake for Vindicate and Austere Command for increased flexibility.

Anyway, that's pretty exhaustive of where I'm at with the deck right now. It's fun to play and pretty consistent, but I know there is a lot more room for improvement. Thanks for checking it out.
Last edited by RowanKeltizar 3 years ago, edited 1 time in total.
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
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RowanKeltizar
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Post by RowanKeltizar » 4 years ago

RowanKeltizar wrote:
4 years ago
OUT: Sunscorch Regent IN: Terror of Mount Velus - Regent didn't quite fit the strategy I was going for with the deck. This deck has a lot of creatures entering and leaving the battlefield which causes him to lose the counters. Also, I try to steer away from beatsticks in commander as they tend to eat removal and not get a lot of mileage. Terror of Mount Velus on the other hand gives us an immediate and abusable effect.
I played a few games today, and one of my opponents dropped a Furnace of Rath which ended up helping me a lot more than it did him. I swung in for 60+ damage for a killing blow. This supported my hunch that Terror of Mount Velus should perform well in the deck. Thankfully, someone had him in their trade binder. Easy trade and will save me on shipping!

That same game, things got a little bit out of control with both Sneak Attack, Twilight Shepherd, and Worldgorger Dragon in and out of play. I had a hard time keeping track of all my triggers. Kaalia was able to dig for probably around 10 ADD total in a few turns. But this did confirm just how good Worldgorger is with Sneak Attack. I can safely say this deck is now on the competitiveness level I have been aiming for!
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
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Post by RowanKeltizar » 3 years ago

Terror of the Peaks - they actually printed it! Ever since I built this deck, I thought, hey wouldn't be great if we had a dragon with Warstorm Surge printed on it? Never thought that would happen. Sometimes you do get what you wish for, and then some!
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
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UBSygg, River Cutthroat
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Post by benjameenbear » 3 years ago

Yeah, Terror of the Peaks is just as phenomenal as you had always hoped. It's an incredible card and totally undercosted for its power. Thanks, WOTC!

Another avenue you could perhaps consider (as a way to get more efficiency from Worldgorger Dragon) are global Board Wipes. Float some mana, rez the WGD, destroy the battlefield completely with a MASSIVE advantage over the rest of the table. Frankly, they'd probably scoop on the spot because of the advantage you would be creating for yourself.

However, this is a politically alienating strategy and could definitely backfire, but it's another combo/synergy line for you to consider.

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Post by 3drinks » 3 years ago

Have you considered Obosh, the Preypiercer as companion? It really doesn't take a lot of effort to meet it's condition, and ultimately this Kaalia is most resemblant of a tempo deck - you use the trigger to ensure you never run out of gas, the specific threats you're drawing don't specifically matter, in that respect. The way I see it (I came to this realization just about thirty-six hours ago), you really don't have anything to lose...............

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Post by RowanKeltizar » 3 years ago

ehhh, when I look at the cards I'm running with even converted mana costs that would have to be cut I see too many that I'd hate to lose.

Sneak Attack, Heartless Summoning, Worldgorger Dragon, all the talismans, Panharmonicon, any four or six cost A/D/D so no... I think that's a very different deck.
Another avenue you could perhaps consider (as a way to get more efficiency from Worldgorger Dragon) are global Board Wipes. Float some mana, rez the WGD, destroy the battlefield completely with a MASSIVE advantage over the rest of the table. Frankly, they'd probably scoop on the spot because of the advantage you would be creating for yourself.

However, this is a politically alienating strategy and could definitely backfire, but it's another combo/synergy line for you to consider.
Yes, I'm aware of this potential, but I haven't really had the opportunity to exploit it yet. It's more difficult to set up than you might think. Ruinous Ultimatum does essentially the same thing and is actually much easier to pull off. My playgroup doesn't really play with land destruction so more devastating board wipes aren't being considered at this time.
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
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Post by RowanKeltizar » 3 years ago

Overhauled this list. THIS IS NOW A PRIMER IN CONSTRUCTION!

It will take me a while, and I want to fine tune the deck further before then, so I would appreciate any suggestions or comments anyone has. My purpose for primer status is to really hone this deck since I enjoy playing it so much. I am sure there are improvements to be made.

I am still working on my selection of A.D.D. Even though I can cheat big things into play, I still find myself in the position of hardcasting and for that reason I think I will continue to cut some of the higher cmc creatures (7 or above) Specifically looking at the following cards as being too cumbersome:
Their abilities are strong but having to hard cast these can be a bit painful.

I am considering things like Eradicator Valkyrie or Liesa, Shroud of Dusk as being more castable threats that still have an impactful board presence. Lifelink is helpful also.

Right now I am sitting at 27 A.D.D. and that feels really good. I get hits with Kaalia's trigger nearly every time and most of the time I get at least 2 hits. Rarely, I will get 3. That's about where I want to be.

I feel a bit light on ramp, but I have elected to go the route of cheating things into play whenever possible, so that's where those slots are. Things like Kaalia of the Vast, Heartless Summoning, or Victimize etc... of course a Mana Crypt would be nice to have, but you know 100$+ kind of a deterrent. Maybe a Thran Dynamo?
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
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WU Shorikai, Genesis Engine
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Post by benjameenbear » 3 years ago

I approve of your desire to Primer-ize this one!

I recommend having a Combo description section as part of your strategy section since the WGD combo is fairly complex, even if well-known. You'll also want to describe the specific outlets you have to take advantage of the infinite loop so there's a clear path to victory.

For your ramp consideration, Lotus Petal looks like a pretty solid add. It can help with a T2 Kaalia and can help you surge out a power play that might otherwise not be available to you. Since this is a Reanimator style deck, this is one of the few times that I'd recommend Ritual type effects since I usually despise them outside of dedicated Combo decks.

How has Nyx Lotus been for you? I hate HATE that it ETB tapped, otherwise I'd play it frequently. You could add in the other Signets for Ramp consideration and I think that Vilis is too good not to include. He's basically the EDH-acceptable version of Griselbrand (RIP sweet prince).

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Post by RowanKeltizar » 3 years ago

Nyx Lotus has been out for a while. Make sure you are looking at the new decklist in the OP.

This list isn't exactly focused on the WGD combo. It's certainly there but I'm not gunning for that combo every single game. Therefore I really don't know if the rituals are going to be good includes since they cost me precious card advantage. I love them in storm / spellslinger decks though. I will definitely go into more detail on the combo however.

Vilis, Broker of Blood may indeed be too good NOT to include. I hate that cmc, but yes, the risk may be well worth it. I will likely get a copy and just see how he plays.
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
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UBSygg, River Cutthroat
WU Shorikai, Genesis Engine
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Post by narglfrob » 3 years ago

Cool list, I might have to try a version of it out. I like how the commander is effective without drawing hate.

I have a 4c list that is similar in many respects.

Here are some suggestions based on my experiences (note I didn't see any guidance about your intended budget, but I won't both recommend anything over ~$25/card)

On theme suggestions:
These cards seem really strong (and on theme). Was there an outside factor that led to their exclusion? (such as $$$ or fun-ness) Other Suggestions
Dockside Extortionist - Super powerful, cheat big fatties into play
Pulsemage Advocate - A pet card of mine. Plays much better than it looks (granted, its better in a list with more wheels that you have, but very good regardless)
Anger - One of the best cards in my list consistently.
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite - Such a good target to cheat into play.
Toxic Deluge - Better than Mythos of Snapdax (tho that's good too)
Wheel of Misfortune - a solid card for a deck with GY synergies
Command the Dreadhorde - Another strong reanimation spell
Unburial Rites - Another solid reanimation spell
Swords to Plowshares Deflecting Swat Deadly Rollick - Wear // Tear - these are better than Anguished Unmaking, Bedevil, Path to Exile imo.
Lightning Greaves - I'm not usually a big fan, but haste is so good in these types of decks (from my experiences)
Necromancy - another great reanimation spell
Smothering Tithe - stupid mana lets you play big bois
Jeska's Will - stupid mana lets you play big bois, and your commander is unlikely to draw hate, allowing it to be around more often for a double Will

EDIT: I have no experience with these, but they seem sweet for Kaalia
Karmic Guide - reanimation spell that Kaalia can pickup
Nameless Inversion Crib Swap - removal that Kaalia can pickup
Angel of Serenity
Emeria Shepherd - seems powerfull, but might require a expensive mana base / proxies
Brought Back Cosmic Intervention Sevinne's Reclamation - there is some great discussion on the Ephara thread about these, they seem like a good fit here not only to ramp, but also to get extra Kaalia triggers.
Resolute Archangel Exquisite Archangel - Both form a cute combo with Command the Dreadhorde

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Post by RowanKeltizar » 3 years ago

@narglfrob I appreciate the comment. I will post a more lengthy reply when I have time. But I wanted to point out that you and @benjameenbear both referenced cards that were either already taken out of my decklist or have been added in. Nyx Lotus is gone and Karmic Guide and Smothering Tithe are both already in.

I just want to make sure there isn't some weird glitch and that we are both referencing and looking at the same decklist...
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
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UBSygg, River Cutthroat
WU Shorikai, Genesis Engine
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Post by RowanKeltizar » 3 years ago

@narglfrob I would encourage you to read through the primer in construction as it explains my philosophy and card choices pretty well.

I'm not in favor of running more than 1 or 2 high cost A.D.D. in the list. Creatures over 6cmc or with a color weight of more than 2 should be few and far between. That's because we can't exactly rely on being able cheat these out. Occasionally, we will have no choice but to hard cast.

Out of the ones you mentioned Aurelia, the Warleader would be the one I'd consider the most seriously. The color weight is painful, but the effect I know is strong as I use her as a commander for another deck. She might be a better fit than Terror of Mount Velus .

As for running non-A.D.D creatures in the list, I am absolutely against it for the reason that Kaalia can't dig them up. All of our creatures need to be Kaalia targets.

Your suggestions of removal or interaction are pretty good. I have run them all at one point or another. I like my current selection for reasons I will further explain in the primer.

Toxic Deluge would probably be the most likely to come in of the ones you suggested. Ultimately I always advocate for running the removal and interaction that best suits your meta.

Wheel of Misfortune this is too unpredictable to be good IMO. We need to look to Kaalia's trigger for our primary card advantage. The natural discard at end of turn is a pretty good outlet. Doom Whisperer can be used to efficiently dump your library into your graveyard as well as Knollspine Dragon.

Lightning Greaves - this probably should come in honestly and I will consider it adding it to the primer. Getting haste is pretty important as is protecting some of our key creatures from spot removal.

One challenge with this deck is to maintain a high count of A.D.D. for Kaalia's trigger while still running other supportive cards. Generally we favor tutors over mass card draw and we want as many effects on creature bodies as possible.
WRBKaalia, Zenith Seeker - Certified Air Raid Material
WBElenda, the Dusk Rose - Drain and Gain
WRAurelia, the Warleader - Tokens/Equipment
URNiv-Mizzet, Parun - Controlled Burn primer
BRGHenzie, "Toolbox" Torre - Creature Feature
BRGSoul of Windgrace - Lands Matter
RGWGishath, Sun's Avatar - I'M YOUR DADDY
GWUBAtraxa, Praetors' Voice - Artifact Stax Beatdown
Budget Starter Decks
UBSygg, River Cutthroat
WU Shorikai, Genesis Engine
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Post by 3drinks » 3 years ago

RowanKeltizar wrote:
3 years ago
One challenge with this deck is to maintain a high count of A.D.D. for Kaalia's trigger while still running other supportive cards. Generally we favor tutors over mass card draw and we want as many effects on creature bodies as possible.
This is why I went back to the absolute basic level in my primer. These numbers are a bit tricky, in addition to the other typical effects we want to add in the deck. I'd suggest going that route and extrapolating further.

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Post by pokken » 3 years ago

Just a tiny note but you should be able to stop the Worldgorger Dragon loop with Glorious Protector now, even without a secondary target for animate.

IIRC, the animate leaving the field is a trigger to sacrifice, so you can pop protector on it when animate leaves, then all your stuff comes back and animate goes to the bin.

This list looks like a ton of fun :) I love me some angels and demons and such.

Only maybe glaring omission I see is Scourge of the Throne which at its price cranks out a ton of work at just killin fellas. Lacking an ETB is a thing but its ability just turn a random board into killing two people.

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Post by 3drinks » 3 years ago

pokken wrote:
3 years ago
Just a tiny note but you should be able to stop the Worldgorger Dragon loop with Glorious Protector now, even without a secondary target for animate.

IIRC, the animate leaving the field is a trigger to sacrifice, so you can pop protector on it when animate leaves, then all your stuff comes back and animate goes to the bin.

This list looks like a ton of fun :) I love me some angels and demons and such.

Only maybe glaring omission I see is Scourge of the Throne which at its price cranks out a ton of work at just killin fellas. Lacking an ETB is a thing but its ability just turn a random board into killing two people.
Well, let's work through that.

- Cast animate dead, resolves, targets WGD.
- WGD returns to play, exiling the board including glorious protector, animate dead, etc.
- This then sends animate dead away, which does create a trigger asking to sacrifice WGD.
- When you sacrifice WGD, it's trigger goes off returning all your cards (including animate dead & glorious protector)...

I don't see a time when Glorious Protector and WGD are both on the board during the loop? Animate Dead is still looking for it's target. Nevermind I'm dumb and am still on the first cup of coffee, when the angel and the aura come back you stack the triggers with angel on the stack first and animate dead on top of that such that angel then resolves, exiling WGD and sending animate dead to the bin.

At any rate, I'm leaning toward an Approach of the Second Sun finish with an Angel of Glory's Rise backup. Both are more synergistic with Kaalia here (our trigger sifts through the top six), and Kaalia is good with sac outlets anyway to off her on demand to recast. The cards to work AoGR aren't dead cards on their own either. The only downside is you can't run Maskwood Nexus since it turns off the Angel combo.

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R{R/W} 87guide Burn
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WRKellan, the Fae-Blooded // Birthright Boon (local secret santa gift)
RTorbran, Thane of Red Fell (Red Deck Wins)
WBRAlesha, Who Smiles at Death (Slivers)
WBRKaalia HQ

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