Overview

Arcane Maelstrom is a spellslinger deck that copies its instants. Kalamax, the Stormsire is a 4/4, and whenever you cast your first instant spell each turn, if Kalamax is tapped, you copy that spell and may choose new targets. Whenever you copy an instant spell, Kalamax gets a +1/+1 counter. You need to attack with Kalamax, or tap it in another way, before casting your first instant.

The 99 cards are 21 creatures, 1 planeswalker, 7 artifacts, 6 enchantments, 25 instants, one sorcery and 38 lands. With so many instants, the deck has many ways to copy spells, such as Twinning Staff, Swarm Intelligence, Dualcaster Mage, Melek, Izzet Paragon, Djinn Illuminatus and Wort, the Raidmother. It also has payoffs for casting them, including Talrand, Sky Summoner, Murmuring Mystic, Niblis of Frost, Charmbreaker Devils and Crackling Drake.

Key Cards

◈
Talrand, Sky Summoner
Token Maker · Spell Payoff
A 2/2 for {2}{U}{U}. Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you create a 2/2 blue Drake creature token with flying. Every instant or sorcery you cast makes a Drake, and with Kalamax the first instant also gets a copy.
◈
Twinning Staff
Copy Engine · Artifact
An artifact for {3}. If you would copy a spell one or more times, you instead copy it that many times plus an additional time. For {7} and a tap it can also copy an instant or sorcery you control. It adds one more copy to every copy effect in the deck.
◈
Djinn Illuminatus
Replicate · Flying
A 3/5 for {5}{U/R}{U/R}. It has flying, and each instant and sorcery spell you cast has replicate with a cost equal to its mana cost. It lets you pay a spell's cost again to copy it.
◈
Comet Storm
X Spell · Finisher
An instant for {X}{R}{R}. It is an instant that deals X damage to any target, and multikicker lets you choose another target for each time it was kicked. With copies or extra kicks it can hit many targets at once.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about mana and setting up. Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Commander's Sphere, Natural Connection, Harrow and Growth Spiral ramp you, Solemn Simulacrum fetches a land, and cheap blue and red creatures such as Dualcaster Mage, Lunar Mystic and Murmuring Mystic start generating value. Wilderness Reclamation untaps your lands so you can cast instants on both turns.

The middle of the game is about casting instants and copying them. Kalamax, the Stormsire attacks, then you cast your first instant, Talrand, Sky Summoner and Murmuring Mystic make creatures, Niblis of Frost taps blockers, Melek, Izzet Paragon casts spells from the top of your library, and Goblin Dark-Dwellers and Charmbreaker Devils return cheap instants and sorceries. Prophetic Bolt, Channeled Force and Frantic Search mix damage and card draw.

The late game is about big copies and finishers. Comet Storm, Starstorm and Commune with Lava scale with mana, Hunting Pack copies itself for each spell cast before it this turn, Etali, Primal Storm casts spells from the top of every library, and Eon Frolicker gives an opponent an extra turn while you gain protection from them. Ravenous Gigantotherium and Strength of the Tajuru grow your creatures.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck is full of cheap instants, so it can interact on your opponents' turns, draw cards and copy its best spells. It also has strong removal and countermagic, including Temur Charm, Chaos Warp, Whiplash Trap, Deflecting Swat, Slice in Twain and Tribute to the Wild.

Weaknesses: Kalamax only copies spells when it is tapped, so it needs to attack or be tapped another way, and the deck has a modest number of creatures to protect it. Three colours and many double-coloured costs make the mana demanding, and the deck has only one sorcery so its non-instant support is light.

Want to improve it? See the Arcane Maelstrom upgrade guide: twelve swaps with the data behind each one.

Verdict
Arcane Maelstrom is a tricky and rewarding spellslinger deck, with big plays when copies stack up. It is a good choice for players who like instant-speed interaction and are comfortable with a more complex game plan.

Want to see what a fully optimised Kalamax, the Stormsire build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

What cards are in the Arcane Maelstrom decklist?
The Arcane Maelstrom precon is a 100-card Commander deck led by Kalamax. The full Arcane Maelstrom decklist, with every card, current prices and a button to copy the list into your deck builder, is on this page.

When was Arcane Maelstrom released?
Arcane Maelstrom was released on April 17, 2020 as part of Commander 2020 (Ikoria).

Who is the commander of Arcane Maelstrom?
Arcane Maelstrom is led by Kalamax, the Stormsire, a Temur (U/R/G) legendary creature.

How many creatures are in Arcane Maelstrom?
The 99 cards besides Kalamax, the Stormsire include 21 creatures.

How many lands does Arcane Maelstrom have?
Arcane Maelstrom has 38 lands in the 99 cards besides Kalamax, the Stormsire, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

All 100 cards from the out-of-the-box Arcane Maelstrom precon, with current prices. Click any card to expand it.

Fetching decklist…