Overview

Heavenly Inferno is a Mardu deck that cheats big creatures into play. Kaalia of the Vast is a 2/2 flyer, and whenever it attacks an opponent you may put an Angel, Demon or Dragon creature card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped and attacking that opponent. An expensive creature arrives without paying its mana cost, already attacking.

The 99 cards are 28 creatures, 7 artifacts, 7 enchantments, 12 instants, 7 sorceries and 38 lands. The Angels include Serra Angel, Angel of Despair, Angelic Arbiter, Archangel of Strife and Tariel, Reckoner of Souls, the Dragons include Bladewing the Risen, Mana-Charged Dragon, Oros, the Avenger and Furnace Whelp, and the Demons include Malfegor, Reiver Demon, Dread Cacodemon and Razorjaw Oni. Cards such as Avatar of Slaughter and Akroma, Angel of Fury are enormous finishers.

Key Cards

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Reiver Demon
Sweeper · Flying
A 6/6 for {4}{B}{B}{B}{B}. It has flying, and when it enters, if you cast it from your hand, it destroys all nonartifact, nonblack creatures. Put onto the battlefield by Kaalia, it does not wipe the board, so you choose between a sweeper and a free attacker.
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Dread Cacodemon
Sweeper · Big Body
A 8/8 for {7}{B}{B}{B}. It is an 8/8, and when it enters, if you cast it from your hand, it destroys all creatures your opponents control and taps your other creatures. It is a one-sided sweeper that costs ten mana.
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Malfegor
Edict · Flying
A 6/6 for {2}{B}{B}{R}{R}. It has flying, and when it enters you discard your hand and each opponent sacrifices a creature for each card discarded. Put in by Kaalia, it still discards your hand and makes each opponent sacrifice that many creatures.
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Archangel of Strife
Flying · Politics
A 6/6 for {5}{W}{W}. It has flying, and as it enters each player chooses war or peace. War gives +3/+0, and peace gives +0/+3. Everyone's choice shapes the combat.

Playing the Deck

The early game is about mana and a first Kaalia. Sol Ring, Boros Signet, Orzhov Signet, Rakdos Signet, Darksteel Ingot and Armillary Sphere ramp you, and Mother of Runes protects your creature. Lightning Greaves gives Kaalia haste and shroud.

The middle of the game is about Kaalia attacks. Kaalia of the Vast attacks and cheats a huge creature, Basandra, Battle Seraph stops opponents casting spells during combat, Voice of All gains protection from a colour, and Master Warcraft controls combat. Diabolic Tutor finds a key Angel, Demon or Dragon.

The late game is about huge threats and sweepers. Akroma, Angel of Fury, Avatar of Slaughter, Oros, the Avenger and Tariel, Reckoner of Souls end the game, and Akroma's Vengeance, Sulfurous Blast, Evincar's Justice and Earthquake clear smaller creatures. Death by Dragons gives everyone else a Dragon.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths: The deck has a huge number of powerful flyers and plenty of ways to cheat them in, and a lot of removal to clear the way. It also has plenty of interaction, including Path to Exile, Terminate, Mortify, Wrecking Ball, Syphon Flesh and Soul Snare.

Weaknesses: Kaalia has only 2 power and needs to survive and attack, so a single blocker with flying or removal can stop the plan, and the deck is three colours with several expensive costs. Several cards, such as Avatar of Slaughter, force all creatures to attack, including yours.

Want to improve it? See the Heavenly Inferno upgrade guide: eleven swaps with the data behind each one.

Verdict
Heavenly Inferno is a classic and exciting deck that rewards big creatures and aggressive play. It is a good choice for players who like Angels, Demons and Dragons and enjoy cheating huge creatures into play.

Want to see what a fully optimised Kaalia of the Vast build looks like? Try the Oracle.

✦ Build with The Oracle

Frequently Asked Questions

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

When was Heavenly Inferno released?
Heavenly Inferno was released on June 17, 2011 as part of Commander 2011.

Who is the commander of Heavenly Inferno?
Heavenly Inferno is led by Kaalia of the Vast, a Mardu (W/B/R) legendary creature.

How many creatures are in Heavenly Inferno?
The 99 cards besides Kaalia of the Vast include 28 creatures.

How many lands does Heavenly Inferno have?
Heavenly Inferno has 38 lands in the 99 cards besides Kaalia of the Vast, including basic lands.

Full Decklist

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

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