Kalamax, the Stormsire | Upping the Average

[@leviangel97]

I appreciate the infinite combo disclaimer

[@TheRaineralzrein]

Thank you for this series.

[@trav9210]

I just built this deck and was testing it out last night and I never even thought about copying an opponents sorcery to do stuff for me. Thank you for helping information on a rather confusing commander lol

[@mattiavenier3898]

Love these videos! We need more of them!

[@mn6334]

I got the precon and made my own small changes but it's always interesting to see what you come up with for changes. I like a lot of what you did and am looking at changing mine to be closer to yours.

[@jpwood9180]

The Mana seems pretty low on basics actually. I'm surprised that the forest count is only 2. With cards like harrow, natural connection, and roiling regrowth alone, you'll be searching for a lot of basics

[@ammonaustin9081]

My kalamax deck runs 9 basics out of 36 lands and sometimes I feel as though that can go higher. Roiling Regrowth & Harrow ramp insanely hard when doubled. And I have several cards that can grab them back from the graveyard like reap & noxious revival.

[@Kobabel333]

IMO he should cut Myriad Landscape, the bouncelands and maybe mossfire valley

[@ammonaustin9081]

@@Kobabel333 I actually use 2 bouncelands because you can combo with Frantic Search for infinite card draw & discard, then finish with a Mizzix's Mastery

[@UgoneTheBest]

Thank you for this, it's a very interesting take on one of my favorite commanders! Keep it up!

[@mircokaiser891]

I bought the precon and appreciate a upping the average list from Joey. But I really like combos. I started not that way, but the longer I play the more I like them.

[@carloscon101]

Loved the RPDR reference!!

[@crossr1984]

I've been trying to get my Kalamax ready for mid-level on PlayEDH. Maybe this will help. Thanks dudes!

[@domonicneal1266]

Would love to see an Upping the Average for Meren of Clan Nel Toth! You have Golgari running through your veins so why not lol?

[@Slade450]

If you’d like I’ll show you my deck list to give you some ideas, solid power in it and potential to go even higher than where I have it at

[@olivierdebilde4292]

I love my Kalamax which is not optimized at all and has many different routes. Still exploring with him. No infinite combo in mine (my playgroup would not like it). Here are some other ideas : - Invigorate ("free" +9/+9) - Sundering Vitae (taps the Max & nice removal) - Sublime Epiphany/Mystic Confluence (a bit overkill, I must say) - Unsubstantiate ("counter" spell or bounce or both for 2 mana => count me in !) - Krosan grip is quite good too (less than nature's claim but can save a game) - Fully grown (trample counter = thank you) - Repopulate vs ... other Joey's decks I guess - Thassa's intervention : decent counter spell once copied + draw. - Sapphire charm => 2 x slow cantrip / removes two strong attackers/blockers / gives Kalamax little evasion ... for one mana - Lightning bolt & Giant Growth for the nostalgia flavor (killing someone with any of these in EDH is awesome - been there, done that :P) Some general thoughts : - I understand why Joey is removing the token generators. Eventhough you surely won't win with them, I often lack blockers mid-game though. (up to one's preference) - You really do need a lot of cantrips in this deck or you will run out of gaz really quickly. And top-decking low cost instants won't make up for it. - For those who don't know, you have to pick the choice of the "Choose" spells before the copy and the copy keeps the same choices.

[@RandomInternetUser999]

Invigorate is great in this deck. For card draw I like the blue modal spell with options of bouncing a creature, drawing a card, and a third option I never use, pick 3. So I either bounce 1 creature and draw 2 cards copied or 2 and 1. Fact of fiction is great too if you can make friends with someone before casting it; I actually had a friend make a pile of 5 and 0 twice! Oh the lawls we shared!

[@olivierdebilde4292]

@@RandomInternetUser999 I think you're talking about Mystic Confluence which I mentionned above next to the Sublime Epyphany. The only downside of both is when you only need one of the mode once and don't care about the copy of it.

[@RandomInternetUser999]

@@olivierdebilde4292 ah, yes, that's the one. That's true but I haven't had a situation yet where there was only 1 creature I wanted to bounce. There was a time I wanted to bounce 3 creatures but with a little politicing I only needed to bounce two and someone else dealt with the third. Some of those spells I'm not familiar with but am definitely going to look them up. Love my kalamax deck.

[@Codence666]

My favorite wincon in my list is casting repeated reverberation, then Mythos of Iluna copying Wilderness Reclamation, and at end step with all the untap triggers I float around 50 mana or so and dump it all into a comet storm aimed at my opponents

[@EZ2BCHEEZY36]

I would definitely recommend turnabout. Not only is it a huge combo potential play, it can also hose enemy attacks or even whole turns. What really surprised me was how a necromancy aficionado such as Joey missed both Reap and Underworld Breach. Reap is just insane value. And Underworld Breach can bury people in value or flat out win you the game.

[@GatheringTheMagicYT]

Love this 😍

[@DrJammjamm]

I run a few counterspells in my Kalamax Deck. Having Rewind and Unwind I can protect myself/remove some threats from my opponents while still being able to play some instants afterwards to get value from a tapped Kalamax (since his copy also triggers in the opponents turns once). With Muddle the Mixture I can always tutor for Comet Storm or Electrodominance as a finisher. I like storming off and generating a lot of mana (not necessary infinite) for example by copying Frantic Search, Snap, Manamorphose or the good old Mana Geyser. By having bounce lands that tap for 2 mana I net win mana, when I play the "untap lands" spells or by having cost reducers like Goblin Electromancer, Primal Amulett or Jaces Sanctum (Baral would also work and is a blocker). Copying or playing a cost reduced Harrow also nets mana. Storm Cards I use are the usual 3 enchantments (Thousand Year Storm, Swarm Intelligence and Double Vision) aswell as Bonus Round and Wort, the Raid Mother (and of course Kalamax himself). I also run a bit of recursion like Eternal Witness, Flood of Recollection/Regrowth to cast some mana producing spells more times. And Underworld Breach is amazing, since it lets you play them again multiple times (if you have a decently filled graveyard). Underworld Breach combined with Frantic Search is an amazing Combo! By drawing and discarding 2 cards you fill your graveyard for more escape uses and by untapping 3 lands with at least one bounce land (or enchanted land that produces more mana) or having a cost reducer so Frantic Search costs less, you net mana. This can also work with Snap as long as you have creatures to bounce and enough cards in your graveyard (much harder though). Doing this over and over (its not infinite though, which I like) you can cast a huge Comet Storm or another finisher. Underworld Breach even can be tutored with Muddle the Mixture.

[@DrJammjamm]

sorry for the long post... I have no one to talk about this xD

[@seliphsnom2596]

😂 Joey i think Dana's dad jokes have rubbed off on you

[@xanderjones6239]

You mean Matt's dad jokes?

[@seliphsnom2596]

@@xanderjones6239 yes yes i do

[@xanderjones6239]

@@seliphsnom2596 lol even though dana, is the actual dad 🤣

[@DontStopTheHustle]

I like the synergy you pointed out here, imma build a thunderous dino.

[@malocaptain2852]

I really like commence the endgame with kalamax and a fling or kazuuls fury. Because the token can get really large an when you play the commence before your turn you can attack with it and after damage with kalamax out fling it multiple times into people faces. Often you can draw with commence into your fling effects cards.

[@sebastianahrens2385]

Recently brewed this boi, here's what I learned (Card suggestions below): Most of the options to tap Kalamax are somewhat clunky and small in number, making the deck cumbersome and inconsistent. Fortunately, we've got a solution in the game mechanics themselves: Attacking. Once Mad Kalamax has enough counters, we're the king of the Thunderdome and don't have to worry about (most) blockers. But how do we get through the early game? Combat Tricks. As explained in the video, cards like Simic Charm immediately boost your attacking Kal-El up to 11/11 by turn 4 (assuming you're consistently ramping on either turn 1 or 2). Your opponents better have their turn 4 Blightsteel Colossi ready to block this. And there's more! You don't need to target Kalamaximus with these. There's quite some table impact you can have at any time, meaning they'll stay relevant throughout the game. And there's more more! Speaking of relevance, quite a number of combat tricks come with little extras like Aggressive Urge (+3/+3 and draw 2), Fortifying Draught (+7/+7 and gain 4 life) Blossoming Defense (+5/+5 and hexproof for up to 2 creatures). There is, of course, also a number of spells to just smash and trample: Barge In, Run Amok, Collision//Colossus etc. All of the spells above are cmc 2 or below, meaning there's plenty of mana left to spend on your opponents turns to accelerate your advantage, benefitting from a tapped Kalamax Verstappen. There's also a neat way of winning without using an infinite combo or requiring Kalamagne. You need at least 7 or 8 mana and the following cards: Bonus Round + Narset's Reversal + Storm-Kiln Artist (This one is optional, but heavily recommended) + either Manamorphose (preferred) or Frantic Search (alternative) After casting bonus round, cast Manamorphose or Frantic Search. Keep priority, cast Narset's Reversal target the previous spell. Have Narset's Reversal's copy target the orinigal Narset's Reversal, and the resulting Narset's Reversal copy target the original draw spell. You'll get both cards back to your hand and twice the draw spell's effect. In numbers: Manamorphose: 4 mana in, 4 colored mana out, 2 cards drawn, 2 cast and 4 copy triggers (6 Magecraft) Frantic Search: 5 mana in, 6 colored mana out, 4 cards looted, 2 cast and 4 copy triggers (6 Magecraft) You can see why Storm-Kiln Artist is heavily recommended, eh? In both cases, the limiting factor is your deck, so this isn't infinitely repeatable. But even without it, the process is net neutral at least, meaning you can draw through your deck until you find it. Playing it is a little harder with Manamorphose as this doesn't produce mana, but you can simply continue drawing until you get Frantic Search to be able to do so. Once Storm-Kiln Artist is on the battlefield, Manamorphose is way better, as you get to keep all the cards you draw and you get 6 Magecraft triggers per 2 cards of your library, compared to 6 Magecraft per 4 cards with Frantic Search. If you haven't found it already, draw into Comet Storm (already including in the EDHREC list) and kill the entire table at once. Or have Guttersnipe around for a while. *Creature suggestions from the latest sets:* Archmage Emeritus (Magecraft Draw) Storm-Kiln Artist (Magecraft Treasure tokens) *Creature suggestions from older sets:* Rishkar, Peema Renegade (Helps tap Kal and can produce up to 3 mana including the turn he hits the board) Sakura-Tribe Elder (Turn 2 ramp to play Kal turn 3) *Creature suggestions for people with deep pockets:* Imperial Recruiter (Finds almost any other key creature, especially Archmage Emeritus and Storm-Kiln Artist) Snapcaster Mage (You get still to copy whatever you flashback as opposed to Mission Briefing) Spellseeker (Living the dream in this deck) *Instant spell suggestions:* Chord of Calling (Taps Kal on its own through Convoke, gets key creatures, is surprisingly cheap) Bolt Bend (Cheap duplicate of Deflecting Swat) Telling Time, Anticipate, Deliberate, Thrill of Possibility, Curate, Fire Prohecy (Card advantage) Decoy Gambit (Either temporary removal or card advantage - hard to get the kalamaximum benefits out of) *More Combat Trick suggestions:* Aggressive Urge, Fire//Ice, Twisted Image (Card advantage) Snakeskin Veil, Ranger's Guile (Hexproof) Ancient Animus, Ram Through (Fight target creature(s)) *Cheap Counterspells to protect Kal:* Stubborn Daniel, Delay, Negate, Unwind, Rewind, Bolt Bend (already mentioned above)

[@kaidimino9858]

Love the love for Kalamax. I also really like Guided Passage for the list, given that it is generally creature-light. Not so great for Spell Table and the like right now, but as a tutor that gives you 3 cards, you can exercise some agency over it since the creatures you do run are probably all bad news: Vexxing Shusher, Parcel Beast, Krark, the Thumbless, Guttersnipe, or whatever your particular flavor is. And that’s only one of the cards your opponents must find. Oh man, what a target for opposition agent though! Thankfully though Kalamax is interactive enough to probably be able to handle it...hopefully. I can see why people would think it’s much worse just because OA exists, but I think if you’re in a meta where Guided Passage can be a fun card to play, you may not be worried about Opposition Agent since GP is inherently political and that environment likely encourages this form of politics.

[@mrpopsful]

I only want my endgame for an infinite combo to be to give everyone infinite life in a warped group hug way

[@adamkealy2630]

New intro who this

[@Timby_]

The fun thing about fury storm is that it will make Kalamax infinitely big without having him need to be tapped, so you can really surprise your opponents

[@yoshiman9521]

the seedborne muse from commander collection green is only around $5 rn and has some sweet art on it

[@viniciusgrossmann8796]

Although I do agree that kalamax is a instant spell slinger, a few more creatures REALLY help kalamax and the deck (in my deck, I use Spark double,Sakashima the impostor and Charmbreaker Devils as examples) Also, I find it very weird that most lists don't use Dual Casting

[@mn6334]

Aura's are general viewed as extremely weak in Commander, particularly outside of decks built around getting the most of out of them. To get rid of it your multiple opponents just need either a creature removal spell or an enchantment removal spell.

[@viniciusgrossmann8796]

@@mn6334 I understand your point, but: 1: If someone really uses a enchantment removal spell on dual casting, that's bad threat evaluation, as dual casting only does what Kalamax already does, not fundamentally changing the board state. In the case of my deck, I gladly accept a naturalize on dual casting instead of Thousand-Year Storm 2: Auras usually suffer from 2 for 1 when the creature its enchanting is dealt with, however in Dual Castings case, since it copies another spell, it essentially removes this issue if you are able to activate it at least once. I agree that its not THE BEST CARD to have in a Kalamax deck, but its cheap(money and casting wise),it synergizes very well with the deck ( tapping kalamax AND copying spells) and if not dealt with immediatly. generates "card advantage"

[@luismartinez1056]

Deekah fractal theorist, storm kiln artist, Jadazi oracle of arcavios, and archmage emeritus can all be insane win combos if you get them on the feild too.... never underestimate the magecraft my friend

[@pistolpete7422]

Why not Roiling Regrowth over Kodama’s reach?

[@EDHRECast]

Never fear! It’s in the original list :) there are lots of instants so some run off the page and are hard to see until the scrolled-down sections

[@pistolpete7422]

@@EDHRECast oops, guess that’s what I get for not making it through the whole thing before commenting 😂 love the content, this is my favorite magic series on KZbin. Keep it up!

[@Bstone410]

DINO Mc LIGHTNING BUTT I love it 😂

[@gregallan4291]

Why use Kazuul's Fury instead of Fling?

[@qqpit1]

I know that +x/+0 effects are better with kalamax's copy, but I would consider combat tricks like psychotic fury (which draws cards) or temur battle rage (to get past chump blockers) instead of or alongside unleash fury. It seems like you can pretty quickly buff him to the point where you only need one double damage effect anyway.

[@JustABrokenToy]

I haven't been able to physically play Kalamax since it came out, but when I do my plan is to just not copy my own forks as a sort of self-restriction. Unless maybe Ral is out, 2 card combo seems more palatable than 1 card combo. Mine is built with a bit of voltron and keeps the token generation components (including Shark Typhoon and Metallurgic Summonings) for at least some board presence. Return to Nature is a nice modal removal spell in the vein of Nature's Claim, and Nexus of Fate is a really good instant to copy.

[@zakkellingson4012]

I'd be interested withan update of this list now that Strixhaven is out.

[@rolandking640]

Heckin' Rad!

[@SuperHeftigDaviD]

You should reeeeeeally suggest playing a Valakut Awakening in Kalamax. Its super bonkers

[@MTG_Brewzl]

This is a tough build. I have very bad experience with such a low creature count. Especally with Kalamax. But I am really happy to see him here.

[@kaiokenx100]

Sundering Vitae is a neat card in the deck because you can tap Kalamax to help cast it!

[@lordsinister707]

Honest question, do you think the first Ral would go good in this deck? I mean it would be a good way to tap kalamax and untap a land for another instant and you could get extra turns later.

[@matiasanastopulos1687]

I have a question. Trying to make kalamax infinite, if someone counters the first sorcery you are copying with the fork, how do you stop the infinite fork sequence? Is this a draw?

[@gnoll1812]

Fling is a great card here I also like niv mizzet(the one that costs 3 blue 3 red)

[@Asmodeus555]

I feel like Arcane Denial is a huge miss here? In a desperate situation, you use it as a counterspell. If you're going to lose or need to protect a win the cards you give away are moot. And the rest of the time it draws 3 cards for 2 mana which is a pretty good rate. When your opponents cast any spell when you have Kalamax tapped you cast Arcane Denial and use the copy to counter the original, netting you three cards of the next upkeep. With mana reducers like Electromancer (which I do like to play in Kalamax) it's a one mana draw 3 at instant speed and I've heard Ancestral Recall is a good card.

[@kage9543]

A great replacement for Lunar Mystic is Archmage Emeritus. Its simply a Lunar Mystic with Magecraft and you don't have to pay to draw.

[@michielwitteveen6676]

wouldnt burning anger also be realy good in this deck since it can both help to tap kalamax and deal a lot of damage when he is big

[@WUBRGer_King]

Ooooooooh, I really like this idea.

[@WUBRGer_King]

Ooooooooh, I really like this idea.

[@eavyeavy2864]

2 years and he topple Angmar in popularity. Insane

[@ancientswordrage]

How long do these take to plan? You make it look like you just wandered in, saw the 'assignment' and ran with it.

[@ChetSkolos]

Thoughts about 'Ghitu Fire'?

[@matianlong7907]

I like copying Fight Spells (instants) or burn instants with Kalamax, just to pre-emptively get rid off some chump blockers

[@andreusemanuel4868]

I really would love if someone made a kalamax deck that was actually a voltron build full of cheap pump effects and cheap cantrips to cast on other players turns so the could keep going.

[@reivax2654]

This many months later, with the release of archmage emeritus, it should be an auto include in all decks

[@stevenpetrelli8964]

Agreed. I believe Storm-Kiln Artist should be in there too

[@reivax2654]

@@stevenpetrelli8964 I halfway agree. I run a dash and smash build (haste and big bonk) and having 4MV cards and above can typically hinder me

[@hopposai787]

i built mine as a semi voltron commander. mainly because i built it as a combo deck first and he was just too powerful, so i decided to go with aggro instead.

[@tidus001]

You did two of the 2020 commanders might as well do the others 😉

[@MitchellHonaker]

so we’re not talking about the killing power of kessig wolf run?

[@markc6571]

I'm going for Flash speed. Cantrips, small sorceries, copy effects and Gravitic Punch lol

[@jonram6009]

Nice

[@reivax2654]

I used to have a deck that was all about spellslinging and a lot of technical combos, but now it’s just quick combat tricks and he destroys my opponents

[@CorsairJoshua]

Love these new commanders that generate insane advantage if you let them live! Oh wait... Those are the worst.

[@JohnDoe-df7bl]

dino mc lightning butt. Joey 2020

[@DuncanEllis]

... of the Inverrary McLightning-Butts.

[@aR0ttenBANANA]

Kalamax is a weird one. I think he’s cEDH level cus most of the times I play him outside of cEDH he makes people salty. I guess it’s the amount of infinite combos or 1 turn wins like Chord of calling.

[@Acepilot12345]

Oooh. Please explain. Why use that card with Kalamax? I'm a noob sorry

[@aR0ttenBANANA]

@@Acepilot12345 np it's a great question. Since chord is an instant and lets you tap creatures for mana it lets you tutor 2 creatures instead of 1 since Kalamax being tapped lets you copy the instant. Then you can find infinite combos like Dockside+temur sabertooth (as long as have enough mana to continue bouncing dockside) for infinite coloured mana or Kiki-jiki+ any creature that untaps Kiki to make infinite haste attackers. And of course it being an isntant speed combo lets you do it when it's safest.

[@Asmodeus555]

@@aR0ttenBANANA My favourite Chord combo is NIvix Guildmage + Spellseeker. Spellseeker gets Reset and you copy it with Nivix Guildmage for infinite mana, you can then use Nivix Guildmage's other ability to loot through your deck for the lethal win (Comet Storm for example). You can do the entire thing at instant speed, no combat required. Its a little more convoluted but none of the cards are "bad" which is to say that they all fit quite nicely in what the deck trying to do and it doesn't require much mana. You only need to Chord for x=3 (CMC 6) which has convoke and you can split the combo up over two turns (an endstep and upkeep) so you only need two more mana to cast the Reset (because Kalamax will copy it and that will give you enough mana to activate Nivix Guildmage!). I've seen people play Kiki for Chord and that just seems bad to me because those cards are terrible top decks in Kalamax

[@19son96]

I do think you should go up on basic lands in this deck. I still play this every now and then - and I've run out of basics even though i've gone up to 4 of each

[@matthoward6130]

Challenge those stats: Mnemonic Deluge doesn't work, you cast the copies.

[@DVS57REBEL]

Energy tap

[@Hashbrown1682]

I'm just here for k'rrik

[@BrunoNunes83]

maybe kroxa is on next video.. 😂😂

[@facehill72]

What do you want for Christmas?

[@facehill72]

I want another video LOL 🤣

[@KaiTheElusive]

Berserk

[@nebDDa]

Why cut the young pyromancers but leave in guttersnipe

[@RandomInternetUser999]

I love my kalamax deck. Not a big fan of the final list. Most of the enchantments are too slow. I'd cut most if not all the sorcery ramp. Add in a bunch of counter spells. Put seedborn muse back in; there's plenty of ways to tap kalamax without attacking. Might cut some of the instants that copy; it just isn't very fun to me.

[@rey_nemaattori]

Anyone not wanting to play infinite combo's should just steer away from cards that copy spells, including kalamax...easy as that.

[@meyeneetuks4680]

Ikr. The word copy almost always gets outta hand

[@reubentirkey5436]

Oh yeah, that’s why I hate Kalamax so much

[@BaltanTwo]

As a longtime Kalamax proponent, there is one glaring omission in this video: Kalamax never HAS to go infinite with copy spells. In your first example with Cultivate and Reverberate, the original targets Cultivate. If you have Kalamax’s copy ALSO target Cultivate, you sidestep Kalamax getting infinitely huge, netting only one +1/+1 counter and two Cultivates instead. That’s one of the things I love about Kalamax’s design - the pilot’s choices in gameplay can rein in the infinite potential based on what you and your table prefer.

[@Yesnomu]

This is true, but your opponents can't rely on you promising not to do that. Like if you had a Blasphemous Act in hand, wouldn't you be tempted to pump him with copies, even just to 14/14? Not to mention some opponents might get annoyed at you pulling punches like that.

[@BaltanTwo]

@@Yesnomu The opponents trusting you or not is a lesson for them and not your problem. This approach is what I regularly use in my playgroup, so they’re already aware that I’m not going to do it. As for someone being annoyed you DON’T go infinite, what.

[@scaredycat3146]

Well it would be seen as an insult in our playgroup tbh. It's like putting the kiddy gloves on because your opponents aren't worth getting serious. If you don't want to build with infinites, fine. A respectable decision. But knowingly including them and just not use them? "Oh I could win the game now but I'll allow you to try instead because I'm so nice!" Fuck that. I want to earn my wins and not get them gifted to me. Let me decide what I can handle. Sorry if that came out more aggressive than it was meant to.

[@BaltanTwo]

@@scaredycat3146 Yeah, don’t pin your group’s hang ups on everyone that plays Magic.

[@matshbocks]

Second

[@MrManukenchin]

I feel teysa karlov is the weakest commander today all the money I spent for nothing

[@Zerschnitzler77]

going infinite in commander is so boring.

[@RandomInternetUser999]

I love my kalamax deck and cut pretty much all spells that copy. My deck is counter heavy which is good in my group and full of attack shenanigans.