Kaalia's Journey: From Bling to Basics and Back I
Kaalia Play-to-Pay
Kaalia and I go way back. Back before Secret Lairs and collector boosters, when Commander still felt like a community experiment instead of a content engine. For over a decade, she was my pride deck — full of foils, big bombs, and chase rares. She was expensive, explosive, and absolutely blinged out (I’ve even got The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale in the deck!) But lately? That deck sits in its box like a museum piece. And I’ve been thinking — what if I started over? Not with new tech, or fancier cards. But with limits. With only commons and uncommons. With the kind of deck anyone could build on a tight budget — no Mythics, no staples, just Kaalia at her most raw. This is the beginning of that journey. It’s not about winning pods or dunking on high-power decks. It’s about reconnecting with the commander I love — and proving that creativity still beats cash, if you’re willing to build from the bones up.
Greetings Wherever you’re reading this from: morning, noon, or way past bedtime — welcome. Some of you may know me as 3drinks, or more formally THEmtg3drinks, the human behind one of the most well-known Kaalia primers for Commander play, written back in 2011 when Heavenly Inferno was released. It’s astonishing that this deck has persisted for fourteen years and still remains within the top ten on EDHREC even today. As you might imagine from over a decade of play I’ve worked tirelessly to establish Kaalia as the flagship deck of my collection. From the early days of one-on-one Commander matches to that brief, glorious month where Griselbrand was still legal — I’ve seen Kaalia through every meta shift imaginable. These days that deck is more-or-less fulfilled, but my hunger persists for more.
My relationship with the game has always been about finding value — in strategy, in synergy, and yeah, sometimes in the dollar bins. Recently I implemented a challenge brew concept with the Eternal Might pre-made deck from AEtherdrift. I called it play-to-pay. For those not on the mtgnexus forums, that functions as follows;
The Rules of Play-to-Pay:
Start with a sealed precon.
No singles or upgrades until you play.
Earn $1 toward your upgrade pool for each opponent you KO.
Earn $5 for winning the table.
This challenge helps protect against the constant “shovelware” of our perpetual release season. It also makes you carefully consider acquisitions since you can’t just “buy everything” with these numbers; that’s the point, you’re after what really and truly matters while tightening up the deck and making the most of the few dollars you put into it. It’s like a budgeting game, where you get to enjoy all the excitement of playing your favorite commander with all the joys of balancing a ledger. “But 3drinks,” you ask, “you said earlier you already had the deck finished.” And you’d be right about that. Which brings me to one of my other favorite pastimes; budget play. This blog is part journal, part experiment: a way to explore what Commander looks like when you’re not chasing the latest mythic or $50 staple. Just creativity, constraints, and a love for the craft.
So now, I’m returning to what I call “Baseline Kaalia” — a build that keeps the commander intact, but only includes cards that were printed at common or uncommon in at least one set. Originally built as a benchmark for the cheapest viable entry point into Kaalia — a foundation piece for my original primer.
Why Kaalia, Why Now?
Kaalia’s always been my favorite commander — not just for what she does, but for what she represents. She’s bold, unapologetic, and completely unfair when she’s allowed to be. But in a world where new sets drop every other week and every deck runs the same top-dollar staples, my blinged-out Kaalia started to feel less like a reflection of me… and more like a museum piece.
So I wanted to strip her down. Not for pity, but for clarity. To rebuild her. This version? Just what you can find in a binder full of commons, a bulk box at the LGS, or maybe two bucks on TCGplayer. Play-to-pay is a challenge — like grinding for the secret superboss in your favorite JRPG. It gives you the thrill of watching your deck level up in real time — with clear milestones after each pod, like your own personal XP bar. Those snapshots give you a crystal-clear sense of where you stand, right before the next FNM.
In Part II, I’ll reveal the full Baseline Kaalia list — ninety-nine commons and uncommons and zero compromises. Come see how she takes to the skies.
The angels, demons, and dragons may be common now, but the passion? Greater than the next mythic rare. Thanks for flying with me — we’re just getting started.