(Kaima, the Fractured CalmKaima, the Fractured Calm| Art by Filip Burburan)

Into the Borderlands

Welcome to Borderland Explorer, the new EDHREC series that takes a closer look at commanders right on the border of popularity – not too obscure, but nowhere near the “Top Commanders” front page either.

For this series, I’m choosing the 1,200-deck mark as a grounding point. (But it’s not too strict – there’s a few hundred decks’ worth of wiggle room on either side).

In this series we will:

• Identify a commander that falls into the 1,200-deck range for each allied two-color pair
• Highlight unique and interesting game plan(s) for this commander
• Outline the advantages and challenges of these strategies
• Build a budget-friendly deck following these plans
• Walk through important card categories and use EDHREC synergy numbers as a starting point to talk about notable inclusions and exclusions
• Go over upgrades for readers interested in investing more money into this strategy

The goal is to find commanders with some established traction but lots of room for exploration and innovation, so let’s get into the brewing spirit!

Moving on from black-red last week, we are heading right into the next allied color pair, red-green. Filtering by number of decks, we see Kaima, the Fractured CalmKaima, the Fractured Calm at the helm of around 1,260 decks.

This commander checks all the right boxes for us – it's budget-friendly, it has an interesting and unique strategy, and the "Enchantress"/goad theme takes us in a completely new direction from other allied-pair commanders we've looked at.

The Game Plan(s)

Kaima has a clear strategic direction – attach Auras to opposing creatures and make your opponents attack each other while growing your commander into a gigantic threat.

Advantages and Challenges

Kaima allows players who love enchantment-heavy decks to branch out into a new color combination. There is no shortage of enchantment-centric strategies in green-white (Sythis, Harvest's HandSythis, Harvest's Hand and Ellivere of the Wild CourtEllivere of the Wild Court are two of the top three Selesnya commanders).

If you want to travel a bit more off the beaten path, however, Kaima allows you explore how red can contribute to green's classic enchantment synergies and also figure out how goad fits into this puzzle.

This balance is bit of a challenge to get correct, as both Auras and goad have significant downsides.

Often, one of the first thing we learn as beginner Magic players is to be wary of attaching many Auras – a well-timed removal spell can take down a creature and the Auras attached to it at the same time.

The challenge with goad and strategies that force/encourage your opponents to attack each other is... what happens when there is only one opponent left? Especially with how Kaima incentivizes us to play, if we're not careful, we might end up in a scenario where we are head to head against an opponent who will beat us down with our own Auras enhancing their threats.

Mana Sources

As the first green deck in the series, we no longer have to rely on artifact mana rocks for ramping needs. Instead, due to the fact we will be including cards that care about Auras and enchantments in general, ramp with these card types will be at a premium.

Some Auras attach to lands and increase their mana production – cards like Utopia SprawlUtopia Sprawl, Wild GrowthWild Growth, Fertile GroundFertile Ground, and Wolfwillow HavenWolfwillow Haven.

Some Auras attach to creatures and allow us to advance our mana – cards like One with NatureOne with Nature, Ordeal of NyleaOrdeal of Nylea, and Shiny ImpetusShiny Impetus.

Rounding out this section, Nessian WandererNessian Wanderer (24% of decks) appears seriously underrated, while Sanctum WeaverSanctum Weaver (73% of decks) gets the high inclusion stats it deserves.

Auras

To get around the "Auras are bad against removal" conundrum discussed earlier, we want to ensure the cards we're enchanting our opponents' creatures with have some sort of built-in card advantage and/or resilience.

Additionally, the less expensive to cast an Aura is, the better. Kaima cares about enchanting a lot of different creatures, so committing only a few mana per Aura is ideal.

Auras with built-in card draw include AudacityAudacity, BequeathalBequeathal, Demonic RuckusDemonic Ruckus, and Kenrith's TransformationKenrith's Transformation.

Auras that come back to your hand when they are put into your graveyard include RancorRancor, Fiery MantleFiery Mantle, FortitudeFortitude, SluggishnessSluggishness, Undying RageUndying Rage, and Unquenchable FuryUnquenchable Fury.

Token Auras allow Kaima to go off for a low mana commitment, with Become BrutesBecome Brutes and Smoke Spirits' AidSmoke Spirits' Aid as prime examples of efficient ways to trigger its ability.

Auras/Enchantments-Matter

We have access to a lot of green cards that work well with enchantments, between growing creaturesgrowing creatures, gaining lifegaining life, largelarge threatsthreats, increasing board presenceincreasing board presence, and, of course, drawingdrawing cardscards.

Goad Synergies

Auras like Shiny ImpetusShiny Impetus and Vow of WildnessVow of Wildness complement Kaima's strategy of forcing your opponents to attack each other, while cards like LureLure and Frontier WarmongerFrontier Warmonger make combat a nightmare for them.

Hot PursuitHot Pursuit and Vengeful AncestorVengeful Ancestor underline the goad theme, while Spectacular ShowdownSpectacular Showdown is a great multi-purpose option – either continuing to turn your opponents against each other or give a gigantic Kaima lethal double strike.

Protecting Kaima

As the game plan progresses, Kaima grows itself with Auras and +1/+1 counters and will become a big target. That's why it's important to have cards to protect it, like Defend the RiderDefend the Rider alongside Aura-synergy enablers Lion UmbraLion Umbra and Royal TreatmentRoyal Treatment.

Inclusions

(27% of low-budget decks)

Card advantage is at an absolute premium in this deck, as you are spending many of your resources to actively help your opponents rather than develop your own board state.

If you run out of gas at the wrong time, you will definitely fall behind. The classic Enchantress's PresenceEnchantress's Presence and Theros staples Eidolon of BlossomsEidolon of Blossoms and Setessan ChampionSetessan Champion are great, but you only have so many of these effects in the deck.

Unfortunately, Argothian EnchantressArgothian Enchantress carries a prohibitive price tag for this low-budget strategy.

(14% of low-budget decks)

Any deck with a high Aura count is a great fit for Nyxborn Behemoth. Even with just a few early-game cards like Khalni Heart ExpeditionKhalni Heart Expedition and Azusa's Many JourneysAzusa's Many Journeys on the battlefield, you get a great price for a trampling 10/10.

Also, this giant's protection ability has the added upside of resetting recursive Auras like Rancor you put on your opponents' creatures that you no longer want there.

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Similarly to the Behemoth above, Klothys pairs well with a deck that will naturally have many permanents in play. Between enhancing enchantment synergies, being a formidable blocker, disrupting graveyard strategies, incidental drain, and providing extra mana, this card does it all!

Exclusions

When putting Auras on your opponents' creatures, it's important to read carefully. For example, cards worded like Keen SenseKeen Sense allow the controller of the Aura (you) to draw cards, but cards worded like Sixth SenseSixth Sense allow the controller of the creature to draw cards.

In a similar way, cards worded like Crown of FlamesCrown of Flames, Dragon BreathDragon Breath, and Fiery MantleFiery Mantle will allow you to decide when to pump the enchanted creature, but cards like Dragon MantleDragon Mantle and Draconic DestinyDraconic Destiny give the creature's controller the option, not you.

This can be dangerous in a 1 vs. 1 scenario. Draconic Destiny is especially scary, as your opponent can use any mana to enhance their creature.

Maybe the high inclusion rate for this card means it is just meant to be put on Kaima, but I am choosing to prioritize Auras that can go on your creatures or your opponents' creatures with equal effectiveness.

Decklist

Deck Checklist

• 50 Mana Sources (33 lands, 2 mdfcs, 15 misc. ramp)
• 8 Card Draw
• 6 Removal
• 2 Board Wipes
• 3 Finishers

Mid-Budget Upgrades

$40 is a great starting point, but what if you really connect with this commander and want to invest a bit more into your deck?

Let's find some higher-budget cards in the <$20 range that can improve this deck's strategies.

If you want to lean more into the goad theme, Bothersome QuasitBothersome Quasit, Baeloth Barrityl, EntertainerBaeloth Barrityl, Entertainer, and The Sound of DrumsThe Sound of Drums are a great place to start.

For more card advantage, Wildsear, Scouring MawWildsear, Scouring Maw allows you to chain powerful enchantments into each other and serves as another formidable threat alongside your commander.

For better ramp, Composer of SpringComposer of Spring and Kodama of the West TreeKodama of the West Tree fit right in.

Finally, the classic Heroic InterventionHeroic Intervention is premium protection for your enchantments and your commander.

A Fractured, but Complete End

So there you have it, a low-budget Kaima, the Fractured CalmKaima, the Fractured Calm brew. See you next time on Borderland Explorer, when we conclude the series with a green-white commander with some brewing promise!