Precon Upgrade Guide
Heavenly Inferno Upgrade Guide
What to cut, what to add, and how to play the Mardu Angels, Demons and Dragons precon from Commander 2011, commanded by Kaalia of the Vast.
Commander 2011
Heavenly Inferno
Attack, cheat in a huge flier, straightforward once it connects. Out of the box, before any upgrades. How we rate precons
Buy Heavenly Inferno on TCGplayer →Quick verdict
Heavenly Inferno is one of the strongest decks in Commander 2011 because its commander skips the mana cost of its best cards. Every time Kaalia of the Vast attacks an opponent, you can put an Angel, Demon or Dragon from your hand onto the battlefield attacking, so a seven-drop arrives on turn four or five. The weak points are that Kaalia is a 2/2 the whole table wants dead, the deck has little to protect her, and some slots go to creatures and spells that don't use her ability at all.
TurnZero HQ rates Heavenly Inferno a 2 out of 5 on difficulty and a 4 out of 5 on power, as it comes in the box. That is our editorial read, not an official Wizards rating. The full hundred cards are on the Heavenly Inferno decklist page, and every other precon we cover is on the precon directory.
How the precon plays
Kaalia of the Vast is a four-mana 2/2 flier. Whenever she attacks an opponent, you may put an Angel, Demon or Dragon creature card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped and attacking that opponent. Enters-the-battlefield abilities still trigger, so Angel of Despair destroys a permanent and Malfegor makes each opponent sacrifice creatures without you paying their costs. Lightning Greaves gives her haste and shroud so she can attack the turn she lands.
The rest of the deck is built around that. The creature count leans heavily on Angels, Demons and Dragons like Tariel, Reckoner of Souls , Oros, the Avenger and Bladewing the Risen , and Diabolic Tutor can find whichever one fits. Mother of Runes and Bathe in Light give Kaalia protection from a color so a removal spell or blocker misses.
There is also a lot of removal, including Path to Exile , Terminate , Mortify and Wrecking Ball . Several damage sweepers like Evincar's Justice and Sulfurous Blast also hit Kaalia, so time them for a turn when she is safe or already gone.
What works out of the box
Kaalia of the Vast ↗
Every attack can put a free Angel, Demon or Dragon onto the battlefield. The deck's expensive creatures cost four mana once she is out.
Angel of Despair ↗
Destroys any permanent when it enters, and that still happens when Kaalia puts it onto the battlefield. A seven-mana removal spell for free.
Malfegor ↗
Discard your hand and each opponent sacrifices a creature for each card discarded. Put in by Kaalia with a full hand, it can clear the table.
Mother of Runes ↗
Taps to give Kaalia protection from a color, which stops most removal and lets her attack past a blocker.
Tariel, Reckoner of Souls ↗
Taps each turn to take a random creature card from an opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control. Vigilance lets it attack and still use the ability.
Lightning Greaves ↗
Gives Kaalia haste and shroud for free. She attacks the turn she comes down, before most players can answer her.
What needs improvement
Kaalia is a 2/2, and the deck has only Mother of Runes , Bathe in Light and Lightning Greaves to protect her. Every time she dies she costs two more to recast, and the deck loses most of its speed. Several of the deck's own sweepers also kill her.
Some slots don't help the plan. Avatar of Slaughter is an eight-mana creature Kaalia can't put in, the three Vow Auras mostly go on an opponent's creature, and Congregate gains life. Each could be another Angel, Demon or Dragon worth cheating in, or a card that keeps Kaalia alive.
Upgrade ideas
Each upgrade below starts from something the deck does poorly and says what a replacement card has to do. The cards named are examples, not the only answer: if you own something else that does the same job, or a newer printing does it better, it goes in the same slot. Make one change at a time and play a few games between them, so you can tell which change helped. The general method is in how to upgrade a Commander precon →
1. Keep Kaalia alive
The whole deck runs through Kaalia attacking. Every removal spell that hits her undoes a turn of mana, and her two power doesn't scare anyone into leaving her alone.
What to look for Cheap equipment or instants that give Kaalia hexproof or indestructible. Anything that also gives haste helps her attack the turn she lands.
Cut, for example
Vow of Duty Gives a creature +2/+2 and vigilance and stops it attacking you. A political card that does nothing for Kaalia.
Vow of Malice The same idea with intimidate. Your opponents' creatures getting bigger is rarely what this deck needs.
Righteous Cause Five mana to gain 1 life whenever any creature attacks. It doesn't protect Kaalia or win the game.
Add, for example
Swiftfoot Boots ↗
Hexproof and haste for an equip cost of one. A second copy of the job Lightning Greaves does, and you can still target Kaalia with your own spells.
Boros Charm ↗
Two mana at instant speed: makes your permanents indestructible against a board wipe, or deals 4 damage to a player to finish them.
Flawless Maneuver ↗
Free while you control your commander: your creatures gain indestructible until end of turn. It saves Kaalia and the board for zero mana.
2. Better creatures for Kaalia to put in
Kaalia's ability is only as good as the Angel, Demon or Dragon in your hand. The strongest picks either have a big enters-the-battlefield effect or punish the player you are attacking.
What to look for Angels, Demons or Dragons whose enters-the-battlefield trigger, or combat damage trigger, does real work, since Kaalia skips the mana cost either way.
Cut, for example
Avatar of Slaughter Eight mana and not an Angel, Demon or Dragon, so Kaalia can't put it in. It also gives every opponent's creatures double strike.
Death by Dragons Six mana to give every other player a 5/5 flying Dragon. Arming two opponents to hit a third is a poor trade.
Congregate Four mana to gain 2 life per creature. It doesn't move the game toward a win.
Add, for example
Rune-Scarred Demon ↗
Searches your library for any card when it enters. Put in by Kaalia, it finds the next creature for her to bring in.
Balefire Dragon ↗
When it deals combat damage to a player, it deals that much to each creature they control. Kaalia puts it in attacking, so it can wipe a board on arrival.
Aurelia, the Warleader ↗
An Angel that untaps your team and adds an extra combat the first time it attacks each turn. Cast it, attack with both, and Kaalia gets a second attack trigger.
3. Cast Kaalia a turn earlier
Kaalia on turn three instead of turn four is a full extra attack. Two-mana rocks that tap for her colors right away make that happen.
What to look for Two-mana mana rocks that untap ready to use and make white, black or red. See the mana rocks guide for more choices.
Cut, for example
Armillary Sphere Spends four mana over two turns to put two basic lands in your hand. It doesn't speed up a turn-three Kaalia.
Add, for example
4. Lands that enter untapped
Twelve of the deck's lands enter tapped or tap only for colorless mana, which works against a turn-three or turn-four Kaalia that needs all three colors.
What to look for Two-color lands in any pair of white, black and red that usually enter untapped.
Cut, for example
Rupture Spire Enters tapped and costs a mana to keep, so it fixes your colors at the price of a whole turn.
Zoetic Cavern Taps only for colorless, and its morph mode is a 2/2 for three mana that does little in this deck.
Add, for example
Win conditions
The upgraded deck wins through Kaalia's attacks. Each one puts a large flier onto the battlefield for free, and creatures like Balefire Dragon and Angel of Despair clear blockers as they arrive. Aurelia, the Warleader doubles the attacks and Rune-Scarred Demon finds the next threat, while the protection package keeps Kaalia in play long enough to do it every turn.
Who should buy this precon
A strong, straightforward deck that suits a newer player who wants big, splashy creatures. The plan is simple: cast Kaalia, protect her, attack. The main thing to learn is when to hold a sweeper so you don't kill your own commander. Expect the table to point its removal at Kaalia, since experienced players know how fast she wins.
Checked against the printed decklist on October 10, 2026.
Track how the upgrades actually perform.
TurnZero HQ keeps a win rate per deck version, so you can change a few cards, play some games, and see the difference instead of guessing.
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