commander · Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas
Wade into Battle (C15).
A Boros big-creature deck from Commander 2015, led by Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas — cast power-five-or-greater spells to earn experience counters, doubling the double strike value on Kalemne for an exponentially more lethal commander threat.
The Commander
Wade into Battle is Commander 2015's Boros big-creature deck. Kalemne has double strike and vigilance, and she gains +1/+1 for each experience counter you have. Whenever you cast a creature spell with mana value five or greater, you gain an experience counter. A 3/3 double striker with four experience counters is a 7/7 double striker — 14 damage to one opponent per swing. The deck is built entirely around casting the largest possible creatures to grow Kalemne into a lethal commander threat while filling the board with game-ending bombs.
Kalemne, Disciple of Iroas rewards an aggressive high-curve strategy. Every large creature you cast advances the experience counter track and makes her hit harder. Gisela doubles outgoing damage and halves incoming damage for the whole team, Sun Titan generates value through recursion, and Lightning Greaves protects Kalemne so she survives to the attack step.
Key Cards
Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
All damage dealt to opponents and their permanents is doubled. All damage dealt to you and your permanents is halved. With Kalemne swinging for 14 on double strike, Gisela makes that 28 damage to one player in a single attack. Meanwhile, incoming damage to you and Kalemne is cut in half. Gisela is the deck's biggest combat swing — resolve her and the math for opponents to survive combat becomes nearly impossible. She also earns Kalemne an experience counter on cast.
Inferno Titan
Deals three damage distributed among any targets when it enters and when it attacks. A 6/6 that deals three damage to three different targets on entry and three more when it attacks — six damage per turn cycle just from triggers. Against creature-heavy boards, Inferno Titan clears blockers on entry and then kills more on the attack. It earns Kalemne an experience counter and generates immediate board impact before opponents can respond.
Warstorm Surge
Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, it deals damage equal to its power to any target. Every large creature you cast now also deals damage on entry. A 6/6 Inferno Titan entering deals six damage immediately from Warstorm Surge, then three more from its own ETB trigger. A 7/5 Angel entering deals seven. With Gisela doubling that damage, the triggers compound into double-digit damage on every creature entering the battlefield.
Sun Titan
Returns any permanent with mana value three or less from your graveyard on entry and on each attack. In a deck with Lightning Greaves, Sol Ring, and cheap removal spells, Sun Titan provides a recursive loop of returning the deck's best utility pieces. Sun Titan attacks, returns Lightning Greaves, equip to another creature for haste and shroud. Repeat. The recursion ensures the deck's support package never permanently disappears, and Sun Titan himself earns Kalemne an experience counter.
Lightning Greaves
Equip for zero mana. Gives the equipped creature haste and shroud. In a deck that needs Kalemne to attack to generate experience counter value, Lightning Greaves ensures she attacks the turn she lands and can't be targeted by removal. Zero equip cost means it goes on immediately. Any creature you cast can attack the same turn with Greaves. Against targeted removal — the primary way opponents answer an experience counter commander — Greaves provides complete immunity.
How to Play
Ramp aggressively with Sol Ring and the deck's mana rocks to reach five mana as quickly as possible. Get Kalemne onto the battlefield by turn four and immediately equip Lightning Greaves so she attacks turn four. Every large creature cast from that point on grows Kalemne — the experience counter track compounds each combat step. Gisela is the mid-game finisher: resolve her on turn six or seven and the doubled damage math becomes impossible for opponents to race. Warstorm Surge converts creature entry triggers into damage that opponents must absorb on top of combat. Win by attacking with Kalemne as the game's primary damage dealer, backed by Gisela's doubling, and close individual opponents with lethal Inferno Titan and Warstorm Surge triggers.