Maybeboard


Kemba is a very straightforward deck, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun! The gameplan: Load Kemba up with equipment, make cats, and turn them sideways. Ideally you want a hand with either a.) protection or b.) a tutor to get protection. Turn 1 Enlightened Tutor or Steelshaper's Gift for Lightning Greaves, turn 2 Lightning Greaves, turn 3 Kemba, Kha Regent is a good start. After you get a cat token, you can play other equipment when you're confident no one else is willing to burn removal, move the Greaves to the token, equip more equipment, and then move the Greaves back to Kemba.

You need to pick your targets accordingly and not be afraid to dedicate your resources to taking down your biggest personal threat. Combo and control are a huge thorn in the side, but they typically take a few turns to set up; luckily, you should be making a kitten pillow fort to soak up damage from other players and Kemba should be able to deal lethal General damage to someone early on with all of the protection effects from the Sword of X and Y cycle or evasion from multiple sources.

If Kemba somehow goes back to the Command Zone too many times, you'll find yourself in trouble, as the deck is rather light on creatures. Sun Titan can recur many of the deck's permanents and Emeria,the Sky Ruin: will eventually start reanimating creatures, but I typically try not to play any non-utility creature or Planeswalker until Kemba is too expensive to cast, as otherwise you'll just sit there doing nothing.

Above all, be patient. Someone else will eventually become a threat, other players will focus on them, and use that moment to come back out of the woodwork and make more cats.

Even if my build doesn't win all of the time, I feel like it consistently plays good games and puts up a heck of a fight when it does lose. This was my first "real" EDH deck and I love it to pieces, to the point that one of the family cats is named Kemba. I don't typically do premiums or foils, but I've made an exception for this deck, as can be seen. I am always open to feedback or suggestions and very willing to discuss card choices!

2/22/19

+Land Tax
+Scroll Rack

-Lapse of Certainty
-Surestrike Trident

Lapse of Certainty was cute but never as effective as I'd hoped. My group plays a lot of Propaganda or Ensnaring Bridge effects so I'm not as convinced about cutting Surestrike Trident.

6/3/21

+Armored Skyhunter
+Commander's Plate
+Shadowspear
+Rest in Peace
+Bloodforged Battle-Axe

-Steelshaper Apprentice
-Ajani, Caller of the Pride
-Loxodon Warhammer
-Shuko
-Strata Scythe

Decisions: Armored Skyhunter seems like a straight upgrade over Steelshaper Apprentice. Rest in Peace needs added because graveyard based decks are on an upswing in my playgroup. Commander's Plate is absurd and needed a slot, and Shadowspear opens a lot of doors on problematic creatures for my opponents; it's similar to Loxodon Warhammer but cheaper. Finally, I'd dismissedBloodforged Battle-Axe until seeing how powerful it was in an opponent's deck. Ajani, Caller of the Pride was frequently used to neutralize one opponent but the protections offered by Commander's Plate seems all around better.Shuko but the payoff was never enough. Strata Scythe typically makes a big creature even bigger, but often feels either irrelevant or "win-more." It may make its way back into the deck if more oopmh is needed, but for now is gone.

6/14/21

-Diviner's Wand -Deftblade Elite -Day of Judgment -True Conviction

+Winds of Abandon +Sword of Sinew and Steel +Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist +Sword of Hearth and Home

Reasoning: Deftblade is a generic creature and I didn't want the count to go down too low. Ardenn is a relevant, low cost sub. Diviner's Wand is a way to draw cards but the deck is too mana hungry to take advantage of it; Sinew and Steel is good removal. I've wanted to try Winds for a while, and it doesn't matter if you ramp your opponents if they die before they untap. True Conviction is often times just too costly to matter. The changes bring my foil count down but playability up, so that's probably more important ;)

2/3/22

-Temple of the False God, -Return to Dust, -Kor Duelist

+Tyrite Sanctum, +Heliod's Intervention, +Remorseful Cleric

Reasoning: Temple of the False God is not nearly as good as people think it is. Tyrite Sanctum is usually gonna be worthless, but at least it is always guaranteed to make mana and occasionally does more. It either puts counters on Kemba to repeatedly buff her and sometimes gives indestructible. Both of those are fine for this deck.

Return to Dust is fine, but Heliod's Intervention is generally better.

I'm not convinced replacing Kor Duelist with Remorseful Cleric is the right call, but I do think the cleric has a home here. Am I doing too much grave hate? RIP is strong, but sometimes one piece isn't enough. Flying is nice, but cutting one of the other equipment may be the better call. The Kaldra items are all iffy because they're high cost and clunky, but once upon a time they were fine. I'll put the duelist in my maybe board to remember it, and after testing we'll see if I miss it. I don't remember it connecting all that much, though.

8x Plains (SOM) #232 11x Plains (SOM) #231

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96% Casual

Competitive

Date added 5 years
Last updated 1 year
Legality

This deck is Commander / EDH legal.

Rarity (main - side)

18 - 0 Mythic Rares

44 - 0 Rares

13 - 0 Uncommons

6 - 0 Commons

Cards 100
Avg. CMC 2.85
Tokens 4/4 C Token Legendary Creature Avatar, Cat 2/2 W, Copy Clone, Emblem Elspeth, Sun's Champion, Kor Soldier 1/1 W, Phyrexian Germ 0/0 B, Soldier 1/1 W, Stoneforged Blade, Wolf 2/2 G
Folders EDH
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