[Theory Brew] Kalain’s Grudge: Rakdos Rats & Relics in the Windmill

Hey fellow brewers! Welcome back to the ThemEDH brewing lab for another “Theory Brew”! Today, we’re diving into Rakdos (Black/Red) with a commander who isn’t typically associated with tribal strategies: Kalain, Reclusive Painter.

But brewing is all about finding unique angles, right? Inspired directly by Kalain’s lore, her isolated life painting in a dilapidated windmill, surrounded by loyal rats and nursing a grudge against an ex – we set out to build a Rat Tribal deck that synergizes with her unique mechanics, all while staying under our $50 budget. This is the result: a blend of swarming rats, valuable Treasures, and magically empowered creatures, currently clocking in at **$49.71**!

What We Did & Why We Did It

Kalain, Reclusive Painter doesn’t get much spotlight — but she should. In this $50 ThemEDH deck, we built a 100-card Commander brew that’s not just playable — it’s a story. Kalain lives in a decrepit windmill, paints with blood-fueled magic, and harbors a deep-seated grudge. She’s paranoid, potent, and her only company? Rats. Lots of them.

This deck brings her narrative to life with a mechanically synergistic Rat Tribal shell, using her Treasure tokens not just for ramp, but as vessels of magical empowerment. +1/+1 counters become Kalain’s brushstrokes — transforming loyal vermin into deadly threats. With a final list cost of $49.71, we blended lore, synergy, and budget mastery to craft a brew that feels like Kalain.

Thematic Deep Dive: Kalain’s Story

This isn’t just Rakdos Rats; it’s Kalain’s story. We aimed to capture the feeling of her reclusive, grudge-fueled existence:

The Rats: Her only companions, represented by numerous Rat creatures and token generators (Piper of the Swarm, Lord Skitter, Sewer King, Song of Totentanz).
The Treasure: Kalain generates Treasure, and uses it to empower creatures. We envision this as her using saved resources, strange pigments, or maybe even life force itself (fitting Rakdos!) to imbue her Rat companions with unnatural strength (+1/+1 counters). We lean into budget Treasure generators like Big Score and Deadly Dispute.
The Grudge & Art: Cards like Fatal Grudge hint at her past. The Room enchantment Painter's Studio // Defaced Gallery is a direct flavor hit, representing her workspace and perhaps her volatile creativity. Sacrifice themes (Street Urchin background, various spells) can represent the cost of her isolation or magic.

The Decklist

(Note: Prices based on user-provided list, likely TCGplayer Market around late April 2025. Prices fluctuate! Card names in the list below are not linked for readability.)

Commander

Kalain, Reclusive Painter

Creatures (26)

Instants (8)

Sorceries (11)

Enchantments (8)

Artifacts (8)

Lands (38)

Deck Breakdown & How It Wins

The Commander: Kalain, Reclusive Painter: Our two-mana commander is key. She comes down early, immediately generates a Treasure (fitting her resourcefulness), and crucially, buffs creatures based on Treasure spent to cast them. This turns our Treasure tokens from simple ramp into combat stats, making her both an enabler and a payoff.

The Swarm (Rat Tribal): This is the heart of Kalain’s lonely windmill! We need rats, and lots of them.

Token Makers: Piper of the Swarm is fantastic repeatable generation. Lord Skitter, Sewer King gives us a free rat each combat, fueling the swarm and enabling graveyard hate. Totentanz, Swarm Piper turns dying creatures into more rats (perfect for chump blocking or surviving board wipes). Redcap Gutter-Dweller brings two rats and offers sacrifice/card advantage. Song of Totentanz provides a burst of rats with haste.
Rat Payoffs: Piper grants menace, making our swarm harder to block. Karumonix is a lord that grants Toxic 1 to all our rats *and* digs for more upon entry. Pestilence Rats becomes a huge threat based on our rat count.
Tribal Anthems: Shared Animosity turns our wide attacks into incredibly tall ones, rewarding us for swarming with the same creature type. Our biggest budget splurge, Banner of Kinship (naming Rat), is a massive anthem effect that scales with the number of rats we control *when it enters*.
Sneaky Tech: Conspiracy (naming Rat) turns *all* our creatures into Rats, making cards like Karumonix, Piper, and Shared Animosity even more powerful by including Kalain herself, Blood Artist, etc., in the tribal synergies!

Fueling the Art (Treasure Generation): Kalain needs Treasures to empower her creations.

Instant Treasures: Big Score and Deadly Dispute are fantastic budget options that turn a creature (or artifact) into cards and Treasure tokens at instant speed.

Repeatable Sources: Rain of Riches gives an initial burst and then adds Cascade to spells cast with Treasure mana – potentially hitting more rats or ramp! Gilded Pinions provides a Treasure on ETB and evasion later.

Big Bursts: Brass's Bounty and Hit the Mother Lode (with Discover 10!) can generate a massive amount of Treasure in the late game, setting up huge turns where we cast multiple creatures buffed by Kalain. Blood Money turns a board wipe into a Treasure trove.

Empowered Creations (+1/+1 Counters): This is Kalain’s signature mechanic. Spending Treasure mana to cast *any* creature lets her add +1/+1 counters. This means even a simple Burglar Rat cast with one Treasure mana enters as a 2/2. Casting a larger threat or multiple creatures in one turn using Treasures can quickly create formidable threats that benefit from Trample or evasion.

Vengeful Strokes (Attrition & Drain): Kalain’s grudge manifests here.

Sacrifice for Value: The backgrounds Street Urchin (sac creature/artifact for damage) and Agent of the Iron Throne (drain on creature/artifact death) give Kalain herself ways to weaponize our board. Spells like Deadly Dispute, Village Rites, and Corrupted Conviction turn creatures into cards. Fatal Grudge is pure thematic flavor, sacrificing something to force opponents to do the same.

Death Pays Off: Blood Artist is a classic, draining opponents whenever *any* creature dies. Combined with sacrifice effects or board wipes, this provides significant reach.

Toxic Tendrils (Poison): Karumonix granting Toxic 1 to all rats, plus Blightbelly Rat, gives the deck an alternative angle of attack that some decks struggle to deal with.

Interaction & Reach:** We need ways to handle threats and close the game.

Removal: Simple, effective removal like Murder and the potentially more damaging Unlicensed Disintegration (easy to have an artifact with Treasures and Rats).

Board Wipes: Blasphemous Act is cheap mass removal. Blood Money wipes the board and gives us Treasures to rebuild with Kalain’s ability!

Direct Damage/Drain: Mob Justice scales with our creature count. The Ribbons aftermath can finish off multiple low-life opponents from the graveyard.

How It Wins

Rat Swarm Overrun: You’re not just playing Rats — you’re commanding a cult. Generate tokens through Piper of the Swarm, Lord Skitter, Sewer King, Redcap Gutter-Dweller, and Song of Totentanz. Buff them with Shared Animosity, Banner of Kinship, or Berserkers’ Onslaught and unleash a rabid, evasion-fueled stampede.
Empowered Solo Threats: Kalain’s Treasure-fueled counters let you drop beaters with surprising size. Evasion plus counters equals pressure — especially when backed by Kalain’s instant-speed Treasure tricks.
Attrition & Drain: When things die — and they will — Blood Artist, Agent of the Iron Throne, and other drain effects keep opponents on edge. Deadly Dispute and Street Urchin let you profit from sacrifice, while Fatal Grudge turns your losses into shared pain.
Poison Path: Karumonix, the Rat King and Blightbelly Rat give you a side route to victory: toxic. With a wide board of Rats and a bit of luck, 10 poison counters can end games unexpectedly.
Reach via Fire: When the board stalls, just light the match. Cards like Mob Justice and Ribbons let you turn your ratpack into direct damage finishers.

Lore, Flavor & Fun

This isn’t just a tribal deck — it’s a haunted narrative. Every inclusion feeds Kalain’s story:

Fatal Grudge? Obvious ex-lover vibes. Painter’s Studio? Her literal workspace. Cards like Lord Skitter's Blessing? The infestation is not just flavor — it’s strategy.

It’s unique, too. Kalain isn’t your typical Rat commander — that title often goes to mono-black legends like Marrow-Gnawer. But here, her Treasure/Counter synergy brings a new Rakdos flavor to an old archetype. She’s not just keeping up with black tribal — she’s painting over it in crimson and gold.

Budget Breakdown

With a ceiling of $50, we packed in impactful rares like Song of Totentanz, Banner of Kinship, and Karumonix by leaning on low-cost utility, bulk gems, and synergy over splash. This deck shows that flavor, function, and fun don’t require $500 mana bases or overplayed staples.

Call for Feedback!

As always with our Theory Brews, this concept is fresh from the lab and hasn’t faced real opponents yet! What do you think of this Rakdos Rat/Treasure blend? Does the theme resonate? Are there any budget Rakdos treasures or nasty Rats I might have overlooked? I’d love your thoughts in the comments!

Final Brushstroke

Kalain’s Grudge is a perfect example of what ThemEDH decks should be: flavorful, functional, and affordable. This isn’t just a deck — it’s a portrait. Of a recluse, a rat swarm, a love turned bitter — and how all that pain became power.

Want to feel like a haunted artist channeling heartbreak into a rodent uprising? Kalain’s waiting at the windmill. Bring snacks. The rats are hungry.

Thanks for stopping by ThemEDH, and happy brewing!