109
1/8/2025
Balrog's Back - Alright!
Deck Size: 100
Commander
Legal
Est deck cost: $430.66
Salt sum: 27.63
109
1/8/2025
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Commander

Qty: 1 Price: $0.59
The Balrog, Flame of Udûn

Trample When a legendary creature an opponent controls dies, put The Balrog on the bottom of its owner's library.

Creature
The Balrog, Flame of Udûn (ltr) 297

Commander

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Land

Qty: 38 Price: $201.24
Arid Archway

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, return a land you control to its owner's hand. If another Desert was returned this way, surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put it into your graveyard.) {T}: Add {C}{C}.

Land
Arid Archway (otj) 252
Arid Mesa

{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Mountain or Plains card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Land
Arid Mesa (mm3) 229
Blackcleave Cliffs

This land enters tapped unless you control two or fewer other lands. {T}: Add {B} or {R}.

Land
Blackcleave Cliffs (dsc) 263
Blazemire Verge

{T}: Add {B}. {T}: Add {R}. Activate only if you control a Swamp or a Mountain.

Land
Blazemire Verge (pdsk) 256p
Blood Crypt

({T}: Add {B} or {R}.) As this land enters, you may pay 2 life. If you don't, it enters tapped.

Land
Blood Crypt (rtr) 238
Bloodstained Mire

{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Swamp or Mountain card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Land
Bloodstained Mire (mh3) 463
Canyon Slough

({T}: Add {B} or {R}.) This land enters tapped. Cycling {2} ({2}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

Land
Canyon Slough (m3c) 325
Command Tower

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Land
Command Tower (lcc) 325
Dakmor Salvage

This land enters tapped. {T}: Add {B}. Dredge 2 (If you would draw a card, you may mill two cards instead. If you do, return this card from your graveyard to your hand.)

Land
Dakmor Salvage (m3c) 333
Dragonskull Summit

This land enters tapped unless you control a Swamp or a Mountain. {T}: Add {B} or {R}.

Land
Dragonskull Summit (pip) 261
Dwarven Mine

({T}: Add {R}.) This land enters tapped unless you control three or more other Mountains. When this land enters untapped, create a 1/1 red Dwarf creature token.

Land
Dwarven Mine (eld) 243
Exotic Orchard

{T}: Add one mana of any color that a land an opponent controls could produce.

Land
Exotic Orchard (mkc) 260
Fell the Profane

Instant
Fell the Profane // Fell Mire (mh3) 244Fell the Profane // Fell Mire (mh3) 244
Fountainport

{T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}, Sacrifice a token: Draw a card. {3}, {T}, Pay 1 life: Create a 1/1 blue Fish creature token. {4}, {T}: Create a Treasure token.

Land
Fountainport (pblb) 253p
Graven Cairns

{T}: Add {C}. {B/R}, {T}: Add {B}{B}, {B}{R}, or {R}{R}.

Land
Graven Cairns (dsc) 280
Guildless Commons

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, return a land you control to its owner's hand. {T}: Add {C}{C}.

Land
Guildless Commons (cmr) 351
Haunted Ridge

This land enters tapped unless you control two or more other lands. {T}: Add {B} or {R}.

Land
Haunted Ridge (pmid) 263p
Kher Keep

{T}: Add {C}. {1}{R}, {T}: Create a 0/1 red Kobold creature token named Kobolds of Kher Keep.

Land
Kher Keep (mkc) 270
Lotus Field

Hexproof This land enters tapped. When this land enters, sacrifice two lands. {T}: Add three mana of any one color.

Land
Lotus Field (m20) 249
Mountain

({T}: Add {R}.)

Land
Mountain (mkm) 284
Rakdos Carnarium

This land enters tapped. When this land enters, return a land you control to its owner's hand. {T}: Add {B}{R}.

Land
Rakdos Carnarium (dmc) 226
Scalding Tarn

{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for an Island or Mountain card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Land
Scalding Tarn (mm3) 244
Smoldering Marsh

({T}: Add {B} or {R}.) This land enters tapped unless you control two or more basic lands.

Land
Smoldering Marsh (lcc) 353
Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance

{T}: Add {R}. Channel — {3}{R}, Discard this card: Create two 1/1 colorless Spirit creature tokens. They gain haste until end of turn. This ability costs {1} less to activate for each legendary creature you control.

Land
Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance (neo) 276
Sulfurous Springs

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {B} or {R}. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Land
Sulfurous Springs (dmu) 256
Swamp

({T}: Add {B}.)

Land
Swamp (lci) 398
Thespian's Stage

{T}: Add {C}. {2}, {T}: This land becomes a copy of target land, except it has this ability.

Land
Thespian's Stage (m3c) 395
Urza's Cave

{T}: Add {C}. {3}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

Land
Urza's Cave (mh3) 234
Wooded Foothills

{T}, Pay 1 life, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Mountain or Forest card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle.

Land
Wooded Foothills (mh3) 467

Land

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Tutor

Qty: 4 Price: $17.26
Burning-Rune Demon

Flying When this creature enters, you may search your library for exactly two cards not named Burning-Rune Demon that have different names. If you do, reveal those cards. An opponent chooses one of them. Put the chosen card into your hand and the other into your graveyard, then shuffle.

Creature
Burning-Rune Demon (pkhm) 81p
Demonic Counsel

Search your library for a Demon card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Delirium — If there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, instead search your library for any card, put it into your hand, then shuffle.

Sorcery
Demonic Counsel (dsk) 310
Expedition Map

{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Search your library for a land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle.

Artifact
Expedition Map (fdn) 724
Unmarked Grave

Search your library for a nonlegendary card, put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle.

Sorcery
Unmarked Grave (mh2) 106

Tutor

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Draw

Qty: 12 Price: $67.06
Altar of the Wretched

Artifact
Altar of the Wretched // Wretched Bonemass (lcc) 10Altar of the Wretched // Wretched Bonemass (lcc) 10
Black Market Connections

At the beginning of your first main phase, choose one or more — • Sell Contraband — Create a Treasure token. You lose 1 life. • Buy Information — Draw a card. You lose 2 life. • Hire a Mercenary — Create a 3/2 colorless Shapeshifter creature token with changeling. You lose 3 life. (It has every creature type.)

Enchantment
Black Market Connections (lcc) 181
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker

Enchantment
Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki (neo) 465Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki (neo) 465
Liliana's Contract

When this enchantment enters, you draw four cards and you lose 4 life. At the beginning of your upkeep, if you control four or more Demons with different names, you win the game.

Enchantment
Liliana's Contract (sld) 1844
Mordor Muster

You draw a card and you lose 1 life. Amass Orcs 1. (Put a +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It's also an Orc. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Orc Army creature token first.)

Sorcery
Mordor Muster (ltr) 96
Night's Whisper

You draw two cards and you lose 2 life.

Sorcery
Night's Whisper (pw24) 18
Quarrel's End

As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard a card. Draw two cards and create a 1/1 white Human Soldier creature token.

Sorcery
Quarrel's End (ltr) 141
Symmetry Matrix

Whenever a creature you control with power equal to its toughness enters, you may pay {1}. If you do, draw a card.

Artifact
Symmetry Matrix (bro) 252
Thawing Glaciers

This land enters tapped. {1}, {T}: Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. Return this land to its owner's hand at the beginning of the next cleanup step.

Land
Thawing Glaciers (all) 144
Throes of Chaos

Cascade (When you cast this spell, exile cards from the top of your library until you exile a nonland card that costs less. You may cast it without paying its mana cost. Put the exiled cards on the bottom in a random order.) Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)

Sorcery
Throes of Chaos (who) 227
Tome of Legends

This artifact enters with a page counter on it. Whenever your commander enters or attacks, put a page counter on this artifact. {1}, {T}, Remove a page counter from this artifact: Draw a card.

Artifact
Tome of Legends (mkc) 246
Unholy Annex

Enchantment
Unholy Annex // Ritual Chamber (dsk) 339

Draw

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Polymorph

Qty: 6 Price: $6.94
Chaotic Transformation

Exile up to one target artifact, up to one target creature, up to one target enchantment, up to one target planeswalker, and/or up to one target land. For each permanent exiled this way, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a card that shares a card type with it, puts that card onto the battlefield, then shuffles.

Sorcery
Chaotic Transformation (dmu) 117
Descendants' Fury

Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player, you may sacrifice one of them. If you do, reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card that shares a creature type with the sacrificed creature. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.

Enchantment
Descendants' Fury (cmm) 766
Divergent Transformations

Undaunted (This spell costs {1} less to cast for each opponent.) Exile two target creatures. For each of those creatures, its controller reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a creature card, puts that card onto the battlefield, then shuffles the rest into their library.

Instant
Divergent Transformations (cmm) 216
Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast

+1: Exile the top three cards of your library. Creature cards exiled this way gain "You may cast this card from exile as long as you control a Lukka planeswalker." −2: Exile target creature you control, then reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature card with higher mana value. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. −7: Each creature you control deals damage equal to its power to each opponent.

Planeswalker
Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast (iko) 125
Reality Scramble

Put target permanent you own on the bottom of your library. Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a card that shares a card type with that permanent. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)

Sorcery
Reality Scramble (plst) C18-25
Transmogrify

Exile target creature. That creature's controller reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a creature card. That player puts that card onto the battlefield, then shuffles the rest into their library.

Sorcery
Transmogrify (m21) 167

Polymorph

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Finishers

Qty: 1 Price: $2.79
Dark Depths

Dark Depths enters with ten ice counters on it. {3}: Remove an ice counter from Dark Depths. When Dark Depths has no ice counters on it, sacrifice it. If you do, create Marit Lage, a legendary 20/20 black Avatar creature token with flying and indestructible.

Land
Dark Depths (m3c) 334

Finishers

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Polymorph Fodder

Qty: 8 Price: $27.82
Bitterblossom

At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life and create a 1/1 black Faerie Rogue creature token with flying.

Enchantment Kindred
Bitterblossom (wot) 72
Case of the Stashed Skeleton

When this Case enters, create a 2/1 black Skeleton creature token and suspect it. (It has menace and can't block.) To solve — You control no suspected Skeletons. (If unsolved, solve at the beginning of your end step.) Solved — {1}{B}, Sacrifice this Case: Search your library for a card, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Activate only as a sorcery.

Enchantment
Case of the Stashed Skeleton (mkm) 80
Demonic Covenant

Whenever one or more Demons you control attack a player, you draw a card and lose 1 life. At the beginning of your end step, create a 5/5 black Demon creature token with flying, then mill two cards. If two cards that share all their card types were milled this way, sacrifice this enchantment.

Enchantment Kindred
Demonic Covenant (dsc) 19
Dreadhorde Invasion

At the beginning of your upkeep, you lose 1 life and amass Zombies 1. (Put a +1/+1 counter on an Army you control. It's also a Zombie. If you don't control an Army, create a 0/0 black Zombie Army creature token first.) Whenever a Zombie token you control with power 6 or greater attacks, it gains lifelink until end of turn.

Enchantment
Dreadhorde Invasion (mic) 114
Nurgle's Rot

Enchant creature an opponent controls When enchanted creature dies, return this card to its owner's hand and you create a 1/3 black Demon creature token named Plaguebearer of Nurgle.

Enchantment
Nurgle's Rot (40k) 45
Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath

+2: Each opponent loses 1 life. You gain life equal to the life lost this way. −2: Create a 5/5 black Demon creature token with flying. You lose 2 life. −8: You get an emblem with "{1}{B}, Sacrifice a creature: You gain X life and draw X cards, where X is the sacrificed creature's power." Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath can be your commander.

Planeswalker
Ob Nixilis of the Black Oath (cmm) 176
Promise of Aclazotz

Enchantment
Promise of Aclazotz // Foul Rebirth (lcc) 84
The Bloodsky Massacre

(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.) I — Create a 2/3 red Demon Berserker creature token with menace. II — Whenever a Berserker attacks this turn, you draw a card and you lose 1 life. III — Add {R} for each Berserker you control. Until end of turn, you don't lose this mana as steps and phases end.

Enchantment
The Bloodsky Massacre (khm) 207

Polymorph Fodder

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Flashback Package

Qty: 2 Price: $1.28
Dread Return

Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Flashback—Sacrifice three creatures. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Sorcery
Dread Return (cmm) 153
Electroduplicate

Create a token that's a copy of target creature you control, except it has haste and "At the beginning of the end step, sacrifice this token." Flashback {2}{R}{R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Sorcery
Electroduplicate (fdn) 465

Flashback Package

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Protection

Qty: 2 Price: $10.48
Lightning Greaves

Equipped creature has haste and shroud. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities.) Equip {0}

Artifact
Lightning Greaves (c19) 217
Swiftfoot Boots

Equipped creature has hexproof and haste. (It can't be the target of spells or abilities your opponents control. It can attack and {T} no matter when it came under your control.) Equip {1} ({1}: Attach to target creature you control. Equip only as a sorcery.)

Artifact
Swiftfoot Boots (lcc) 314

Protection

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Interaction

Qty: 17 Price: $21.73
Bitter Triumph

As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard a card or pay 3 life. Destroy target creature or planeswalker.

Instant
Bitter Triumph (lci) 91
Brainspoil

Destroy target creature that isn't enchanted. It can't be regenerated. Transmute {1}{B}{B} ({1}{B}{B}, Discard this card: Search your library for a card with the same mana value as this card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle. Transmute only as a sorcery.)

Sorcery
Brainspoil (rav) 78
Electropotence

Whenever a creature you control enters, you may pay {2}{R}. If you do, that creature deals damage equal to its power to any target.

Enchantment
Electropotence (zen) 122
Go for the Throat

Destroy target nonartifact creature.

Instant
Go for the Throat (c17) 114
Hero's Demise

Destroy target legendary creature.

Instant
Hero's Demise (bok) 68
Infernal Grasp

Destroy target creature. You lose 2 life.

Instant
Infernal Grasp (j25) 456
Lightning Bolt

Lightning Bolt deals 3 damage to any target.

Instant
Lightning Bolt (clb) 401
Pandemonium

Whenever a creature enters, that creature's controller may have it deal damage equal to its power to any target of their choice.

Enchantment
Pandemonium (plst) TPR-149
Rat Out

Up to one target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn. You create a 1/1 black Rat creature token with "This token can't block."

Instant
Rat Out (woe) 103
Red Elemental Blast

Choose one — • Counter target blue spell. • Destroy target blue permanent.

Instant
Red Elemental Blast (3ed) 171
Rotten Reunion

Exile up to one target card from a graveyard. Create a 2/2 black Zombie creature token with decayed. (It can't block. When it attacks, sacrifice it at end of combat.) Flashback {1}{B} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Instant
Rotten Reunion (mid) 119
Seize the Soul

Destroy target nonwhite, nonblack creature. Create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying. Haunt (When this spell card is put into a graveyard after resolving, exile it haunting target creature.) When the creature this card haunts dies, destroy target nonwhite, nonblack creature. Create a 1/1 white Spirit creature token with flying.

Instant
Seize the Soul (gpt) 61
Shattering Pulse

Buyback {3} (You may pay an additional {3} as you cast this spell. If you do, put this card into your hand as it resolves.) Destroy target artifact.

Instant
Shattering Pulse (exo) 102
Slaughter Pact

Destroy target nonblack creature. At the beginning of your next upkeep, pay {2}{B}. If you don't, you lose the game.

Instant
Slaughter Pact (fut) 78
Unfortunate Accident

Spree (Choose one or more additional costs.) + {2}{B} — Destroy target creature. + {1} — Create a 1/1 red Mercenary creature token with "{T}: Target creature you control gets +1/+0 until end of turn. Activate only as a sorcery."

Instant
Unfortunate Accident (otj) 111
Warstorm Surge

Whenever a creature you control enters, it deals damage equal to its power to any target.

Enchantment
Warstorm Surge (c19) 155
Where Ancients Tread

Whenever a creature you control with power 5 or greater enters, you may have this enchantment deal 5 damage to any target.

Enchantment
Where Ancients Tread (c13) 130

Interaction

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Ramp

Qty: 9 Price: $73.47
Arcane Signet

{T}: Add one mana of any color in your commander's color identity.

Artifact
Arcane Signet (lcc) 299
Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus

Living weapon (When this Equipment enters, create a 0/0 black Phyrexian Germ creature token, then attach this to it.) Equipped creature gets +1/+1. Whenever equipped creature attacks, you may search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle. Equip {3}

Artifact
Bitterthorn, Nissa's Animus (moc) 45
Charisma Bobblehead

{T}: Add one mana of any color. {4}, {T}: Create X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens, where X is the number of Bobbleheads you control. Activate only as a sorcery.

Artifact
Charisma Bobblehead (pip) 130
Mana Echoes

Whenever a creature enters, you may add an amount of {C} equal to the number of creatures you control that share a creature type with it.

Enchantment
Mana Echoes (2xm) 136
Rakdos Signet

{1}, {T}: Add {B}{R}.

Artifact
Rakdos Signet (lcc) 311
Sol Ring

{T}: Add {C}{C}.

Artifact
Sol Ring (lcc) 313
Séance Board

Morbid — At the beginning of each end step, if a creature died this turn, put a soul counter on this artifact. {T}: Add X mana of any one color, where X is the number of soul counters on this artifact. Spend this mana only to cast instant, sorcery, Demon, and Spirit spells.

Artifact
Séance Board (dsc) 67
Talisman of Indulgence

{T}: Add {C}. {T}: Add {B} or {R}. This artifact deals 1 damage to you.

Artifact
Talisman of Indulgence (who) 252
Veinfire Borderpost

You may pay {1} and return a basic land you control to its owner's hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost. This artifact enters tapped. {T}: Add {B} or {R}.

Artifact
Veinfire Borderpost (arb) 48

Ramp

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Deck Info

Deck stats

0 pips - 0 cards
0 mana - 6 cards
0 pips - 0 cards
0 mana - 6 cards
41 pips - 30 cards
31 mana - 27 cards
24 pips - 21 cards
31 mana - 27 cards
0 pips - 0 cards
0 mana - 6 cards
0 pips - 0 cards
14 mana - 11 cards
CategoriesQtyOdds
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Deck Tokens & Extras (26)

Description

{"ops":[{"insert":"This is a polymorph control deck using the red options of polymorph - "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Transmogrify"}},{"insert":", "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Chaotic Transformation"}},{"insert":", et cetera to polymorph into our one polymorph target - "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Burning-Rune Demon"}},{"insert":". Burning-Rune Demon lets us extend into more cards using some flashback cards as well as redundant cards. The most important card that Burning-Rune Demon finds is "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Reality Scramble"}},{"insert":", letting us loop Burning-Rune Demon as many times as we have lands in hand and mana on the battlefield.\n\nThe main weakness of this strategy comes when Burning-Rune Demon is removed or we lose Reality Scramble. What do we do then? Well, in this case, we have a resilient threat in the command zone that will tuck itself into the library so we can polymorph into it - "},{"insert":{"card-link":"The Balrog, Flame of Udûn"}},{"insert":". The tucking effect on The Balrog is generally a pretty horrific downside in a format full of legendary creatures. In our deck it is an upside, however. Not only does it allow us to protect our commander by removing one of our opponent's commanders, it also allows our polymorph effects to continue working while we have no creatures left in our library.\n\nOnce we have set up an engine, we find one of our redundant enters the battlefield damage effects. "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Warstorm Surge"}},{"insert":" and "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Where Ancients Tread"}},{"insert":" are options that allow us to repeatedly remove opponent's creatures or start dealing damage to face when we are ready to end the game.\n\nAdditional Synergies:\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Symmetry Matrix"}},{"insert":" allows us to draw cards and in conjunction with "},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dakmor Salvage"}},{"insert":" allows us to make the reality scramble loop only require mana.\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Mana Echoes"}},{"insert":" reduces the mana burden of the loop.\nThe bouncelands and the borderpost are there for additional retraces without missing land drops.\n"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Dark Depths"}},{"insert":" is here due to dealing 20 damage with Warstorm Surge/"},{"insert":{"card-link":"Electropotence"}},{"insert":" and synergizing with our land tutors. It also functions as a backup wincon.\n"}]}

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{"ops":[]}
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