Arcane Foundry › Commanders › The Balrog, Durin's Bane

The Balrog, Durin's Bane

The Balrog, Durin's Bane

Legendary Creature — Avatar Demon · {5}{B}{R} · Black/Red commander

This spell costs {1} less to cast for each permanent sacrificed this turn. Haste The Balrog can't be blocked except by legendary creatures. When The Balrog dies, destroy target artifact or creature an opponent controls.
Build a The Balrog, Durin's Bane deck →

What The Balrog, Durin's Bane actually does

Read off the card by the same engine the Forge and Analyzer use — this is the mechanical classification, not a summary.

What a The Balrog, Durin's Bane deck wants

The plan the Forge derives for this commander: the roles it fills and how many of each.

Best cards for The Balrog, Durin's Bane

Ranked by an engine that reads what each card does — its real cost, its delay and how reliably it works — rather than counting how often other people play it.

A cheap spell of any kind — casts per turn are the engine for an unrestricted cast trigger

  1. Everflowing Chalice0 mana
  2. Walking Ballista0 mana
  3. Hangarback Walker0 mana
  4. Mishra's Bauble0 mana
  5. Profane Tutor0 mana
  6. Sol Talisman0 mana
  7. Tormod's Crypt0 mana
  8. Urza's Bauble0 mana

A permanent whose own trigger fires on attacking — the fuel an attack-trigger doubler multiplies, and the payoff an attack commander wants beside it

  1. Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin3 mana
  2. Fear of Missing Out2 mana
  3. Inti, Seneschal of the Sun2 mana
  4. Valley Rotcaller2 mana
  5. Etali, Primal Storm6 mana
  6. Alesha, Who Laughs at Fate3 mana
  7. Captain Lannery Storm3 mana
  8. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker // Reflection of Kiki-Jiki3 mana

Creatures you are happy to sacrifice — a free sac outlet on the commander is worthless with nothing to feed it

  1. Vivi's Persistence2 mana
  2. Hangarback Walker0 mana
  3. Skeleton Crew4 mana
  4. "Lifetime" Pass Holder1 mana
  5. Death Tyrant5 mana
  6. Bastion of Remembrance3 mana
  7. Garland, Knight of Cornelia // Chaos, the Endless2 mana
  8. Infestation Sage1 mana

Sacrifice a creature for no mana, repeatably

  1. Phyrexian Tower0 mana
  2. High Market0 mana
  3. Lazotep Quarry0 mana
  4. Susur Secundi, Void Altar0 mana
  5. Scavenger's Talent1 mana
  6. Hostile Hostel // Creeping Inn0 mana
  7. Miren, the Moaning Well0 mana
  8. Kazuul's Fury // Kazuul's Cliffs3 mana

Actually remove one problem permanent — preventing its damage is not removing it

  1. Wild Magic Surge2 mana
  2. Defile1 mana
  3. Tragic Slip1 mana
  4. Infernal Grasp2 mana
  5. Terminate2 mana
  6. Fatal Push1 mana
  7. Bitter Triumph2 mana
  8. Black Sun's Twilight1 mana

Answer a whole board at once

  1. Do or Die2 mana
  2. Force of Despair3 mana
  3. Blasphemous Act9 mana
  4. Accursed Marauder2 mana
  5. Bontu's Last Reckoning3 mana
  6. Innocent Blood1 mana
  7. Breaking Point3 mana
  8. Coils of the Medusa2 mana

Find the exact card the plan needs

  1. Demonic Tutor2 mana
  2. Diabolic Intent2 mana
  3. Vampiric Tutor1 mana
  4. Imperial Seal1 mana
  5. Insatiable Avarice1 mana
  6. Diabolic Intent2 mana
  7. Grim Tutor3 mana
  8. Liliana Vess // Liliana Vess0 mana

Refill your hand

  1. Skullclamp1 mana
  2. Orcish Bowmasters2 mana
  3. Black Market Connections3 mana
  4. Braids, Arisen Nightmare3 mana
  5. Morbid Opportunist3 mana
  6. Phyrexian Arena3 mana
  7. The One Ring4 mana
  8. Kederekt Parasite1 mana

Keep a permanent you control alive through removal

  1. Hexing Squelcher2 mana
  2. Cryptothrall4 mana
  3. Lightning Greaves2 mana
  4. Swiftfoot Boots2 mana
  5. Eldrazi Monument5 mana
  6. Commander's Plate1 mana
  7. Mithril Coat3 mana
  8. Akroma's Memorial7 mana

Build this deck in the Arcane Forge →

Arcane Foundry is free to join and every tool is included: the Arcane Forge deck builder, the ARCANE Analyzer that scores a deck by simulating games rather than counting staples, a card scanner, a collection vault, and live webcam Commander tables. Read the guide · Browse all commanders · Pricing