Card
The Balrog, Durin's Bane
Mana cost {5}{B}{R}
Legendary Creature — Avatar Demon 7/5
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.
No bracket restriction: playable from bracket 1. Part of 8 known combos. 2 official rulings.
- Commander
- Legal
- Printing
- Rare · LTR · #195
- Cheapest printing
- €0.55
- EDHREC salt
- 0.43
- Color identity
- Black, Red
- Keywords
- Haste
Bracket
- B1 Exhibition — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
- B2 Core — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
- B3 Upgraded — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
- B4 Optimized — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list
- B5 cEDH — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list
Why
- No Game Changer, mass land denial, extra turn, tutor or two-card combo
How Lotus Vault estimates a bracket
Bracket: Lotus Vault analysis, with Commander Spellbook flags
Combos
8 known combos.
- The Balrog, Durin's Bane + Phyrexian Altar + Pitiless Plunderer
Produces: Infinite commander casts, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB
View on Commander Spellbook - The Balrog, Durin's Bane + Phyrexian Altar + Pawn of Ulamog
Produces: Infinite commander casts, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB
View on Commander Spellbook - The Balrog, Durin's Bane + Phyrexian Altar + Sifter of Skulls
Produces: Infinite commander casts, Infinite death triggers, Infinite creature ETB
View on Commander Spellbook
Combos: Commander Spellbook
Rulings
- 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
The Balrog, Durin's Bane's first ability can't reduce its cost to less than {B}{R}. - 2023-06-16 · Wizards of the Coast
The Balrog, Durin's Bane's first ability counts every permanent that was sacrificed this turn, by any player.
Rulings: Scryfall · Wizards of the Coast