Balan the Magnetic Cat

Commander / EDH Artifact Attach Budget Casual Equip First strike Mono-White Puresteel Hammer Voltron

EscapingBurger

Equipment (24)

• 1x Argentum Armor
• 1x Barrow-Blade
• 1x Batterbone
• 1x Batterskull
• 1x Blackblade Reforged
• 1x Cloudsteel Kirin
• 1x Colossus Hammer
• 1x Haunted Cloak
• 1x Hero's Blade
• 1x Infiltration Lens
• 1x Lion Sash
• 1x Loxodon Warhammer
• 1x Mandibular Kite
• 1x Nahiri, the Lithomancer
• 1x Nettlecyst
• 1x Prowler's Helm
• 1x Rogue's Gloves
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Sword of Vengeance
• 1x Sword of the Animist
• 1x Thran Power Suit
• 1x Trailblazer's Boots
• 1x Vorrac Battlehorns
• 1x Whispersilk Cloak

Removal (13)

• 1x Argentum Armor
• 1x Dispatch
• 1x Dog Umbra
• 1x Final Showdown
• 1x Generous Gift
• 1x Intrepid Hero
• 1x Loran of the Third Path
• 1x Make Your Move
• 1x Promise of Loyalty
• 1x Single Combat
• 1x Spectral Grasp
• 1x Swords to Plowshares
• 1x Witch Enchanter  ^Flip

Get Cards (16)

• 1x Armored Skyhunter
• 1x Buried Ruin
• 1x Danitha, Benalia's Hope
• 1x Farsight Mask
• 1x Hidden Courtyard
• 1x Infiltration Lens
• 1x Loran of the Third Path
• 1x Nahiri, the Lithomancer
• 1x Open the Armory
• 1x Puresteel Paladin
• 1x Rogue's Gloves
• 1x Scrap Trawler
• 1x Secluded Steppe
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Stonehewer Giant
• 1x The Fair Basilica

Land (37)

• 1x Ancient Den
• 1x Buried Ruin
• 1x Hidden Courtyard
• 1x Idyllic Grange
• 1x Myriad Landscape
• 1x Nephalia Academy
• 1x Opal Palace
• 25x Plains
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Secluded Steppe
• 1x Sejiri Shelter  ^Flip
• 1x The Fair Basilica
• 1x Witch Enchanter  ^Flip

Utility (7)

• 1x Danitha, Benalia's Hope
• 1x Envoy of the Ancestors
• 1x Lion Sash
• 1x Opal Palace
• 1x Puresteel Paladin
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Silent Arbiter

Commander (1)

Protection (16)

• 1x Aegis Angel
• 1x Bastion Protector
• 1x Dawn Charm
• 1x Dog Umbra
• 1x Final Showdown
• 1x Glory
• 1x Indomitable Archangel
• 1x Leonin Abunas
• 1x Loran's Escape
• 1x Loyal Unicorn
• 1x Nahiri, the Lithomancer
• 1x Sejiri Shelter  ^Flip
• 1x Sun Clasp
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots
• 1x Thran Power Suit
• 1x Whispersilk Cloak

Ramp (11)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Danitha Capashen, Paragon
• 1x Gold Myr
• 1x Marble Diamond
• 1x Myriad Landscape
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Solemn Simulacrum
• 1x Starnheim Courser
• 1x Sword of the Animist
• 1x Traveler's Amulet
• 1x Wayfarer's Bauble

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Maybeboard

Equipment (8)

• 1x Cathar's Shield
• 1x Explorer's Scope
• 1x Goldwarden's Helm
• 1x Hero's Heirloom
• 1x Mirran Bardiche
• 1x Shining Armor
• 1x Slagwurm Armor
• 1x Surestrike Trident

Protection (6)

• 1x Against All Odds
• 1x Archetype of Courage
• 1x Chains of Custody
• 1x Moment of Valor
• 1x Pentarch Ward
• 1x Shelter

Get Cards (8)

• 1x Against All Odds
• 1x Auriok Salvagers
• 1x Junk Diver
• 1x Leonin Squire
• 1x Magnetic Snuffler
• 1x Myr Retriever
• 1x Recommission
• 1x Ritual of Restoration

Utility (5)

• 1x All That Glitters
• 1x Archetype of Courage
• 1x Brass Squire
• 1x Leonin Elder
• 1x Steel Wall

Removal (7)

• 1x Armed Response
• 1x Chains of Custody
• 1x Cooped Up
• 1x Disenchant
• 1x Faith's Fetters
• 1x Moment of Valor
• 1x Oblivion Stone

Ramp (2)

• 1x Caged Sun
• 1x Explorer's Scope

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Get Equipped

This is another deck for my wife, who enjoyed Krenko, Gob Boss but also wanted a deck that "everyone doesn't hate." We'd gotten a Balan, Wandering Knight in a Jumpstart 2022 pack, which looked like a fun place to start for a Voltron-style deck. The result is, well, another deck that can wipe out an opponent in a single turn, but is maybe a little easier to deal with. Maybe? (I should also note that some of the initial inspiration, though not the decklist itself, came from the even more dangerous-looking Balan, One-Punch Woman by Monomanamaniac.)

Balan's feline magnetism(?) allows her to attach all your equipment at once, meaning you can largely ignore equip costs and just focus on getting out as many toys as possible before snapping it all on. It's safest to wait to cast Balan until you have 6 mana and can equip everything right away, hopefully with something like Swiftfoot Boots out for protection, but you can take a risk on an earlier cast if you think you can get away with it. Balan is the key piece, though, and there are a number of cards focused on keeping her alive, including things like Bastion Protector and Glory.

When it comes to casting equipment, I'd generally prioritize:

1. Make Balan hard to kill, e.g. Swiftfoot Boots, Whispersilk Cloak
2. Make Balan hard to block, e.g. Prowler's Helm, Whispersilk Cloak again
3. Make Balan hit harder, e.g. Colossus Hammer, Blackblade Reforged

With two or more equipment attached she gets double strike, so once you have the pieces in place the damage can add up very quickly. You'll generally be aiming to win with commander damage; if you can get Balan's power to 11, double strike will kill an opponent in one combat.

Since Balan is the star here, the deck is relatively light on other creatures, and they generally serve some other purpose beyond just blocking. As mentioned, some help keep Balan alive, and others help with equipment (Stonehewer Giant, Danitha, Benalia's Hope), serve as removal or ramp (Intrepid Hero, Starnheim Courser), or even function as equipment themselves (Cloudsteel Kirin, Batterskull). Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines is just in here for fun, and will probably get her own deck at some point.

Improvements

Like most decks I've made, this was cobbled together out of things we already owned and maybe $40 worth of singles, which is why there's no Stoneforge Mystic, for example. That being said, I think the biggest concern right now is the quality of the ramp and card draw, which I know can be weaknesses for white. For ramp, maybe cards like Knight of the White Orchid or Gift of Estates would be useful, though I'd hate for them to be dead if I'm already ahead on land. For card draw, there are some surprisingly effective equipment tutors that help make up for this (Open the Armory, Stonehewer Giant), but if you need more than just equipment these don't necessarily help. I'll need to think about more options there, though I think what we have so far isn't terrible (Farsight Mask is a surprise standout in a deck that's low on blockers).

Date added	1 year
Last updated	6 months
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	3 - 0 Mythic Rares 25 - 0 Rares 29 - 0 Uncommons 17 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.80
Tokens	Elephant 3/3 G, Kor Soldier 1/1 W, Phyrexian Germ 0/0 B, Stoneforged Blade
Folders	MTG Decks, MTG EDH Decks, coool deckss, Decks for Others, Balan, Wandering Knight