Budget Balmor Battlemage
Overview
Balmor, Battlemage Captain is an aggressive spellslinger deck angled on speed, board-wide buffs, and the occasional mini-storm kill. Its key synergy is turning cheap cantrips and burn spells into team-wide +1/+0 and trample. Even a small token board becomes lethal with a flurry of instants and sorceries.
Despite being built under strict Pauper EDH rules (uncommon Commander, the rest common) and a tight budget (~50¢ or less per card), the deck boasts surprising consistency through a barrage of cantrips, burn-based interaction, and token-making spells. Balmor, Battlemage Captain’s triggered ability feeds right into the “spell chaining” approach—every cheap spell you cast simultaneously draws you cards, buffs your creatures, and potentially pings opponents down through synergy creatures like Firebrand Archer, Kessig Flamebreather, Guttersnipe, and Erebor Flamesmith.
Gameplan
Primary Idea
- Swarm and Buff: Deploy Balmor, Battlemage Captain early. Flood the board with cheap creature tokens (like Empty the Warrens, Goblin Wizardry, Goblin War Party or Goblin Surprise) and synergy creatures (Firebrand Archer, Guttersnipe, Kessig Flamebreather) that turn every cast spell into damage.
- Spell Chain: Use cantrips (Serum Visions, Brainstorm, Think Twice) and low-cost rituals (Seething Song, Rite of Flame) to chain multiple spells in one turn, stacking +1/+0 and trample across your entire board.
- Close the Game: With a critical mass of tokens and multiple triggers, push lethal damage or burn out opponents with effects like Grapeshot.
In a format where each player starts at 30 life, your repeated team-wide buffs plus direct pings will whittle life totals quickly. One big turn of chaining spells often finishes the job.
Spellslinger Synergies
You run a suite of cheap, efficient spells:
- Draw/Cantrips: Brainstorm, Serum Visions, Gitaxian Probe, Think Twice help you dig through the deck, keep the gas flowing, and ensure you consistently find your payoffs.
- Damage Pingers: Guttersnipe, Kessig Flamebreather, Firebrand Archer, and Erebor Flamesmith convert every noncreature spell cast into incremental damage to all opponents.
- Token Production: Empty the Warrens (storm), Goblin War Party, Goblin Wizardry, and others produce multiple creatures that get huge from Balmor, Battlemage Captain’s pump effect.
A single turn of multiple cantrips and token spells quickly transforms your battlefield into a trampling, board-wide threat.
Mulligans & Opening Hands
Look for:
1. Early Ramp: A mana rock (Sol Ring, Mind Stone, Izzet Signet) or cheap spell-based ramp (Seething Song).
2. Draw/Cantrips: Having one or two cheap cantrips ensures your engine starts running.
3. Payoff Creatures: Firebrand Archer or Kiln Fiend can be game-ending if they stick around while you’re chaining spells.
A typical good opener might be two lands, a mana rock, a pinger or Balmor, Battlemage Captain, and a cantrip or two. You’ll quickly find tokens or more burn spells to push damage.
Disrupted?
If Balmor, Battlemage Captain eats multiple removal spells, it’s not game over:
Keep casting spells to trigger pingers or refill your hand; your synergy doesn’t vanish just because Balmor, Battlemage Captain isn’t on the battlefield.
Stax or Hate Pieces
Many stax effects hamper decks reliant on bigger spells or repeated creature abilities, but your game plan uses cheap spells and tokens. You can often maneuver around light taxes:
- Bounce & Removal: Cards like Smash to Dust and Fade Away can deal with artifacts, defenders, or large boards. Breath Weapon wipes low-toughness creatures (not Dragons!), great against opposing token decks.
- Wide Attack: Even if a sphere effect raises spell costs, your deck’s average cost remains low. You can still chain spells, albeit at a slightly slower pace, and eventually pump out enough damage to overcome the stax player.
Should you face harsh hate pieces that shut down your synergy, sideboard or adapt your removal suite accordingly.
Tips & Tricks
- Chaining Rituals: Weave in spells like Seething Song or Rite of Flame before your big token spells to chain multiple cast triggers in one explosive turn.
- Balmor’s Trample: You only need a few tokens to threaten lethal if each token’s power has grown by +2/+0 or more. Trample ensures damage will punch through.
- Token Setup: Casting Empty the Warrens mid-storm or using Goblin Wizardry after your first couple of spells yields a bigger token count, then each remaining spell further buffs them.
- Multi-Use Cards: Izzet Charm, Snap, and Lightning Bolt can be used either offensively or defensively—and every cast triggers your synergy.
- Conserve Resources: Sometimes it’s right to wait until you can chain 3–5 spells in one turn with Balmor, Battlemage Captain out. Don’t burn all your cantrips too early if you can anticipate a strong lethal turn a bit later.
Conclusion
Balmor, Battlemage Captain transforms a humble Pauper EDH budget build into a deadly spellslinger assault. The deck’s draw power, cheap interaction, and token synergy all compound under Balmor, Battlemage Captain’s team-wide buffs and pinger-based burn. Whether it’s a final Grapeshot storm turn or a board pumped by multiple cantrip casts, the deck can swiftly knock out entire pods. Even at just 50¢ or less per card, its fast-paced gameplay and synergy depth let you outpace more expensive strategies. Expect explosive turns and big swings—Balmor, Battlemage Captain’s call to battle is never quiet!
