Thank you for stopping by.

I first became acquainted with Magic: The Gathering during Alpha set. After that initial foray where I was introduced by a neighbor to the game, I didn’t play again until the Tempest block. Then I took a long, 20 year hiatus until 2019 when another neighbor reinvigorated my desire to play by urging me to buy some Dominaria and Core 19 packs for a friendly draft. Since then I’ve found myself addicted to deck building.

I prefer traditional formats like Vintage/Legacy/Modern/Standard/Pauper as opposed to this zany, newfangled “Commander” format all the kids are raving about.

I lean toward the / end of the color spectrum; preferred hubs are Reanimator and any type of build that uses uncommon or otherwise off the wall strategies or win-cons.

God I miss the old artwork and flavor text from the older expansions; some of the new stuff is half decent but it doesn’t hold a candle to the gorgeous art of cards like those found in the Arabian Nights expansion or Mirage block. And then there’s the classical literary quotes on cards like Repentant Blacksmith, Juzam Djinn, Hammerheim, Karakas, Pendelhaven, Revelation...the list goes on! I weep softly when I realize just how lackluster today’s MtG sets are in this respect, by comparison. But, I digress.

Feel free to leave any comments or questions you may have on any of my decks; all upvotes are much appreciated as well.

Balaam__ says... #1

Found some more for your FPP deck legendofa.

Definites:

Uphill Battle

Seal of Doom

Troll-Horn Cameo

Manacles of Decay

Afflict

Buried Alive

Last Rites

Skeletal Scrying

Questionable:

Arrest view might not be from the spearholder’s perspective. Tough call.

Magistrate's Scepter hands coming from off screen, but separate perspective.

Shoving Match might be from the viewpoint of the falling man; maybe not.

Mind Swords definitely first person, but the hands aren’t coming in from out of frame.

Seal of Cleansing, Seal of Fire, Seal of Removal and Seal of Strength all are a bit too far off center to be first person I think, but they’re all very similar to Seal of Doom which does feel FPP. Not sure if you want to add them for consistency’s sake.

Angel of Mercy unsure if it’s the perspective of whatever’s getting killed or not.

Urborg Emissary not sure if it’s the lizard’s perspective or not.

Harsh Judgment I think this qualifies due to the sword in the bottom right clearly not belonging to the soldier with the shield on the same side. I think we’re seeing this from the viewpoint of whoever is holding that sword closest to the camera.

Tigereye Cameo same deal as the seals mentioned above. The angle is off, but some of the other cameos do qualify.

Magma Burst we might be seeing things from the point of view of that poor unfortunate dinosaur.

Darigaaz's Charm, Crosis's Charm, Dromar's Charm, Rith's Charm and Treva's Charm are all ‘maybe but not quite’ perspectives.

November 19, 2024 11:43 a.m.

legendofa says... #3

This is great! As long as you're having fun with this, keep it up! It's a huge help.

November 17, 2024 2:42 p.m.

legendofa says... #6

I just gave the first-person hands collection a big update. If you find anything else that fits, please let me know!

November 16, 2024 4:06 a.m.

iPlaySlivers says... #11

Thanks for letting me know, he appears to have deleted the list from his account since I can't see it anymore. Appreciate you!

November 2, 2024 9:43 a.m.

Balaam__ says... #12

@iPlaySlivers

Not sure if you’re still active on Tappedout, but someone stole your deck Standard Zombies (including the description, word for word) and posted it trying to pass it off as their own. No credit given. The user’s name is jasonhuebner and he does this constantly with nearly every deck he posts. If this bothers you or was done without permission, I’d reach out to a site admin and report the guy. He has done this so many times I honestly don’t know how he still has an account. Guy should be banned.

October 23, 2024 9:08 a.m.

Please login to comment

Said on First Pauper Try...

#1

Consider Evolution Charm. It’s Pauper legal, can find a land on command and also bring a creature back or grant temporary evasion/ability to push damage through. Aside from that, I’d say this is a great first entry into the format.

November 20, 2024 3:43 p.m.

I really like your In Blackest Night deck. I hope you publish more stuff on this site, if that’s any indication of the sorts of decks you build.

November 20, 2024 1:04 p.m.

Ha, thanks Bookrook! I haven’t examined many of the more recent sets, I didn’t even know this existed. I’ll maybeboard it until I can add it later.

November 19, 2024 9:09 p.m.

Said on Balaam__...

#4

Found some more for your FPP deck legendofa.

Definites:

Uphill Battle

Seal of Doom

Troll-Horn Cameo

Manacles of Decay

Afflict

Buried Alive

Last Rites

Skeletal Scrying

Questionable:

Arrest view might not be from the spearholder’s perspective. Tough call.

Magistrate's Scepter hands coming from off screen, but separate perspective.

Shoving Match might be from the viewpoint of the falling man; maybe not.

Mind Swords definitely first person, but the hands aren’t coming in from out of frame.

Seal of Cleansing, Seal of Fire, Seal of Removal and Seal of Strength all are a bit too far off center to be first person I think, but they’re all very similar to Seal of Doom which does feel FPP. Not sure if you want to add them for consistency’s sake.

Angel of Mercy unsure if it’s the perspective of whatever’s getting killed or not.

Urborg Emissary not sure if it’s the lizard’s perspective or not.

Harsh Judgment I think this qualifies due to the sword in the bottom right clearly not belonging to the soldier with the shield on the same side. I think we’re seeing this from the viewpoint of whoever is holding that sword closest to the camera.

Tigereye Cameo same deal as the seals mentioned above. The angle is off, but some of the other cameos do qualify.

Magma Burst we might be seeing things from the point of view of that poor unfortunate dinosaur.

Darigaaz's Charm, Crosis's Charm, Dromar's Charm, Rith's Charm and Treva's Charm are all ‘maybe but not quite’ perspectives.

November 19, 2024 11:43 a.m.

Said on Blood Rush Bullies...

#5

If you have the budget, I’d definitely recommend running something like Stomping Groundfoil or Wooded Foothills over Rugged Highlands or Gruul Turf. It’ll improve speed and consistency and help filter subsequent draws. The faux duals are too slow or have other drawbacks.

November 18, 2024 5:31 p.m.

Said on the flood...

#7

@seshiro_of_the_orochi Great insights. I never even thought of adding Yorion as a companion. I’m a die hard advocate of 60 cards max whenever appropriate, but I have to admit I’d like to see what Yorion can do here.

November 17, 2024 12:19 p.m.

I love collections like these. Here’s one I had to look at twice to make sure—Summoner's Pact. From the direction the shadows fall I’d wager that’s a first person perspective.

November 15, 2024 8:04 p.m.

Said on I see doub- …...

#12

Mirrorweave and Quasiduplicate are two cards worth considering; both really synergize well with what you’re trying to achieve.

November 14, 2024 10:22 p.m.

Said on List of card …...

#13

Sounds great. Glad to be of service!

November 14, 2024 3:32 p.m.

Said on List of card …...

#14

Argothian Enchantress and Wirewood Savage might qualify for inclusion under the Tribal subcategory. Not sure how prevalent Enchantment creatures and Beasts are in EDH, but maybe somebody might find them useful.

November 14, 2024 3:16 p.m.

Said on List of card …...

#15

Ah, I understand now. Something more like Cryptbreaker or Prophet of Distortion

November 14, 2024 2:50 p.m.

Said on List of card …...

#16

Does Baleful Strix fit your criteria?

November 14, 2024 2:30 p.m.

Said on Effigies?...

#17

This is all just initial thoughts from a cursory glance, but I’m thinking Rite of Replication is going to be tough to cast, and pulling enough mana together for the Kicker cost is a bit steep to rely on. How about something like Mirrorweave instead? It’s tagged at the same cmc as Nanogene Conversion, casts at Instant speed, and makes all creatures effigies just like Nanogene Conversion (and unlike Rite of Replication).

November 13, 2024 9:01 p.m.

Said on Effigies?...

#18

I love this. Obscure old cards + outside the box thinking = brilliant.

November 13, 2024 7:10 p.m.

Said on Does Hall of …...

#20

The straws may have already fallen and I’m clutching at where they used to be, but is the answer in the function rather than the form? The land itself becoming a giant as a nod to the card name? Yeah, this is a pretty sad reach I guess.

November 13, 2024 10:50 a.m.

Friends

DestroyerbirbMechanicalErrorSylvarionSaccox5dollarMTGjwong14Queen_LuluDaveslab2022ValengetaPeatearpanellie-isjaymc1130MagicMarcJackfrost23JW398RSJRCaerwynsylvannosAzdranaxSturmManaEpicurusSefTheRejectArthurshepard80EastsideRockApollo_PaladinKaziertsDarkMagicianClockworkSwordfishMTG_PlayerDefied-27-Orvos-PaulieJ313xxINS4NExWoCWallofSleepjashtonOof_MagicChasmolinkerrolypolyguyTyrant-ThanatosDoombeard1984wallisfaceUncanny_GhoulProfet93amarthalerGrimlockVIIIDMFFNicklaffy2302PheardemonsBlackgatezapyourtumortiffanyannzAzen7977DBCooperpsionictemplarDeeLightpassimolespaul977OutspokenFerretChrisHansonBiomancinHeaders13FuglOptimatorJaykamaruparocksteadyYamishiTheWickedOnenathanielhebertNotafox91Denial048thomashapp71Darth_SavageCoSM0SeekerofSecretsnbarry223DreadKhanSquee_Spirit_GuideGoldenAgeBatmanAstroAAshadow63hiddengibbonsRadicalCrawdadxBulldawg1310GandolfiniDelphen7AndramalechlegendofaPauperPowerLordGanondorfslvstrChungRavenroseGattisonAsyrielBobFromAccountingViscountVonSausageRollKibaAlphaBhaalOmegaerookBetterThanUrzaKcinPuritanPureeNonetheWeisserOrange+MrHighscoreIcyLightningUltimateRoxas40keizerbunswindwolf1978alchemist4533Aeon2000IehovahInfatuated_AmnesiacbobongfloofynewfTom_NeverwinternUKe13X71SFenriscapwnerjethstrikerJack-FrostPhillthethrillBotaNickillhydrothermiaDrummerGarrettBlubShlubbroitsjustagameK_DubRotzAltomanPeeBee000CBomb000vasarto77BlackyMTGLordOfMishapGilmerLuckMisesackYesterdaysGhostSniperFrogHexapodCraeter

MTG Decks

Trouble at the Old Mill!

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 52 | 32 COMMENTS | 1768 VIEWS | IN 11 FOLDERS

Modern Problems Require Modern Solutions

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 64 | 11 COMMENTS | 2671 VIEWS | IN 6 FOLDERS

Ferngully (Help Wanted!)

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 59 | 57 COMMENTS | 2291 VIEWS | IN 7 FOLDERS

Altar of Despair

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 52 | 28 COMMENTS | 2152 VIEWS | IN 6 FOLDERS

Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 38 | 18 COMMENTS | 1889 VIEWS | IN 4 FOLDERS

Exham Priory

Pauper Balaam__

SCORE: 49 | 16 COMMENTS | 3140 VIEWS | IN 12 FOLDERS

Geralf’s Walk-In Clinic

Legacy Balaam__

SCORE: 43 | 6 COMMENTS | 1160 VIEWS | IN 6 FOLDERS

Darwin’s Dirty Onus

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 32 | 15 COMMENTS | 1462 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER

Finished Decks 117
Prototype Decks 7
Drafts 0
Playing since Tempest
Points 1300
Avg. deck rating 24.61
T/O Rank 10
Helper Rank 5
Favorite formats Modern, Pauper, Legacy, Vintage
Suppressed formats Standard Brawl, Historic, Commander / EDH, Pauper EDH, Commander: Rule 0, Canadian Highlander, Highlander, Duel Commander, Leviathan, 1v1 Commander, Pre-release, Penny Dreadful, Heirloom, Hero, Noble, Tiny Leaders, Oathbreaker, Block Constructed, Arena, MTGO, Magic Duels, Unformat
Cards suggested / good suggestions 164 / 118
Venues Tales of Adventure
Joined 5 years