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.

Andramalech says... #1

Balaam__ thanks for pointing that out for me! So great to hear from you. Yeah, Eldrazi Seasons is arguably a deck I've waited years to see come to fruition. The love for colorless has always been real and getting to make that modern legal was a lovely little passion project. Thank you for the compliment, I appreciate the vote of confidence for my creativity, I needed that!

June 23, 2024 12:21 p.m.

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Said on Modern Flavor Town...

#1

I was elated when I saw Buried Alive become legal, glad to hear it’s performant.

June 28, 2024 1:42 p.m.

Said on Modern Flavor Town...

#2

It’s been quite awhile since I faced off against a Hollowvine variation. This looks pretty solid—do the MH3 cards feel like a noticeable upgrade?

June 28, 2024 12:03 p.m.

Quite nice. Depending on your budget and how performant you want the deck to be, I’d encourage you to consider replacing Extirpate with Surgical Extraction; it’s a pricier card but slightly more competitive.

June 15, 2024 3:48 p.m.

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MTG Decks

Trouble at the Old Mill!

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 47 | 31 COMMENTS | 1692 VIEWS | IN 10 FOLDERS

Modern Problems Require Modern Solutions

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 63 | 10 COMMENTS | 2553 VIEWS | IN 6 FOLDERS

Ferngully (Help Wanted!)

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 58 | 57 COMMENTS | 2263 VIEWS | IN 7 FOLDERS

Altar of Despair

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 50 | 28 COMMENTS | 2027 VIEWS | IN 6 FOLDERS

Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 38 | 18 COMMENTS | 1790 VIEWS | IN 4 FOLDERS

Exham Priory

Pauper Balaam__

SCORE: 48 | 16 COMMENTS | 2929 VIEWS | IN 12 FOLDERS

Geralf’s Walk-In Clinic

Legacy Balaam__

SCORE: 41 | 6 COMMENTS | 1134 VIEWS | IN 6 FOLDERS

Darwin’s Dirty Onus

Modern Balaam__

SCORE: 32 | 15 COMMENTS | 1418 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER

Finished Decks 117
Prototype Decks 7
Drafts 0
Playing since Tempest
Points 405
Avg. deck rating 23.21
T/O Rank 30
Helper Rank 24
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 153 / 109
Venues Tales of Adventure
Joined 5 years