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Balin, Loremaster
Legendary Creature — Dwarf Bard
Storied (If you control three or more artifacts, legendaries, and/or Sagas, you have an enduring story for the rest of the game.) Whenever Balin or another Dwarf you control enters, you may discard your hand. Draw X cards, where X is the number of cards discarded this way. If you have an enduring story, Balin deals X damage to each opponent.
4 / 4
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“Dwarf wheel engine—discard, draw, and burn when Storied.”
Midrange
Intermediate
Commander damage, Combat damage
Artifacts, Tokens, Legends & Sagas
Strategy
Balin is a Dwarf-focused card draw engine that rewards you for building toward the Storied mechanic. You'll want to load your deck with artifacts, legendary permanents, and Sagas to flip on your enduring story, unlocking Balin's damage clause. Once active, every Dwarf that enters becomes a mini-wheel: discard your hand, draw cards equal to cards discarded, then deal that much damage to each opponent. This turns card draw into inevitably chip damage that adds up fast. The core play pattern is filling early turns with cheap Dwarves and artifacts (Equipment especially shines here), then pivoting into bigger Dwarf creatures and Saga payoffs once you hit critical mass. You'll naturally generate Treasures and value from Equipment like Orcrist or Dwarven Mattock, making the discard payoff even sweeter.
Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.
Key Synergies
Budget Build
Skip pricey staples like Karn or Ugin; lean on cheap Dwarf creatures (Iron Hills Blacksmith, Dwarven Mauler), budget Equipment (Long-Lost Lances, Dwarven Mattock), and Treasures-matter cards like The Misty Mountains Cold and Bag End Banquet.
Signature Cards
Inclusion = % of Balin, Loremaster decks running this card. +lift = percentage-point boost over the format average.
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Art Variants
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