This deck is a control/attrition deck with a creature combo finish provided by the commander. You trade resources with people, attack their hands, and then bring back your board with Balthor.
I rebuilt this deck at the release of Theros because of the black devotion cards, and they have not disappointed. Gray Merchant of Asphodel is now pretty much my go to finisher, often searched out with Buried Alive. Devotion counts are often in the double digits with this deck.
Basically, you throw stuff into your graveyard, make lots of mana, and bring your army back over and over until everyone else dies.
Key interactions
Abhorrent Overlord + sac outlet: The Overlord can easily power repeated castings of Balthor with a mana altar, dump your library into the yard with Altar of Dementia, or wreck everyone's hand with Sadistic Hypnotist.
Four-card infinite!: This hasn't come up for me in a game yet. I didn't even recognize I had it in the deck at first, but I kept it in and now am aware of it as an option. The combo is Phyrexian Altar + Pawn of Ulamog + Reassembling Skeleton + Blood Artist/other death trigger creature.
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Balthor the Defiled
Lands 40
(Needs an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth)
34 Swamp
Cabal Coffers
Crypt of Agadeem
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Barren Moor
Bojuka Bog
Thawing Glaciers
Creatures 29
Blood Artist
Withered Wretch
Reassembling Skeleton
Undercity Informer
Phyrexian Rager
Stronghold Assassin
Vampire Nighthawk
Crypt Rats
Noxious Toad
Fleshbag Marauder
Pawn of Ulamog
Liliana's Specter
Dimir House Guard
Crypt Ghast
Falkenrath Noble
Gray Merchant of Asphodel
Street Wraith
Shriekmaw
Sadistic Hypnotist
Kagemaro, First to Suffer
Magus of the Coffers
Massacre Wurm
Harvester of Souls
Kokusho, the Evening Star
Extractor Demon
Nirkana Revenant
Sheoldred, Whispering One
Abhorrent Overlord
Baleful Force
Spells 30
Mana 8
Wayfarer's Bauble
Expedition Map
Sol Ring
Mind Stone
Armillary Sphere
Ashnod's Altar
Phyrexian Altar
Black Market
Card Drawing 9
Nihil Spellbomb
Skullclamp
Night's Whisper
Sign in Blood
Phyrexian Arena
Read the Bones
Underworld Connections
Necropotence
Dark Prophecy
Tutors 4
Demonic Tutor
Beseech the Queen
Buried Alive
Increasing Ambition
Engine cards 1
Altar of Dementia
Removal 8
Innocent Blood
Oblivion Stone
Damnation
Barter in Blood
Grave Pact
Nevinyrral's Disk
Living Death
All is Dust
This deck is a control/attrition deck with a creature combo finish provided by the commander. You trade resources with people, attack their hands, and then bring back your board with Balthor.
I rebuilt this deck at the release of Theros because of the black devotion cards, and they have not disappointed. Gray Merchant of Asphodel is now pretty much my go to finisher, often searched out with Buried Alive. Devotion counts are often in the double digits with this deck.
Basically, you throw stuff into your graveyard, make lots of mana, and bring your army back over and over until everyone else dies.
Key interactions
Abhorrent Overlord + sac outlet: The Overlord can easily power repeated castings of Balthor with a mana altar, dump your library into the yard with Altar of Dementia, or wreck everyone's hand with Sadistic Hypnotist.
Four-card infinite!: This hasn't come up for me in a game yet. I didn't even recognize I had it in the deck at first, but I kept it in and now am aware of it as an option. The combo is Phyrexian Altar + Pawn of Ulamog + Reassembling Skeleton + Blood Artist/other death trigger creature.