Balor
Creature — Demon
Flying
Whenever this creature attacks or dies, choose one or more. Each mode must target a different player.
• Target opponent draws three cards, then discards three cards at random.
• Target opponent sacrifices a nontoken artifact of their choice.
• This creature deals damage to target opponent equal to the number of cards in their hand.
- CMC
- 5
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Battle for Baldur's Gate Promos
- Price
- —
- EDHREC rank
- #4110
Balor hits the board and immediately forces a discard, a sacrifice, and a hand-size dump of artifacts or enchantments — three separate punishments stapled to one attack trigger. The cost is a six-mana 6/6 with no evasion built in, so Be'lakor, the Dark Master and similar enablers aren't optional luxuries; they're what make Balor actually connect.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Be'lakor, the Dark Master
Be'lakor, the Dark Master draws a card every time a Demon enters, so Balor — a Demon that punishes the table on connection — pulls double duty as both a payoff and a refuel. At nearly 50% inclusion across Be'lakor decks, the pairing is essentially automatic.
Raphael, Fiendish Savior
Raphael, Fiendish Savior gives all Demons deathtouch and lifelink, which transforms Balor from a soft evasion problem into a genuine combat threat opponents have to block at serious cost. The lifegain also offsets the aggressive curve that Demon tribal demands.
Wulfgar of Icewind Dale
Wulfgar of Icewind Dale doubles attack triggers, meaning Balor forces two rounds of discard, sacrifice, and artifact/enchantment purge in the same combat step. That's a full table-wipe of resources off a single swing.
Henzie "Toolbox" Torre
Henzie "Toolbox" Torre casts Balor ahead of curve via blitz, which means you can pay less mana, still resolve the attack trigger, and replace Balor with a card draw when it dies — treating a six-drop as a mid-game value piece rather than a late-game finisher.
Zurzoth, Chaos Rider
Zurzoth, Chaos Rider floods the board with Devil tokens whenever opponents draw, and Balor's forced discard effect feeds directly into that engine by making opponents cycle through their hands faster.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Balor actually lives — the attack trigger scales perfectly at a multiplayer table where three opponents each discard, sacrifice, and lose artifacts or enchantments simultaneously. In Legacy and Vintage, Balor is technically legal but six mana is a non-starter in formats defined by turn-one and turn-two kills; the trigger payoff never comes. Oathbreaker shares Commander's multiplayer structure, so the same logic applies: Balor is playable there if your signature spell enables haste or evasion. Everywhere else, the card simply isn't legal.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
unknown tier
Current pricing data for Balor isn't available in this listing, so check Scryfall or your preferred retailer for the live number. Given its heavy play in Be'lakor and Raphael builds, demand is real — don't assume it's bulk just because it's not a marquee mythic.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Be'lakor, the Dark Master
- Raphael, Fiendish Savior
- Wulfgar of Icewind Dale
- Henzie "Toolbox" Torre
- Zurzoth, Chaos Rider
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.