Some have considered this the "10th" card of the Power Nine (other options have been Library of Alexandria, Mana Drain, etc.) At any rate, a devastating effect for an absurdly low mana cost.
land_comment
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(10 votes)
Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. Why is this banned? I mean, sure, it's good, but why banned? Is there some great combo?
Pontiac
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(9 votes)
I wrote the word "Broken" on mine, so if you get a Balance someday that says "Broken" on it in big black marker you know the story.
2 mana to reshape target game.
hedronMatrix
★★★★☆ (4.3/5.0)(5 votes)
@land_comment: Balance + 2 land = Anti: -Creature Ramp -Land Ramp -Draw Ramp (if there is such thing -All of the above ....ramp
thaviel
★★★★☆ (4.7/5.0)(3 votes)
best use of balance? first turn some quick mana wheel of fortune more quick mana then blow a balance after you have wasted your card advantage on a bunch of mana then their stuck with the same amount of cards as you without any of the artifact mana you might of pumped out as well as any enchantments you might of made.
BattleFish
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(6 votes)
Its banned because you might not be playing a particular card type. If you run no artifacts, no creatures, and no enchantments. Its a one sided board wipe for 2 mana.
Realistically you can play this in a burn deck. Don't play any permanents and drop a whole hand of burn spells. Then make your opponent lose everything and discard his whole hand.
The worst this card can be is 2 mana removal. If it even kills one thing, you got your mana's worth.
good.beats.for.all
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(5 votes)
weird how something with the word balance is so utterly unfair while something like broken ambition has the word broken in it, but is totally lame.
Slawsonite
★★★★☆ (4.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Balance + Devastating Summons o.O
Psychrates
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card used to make grown men cry, get me banned from multiplayer, and dig me out of the WORST mana debt(sometimes intentionally).
This IS P/10, but not insurmountable like the P/9. When this was in print, it was smarter to have a more balanced deck. THESE days? You specialist mages get pooped on because you're trying to kill and not covering ass.
IT WAS MADE TO JACK UP MONO-DECKS AND MANA-RACERS.
Traditionally(hate that word), White was slower than it is even now. Balance was the difference in fighting all the ugly combos at the time. Y'see, White didn't have many combos. It Just healed or kicked ass with expensive creatures. It needed Balance. WOTC, bring it back, and make the noobs man up. Please.
001010011100101110
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(3 votes)
Mulligan down to 3, Mox, Mox, Balance. Trollololol
Looking at Library of Alexandria, Time Vault, and other candidates for 'P10', I think this one actually is the better choice-
Library is just +1 card or +1 mana a turn, which actually sounds like something that, stapled with the right drawback, ought to appear on a new land someday. the Jayemdae Tome knockoffs just aren't good enough and an artifact drawing permanent is actually more splashable than a land with a good drawback- plus a 'pretend Library' would just be sweet to see attempted.
Time Vault was just something doing something uncostable- there's no right way to make a Time Vault that isn't broken in Modern through Vintage.
Balance is a card doing an effect that actually is pretty close to something that OUGHT to be on a card-- just NOT at this mana cost, not NEARLY at this mana cost- so it is very reminiscent of Ancestral Recall and Time Walk in that regard, and thus why I think it's the True P10th :)
kiseki
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In my equipment deck. If I haven't killed them by turn five, and they have killed all my creatures, then I have no cards in hand, no creatures in play, and maybe three lands, but several pieces of equipment in play. This gets me back in the game.
Notchism
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Boons has a new friend Balance
talcumpowder0046
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
As of 8/1/2012, rated higher than Time Walk, Vindicate AND the moxes!
VirusVescichetta
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(2 votes)
I actually have friends who don't think this card is powerful. I...couldn't find the words to explain to them why they were wrong. I was just left speechless and decided to let them think one of them didn't own a card this broken and pray that he never figured out how to use it.
JaxsonBateman
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Just remember amigos, this card is vintage-only for a reason. If you're thinking about including it in a casual deck, just remember there are much more balanced, legacy legal cards - you don't need the power of a vintage-only card. If you feel like your deck does in order to function well - it probably means you need to look at your deck as a whole, rather than relying on a power card.
Red-White
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(4 votes)
Step one: Play Isochron Scepter. Step two: Imprint Balance on it. Step three: ?????? Step four: Get told that you are a complete idiot :D
EGarrett01
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@Battlefish
Did you even read the card?
Salient
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Balance: the least balanced card in the history of the game. :)
dauthiSlayer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Question on Balance: I'm wondering why this card is so good under most circumstances? For instance, if I only play 2 lands, and dont play any creatures, and eventually wipe the board clean, I still lose those cards I had in my hand, (if say I have 7 cards in hand, and my opp has 1, since he's been playing creatures and lands). Because it effects the lands, creatures and your hand, it seems hard to get a leg up on your opponent. If it only affected creatures and land, i would get it. But since its hand also, seems like you will lose cards also, even if you are trying to hold back on playing them. Only way I could think of it, is if you are playing white/red, play 2 lands and then play like 4 lightning bolts (or other burn) in a row, and then play Balance. In that case, your opp's lands, creatures and hand is wrecked. Balance is only good if you play cards that end up in your graveyard (instants and sorceries), isn't that right? Can anyone give an example of how it would be good in an all white deck?
osieorb18
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
dauthiSlayer: The difference? You're running artifact mana accel. You're also likely running manlands or otherwise tricksy lands. So you have one or two lands, your opponent has a significant number, you've been dropping out your artifact mana accel while your opponent still has more cards in hand than you, and you wreck on them.
TastetheJace
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(4 votes)
The card name is the very definition of irony.
Thanato5
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Today I've made my first 11-for-1: my opponent discarded 3 cards and sacrificed 4 lands and 4 creatures, with no loss on my side. And I was topdecking. Thank you Balance.
Arachnos
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Balance: imbalanced.
weasel_fierce
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Actually had this one in my white swarm deck back in the day. Never realized it would end up being so infamous.
Since most of my friends played land-heavy red decks, it ended up mostly being a mana destroyer.
Eh, very powerful, but definitely situational. Not anywhere on the scale of Mind Twist, Moxen, Black Lotus, Mana Drain, Time Walk, Contract from Below, etc. I'm not even sure if it's as powerful as Berserk or Sol Ring.
I think people are gushing a little too much...it is not anywhere near the most unbalanced card of all time. It's only Armageddon if you have no land, only Wrath of God if you have no creatures, etc.
Lifegainwithbite
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@CFluke: You clearly haven't been on the receiving end of a balance. Balance is wrath, mind twist and smallpox all in one for two mana when played correctly. If you play it with a suspended Greater Gargadon, you can leave your opponent with nothing and have either a gargadon in play or artifact mana. The card will destroy your entire game for 2 mana.
MacBizzle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Played Hurkyl's Recall against an affinity deck in response to this. Good times.
Comments (33)
2 mana to reshape target game.
Balance + 2 land =
Anti:
-Creature Ramp
-Land Ramp
-Draw Ramp (if there is such thing
-All of the above ....ramp
Realistically you can play this in a burn deck. Don't play any permanents and drop a whole hand of burn spells. Then make your opponent lose everything and discard his whole hand.
The worst this card can be is 2 mana removal. If it even kills one thing, you got your mana's worth.
This IS P/10, but not insurmountable like the P/9. When this was in print, it was smarter to have a more balanced deck. THESE days? You specialist mages get pooped on because you're trying to kill and not covering ass.
IT WAS MADE TO JACK UP MONO-DECKS AND MANA-RACERS.
Traditionally(hate that word), White was slower than it is even now. Balance was the difference in fighting all the ugly combos at the time. Y'see, White didn't have many combos. It Just healed or kicked ass with expensive creatures. It needed Balance. WOTC, bring it back, and make the noobs man up. Please.
Grand Arbiter Augustin IV
Stormscape Familiar
And no means no.
Library is just +1 card or +1 mana a turn, which actually sounds like something that, stapled with the right drawback, ought to appear on a new land someday. the Jayemdae Tome knockoffs just aren't good enough and an artifact drawing permanent is actually more splashable than a land with a good drawback- plus a 'pretend Library' would just be sweet to see attempted.
Time Vault was just something doing something uncostable- there's no right way to make a Time Vault that isn't broken in Modern through Vintage.
Balance is a card doing an effect that actually is pretty close to something that OUGHT to be on a card-- just NOT at this mana cost, not NEARLY at this mana cost- so it is very reminiscent of Ancestral Recall and Time Walk in that regard, and thus why I think it's the True P10th :)
Step two: Imprint Balance on it.
Step three: ??????
Step four: Get told that you are a complete idiot :D
Did you even read the card?
Since most of my friends played land-heavy red decks, it ended up mostly being a mana destroyer.
I think people are gushing a little too much...it is not anywhere near the most unbalanced card of all time. It's only Armageddon if you have no land, only Wrath of God if you have no creatures, etc.