BM generally rely’s heavily on gear to be viable, I feel like I’m only just getting some damage behind me now after really tweaking my stats and gear. Also as you mentioned unfortunately BM needs Crucible etc to be viable.
I would ask Hog whatever you can, he’s taught me most of what I apply, however pretty sure he doesn’t even run maledict. (although I like the extra pressure it brings with timed dispels)
I’ve mentioned before, BM’s kill command needs to be nature damage, amongst many other things (like having 5 GCD’s to press for your burst). In the mean time, scale your barbed shot as much as possible and be prepared to play the long game.