[SCD] Braid of Fire

[4eak]

Braid of Fire

Enchantment, :1::r:
Cumulative upkeep-Add :r: to your mana pool.

I've long thought it was an interesting card, but very difficult to build around.

With M10's zero Mana Burn, will this card see play? It will be a 1-card mana ramp with zero drawbacks, but unfortunately it only produces red.

If it will become playable at all:

What archetype can make the most use of it?

Will it be a centerpiece mana engine or will it be something thrown in to complement a deck?





peace,
4eak

[Skeggi]

This card has quite some potential. If only in combination with some Winter Orb or Stasis deck. Perhaps to abuse Stroke of Genius.

[JeroenC]

Only good for instants though, perhaps some weird kind of burn. But I'm betting on "not gonna happen".

[Carabas]

Braid of Fire+Ice Cauldron. Oh yeah.

[Poron]

all the X ones are good with this

[Maveric78f]

It's good with the red Decree and with red Akroma most of all.

It's not bad with flash creatures such as Bogardan Hellkite and Sulfur Elemental.

It's correct with Masticore too.

[rufus]

2-card combo with Mystic Remora? Mostly it seems like Braid of Fire is going to be too slow for legacy.

[kicks_422]

Uh.. Dark Depths?

[TheCramp]

This card has quite some potential. If only in combination with some Winter Orb or Stasis deck. Perhaps to abuse Stroke of Genius.

Just playing FoF for :u: during upkeep seems good, better even. :u: :r: dreadstill w/ FoF called out to me. Flame Javelin might be the go to burn spell, meh whatever. I like the Red Akroma and Sulfur Elemental, but they seem too dependent on braids (same as Flame Javelin). Volcanic Fallout? It is worth noting that Red Akroma is immune to all the go to destruction spells played against Dreadnought.

Decree of Annihilation is some good, but Decree of Justice also seems good. Also, if you ever hard cast Decree of Annihilation with Garruk in play, you would win some sort of prize.

[rufus]

Just playing FoF for :u: during upkeep seems good, better even. :u: :r: dreadstill w/ FoF called out to me. ...

Hmm, there's also Gifts Ungive, Intuition, Cunning Wish, Development, Mystical Teachings, Read the Runes, Skeletal Scrying, Flash of Insight, Murmurs from Beyond, Thirst for Knowledge, and Inspiration.

[mujadaddy]

Pyrohemia (+Keeper of Kookus or Stuffy Doll?)

[ebbitten]

While we're discussing huge mana sinks isn't there an x-burn spell with flashback?

[Mordel]

Jinxed choker seems fun to use with this.

[on1y0ne]

While we're discussing huge mana sinks isn't there an x-burn spell with flashback?

Fanning the Flames (http://beta.gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5148), but it is a Sorcery. You could use Soothsaying (http://beta.gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=19807), and set your deck.

[puppektion]

Fanning the Flames (http://beta.gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=5148), but it is a Sorcery. You could use Soothsaying (http://beta.gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=19807), and set your deck.

Soothsaying actually sounds pretty bitchin' with Braid. Just sayin'

[TheCramp]

Soothsaying seems worse than top, even with braid out.

Seems most of the ebay sellers pulled their auctions. there were a bunch up last week, either they sold out, or pulled them to see how the dust settles.

[spirit of the wretch]

It sucks...

Oh, no one liner?

kay, let me think... it sucks balls!

Damn I'm a rhetoric mastermind.

[Tilde]

Mana burn was never the problem with Braid of Fire; if you've had Braid of Fire on the table for two or three turns and you still haven't found a way to use the mana, you're probably losing whether or not you're getting burnt.

[cRUMMYdUMMY]

Did a quick search for X cards and red flash cards. This is what I've found so far.

Burn
Flaming Gambit
Chimeric Coils (would work similarly to Gambit, without flashback)

Creatures
Bogardan Rager
Primordial Ooze
Viashino Bladescout
Defender of Chaos
Sulfur Elemental

Removal
Belbe's Armor

Other Stuff
Quicken
Vedalken Orrery
Paradox Haze

Nothing really exciting at all. Belbe's Armor seems possibly playable. The additional upkeep from Paradox Haze would add an additional ice counter as well as additional mana, but the pool would empty at the end of each upkeep so you couldn't build a gigantic pool in one upkeep. Overall, it doesn't seem Braid is easily breakable.

[Nihil Credo]

Personally, I'll be trying my hand at Rifter 2.0 and just use it to make the horribly slow cycling/trigger/Top/(Sheets?)/Starstorm stuff a bit more palatable to the current format. Braid of Fire isn't anywhere near broken, but it might be OK.

[Elfrago]

You still have to wait plenty of turns to make it worthwhile, in a format that is getting faster and faster.
Still sucks, move along.

[Tacosnape]

It's hilarious with Mycosynth Lattice and Null Rod. Impractical, but hilarious.

Also amusing with Painter's Servant and Stasis.

[voltron00x]

Also amusing with Painter's Servant and Stasis.

Hmm... how's that amusing again?

[Bourgeoise]

Hmm... how's that amusing again?

It's amusing to the rest of us because he thinks servant allows him to use braid mana to pay for stasis maybe which it absolutely cannot do.

[conboy31]

Maybe he meant Celestial Dawn? No clue what a servant will be doing.

[Skeggi]

Maybe he meant Celestial Dawn? No clue what a servant will be doing.
Yeah... Celestial Dawn, Stasis and Braid of Fire. A 3 color Stasis deck. That ought to work! :smile:

[Maveric78f]

What about these enablers together:
- braids of fire
- isochron scepter

To play those cards :
- Research//Development
- Skeletal Scrying (still need to see post 20th june dci-ruling, to see if it works with isochron scepter)

Of course the deck would include more classical cards like:
- brainstorm
- fire/ice
- FoF
- Counterspell
- Force of Will

[Skeggi]

Braid of Fire is all about having alot of mana eventually. Isochron Scepter only requires :2: regardless what spell is imprinted on it, right? So I don't really see the synergy...

So perhaps a burn deck with a couple of things like Fault Line, Volcanic Geyser and Flaming Gambit?

4 Winter Orb
4 Braid of Fire
4 Fault Line
4 Volcanic Geyser
4 Flaming Gambit
4 Fireblast (you can actually hardcast it...)
4 Chrome Mox (to power turn 1 Braid of Fire)
Bunch of random other burn cards like Bolts, Chains and PoP
About 18 mountains or so?

I doubt this is faster than a normal burn deck, but at least it dodges Counterbalance :wink:.

Just a thought... I'll build something like this on MWS tonight, for shits 'n giggles.

[SpikeyMikey]

Pardon me for being unenlightened, but where's the confirmation of the removal of mana burn for M10 rules? I don't get as deep into Magic as I used to, and while I'd heard rumors, I hadn't seen a confirmation of this rumor. So if someone could direct me to the right place...

[Skeggi]

http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13917

Click the link in that thread.

[Maveric78f]

Braid of Fire is all about having alot of mana eventually. Isochron Scepter only requires :2: regardless what spell is imprinted on it, right? So I don't really see the synergy...
I'll make it clear:
- Braids + Development is nuts
- Braids + Skeletal Scrying is nuts
- Isochron Scepter + Research//Develpoment is nuts
- Isochron Scepter + Skeletal scrying is more than nuts

Bonus: Braids helps you to activate Scepter at your upkeep.

That was my point. Probably not the best deck ever. But there is something to dig here imho.

[Skeggi]

Again, I'm not seeing why you want to run Braid of Fire here and I'm not being sarcastic. I see the synergy between Research//Development or Skeletal Scrying on a stick.

But to say Braid of Fire + Development is nuts... I doubt that... Also, Braid of Fire on Stroke of Genius might be better than Skeletal Scrying, right? But I doubt that it's nuts...

[Maveric78f]

I'm not sure Braids is nuts at all. But paying virtually U to deal 9 damages to the opponent is quite power ful. Paying vitually B + X-PVs + X cards in the yard to draw X cards is really great when 3<=X<=8 (with stroke you draw 2 cards less which really matters imo). I'm not sure you can do better with braids.

Ps: I will never build a deck like that. I'm just making public my awesome ideas, and my awesomeness by a matter or fact.

[Malchar]

To play those cards :
- Research//Development
- Skeletal Scrying (still need to see post 20th june dci-ruling, to see if it works with isochron scepter)

Was there any talk about changing the way that this would work? Am I correct that it currently doesn't work?

The other card that might help is Staff of Dominance, or perhaps Flailing Soldier.

[Maveric78f]

See the cascade + bond of agony thread :
http://mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13872

It works the same.

[GreenOne]

What about some card that works even without braids of fire?

Maybe some Whispers of the Muse, FoF, Gifts, Intuition, red flash creatures, Ashling the Pilgrim, Masticore, Staff of Domination..

[TheCramp]

I used to play a Scepter + research/development deck back in T2 (edit- extended), I was crazy fun. If it turns out you can slap scrying on the thing, I will work on the deck, just because I was the first person to point it out (that I know of.) That and it makes me giggle. Also the new 3/1 elemental tokes are sick. I will legit crash into my opponent with flaming devil horses, their hooves will burn lucky charms into their bodies, mwah ha ha...

[Tacosnape]

Meant Celestial Dawn. Less alcohol while posting = tech.

[heroicraptor]

Helix Pinnacle!!!!!! (havent' seen it mentioned before)

http://magiccards.info/eve/en/68.html
Except that takes 14 turns using just Braid, assuming Braid comes down second (or the same turn).

[Cire]

Except that takes 14 turns using just Braid, assuming Braid comes down second (or the same turn).

lol assuming you get down helix first turn, braid second turn and from then on a land every turn and use all your mana from braid and lands to pay for braid....

it would still take:

11 whole turns !

Just using Braid mana, it would still take:

16 turns ! (getting braid into play turn 2)

[Skeggi]

Well if you're already running Taiga's in Enchantress...just plop one Braid in...