This deck is very much a passion project of mine. I love Braids and her effect, despite the fact that in EDH it can be difficult to make it symmetric. This is partially what this deck tries to leverage. There are multipliers of Braids' effect, lots of draw, lots of bounce, and general disruption in creature and artifact form. My basic tenet here is that if everyone is playing free creatures lands and artifacts but I'm playing more, so long as I have cards in hand and ways to keep the biggest threats locked down or off the table, I should be ok.
This deck is not complete, nor as finely tuned as it could be: making it abundantly clear, I will NOT be adding Eldrazi titans or Colossi in the foreseeable future. This is as much because I have ample Eldrazi in other decks as it is a budget issue. I don't really like buying double ups of extremely expensive cards, and most of them are way outside of my budget. Otherwise, I'm open to comments or suggestions.
Some thoughts for future improvement:
I need haste - Akroma's Memorial or similar?
I need probably 3-4 more land. I don't wanna go too high as I have ample ways to cheat creatures in, and I want to make sure I'm drawing value.
There's so many creatures in this list that I love. Blue always gets the coolest toys.
For another card that lets you steal your opponents stuff, have you ever tried out Vedalken Shackles? It's kind of absurd for mono blue
Blue does get the coolest toys. Half of the difficulty of making this list is whittling down the fun stuff to serious business.
I have seriously looked at the shackles before but I honestly just can't afford them. There are two cards in my collection that deserve a spot here though - Tidespout Tyrant would be obscene here, and Willbreaker can surely be abused here. I don't want to make it unfun to play but these could add a bit of firepower.
I've been waiting to add fatespinner for a while now. If I'm giving away, I'm taking too. Makes me wonder whether it's worth adding a little more of a stax element to slow the opposition.
For more haste/protection so you fatties can be swinging when you drop them.
Dismiss is great crowd control and equip/aura hate.
I like the deck, seems fun, casual yet effective without jamming in every $$$ card you can.
Would enjoy playing with and against at a commander table.
+1 for NOT adding Memnarch
For more haste/protection so you fatties can be swinging when you drop them.
Dismiss is great crowd control and equip/aura hate.
I like the deck, seems fun, casual yet effective without jamming in every $$$ card you can.
Would enjoy playing with and against at a commander table.
+1 for NOT adding Memnarch
Good suggestions all. I like Dismiss into Dream, that could be a solid add.
I like the deck, seems fun, casual yet effective without jamming in every $$$ card you can.
This is pretty much what I'm going for - Braids is clearly a fun boardstate style commander, so I thought why not embrace that? It's a reasonably effective deck that doesn't entirely shut people out, but still makes things slightly difficult.
Would enjoy playing with and against at a commander table.
That's a big compliment, thank you very much. I really enjoy this deck, and most who've played against it have fun, which is the aim. Memnarch is a vibe-killer, so doesn't really have a place here. I have enough stealy stuff to not piss too many people off, although I am hesitant about Willbreaker. Easily abused.
Dissipation Field looks like a potentially worrisome card, since Braids already gives your opponents value on ETB creatures. Definitely want to hear about how playing with it goes!
Thanks for the feedback. I'm not overly worried about flash enablers in most cases. My meta isn't particuarly overrun with Colossi or Eldrazi, and I'm starting to worm a bit of group slug in here as I accrue pieces of it - Fatespinner, Frozen Aether, Voidmage Prodigy. If I had a spare of any of the suggestions, they'd probably make it in, but unfortunately not in this case.
EDIT: Looking at the list, I'm 3 card short here. I took out Proteus Staff a little while ago, and otherwise need to fill 2 more spaces. Open to suggestions. Fairly short on land so I may even just add 3 islands.
This deck is not complete, nor as finely tuned as it could be: making it abundantly clear, I will NOT be adding Eldrazi titans or Colossi in the foreseeable future. This is as much because I have ample Eldrazi in other decks as it is a budget issue. I don't really like buying double ups of extremely expensive cards, and most of them are way outside of my budget. Otherwise, I'm open to comments or suggestions.
4 Braids, Conjurer Adept
Creatures
2 Voidmage Prodigy
2 Void Stalker
3 Treasure Mage
3 Trinket Mage
3 Dominating Licid
3 Vodalian Illusionist
3 Ertai, Wizard Adept
3 Thassa, God of the Sea
3 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
3 Fatespinner
3 Chasm Skulker
3 Cryptoplasm
4 Chronozoa
4 Somnophore
5 Stormsurge Kraken
5 Willbreaker
5 Magus of the Future
6 Roil Elemental
6 Archetype of Imagination
6 Tomorrow, Azami's Familiar
6 Arcanis the Omnipotent
6 Keiga, the Tide Star
6 Frost Titan
6 Deadeye Navigator
6 Steel Hellkite
7 Phyrexian Ingester
7 Scourge of Fleets
7 Patron of the Moon
7 Quicksilver Gargantuan
8 Stormtide Leviathan
8 Tidal Force
9 Inkwell Leviathan
10 Deep-Sea Kraken
0 Everflowing Chalice
1 Library of Leng
2 Strionic Resonator
2 Illusionist's Bracers
3 Quicksilver Fountain
3 Crystal Shard
4 Silent Arbiter
6 Caged Sun
6 Gate to the Aether
6 Omen Machine
Enchantments (8)
1 Vanishing
3 Equilibrium
3 Paradox Haze
4 Frozen Aether
4 Dissipation Field
5 Fool's Demise
5 Future Sight
6 Infinite Reflection
6 Mind Unbound
7 Take Possession
7 Mind's Dilation
Instants
3 Stroke of Genius
3 Forbid
3 Capsize
4 Rewind
4 Thwart
6 Gather Specimens
2 Curse of the Swine
3 Blue Sun's Zenith
4 Rite of Replication
Lands (32)
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Halimar Depths
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Moonring Island
1 Coral Atoll
1 Temple of the False God
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Remote Isle
1 Lonely Sandbar
27 Island
This is it in current form.
Some thoughts for future improvement:
I need haste - Akroma's Memorial or similar?
I need probably 3-4 more land. I don't wanna go too high as I have ample ways to cheat creatures in, and I want to make sure I'm drawing value.
Hope everyone enjoys the list.
Thanks!
For another card that lets you steal your opponents stuff, have you ever tried out Vedalken Shackles? It's kind of absurd for mono blue
U Azami, Lady of Scrolls - Knowledge is Power U [Primer]
R Heartless Hidetsugu - The Art of Ending Games R
GB Ishkanah, Grafwidow - The Cluster HungersBG
Blue does get the coolest toys. Half of the difficulty of making this list is whittling down the fun stuff to serious business.
I have seriously looked at the shackles before but I honestly just can't afford them. There are two cards in my collection that deserve a spot here though - Tidespout Tyrant would be obscene here, and Willbreaker can surely be abused here. I don't want to make it unfun to play but these could add a bit of firepower.
In:
Fatespinner
Whispers of the Muse
Out:
Jace's Mindseeker
Hedron Matrix
I've been waiting to add fatespinner for a while now. If I'm giving away, I'm taking too. Makes me wonder whether it's worth adding a little more of a stax element to slow the opposition.
In:
Darksteel Citadel - Trinket Mage can tutor it if needed
Frozen Aether - for the feel bads
Voidmage Prodigy
Future Sight
Illusionist's Braces - there are some pretty powerful activated abilities I should be abusing.
Dissipation Field - You land a threat, I'll bounce it.
Thwart
Willbreaker - seems a jerk move, but screw it.
Out:
Sphinx of Uthuun
Sturmgeist - Fatty doesn't do much
Aether Gale - I have plenty of bounce on permanents
Archmage Ascension - If this were a stasis lock deck I'd keep it in. Slightly too specific conditions to flick the switch too.
Strata Scythe - Fatties don't do much more for being fat.
Voidmage Husher - Might come back in
Diluvian Primordial - Often a dead draw
For more haste/protection so you fatties can be swinging when you drop them.
Dismiss is great crowd control and equip/aura hate.
I like the deck, seems fun, casual yet effective without jamming in every $$$ card you can.
Would enjoy playing with and against at a commander table.
+1 for NOT adding Memnarch
Good suggestions all. I like Dismiss into Dream, that could be a solid add.
This is pretty much what I'm going for - Braids is clearly a fun boardstate style commander, so I thought why not embrace that? It's a reasonably effective deck that doesn't entirely shut people out, but still makes things slightly difficult.
That's a big compliment, thank you very much. I really enjoy this deck, and most who've played against it have fun, which is the aim. Memnarch is a vibe-killer, so doesn't really have a place here. I have enough stealy stuff to not piss too many people off, although I am hesitant about Willbreaker. Easily abused.
...Hadn't really thought of that.
EDIT: Looking at the list, I'm 3 card short here. I took out Proteus Staff a little while ago, and otherwise need to fill 2 more spaces. Open to suggestions. Fairly short on land so I may even just add 3 islands.
In:
Riptide Laboratory
3 Island
Mind's Dilation
Out:
Lorthos, the Tidemaker
Prosperity
In:
Quicksilver Fountain
Out:
Whispers of the Muse
Slightly griefy add, but it's a better fit.
In:
Vodalian Illusionist - Finally tracked one down. No-brainer.
Dominating Licid - Oh yeah. This is going to be SUPER annoying. Just try and keep control of that Blightsteel Colosus.
Out:
Sphinx of Magosi - Weak at the top of my curve.
Tamiyo's Journal - Weak draw.