Hey everyone, I've had a 760 card cube I've been working on for a couple years now and although Braids has been in it from the beginning I can't ever recall it being used effectively. This card is extremely popular among cuber's as it's in almost every list. So, how do you use it properly? What build does it go in?
- When you have a recurring threat (e.g. Squee, Reassembling Skeleton, Crucible of Worlds, Life of the Loam)
- When you have token producers (Bitterblossom, Awakening Zone, Myr Battlesphere)
- When you are ahead in board position (win more I know, but even a marginal advantage seals the deal)
- When your opponent has nothing but lands; playing it as a repeatable stone rain will act as a lock.
Braids is a terrific aggro card and has roles in midrange decks with recursive engines and token producers too. Similarly to Smokestack or Tangle Wire, it's not truly symmetrical, and you can easily overcome the sacrifice trigger with some clever deckbuilding. There are occasions where it is not going to work out well - for example when opponents are heavily invested in tokens - but it is more common to profit from it because you can prepare and build for the effect. Plus a lot of what black is exceptionally good at - cheap tokens like Bitterblossom and Ophiomancer, efficient early creatures and resource/hand disruption - play naturally well with Braids and help keep the 'lock' on.
As an aside, one of my favourite Braids interactions is putting a Herald of Torment on her, which turns her into a huge attacking force... and when I sacrifice her, I get a free Herald of Torment!
In my small cube, she's often paired with Squee, Ophiomancer or even put in the recurring nightmare deck as a way to start getting dudes in the yard. Definitely one of my favorite cards to play, and is generally a snap grab for me. Even if I'm not really drafting her deck, it's one of the few cards I will hate draft right out of there.
The idea is to force her into a less/not symmetrical role. Token producers are awesome with her, she also slides well into a deck with reanimating effects and graveyard retrieval (Eternal Witness).
I have found spot removal to be perhaps more important than token generation/recursion effects in getting the most out of Braids in the early/mid game. I usually find that I am playing Braids into board parity or where my opponent has a slight advantage (turns 3-5). This hampers offence (which I think, as indicated by eidolon's post, is the best positioning for the card). My approach when drafting a Braids/Smokestack deck is to value spot removal more highly than I normally would. The key to wining with Braids is to be attacking with her, and that means keeping the lanes clear with removal. We see a card that suggests breaking symmetry to create CA but really Braids wins as, or more, often by leveraging tempo advantages.
Actually that's what I am seeing as the tempo advantage she creates; because the opponent sacrifices first you're gaining tempo, and leveraging that advantage (with additional threats and spot removal) is what seals those games. You usually only need be one permanent ahead to be winning.
Thread title updated.
—Lanxal
- When you have a recurring threat (e.g. Squee, Reassembling Skeleton, Crucible of Worlds, Life of the Loam)
- When you have token producers (Bitterblossom, Awakening Zone, Myr Battlesphere)
- When you are ahead in board position (win more I know, but even a marginal advantage seals the deal)
- When your opponent has nothing but lands; playing it as a repeatable stone rain will act as a lock.
But more importantly, just play it on T4 at the end of the curve and have it seal the win for you.
Braids is absolutely ridiculous, and is easily one of the 10 best black cards in the cube.
My 630 Card Powered Cube
My Article - "Cube Design Philosophy"
My Article - "Mana Short: A study in limited resource management."
My 49th Set (P)review - Discusses my top 20 Cube cards from MKM!
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
As an aside, one of my favourite Braids interactions is putting a Herald of Torment on her, which turns her into a huge attacking force... and when I sacrifice her, I get a free Herald of Torment!
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
The idea is to force her into a less/not symmetrical role. Token producers are awesome with her, she also slides well into a deck with reanimating effects and graveyard retrieval (Eternal Witness).
Tappedout
Cubetutor
Yep, I guess I shouldn't use that term in this context.
But yeah, Braids widens the gap if you are ahead in board state even by a bit.
Etali, Primal Storm EDH
Etali, Primal Storm EDH
450 card Peasant cube thread. Draft it here.