Stacks/fun police is my absolute favorite archetype in cube and (real) Braids is obviously the lynchpin in the whole deck. I think I'm too biased to think clearly about this card. It's not great, right? Punisher is always a trap. You have to sacrifice at the same time as everyone else. This is really just a 3 mana 3/3 with "sac a permanent: deal 2 and draw a card", right?
This is really just a 3 mana 3/3 with "sac a permanent: deal 2 and draw a card", right?
I really hate to say it because I agree with everything else you’ve said, but I’m afraid this is going to be the case 90%+ of the time. There’s still hope that her saga with the sweet art is playable.
Stacks/fun police is my absolute favorite archetype in cube and (real) Braids is obviously the lynchpin in the whole deck. I think I'm too biased to think clearly about this card. It's not great, right? Punisher is always a trap. You have to sacrifice at the same time as everyone else. This is really just a 3 mana 3/3 with "sac a permanent: deal 2 and draw a card", right?
It’s even worse than that, because sometimes they have plenty of redundant permanents to sac.
Card seems bad to me tbh, the ceiling is decent but it doesn’t make up for the floor.
My experience is punisher style effects are almost never worth it. The only exception has been maybe Esper Sentinel which only sees occasional play.
I've found Braids to be at her best in black based aggro or black-green pod decks to tutor her against creature light decks as a pseudo Armageddon.
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I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
I don't think it's fair to compare this to traditional punisher effects like Browbeat / Blazing Salvo because 100% of their value is in the punisher effect. With this, you always at least get the 3/3.
I'm not particularly high on this card, but I do think it might has some legs to stand on since it's a 3/3 that functions as a pseudo Vraska, Golgari Queen. I might give it a test for curiosity's sake, but my expectations aren't particularly high.
It’s worth noting that this is the first black card to let you sacrifice your own demonic lore or similar effects. Also, I think it’s important to note that this is only a punisher effect of you give your opponents a choice and there are steps that can be taken to reduce the chances of that. Throwing down LotV, making an opponent sac a creature, and then drawing a card for each opponent without their own walker to sac is fairly good value.
I'm supremely disappointed in this one. But I guess I knew deep down we'd never get anything like the old Braids, either. I actually even prefer some punisher cards e.g. Browbeat over this because at least Browbeat can draw your red aggro deck into lightning bolts, so either mode is the same gameplan. This is too broad in its style of attrition. I think it's just yet another Commander card.
I don't think it's fair to compare this to traditional punisher effects like Browbeat / Blazing Salvo because 100% of their value is in the punisher effect. With this, you always at least get the 3/3.
I'm not particularly high on this card, but I do think it might has some legs to stand on since it's a 3/3 that functions as a pseudo Vraska, Golgari Queen. I might give it a test for curiosity's sake, but my expectations aren't particularly high.
I'm actively maintaining a comprehensive article to help explain to new cube players how some complex vintage level cards work in a cube environment. Vintage Cube Cards Explained
With so many token producers making both creatures and artifacts this card is going to be rough against most matchups. You aren't going to want to sac your own planeswalker in most cases and black doesnt run a ton of enchantments so land sacking is going to be the main mode. Going after lands is fine but you need a plan for your own deck which makes this more narrow again. nice with ramunap excavator i guess!
I've been waffling back and forth on the new Braids for the past few days, and I've finally decided I'm going to give her a go. The primary deciding factor being that there aren't many Black 3-drops to write home about, and Meta Braids is more interesting than most of her competition. That said, there are so many ways I wish this card was different (like why doesn't it just say sacrifice a permanent? futureproofing?) Giving your opponent a choice is so, so bad. But at least it works both ways. You can--and almost certainly will at some point--play Braids as a vanilla 3/3. Weak it may be, but you do get to choose to toggle her Stax effect on and off. Most importantly, you get to choose which permanent type the punisher effect gets applied to. You don't want your opponent saccing off their excess permanents; you need to force them to take the life loss. The ideal situation, of course, is going against an opponent who has no creatures they can afford to sacrifice. But the next best thing is going against someone who can't afford to sacrifice their lands, and this is where Braids earns her keep. If you put her in a deck that can afford to give up its own lands (i.e. aggro), you now have two axes from which to stax your opponent. Most decks are not going to have an excess of both lands and creatures (and if they do, again, vanilla 3/3), so now Braids is turning your creatures or lands into Electrolyzes aimed at the opponent's face. That, to me, sounds like a pretty sweet aggro card, and I think that's what Braids, Arisen Nightmare will ultimately be.
My initial reaction to this card was that it’s bad because of the punisher mechanic. But after playing it online it feels better than expected due to the “card type” part of the effect. Curious if others have tried it out.
It's been pretty good for us. It's barely a punisher effect since the decks playing this are using the sacrifice trigger to the fullest anyway, throwing away Bloodghasts and the like for card advantage and free damage. It's also slapped to a 3/3 anyway so you're not overpaying for the effect alone.
I once farted during the final match for prizes at an FNM. It was a tense moment, everything was quiet, control vs control, I was about to mana leak, thought about it.. and farted. Then mana leaked.
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Stacks/fun police is my absolute favorite archetype in cube and (real) Braids is obviously the lynchpin in the whole deck. I think I'm too biased to think clearly about this card. It's not great, right? Punisher is always a trap. You have to sacrifice at the same time as everyone else. This is really just a 3 mana 3/3 with "sac a permanent: deal 2 and draw a card", right?
I really hate to say it because I agree with everything else you’ve said, but I’m afraid this is going to be the case 90%+ of the time. There’s still hope that her saga with the sweet art is playable.
Un-Spiracy Module - http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/63204
Utility Land Module - http://www.cubetutor.com/viewcube/53258
It’s even worse than that, because sometimes they have plenty of redundant permanents to sac.
Card seems bad to me tbh, the ceiling is decent but it doesn’t make up for the floor.
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I've found Braids to be at her best in black based aggro or black-green pod decks to tutor her against creature light decks as a pseudo Armageddon.
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i
I'm not particularly high on this card, but I do think it might has some legs to stand on since it's a 3/3 that functions as a pseudo Vraska, Golgari Queen. I might give it a test for curiosity's sake, but my expectations aren't particularly high.
My High Octane Unpowered Cube on CubeCobra
It’s worth noting that this is the first black card to let you sacrifice your own demonic lore or similar effects. Also, I think it’s important to note that this is only a punisher effect of you give your opponents a choice and there are steps that can be taken to reduce the chances of that. Throwing down LotV, making an opponent sac a creature, and then drawing a card for each opponent without their own walker to sac is fairly good value.edit: missed what forum this was. Whoops.
I don't really think I have room for another Braids even if it was printed. I've found Rankle, Master of Pranks and Yawgmoth, Thran Physician to play the braids role fairly well.
Vintage Cube Cards Explained
Here are some other articles I've written about fine tuning your cube:
1. Minimum Archetype Support
2. Improving Green Archetypes
3. Improving White Archetypes
4. Matchup Analysis
5. Cube Combos (Work in Progress)
Draft my Cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/overview/d8i
Cube Tutor: Here
Utility Lands: Here
If that's what you're looking for I think you just want Smothering Abomination.
375 unpowered cube - https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/601ac624832cdf1039947588
540 Version: https://cubecobra.com/cube/list/zza