FAT FIRST
Play Braids. Try to ensure that he comes right before you turn starts using Winding Canyons, Leyline of Anticipation, Vedalken Orrery or Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir and gets Braids benefits first. A more classical way is to enchant it with
Vanishing
to phases Braids out right before your oponnents upkeep.
NOT SO FAST
To delay your opponents mechanics we have cards like Frozen AEther, Winter Orb and
Illusory Gains
wich in this case gives you an alternative defense since his creatures will be kept in my field side until one of my oponnents cast any creature (including shroud and hexproff ones).
COUNTER THEIR GAME
Psychic Battle could be a trick one since it affect my cards as well, but you may notice that this deck doesnt have too many cards that target something. And we bet to have cards with most cost, even so lets not foget to use with Thassa, God of the Sea, Sensei's Divining Top, Jace, the Mind Sculptor and
Ancestral Knowledge
.
DRAW HEAVY
To run properly it must have a a high draw rate that will be with Mystic Remora, Rhystic Study, Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Arcanis the Omnipotent, Consecrated Sphinx, Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur and Kozilek, Butcher of Truth(once you cast it). Most of them are very heavy cards and even if we couldnt play them with braids we are trying to ramp well.
MANA RAMP
As you may see, in commander format your main card is your general and it's game mechanics focus on him. Once your oponnents will try to remove Braids and will eventually suceed, Iam using Gauntlet of Power, Caged Sun, staples artifacts like Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, Thran Dynamo and Gilded Lotus that also can be copied with Clever Impersonator or Phyrexian Metamorph, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and Palinchron that can give you infinite mana. Acquire and Memnarch are another great way to gather more mana stealing artifacts from your oponnents.
ARTIFACT DYNAMICS
Nearly almost 1/3 of the nolands cards are artifacts, Muzzio, Visionary Architect fits well and may give you big advantage. You can use Transmute Artifact to tutoring almost any artifact from your deck and put it directly in play. Tolaria West transmute ability can bring you a Mana Crypt, Pact of Negation or any utility land such as Academy Ruins,Winding Canyons, Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx or Riptide Laboratory.
STEAL-COPY
Try not to allow your opponents getting too happy on braids gifts, take them back! Treachery, Corrupted Conscience, Gilded Drake, Expropriate, Memnarch. Watch for the good drops in the field and copy them Vesuvan Doppelganger,Clever Impersonator, Phyrexian Metamorph and if they are legend ones use Sakashima the Impostor.
TOKEN GENERATOR
Built your defense with your creatures and your opponent's too: Faerie Artisans, also a good sacrifice prevention and source of enter effect benefits. (Notice that you can use tokens with Proteus Staff).
Use Minion Reflector poor cousin of Flameshadow Conjuring with a plus effect: you sacrifice the token, so you can get tokens from Wurmcoil Engine death's effect and shuffle your graveyard on your deck, abusing from the "legend rule" if you copy Kozilek, Butcher of Truth or Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre preventing you loose by mill. Yet is a excelent way to give a haste dynamics, mana combo Palinchron, an unfair trade Gilded Drake and other interesting interations.
Mimic Vat is a little more interesting since you can use it with a any creature that dies and keep creating that token until you access a more desirable one. Gilded Drake here is even better. With for exemple Venser, Shaper Savant provides a one time per round counter.
STAY AHEAD
To stay in advantage Paradox Haze is essential to double your creature dropping rate, and gain a few turns with Savor the Moment or Time Warp.Cyclonic Rift, Curse of the Swine and Wash Out should resolve most of your problems. have fun!
