It has been 16 Years. Sixteen years i have waited for this moment.
Braids, Cabal Minion is unbanned. (Effective date: April 22, 2025.)
Maybe WOTC have predicted this day with this card: Braids's Frightful Return. :-)
So let us dive into it.
This deck plays a game of Attrition in order to win either by completely locking down your opponents or combo off, however this can be quite a balancing act - especially the very first few turns.
You want to pressure your opponent ASAP, but make shure you have enough to sacrifice to keep the pressure up.
You won't like all sacrifices you have to make, but so do your opponents.
In order to make the right decisions, it is crucial to know the cards' synergies and the tutor targets.
I will deliver a table with the synergies and explain my card choices eventually. Apart from Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Liliana of the Veil and 6 cards from the latest addition - which i will acquire soon - I own this deck in paper and will upload a few images of signed cards.
Stay tuned!
24.04. : I'm done listing all cards with some explanations. Mindslicer goes into the Deck.
27.04. : I have found another two cards similar to Ophiomancer, which is one of the best supports in this deck:
Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia and Lord Skitter, Sewer King. Awesome!
Currently testing Noble's Purse, Prized Statue, Gods' Eye, Gate to the Reikai and Dunes of the Dead. They are not yet included in descriptions. I am also writing a summary of the wincons and most powerful interactions and spells.
Added a maybeboard.
28.04. : I am convinced that the tested cards are pretty optimal. The cards that went out - Cabal Coffers, Butcher Ghoul,
Withering Boon, and Ill-Gotten Gains are either too slow or too niche. I added the cards in descriptions and will continue with combos and synergies soon.
29.04. : Jesus! How could i not think earlier of City of Traitors and Dreadhorde Invasion ? Perfect for this deck.
I know that i have a WCD City somewhere, i just have to find it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CARD EXPLANATIONS:
Creature
Bloodghast - Recurring fodder. It is part of the fastest win con, if you use Buried Alive + Victimize to
assemble it.
Chainer, Dementia Master - Reanimate Anything at Instant-speed - ETBs are your friend.
Crypt Ghast - Insane Mana if you can keep it around. Extort can be a mana dump.
Geralf's Messenger - Fodder, combos with Yawgmoth, Thran Physician to draw a bunch of cards and to win,
if you have more life than opponent(s).
Gray Merchant of Alphabet :-) - Can safe you in a pinch, possible Wincon, if you keep recurring it and have some devotion.
Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia - Provides Fodder each of your turns.
Liliana, Heretical Healer
- Wincon and Utility depending on situation. Can -X on a - cost creature every turn.
Lord Skitter, Sewer King - Provides Fodder each of your turns.
Memnite - Fodder.
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed - It is part of the fastest win con with Triskelion, draws a bunch of cards with
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician + any non human Creature.
Chunky body can be used to close the game if you dont have the other pieces.
Can be easily assembled With Buried Alive + Victimize.
Mindslicer - Disgusting. Handle with care.
Ophiomancer - Provides Fodder each upkeep.
Ornithopter - Fodder.
Phyrexian Walker - Guessed correctly - fodder. Love the Art.
Priest of Gix - Fodder. Has some ways to net mana with Liliana, Heretical Healer
's -X or Soldevi Adnate.
Sheoldred, Whispering One - Wincon. Sticking this and Braids, Cabal MinionGC on the board is what i want to see.
Sheoldred, the Apocalypse - Wincon. Finish with this if you have locked your opponents down.
Shield Sphere - Another fodder piece.
Soldevi Adnate - Underrated Card. Fantastic Ramp. Sac Outlet.
Solemn Simulacrum - Fodder. Good recursion piece.
Triskelion - It is part of the fastest win con with Mikaeus, the Unhallowed. Gets rid of Birds.
Xiahou Dun, the One-Eyed - Utility.
Yawgmoth, Thran Physician - Draw engine. Combos with undiing Creatures. Sac Outlet. Proliferate can be used on both Liliana Planeswalkers,
Peat Bog, Smokestack and Tangle Wire.
Enchantment
Animate Dead - Reanimate.
Bitterblossom - Provides fodder in each of your upkeeps.
Contamination - Hose any player that doesn't play black.
Dreadhorde Invasion - Provides fodder in each of your upkeeps.
Infernal Darkness - Same as Contamination.
NecropotenceGC - Draw engine. Putting 20-ish cards in your hand should find you what you need. Life points aren't relevant until they are.
Phyrexian Arena - Draw engine.
Planeswalker
Liliana of the Veil - Wincon. Removal.
Lands
Ancient TombGC - Lets you play Braids, Cabal MinionGC one turn earlier.
Bloodstained Mire - Gives additional Bloodghast trigger, shuffles Scroll Rack and Sensei's Divining Top,
fetches a Swamp every turn with Crucible of Worlds
Castle Locthwain - Draw engine.
Cavern of Souls - Human is the best choice for Creature type. You can choose a new Creature type on Cavern of Souls,
if you recur it with Crucible of Worlds.
City of Traitors - It ramps then it sacrifices to Braids, before you can play another Land anyway.
Dunes of the Dead - A two for one on a land? Let's go! The : Add is acceptable.
Makes Zombies with Crucible of Worlds, which contribute to Graveborn Muse and can be fed to
another source like Smokestack or Contamination.
Sequence the resolution of the triggers in that order.
Gods' Eye, Gate to the Reikai - Same as Dunes of the Dead. Except it makes Spirits, which can be Skullclamp -ed or fed to
another source.
Lake of the Dead - A pure gem, insane ramp. Use Crucible of Worlds to recover in the long run. Can be difficult to manage.
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Similar to Cabal Coffers, but has potential to explode faster.
Peat Bog - lets you play Braids, Cabal MinionGC one turn earlier.
Phyrexian Tower - lets you play Braids, Cabal MinionGC one turn earlier. (Granted you have some fodder.)
Polluted Delta - Same as Bloodstained Mire.
Strip Mine - If Braids, Cabal MinionGC just isn't enough - both together can be the nail in the coffin early.
Swamp - This is what you want to top-deck. Four of these bad boys let you cast Braids, Cabal MinionGC.
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth - Hell yea! Even more Swamps. Crypt Ghast is its best friend.
Fixes colorless producing Lands and makes Sheoldred, Whispering One unblockable.
Volrath's Stronghold - Fantastic Land. An endless supply of Creatures - given they keep diing.
War Room - Draw engine. Slightly worse than the Castle Locthwain in most situations, since it produces colorless Mana.
Wasteland - Same as Strip Mine.
Sorcery
Buried Alive - It is part of the fastest win con. Excellent tutor. Your targets most of the time are:
Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, Triskelion and Bloodghast. This provides a Creature to
sacrifice repeatedly and sets up the combo. Now you need either Victimize or Living Death to
close out the game. Pick Sheoldred, Whispering One instead of Ghast, if you have a single target reanimate.
She brings back the other two in two turns.
Damnation - Your bread and butter wrath.
Demonic TutorGC - The OG. Main targets for any Tutor are either to support Braids
(e.g. Crucible of Worlds, Ophiomancer, Bitterblossom,
Sheoldred, Whispering One)
or Buried Alive + Victimize to set up Mikaeus, the Unhallowed + Triskelion.
Otherwise, this deck provides tools to deal with almost any threat.
Diabolic Intent - With plentyful fodder, almost as good as Demonic.
Duress - Proactively protect your gameplan. See what's coming and get rid of removal.
Imperial SealGC - Another Tutor.
Living Death - It can replace Victimize as part of the fastest win con. Otherwise, it is just another Wrath.
Sac your Board into Phyrexian Altar before casting.
Reanimate - Passing turn 1 without Land to discard a Creature then reanimate turn 2 can be a viable option, if you are on the draw.
Thoughtseize - Better Duress.
Toxic Deluge - Mana-efficient, versatile Wrath. Life points aren't relevant until they are.
Unmask - Proactively protect your gameplan. See what's coming and get rid of removal.
Victimize - It is part of the fastest win con. See Buried Alive.
Yawgmoth's Will - Yawgmoth's Win. Rituals, Tutors, whatever - do it all again.
Artifact
Arcane Signet - Lets you play Braids, Cabal MinionGC one turn earlier.
If you have to, you want to sacrifice this, not a Land - unless you have a Crucible of Worlds.
Chrome MoxGC - Lets you play Braids, Cabal MinionGC one turn earlier.
Crucible of Worlds - I am amazed, how much this Artifact does for the deck. Fetch any Land with Entomb. Endless supply for Braids.
Strip Mine and Wasteland are extra spicy with it.
Jet Medallion - Very good ramp piece. Lets you play Braids, Cabal MinionGC one turn earlier.
Lotus Petal - Lets you play Braids, Cabal MinionGC one turn earlier. Can be used as Fodder.
Mana VaultGC - This in opening hand with two Swamps lets you cast Braids, Cabal MinionGC on turn 2 AND it can be sacrificed
the next Upkeep for her. Very good.
Noble's Purse - Ramp. Fodder. Specifically suited for this deck.
Phyrexian Altar - Sac outlet. Ramp. Love the Art. Sacrifice your whole board to pay for Living Death.
Prized Statue - Ramp -> Fodder -> Ramp OR Fodder. I love the sequencing.
Scroll Rack - Lets you dig. Top of library can be manipulated by shuffling after Tutor effects.
Fetchland + Crucible of Worlds lets you shuffle at will.
Sensei's Divining Top - Similar to Scroll Rack.
Skullclamp - Draw engine. Needs no introduction. Your creatures will die a lot.
Smokestack - Sh*t hits the fan. Gorgeous Artwork.
Sol Ring - This in opening hand with two Swamps lets you cast Braids, Cabal MinionGC on turn 2.
Strionic Resonator - Double down on Braids, Cabal MinionGC, Sheoldred, Whispering One or Smokestack.
There are plenty other interactions - For example, draw another two cards off of Skullclamp
or net another from Priest of Gix.
Tangle Wire - Sometimes feels like an extra turn. Gives you time to develop. Sacrifice to Braids the turn the last fading Counter
would be removed. You want to drop this on opponents with 4 or less lands and not much else to tap.
Instant
Culling the Weak - Mana.
Dark Ritual - This in opening hand with two Swamps lets you cast Braids, Cabal MinionGC on turn 2.
Entomb - Default target is Bloodghast. Otherwise get anything you can bring back from the Graveyard.
Vampiric TutorGC - Probably the second best Tutor in the Game. Dodges Mindslicer.
Commander
Braids, Cabal MinionGC - The ideal development is to keep her around as early as possible until your opponents have sacrificed all of their lands,
dorks and rocks before managing to stabilize. Remember, you can always sacrifice herself to re-cast later, if you can not
keep up the pressure. However, you now know all the support to avoid that.
Putting her in the graveyard instead of the command-zone is a viable option for recursion or reanimation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
POWERFULL CARDS, COMBOS AND SYNERGIES:
Buried Alive + Victimize - This is the crucial part of most god-hands. If you are this lucky, don't even bother with Braids.
You fetch Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, Triskelion and Bloodghast.
