Mono Black Braids Unban
Commander (EDH) forum
Posted on Sept. 18, 2021, 4:32 a.m. by gemmillion
Do you think that Braids, Cabal Minion still deserves to be banned? I think that while it isn't the most fun to face, in my experience there are much worse legal commanders now days.
TypicalTimmy says... #3
What a Braids player can do is run a deck of 98 Swamp, Sol Ring and Mana Crypt. Add in Ancient Tomb and maybe some other mana rocks. Your upkeep is sacrificing a rock or a land, and your goal is to chip away with Commander damage over many, many slow turns.
As a 2/2, she takes 11 swings to fell an opponent to Commander damage. Or 33 exhaustive turns to win the game. Because once you have her in play, with a deck like this, you are guaranteed a land every draw to sacrifice next turn. She never leaves play. Meanwhile, your opponents never see a land last more than one rotation of the table.
She's horribly toxic in that regards. Perhaps the most toxic Commander out there.
September 18, 2021 5:32 a.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #4
You are actually guaranteed a T2 drop every game.
- 98x Swamp
- 1x Sol Ring
Mulligan until you draw Ring as your ONLY CARD in hand. Then draw a swamp for turn. Second turn, swamp off topdeck. Braids. Every. Single. Game.
September 18, 2021 5:35 a.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #5
Competitive Braids;
- 96 Swamp
- Sol Ring
- Mana Crypt
- Dark Ritual
Mulligan to get Crypt and Ritual in hand for a Turn 1 drop. If you can't get those, Mulligan for Ring and land her Turn 2. She either ETB Turn 1 or 2 every single game without exception.
September 18, 2021 5:44 a.m.
seshiro_of_the_orochi says... #6
TypicalTimmy: While it's true that this is a pretty horrible scenario, you are far from guaranteed to draw any of your three mana rocks even when you use all your available mulligans. And what's then? A swamp a turn as a topdeck and a turn 4 Braids...this isn't exactly terrifying.
September 18, 2021 7:17 a.m.
Don't forget, you can also run Vampiric Tutor (for fast mana), Mana Vault, and Jeweled Lotus for more turn 1/2 Braids. It's not the best, but it's the worst when it happens. If you wanted to get really competitive, then you can also run Blood Pet, Lotus Petal, Cabal Ritual, Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, Vault of Whispers, and Chrome Mox. Even Priest of Gix for helping kill everyone faster. The consistency is high enough to get this commander Rule 0'd at most tables if it got unbanned.
September 18, 2021 9:53 a.m. Edited.
DrukenReaps says... #8
I'm trying to decide if I would rather face Braids or Tergrid, God of Fright Flip. I haven't faced a Tergrid deck but I have gone against Braids a long time ago. It was annoying but the tuck rule existed then so not that terrible.
In today's Commander you can't really get rid of either of them. An early Braids can definitely end a game and there is a scenario where Tergrid comes down and does nothing. I think I'd rather face off against Braids though.
The Braids deck has to keep up with her trigger too and while y'all can joke about Braids and 99 lands there are still answers to that deck. At some point you get your sol ring and your land into 2 or even 3 other plays depending on the number of 1 and 2 drops in the deck and that all lands Braids deck is going down.
When things are going well for Tergrid I don't know if I have any hope of ever keeping up. One Fleshbag Marauder and Tergrid is up 3 creatures in an optimal scenario. The potential value off of effects that are... ok, is ridiculous.
So I wouldn't like sitting across from Braids but I would be thinking at least it isn't Tergrid. Or crossing my fingers they aren't using Tergrid. Lets be real though, they would be lmao.
September 18, 2021 11:59 a.m.
griffstick says... #9
I think with a proper stax build it would be strong and only cedh playable
September 18, 2021 3:27 p.m.
golgarigirl says... #10
Tergrid needs support to initially start working...on her own she's just a beatstick. Yes, she's worse once you get a trigger or two going, but she's not the problem in and of herself. At least, once the ball is rolling, I'll be dead quickly XD
TypicalTimmy says... #2
I would say yes, only because of her mana value. She can land so very early in the game that you can effectively bar any opponent from ever playing the game.
Imagine this;
She's now out on your second turn. Meaning your opponent's second turn begins with sacrificing likely their only permanent... a land. Their only land.
The moment they miss a land drop, they have zero permanents and now never will for the rest of the game. Their entire game is now,
She either needs an MV of 7+ so that board are more filled out by the time she ETB, or to not hit lands.
September 18, 2021 5:23 a.m. Edited.