Looking for support...Cummulative upkeep ?
Asked by laswear131 10 years ago
I just want to know if I'm correct if not bring me some light on this. I'm having issues with the enchantment Braid of Fire (which i know is a pretty old card but anyways) because I have a friend that keeps saying that its cummulative upkeep cost is to pay 1 mana per age counters which would make that enchantment useless (because the point of this is to add mana)...........My point of view is that cummulative upkeep costs are not always 1-2-3 (never seen 4 yet) colorless or colored mana costs per each age counters. As in this case u see that they written cummulative upkeep - add R to your mana pool....so when u see the '' - '' followed by a rule it would define the cost to pay for each age counter simple as that....... I think he's getting confused only because the cost is to ADD something and finally u have nothing to pay and he don't admit a card like this exist (back in the time it was kind of dangerous with mana burn) .......In support to what I'm thinking i guess everycards with the same type of writting as '' - cummulative upkeep cost rule'' will not be the common costs we're used to (only mana paying costs) like Glacial Chasm - Sheltering Ancient - Herald of Leshrac - Phyrexian Soulgorger - Vexing Spinx - Psychic Vortex
Epochalyptik says... Accepted answer #2
Cards only do what they say they do and what the rules say they do. Braid of Fire (always link all cards in your question) says the cumulative upkeep is to add 
to your mana pool. It says that explicitly and that's all it says. Therefore, you add an age counter to it on each of your upkeeps, then you get equal to the number of age counters on it.
Also, always check the Gatherer rulings before posting a question.
10/1/2009: Braid of Fire is a very unusual card. "Add to your mana pool" is a cost. This enchantment does nothing but add increasing amounts of mana to your mana pool during your upkeep.
March 24, 2015 4:22 a.m.
Also, paying costs, even in modern magic is not always a resource deduction. You should know of planeswalkers like Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver and that their + abilities actually add loyalty counters as a cost, hence why it is impossible to kill a newly played Ashiok with Lightning Strike.
Boza says... #1
The card does indeed add mana to your mana pool equal to the number of age counters on it. That mana must be used during your upkeep though or it will be lost. It is designed as an enchantment that helps you pay other cumulative upkeeps.
There are several other cumulative upkeeps that have weird requirements - Sheltering Ancient, Jotun Grunt, Wall of Shards, Karplusan Minotaur.
The best card with cumulative upkeep is Old Fogey by far.
March 24, 2015 4:13 a.m.