Planar Chaos spoiler: Braids

[OfficeShredder]

From mtg salvation

Braids, Conjurer Adept
   2uu
Legendary Creature - Human Wizard   R

At the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player may put an artifact, creature, enchantment, or land card from his or her hand into play.
2/2

I think anyone would be hard pressed to deny the ability is powerful... can it be useful though?  The first thing that comes to mind is just powering out a darksteel colossus and laughing at wipe away.... this also makes stuff (both ways) uncounterable, which could be good or bad.  Most decks aren't positioned to abuse this (long, gifts, even CS already has a way to rip out mindslaver cheaply), so it's even stronger considering the metagame.  On the other hand, it costs four, can't be cast EOT, and is a creature, so it's easy to kill.  What does everyone think?

[chrissss]

I think the main problem is, that your opponent gets his card first. So he can put a DC, bargain, mindslaver, etc in play first.

there is some power in this card, but it can be very dangerous.

[Limbo]

As it is a triggered ability, maybe comboing it with some stifle-like cards might work?

Although it still is a weak gameplan I think. They should have given this morph

[OfficeShredder]

The thing is, if people have DSC or sundering titan in their hand, nine times out of ten they will actively seek to shuffle it back into their deck.  And if they have a bargain in their hand, it's probably late enough in the game that you're feeling relatively comfortable in your ability to stop their combo.

Like I said in my first post, a lot of decks are inherently built to be anti-symmetrical with respect to this... they'll have two, maybe three cards that can really take advantage of the effect.  If you have a deck with ten or twelve cards, you can run braids with show and tells and tinker and really go all the way (show and tell just because you don't want a dead hand without braids)

[zeus-online]

It's simply not good enough at that mana cost, i'd probably play Show and tell over this.

/Zeus

[GrandpaBelcher]

Braids 2.0 will see play in Vintage thanks to one witnessed statement by one JR Goldman:

Braids in blue will get played by me at a vintage tourny at least once, no matter what it does. You can quote me on this.

He's probably lucky; it could be a lot worse.

Still, I'm not sure if Braids4DSC.dec will ever see serious play.  Your opponent gets to play first, which means your free plays have to beat or neutralize theirs.  You're right that most decks don't have a lot of ways to take advantage of this, but I feel like the deck that could take advantage of this would have to be built lacking in other areas.  You'd also have to start with a blue-control base of Forces, Drains, Brainstorms, and probably Misdirections.  Is the rest just high-cost game winners to put into play?

Now that I think about it, it does sound like fun...

[Twaun007]

Braids 2.0 will see play in Vintage thanks to one witnessed statement by one JR Goldman:

Braids in blue will get played by me at a vintage tourny at least once, no matter what it does. You can quote me on this.

I would be careful, JR and Team Reflection have been working on a Braids 2K7 deck and I hear it is the stone cold nutzors.........

[andrewpate]

They should have given this morph

How would a Morph Legend work, flavor-wise?  The red Akroma is a bit of an exception for storyline reasons.

As for the power-level, I think it's enough worse than Show and Tell that it's probably not worth the trouble.  Tinker is far more reliable, and turn 2 Darksteel Colossus is hardly game over.  This will almost never get it even that fast without Black Lotus.  Not to mention the "Sneak Attack problem," as Oscar Tan would say, of needing to run cards that are junk without Braids and Braids being junk without those cards.

[Malhavoc]

4 Blue Braids, 4 Show and Tell, 4 Tidespout Tyrant.. maybe even 4 Oath! Nothing decent, sure, but if you really promised to run Braids.. 

[Yawgmoths_Dummy]

Braids in blue will get played by me at a vintage tourny at least once, no matter what it does. You can quote me on this.

JR Goldman, you have been put on official notice.

I predict Meandeck Bomber-Braids 2K7 will be tearing up the next SCG power tournie. You just watch and see! 

[rgbeatskeeper]

Braids, Conjurer Adept,Frozen Æther( Kismet), Palinchron,Stasis... thats the only way I see Braids working, maybe throw in Akroma, or resets. Just thought it would be ok if your opponents put in their own Akroma or DSC as long as it comes into play tapped and they can't untap them, and you being able, to play Palinchron off Braids and giving yourself 7 more turns with the staiss lock was an ok idea, not saying its going to work but it looks like its worth trying.

[OfficeShredder]

That's probably a lot weaker than just throwing down fat every turn with braids.... you might as well just use chronatog and win the game

[silvernail]

Sounds semi viable in legacy maybe, but in vintage stasis.dec is a joke most of the time.

[wethepeople]

I'd rather just hardcast than use this and take the chance of giving my opponent a DSC, Bargain, Akroma, etc.