Pointed Discussion

And you are evidently ***phobic. So it will probably cut you. Watch out!

At least it gets stronger with its upkeep.

Braid of Fire for a growing pain in the neck for your opponents.

isn't it somewhat LIKE firebreathing (although a bad version of firebreathing) and it's still a 3/5 for 4 mana.

@metalevolence... and anyone else who thinks that every card that isn't terrible should have at least 4 stars.

It's rated low because it's not on par with other higher ranked cards. Why is this such a difficult concept for people to grasp? The planeswalkers are 4 to 5 star cards because their ultimates can decide games, and their other two abilities are pretty swell. vines of vastwood is 4.5 stars, because not losing a fatty to terminate is always awesome. Psychatog is 4.5 stars because it was the win condition for virtually all the decks in Odyssey constructed. Cruel ultimatum is 4 stars because it creates a 10 point life gap and potentially a seven-card advantage and if you don't lose right then, its almost impossible to recover from it.

What does this card do again? Par for the course costing? Cu.mulative upkeep-powered firebreathing? A relevant creature type? Not at all a 4 or 5 star card, and even a stretch to call it 3.5 worthy. But 3 stars is not a "bad" rating. You won't expect anyone to be winning games with it, much less defining tourney play, but it has no serious flaws.

I'd use it. Besides, if you can't pay the upkeep, it dies and if you can(since you'll definitely be running black and maybe red with this card), it'll hurt your opponent like a f**ker.

why such a low rating? it's a big creature for 4 CMC. It's not mind-blowing, but it hits like a truck, and that counts for something.

edIt: i think the rating was lower a year ago.

I'd give it a 3/5. Not too good, but no major flaws.

For the longest time I thought he was a 3/3 for some reason. As a 3/5 I see potential.

I love when Cumulative Upkeep is turned into a trade off rather than just a cost.

Sure, he costs a bit to maintain...but he's gonna swing for bit while he's around.

Braid of Fire's Card of the Day #13

My first expansion of Magic was Coldsnap, and regardless of the community consensus, it remains my favorite to this day. Many of my first games of Magic included this card, and even for myself and my younger brother, cumulative upkeep was very "grokable", even when compared to what is considered a basic keyword like First Strike. I enjoy the design space of the mechanic and now, having experienced a great wealth of the Ice Age and Alliances expansions I have to marvel on the design of cards like this, where cumulative upkeep is treated as a double-edged sword, leading to more interesting game states and only one moment where the decision needs to be made.

Though I fully understand R&D's shift away from "negative" mechanics such as this, I think Balduvian Fallen shows that it can be interesting and powerful, even in the hands of newer players. This was a welcome top-deck for a player with a month of experience under his belt, and when four mana was tapped on the opposite side of the table from me I had to pay close attention, even with my Auroch army.

This is a respectable black body (almost uncharacteristically so) that hints at black and red's connection though does not require it. In a two-color deck, the cumulative upkeep cost is essentially no different than . I really enjoyed how in the Ice Age block, friendly colors were made friendlier. It speaks back to the core of the game before Ravnica did away with the concept of "enemy colors" in many players' minds, in my opinion to the detriment of the game.

Good draft pick, solid beater, and most importantly, one of the most zombie looking zombies out there. It looks like it belongs in the Ice Age block, appears massive, and though there's a flavor disconnect about how paying for more and more mana makes him stronger only in the front, it's fun. This is a fun Magic card.

First of all; Braid of Fire
Second of all, this is quite good. The mana you are paying is Firebreathing in either color with a 3/5 body attached *at cost.*


Also, I think people are very spoiled with color-heavy mana costs. Something this color-light/splashable is very much on or above the curve. Yeah, Phyrexian Obliterator is ridiculous in black, and for one less CMC! But.. you can only play him in black or with rituals/mana fixers, can't use urza lands, can't use lands like wasteland to get him out, etc..

Colored mana is part of the powercreep, in addition to the bit of powercreep we already see.

Think of it like a two-color firebreathing that you have to pay a specific amount for (and if you don't, too much fire gets trapped it him and he dies).