there are good things to do with that kinda mana. i.e fire breathing , I.e. 2 Bane fire Ie.3 magmatic core!
Jason_c_o
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(11 votes)
This card will get ridiculously powerful with M2010's elimination of Mana Burn...
Vinifera7
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(6 votes)
Without mana burn as of M2010's rule changes, this card becomes MUCH more powerful. There's virtually no incentive NOT to get the mana dumped on you each upkeep. The card text might as well be rewritten to "At the beginning of your upkeep, add {R} to your mana pool" because there is no longer any negative effect caused by this card.
If this card adds mana during your upkeep, under new rules you can no longer float it to your draw step and you could never get it to the main phase so its uses are actually quite limited... Since Banefire and Fireball are sorceries, you don't get to use the mana on them...
Pantheon
★★★☆☆ (3.3/5.0)(3 votes)
Add Upwelling to any deck with this in it to carry the mana faucet past phase and turn barriers.
bhunji42
★★★☆☆ (3.2/5.0)(5 votes)
It seems odd to me that this enchantment has no ability other than the cumulative upkeep...
I realise its good and used to have the manaburn drawback, but it seems like it should do something else to me... like psychic vortex...
If you some how remove the upkeep this card does nothing...
My friends and I were just wondering so we could be 100% clear. This card does as we think: every upkeep you add an age counter to the enchantment, then you add as many mana to your mana pol as there are age counters on the card. So if this has 4 age counters, then at the begining of the upkeep, you add 4 mountain mana to your mana pool. Is this correct? or are we mistaken.
Narmical
★★☆☆☆ (2.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@thatoneguyiknow
That is how we have been playing it. I would also like to know if thats the correct way.
Laguz
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(11 votes)
Good job breaking this card with your frivolous and needless changes, WotC. Might as well go ahead and ban it now to add 'counter-productive' to the list of arguments against your change for the sake of change. Excellent work as usual. I wonder what the next victim of your fix-what-isn't-broken-and-break-stuff-in-the-process policy will be?
Dilleux_Lepaire
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(4 votes)
It is the right way to play it. I made a deck using "Staff of domination", firebreath creatures, Tower of Eons, Pyromatics, and Bogardian Hellkite. Can be quite good when you draw two in your starting hand.
Vadoff
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(4 votes)
THE ONLY THING YOU CAN CAST WITH THE MANA ARE: INSTANTS ABILITIES
You can't cast creature spells nor sorceries with the mana as it empties afer EACH STEP, including your upkeep! This card is at best 2.5 stars.
TasPap
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(3 votes)
Pyrohemia would be a good bet with this card. Just keep paying the upkeep cost till you get it high enough then use the mana for pyrohemia and sacrifice it.
when worldwake comes out, comet storm and this will become best buds.
MarvinTheThird
★★★★☆ (4.1/5.0)(6 votes)
Well, since it'll drain from your mana pool after your upkeep, you'd have to use Upwelling to float it to other steps, but if that's not in play, you can still use it for plenty of stuff during your upkeep. Remember kids, you can use instants at any time, and a Comet Storm during your upkeep can still be about as devastating as a Comet Storm played any other time.
TheSuperbloop
★★★☆☆ (3.7/5.0)(11 votes)
With the new rules, this card just became broken. :O
SleetFox
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
In any other color this card would be unbelievable. It's still absolutely fantastic, but red often won't see the game go long enough to have this get insane. That's not to say that you can't make a somewhat slower red deck, but for the really fast ones you'd most likely be better off with Desperate Ritual or Seething Song.
Now that Worldwake is out and Rise of the Eldrazi is coming, Comet Storm and the Eldrazi are now awesome with this card. Since it's supposed to have a lot of slowing cards, this should be able to really shine.
Rode
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Before the rules change this thing was monsterous...
1st turn: Land, Rite of Flame for Braid of Fire 2nd turn: Land, Rite of Flame for Hearthfire Hobgoblin with Reckless Charge and Firebeathing... Swing 10 3rd turn: Land, pump Firebreathing, Swing 14, listen to opponent whine...
Sure that's an entire hand, but 10 on turn 2!!!
Cardcypher42
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
...no more mana burn... now that's just mean! I really want some of these now.
A cu.mulative upkeep that gives you mana... apparently you can use thos excess mana to play instant, play activated abilities or creatures with flash... The best permanent that has a cumulative upkeep ever..
Getting rid or mana burn turned this card into overpowered into godly.
Kindulas
★★☆☆☆ (2.7/5.0)(3 votes)
mind = blown
AmericanVigor
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Broken without mana burn.
RakshaGoldenCub
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Excellent combo with Grinning Ignus and Storm Entity. I wonder what would happen if you add something that gives Trampleto the mix...
justicarphaeton
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
There's almost no drawback to this with no manaburn, save that you can only spend mana on upkeep. But Omnath rounds out the curve pretty nicely.
novasun
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(2 votes)
Broken!!!
keeds4
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Obviously, with mana burn eliminated from the rules in 2010, the upkeep is now an immense advantage. This is another example of how current rule changes or card released can suddenly elevate cards released in the past. Remember when Lion's Eye Diamond was lame because of its costly drawback? Then, Yawgmoth's Will came along and the diamond became THE artifact to have.
Actually, I thought that mana burn was a good rule -- it added that sense of constraint and challenge to the game. Now, people can just tap out and absent-mindedly let mana drain from their pools without any consequence. I dunno -- cards like Drain Power were fun with mana burn as a rule.
justicarphaeton: Omnath only stores your green mana, not your red.
Why does everyone keep listing sorcery-speed cards as combos? Damnit people.
Superllama12
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Really cool concept pre-2010: Over time, you get lots of mana, but the more you get, the more damage it can potentially do to you from obscene amounts of mana burn. After 2010, this is RIDICULOUS!!!1!!
Polychromatic
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(2 votes)
This was considered a junk rare before M10. Now it's absolutely awesome.
land_comment
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.7/5.0)(3 votes)
With no more mana burn, this becomes a good thing. Aaaaaaaaaaaaand a broken one.
Actually, it's not just {R}. It's one more for each age counter on it.
@capitalR:
Oh yeah
Don't mess around
'Cause you
CAN'T FIGHT THE WORLDWAKE POWER!!!!!!!!!
Same thing to justicarphaeton.
LeoKula
★★★☆☆ (3.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Reading the comments here is amusing, I would bet money that about 99% of the people posting "OMFG this is awsom" haven't realized this has very limited use due to the mana pool emptying all the time.
sarroth
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
Autoinclude for a Rosheen Meanderer Commander deck, with all of those X spells wandering about.
Kyrodo
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(2 votes)
At first, this seemed too good to be true. Then I realized the extra mana fizzles out at the end of the upkeep phase. Still, you can use it up on flashes, instants, activated abilities, and mana storage, so it's not all that bad.
MTGfan9000
★☆☆☆☆ (1.6/5.0)(4 votes)
This card makes no sense to me unless it is used to finish off your opponent with spells that can be cast during the upkeep step that would benefit from having a lot more mana than you would without it. Because otherwise you just lose it all to pay it's upkeep cost. Get X red mana but have to pay that X red mana in upkeep. Using the mana for anything that doesn't end the game in that step is pointless because you would then have to pay that amount of mana used from other normal mana sources for the upkeep cost and defeating the purpose of getting the mana from the card. Unless of course you don't use the mana at all for an extended period of time to use it as a time bomb so to speak and not pay it's upkeep. Of course the longer it is in play the more likely your opponent will be able to get rid of it.
ShakaUVM
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(1 vote)
Two Words: Ice Cauldron
Let's you save the mana from your Braids of Fire to your main phase.
I noticed someone else posted something pretty much exactly the same as this. I'm not stealing your ideas, haha. Just think of it as great minds thinking alike.
Turn 1: Mountain, Flamekin Harbinger (Find either Soulbright Flamekin or something like Magmatic Force if you already have Soulbright. Turn 2: Mountain, this card. Turn 3: Mountain, Soulbright Flamekin (1 red mana) Turn 4: Mountain, activate Soulbright's ability once during upkeep, twice during your turn, and you have 8 mana to do whatever you want. Either drop the Magmatic Force you found, or drop one of my favorite cards, Avatar of Slaughter.
There are 19 different cards you would be able to play on turn 4. Here are probably the best ones: Akroma, Angel of Fury, Din of the Fireherd (3 out of 4 lands gone if they werent ramping), Magmatic Force, Avatar of Slaughter, Scourge of Kher Ridges... There's probably other good cards such as artifacts and 7 cost and lower creatures that I didnt check. And you thought mana ramping was a green thing...
@MTGfan9000
The upkeep cost of Braid of Fire is adding 1 red mana to your mana pool for each age counter on it. You don't spend 1 mana to pay the upkeep, you gain 1 mana.
EternalPhi
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(2 votes)
What's that Olivia Voldaren? You say you need more mana to ping things and grow bigger with? Why yes, i have something like that right here!
In all seriousness, Olivia Voldaren is a stupid enough general without something like this enabling absolutely degenerate things.
Nivean_Dauphin
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
I had a deck a few years ago, basically it was based around this, Rift elemental and arc blade for an insane amount of damage, with losts of Elemental tribal to make it easier to pull off, and flamekin brawler as an alternative outlet. This deck was pretty effective even when I occasionally had to take mana burn. Now, it'd be even better.
Aron22
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
One of my favorite cards I used this in a Leyline of Anticipation upkeep suspend deck to hard cast emrakul Basically I used paradox haze and reality strobe to just bounce everything back to my opponents hand and gelectrode and arc blade to kill everything they had. it is a long process but it was a fun deck to play.
shotoku64
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(4 votes)
What do you do when mana burn is gone? Do your hair like a hippie and cast fireball
Totema
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I can imagine this was a lot riskier before they got rid of mana burn. Now it's pretty much broken. I wonder how often that happens, when they change a rule and accidentally break a card or combo?
Gako
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
A redhead in my class has one of these.
FroMoBlivion
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This is the answer to rite of flame being banned in modern...this with simian spirit guide and storm is just sick when you add in the flashback cards of the Innistrad block....ie faithless looting....sick
j_mindfingerpainter
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@ Mid_Squad: I just came up with a similar idea. It's not mono-red, but it's a teeny bit faster.
T1: Island, Training Grounds T2: Mountain, Soulbright Flamekin T3: Because of Training Grounds, now Soulbright's ability only costs {1}, so you play another land, activate the ability three times, and voila, you have the same 8 red mana.
It completely ignores Braid of Fire, but oh well. Braid of Fire is good, in my opinion, but only for instants, which luckily red has tons of.
AvatarofBro
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(3 votes)
It's a shame you can only use the mana during your upkeep, before it drains from your pool.
4wallz
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Good call @AvatarofBro. I used to love this card. But now that I realize it doesn't allow you to play creatures, I'm not so impressed as I used to be.
tcollins
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Simply amazing now that manaburn is gone.
raptorman333
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Comet Storm late game with this early game = AMAZING what goes up must come down.... all over the place
kiseki
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This card is fun because it is challenging to use.
In general, this is not going to help you out early game. But there are other cards that this powers up that do help you early. Why not drop a mana vault in a deck with four of these? Turbocharge one of your first turns, use this to untap the vault, and transfer BoF mana to the main phase!
Not as good as it used to be due to a change in ruling on how mana exists between steps and phases: http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/42a
Basically, you mana pool empties between your upkeep step and draw step...meaning you can only play instants with mana from Braid of Fire.
Salient
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If you really want to combo like crazy with this card, don't think of this as mana to cast instants with. Think of it as mana to activate abilities with.
It's a Thran Turbine that just keeps getting better, and you can run four of each...
Mooninites
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
people overvalue this card so much, you can only use the mana during your upkeep, which means only when you can play instants. It's really not that great, but I get the feeling that most people don't understand that the mana drains after your upkeep, rather stupid card if you ask me
During your upkeep this triggers. At the end of your upkeep >POOF< it's gone. So yes instants and abilities come to mind. But, perhaps there's more? What if could use that Free Mana to pay cumulative upkeep costs?! Opens whole new doors.
This has previously been explored via Mode: Since M10, this is indeed a nice card. Either spend the mana for instants in burn decks, activated abilities, or pay upkeep costs, including those from cultimative upkeep cost since they can equate each other, for example Brand of Ill Omen, Earthen Goo, Halls of Mist, Heat Wave and Magmatic Core. Further cultimative upkeep cards of other colors that can make use of this include: Hibernation's End, Wave of Terror, Musician, Corrosion, Elephant Grass, Energy Storm, Fyndhorn Pollen, Kjeldoran Javelineer, Malignant Growth, Mesmeric Trance, Mystic Remora, Prismatic Circle and Revered Unicorn.
To expand on that, only red mana or colorless was addressed. Change the color you're given. Black: Agent of Stromgald or Bog Initiate. White: Skyshroud Elf. For each 2 mana spent, we could get any color with Gemstone Array. There are other options, but would require either A) to tap the artifact/creature/land to filter; B) Sacrifice said perm; or C) Limited to X times per turn. Not a win/win for this ability. I don't want to expand on Gemstone Array because would be losing half the upkeep each turn. So, now that shown we get free upkeep colored mana, let's look at options. Black: Infernal Darkness, Krovikan Whispers, Phobian Phantasm, Phyrexian Etchings. White: Arctic Nishoba, Jötun Owl Keeper, Royal Decree. Must I list all the new abilities and instances now for these new colors?! Too bad; those you can find, I'm sure.
Unbelievable. I got rid of my playset that I got CHEAP originally because they really were a pain with mana burn. So now that I dont own them the price has increased 10 fold and they are worth more than gold in the game. Thanks WOTC for making so many rules changes that have screwed at least a handful of my decks :-D
HorseofaThousandEyes
★★★★☆ (4.0/5.0)(3 votes)
LastProtagonist: Not as good as it used to be due to a change in ruling on how mana exists between steps and phases: http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/42a
Basically, you mana pool empties between your upkeep step and draw step...meaning you can only play instants with mana from Braid of Fire.
Actually, it pretty much does work the same way.Your mana pool already emptied between upkeep and main phase, except it was only done after your draw step, and now does so at the end of upkeep as well (so technically empties twice).
Wizards were a bit ambiguous with how they referred to cards that were to be errataed and not - the two that are noted to be errataed refer to mana not emptying from pools at ends of phases, and had to be updated to include at end of steps as well. Braid wasn't because the rules change only means that the mana can't be used during your draw step, which is not really going to matter much.
Sadly too slow, and too awkward to utilize fully, except possibly in EDH. Shame is isn't in black :-/
LordRandomness
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(4 votes)
As with other cumulative upkeep cards, run with Eon Hub.
...wait, shit.
A_Real_Travesty
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Obviously nice for instants and abilities, but I tend to run this with Gemstone Array if I want that steady flow of mana. Could use Upwelling to keep all of the red instead, but I usually don't need that much red. I think trading half the mana for any color when I need it is fair.
Ferlord
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Oh no... You get more mana on each of your upkeeps... CLEARLY a problem.
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
a burn archtype could emerge eventually using this mana to fuel larger burn cards and grim lavamancer. The reasons being that with more mana you get better burn per card, making it harder to fizzle and much easier to get through the long game.
Someone on Rift Elemental mentioned a deck where they used this with him in order to quickly cast suspended cards and such.
TheWrathofShane
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Remember, you have to spend the mana during your upkeep. When the phase changes, your going to lose all that mana.
I would combo with leyline of anticipation, to be able to cast anything I want during my upkeep.
ToAsTy42o
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Im gunna blow everyone's minds and suggest Melek, Izzet Paragon. If there's an instant on top of your library, Melek will let you cast it during your upkeep AND copy it. AND THEN YOU DRAW AND PLAY THE REST OF THE TURN NORMALLY WHAAAAATTTT????
Attention all of you people saying that Omnath makes this broken. Omnath only saves GREEN mana. Braid of fire gives you RED mana. Do you see the problem? You might want to try actually reading the card before posting. Upwelling, however, does work.
DoragonShinzui
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Back when mana burn was a thing, this was a gamble.
Nowadays, so long as you've got a use for lots of during your upkeep you've got absolutely no reason NOT to run this. It's a ludicrous amount of free mana.
Fenizrael
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I just looked up this card after seeing a guy playing it (illegally). I knew it must have been too good to be true. I mean heck, it's still amazing in a red burn deck, especially with X costs.
JimmyNoobPlayer
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So... there's this nifty card I just heard about... Kruphix, God of Horizons... Seems interesting...
Comments (91)
i.e fire breathing , I.e. 2 Bane fire Ie.3 magmatic core!
Either spend the mana for instants in burn decks, activated abilities, or pay upkeep costs, including those from cultimative upkeep cost since they can equate each other,
for example Brand of Ill Omen, Earthen Goo, Halls of Mist, Heat Wave and Magmatic Core.
Further cultimative upkeep cards of other colors that can make use of this include: Hibernation's End, Wave of Terror, Musician, Corrosion, Elephant Grass, Energy Storm, Fyndhorn Pollen, Kjeldoran Javelineer, Malignant Growth, Mesmeric Trance, Mystic Remora, Prismatic Circle and Revered Unicorn.
Since Banefire and Fireball are sorceries, you don't get to use the mana on them...
I realise its good and used to have the manaburn drawback, but it seems like it should do something else to me... like psychic vortex...
If you some how remove the upkeep this card does nothing...
(play two for Mwonvuli Ooze)
That is how we have been playing it. I would also like to know if thats the correct way.
INSTANTS
ABILITIES
You can't cast creature spells nor sorceries with the mana as it empties afer EACH STEP, including your upkeep! This card is at best 2.5 stars.
Or if you really want, Prismatic Circle can finally have some sort of value.
There. Not a terrible card at all, vadoff.
Now that Worldwake is out and Rise of the Eldrazi is coming, Comet Storm and the Eldrazi are now awesome with this card. Since it's supposed to have a lot of slowing cards, this should be able to really shine.
1st turn: Land, Rite of Flame for Braid of Fire
2nd turn: Land, Rite of Flame for Hearthfire Hobgoblin with Reckless Charge and Firebeathing... Swing 10
3rd turn: Land, pump Firebreathing, Swing 14, listen to opponent whine...
Sure that's an entire hand, but 10 on turn 2!!!
Actually, I thought that mana burn was a good rule -- it added that sense of constraint and challenge to the game. Now, people can just tap out and absent-mindedly let mana drain from their pools without any consequence. I dunno -- cards like Drain Power were fun with mana burn as a rule.
You could combo this with Agent of Stromgald and Phyrexian Etchings to get an awesome draw engine in Mono-Red or {BR} Burn Discard. Also, you could use the mana it makes to blast out a Bogardan Hellkite.
Why does everyone keep listing sorcery-speed cards as combos? Damnit people.
Actually, it's not just {R}. It's one more
@capitalR:
Oh yeah
Don't mess around
'Cause you
CAN'T FIGHT THE WORLDWAKE POWER!!!!!!!!!
Same thing to justicarphaeton.
Let's you save the mana from your Braids of Fire to your main phase.
Also: Goblin Warrens. =)
One of my favorite decks uses this card and Soulbright Flamekin. Why?
Turn 1: Mountain, Flamekin Harbinger (Find either Soulbright Flamekin or something like Magmatic Force if you already have Soulbright.
Turn 2: Mountain, this card.
Turn 3: Mountain, Soulbright Flamekin (1 red mana)
Turn 4: Mountain, activate Soulbright's ability once during upkeep, twice during your turn, and you have 8 mana to do whatever you want. Either drop the Magmatic Force you found, or drop one of my favorite cards, Avatar of Slaughter.
There are 19 different cards you would be able to play on turn 4. Here are probably the best ones: Akroma, Angel of Fury, Din of the Fireherd (3 out of 4 lands gone if they werent ramping), Magmatic Force, Avatar of Slaughter, Scourge of Kher Ridges... There's probably other good cards such as artifacts and 7 cost and lower creatures that I didnt check. And you thought mana ramping was a green thing...
The upkeep cost of Braid of Fire is adding 1 red mana to your mana pool for each age counter on it. You don't spend 1 mana to pay the upkeep, you gain 1 mana.
In all seriousness, Olivia Voldaren is a stupid enough general without something like this enabling absolutely degenerate things.
Basically I used paradox haze and reality strobe to just bounce everything back to my opponents hand and gelectrode and arc blade to kill everything they had. it is a long process but it was a fun deck to play.
Do your hair like a hippie and cast fireball
T1: Island, Training Grounds
T2: Mountain, Soulbright Flamekin
T3: Because of Training Grounds, now Soulbright's ability only costs {1}, so you play another land, activate the ability three times, and voila, you have the same 8 red mana.
It completely ignores Braid of Fire, but oh well. Braid of Fire is good, in my opinion, but only for instants, which luckily red has tons of.
what goes up must come down.... all over the place
In general, this is not going to help you out early game. But there are other cards that this powers up that do help you early. Why not drop a mana vault in a deck with four of these? Turbocharge one of your first turns, use this to untap the vault, and transfer BoF mana to the main phase!
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/42a
Basically, you mana pool empties between your upkeep step and draw step...meaning you can only play instants with mana from Braid of Fire.
It's a Thran Turbine that just keeps getting better, and you can run four of each...
This has previously been explored via Mode:
Since M10, this is indeed a nice card.
Either spend the mana for instants in burn decks, activated abilities, or pay upkeep costs, including those from cultimative upkeep cost since they can equate each other,
for example Brand of Ill Omen, Earthen Goo, Halls of Mist, Heat Wave and Magmatic Core.
Further cultimative upkeep cards of other colors that can make use of this include: Hibernation's End, Wave of Terror, Musician, Corrosion, Elephant Grass, Energy Storm, Fyndhorn Pollen, Kjeldoran Javelineer, Malignant Growth, Mesmeric Trance, Mystic Remora, Prismatic Circle and Revered Unicorn.
To expand on that, only red mana or colorless was addressed. Change the color you're given. Black: Agent of Stromgald or Bog Initiate. White: Skyshroud Elf. For each 2 mana spent, we could get any color with Gemstone Array. There are other options, but would require either A) to tap the artifact/creature/land to filter; B) Sacrifice said perm; or C) Limited to X times per turn. Not a win/win for this ability. I don't want to expand on Gemstone Array because would be losing half the upkeep each turn. So, now that shown we get free upkeep colored mana, let's look at options. Black: Infernal Darkness, Krovikan Whispers, Phobian Phantasm, Phyrexian Etchings. White: Arctic Nishoba, Jötun Owl Keeper, Royal Decree. Must I list all the new abilities and instances now for these new colors?! Too bad; those you can find, I'm sure.
I got rid of my playset that I got CHEAP originally because they really were a pain with mana burn.
So now that I dont own them the price has increased 10 fold and they are worth more than gold in the game.
Thanks WOTC for making so many rules changes that have screwed at least a handful of my decks :-D
Not as good as it used to be due to a change in ruling on how mana exists between steps and phases:
http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/42a
Basically, you mana pool empties between your upkeep step and draw step...meaning you can only play instants with mana from Braid of Fire.
Actually, it pretty much does work the same way.Your mana pool already emptied between upkeep and main phase, except it was only done after your draw step, and now does so at the end of upkeep as well (so technically empties twice).
Wizards were a bit ambiguous with how they referred to cards that were to be errataed and not - the two that are noted to be errataed refer to mana not emptying from pools at ends of phases, and had to be updated to include at end of steps as well. Braid wasn't because the rules change only means that the mana can't be used during your draw step, which is not really going to matter much.
Sadly too slow, and too awkward to utilize fully, except possibly in EDH. Shame is isn't in black :-/
...wait, shit.
CLEARLY a problem.
Someone on Rift Elemental mentioned a deck where they used this with him in order to quickly cast suspended cards and such.
I would combo with leyline of anticipation, to be able to cast anything I want during my upkeep.
What color is red?
sphere of safety will help
Search them out with enduring ideal combined with paradox haze
Nowadays, so long as you've got a use for lots of
Kruphix, God of Horizons...
Seems interesting...