Braids - Discard Stax Lock by MattStut

Format: Commander

Commander: Braids, Arisen Nightmare

Bracket: 4

DeckCheck Threat Index: 61

Deck overview

This mono-black deck combines aristocrat resource denial, stax locks, and an instant-win Magecraft combo. Commanded by Braids, Arisen Nightmare, the deck sacrifices recurring tokens and cheap enchantments or artifacts to draw up to three cards per turn while taxing opponent life totals and boards. Early turns focus on accelerating mana with rocks, rituals, and utility lands while deploying persistent sacrifice fodder like Bitterblossom, Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia, and Ophiomancer. The deck restricts opposing mana and card development through brutal asymmetric stax pieces such as Contamination, Infernal Darkness, Oppression, and the lock combination of Mornsong Aria with Opposition Agent. Once the board is contained or sufficient mana is generated, the deck tutors for and executes its primary win condition: Professor Onyx paired with Chain of Smog. By repeatedly targeting itself with Chain of Smog, the deck triggers Professor Onyx's Magecraft ability infinitely to drain the entire table in a single turn.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Ancient Tomb
  • 1 Animate Dead
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Beseech the Mirror
  • 1 Bitterbloom Bearer
  • 1 Bitterblossom
  • 1 Black Market Connections
  • 1 Bloodghast
  • 1 Bojuka Bog
  • 1 Braids, Arisen Nightmare
  • 1 Braids, Cabal Minion
  • 1 Cabal Coffers
  • 1 Cabal Ritual
  • 1 Chain of Smog
  • 1 Contamination
  • 1 Crypt Ghast
  • 1 Culling the Weak
  • 1 Damnation
  • 1 Dark Confidant
  • 1 Dark Ritual
  • 1 Dauthi Voidwalker
  • 1 Deadly Rollick
  • 1 Defense Grid
  • 1 Demonic Tutor
  • 1 Diabolic Intent
  • 1 Dismember
  • 1 Dreadhorde Invasion
  • 1 Feed the Swarm
  • 1 Fell the Profane // Fell Mire
  • 1 Grim Tutor
  • 1 Hopeless Nightmare
  • 1 Imp's Mischief
  • 1 Infernal Darkness
  • 1 Jadar, Ghoulcaller of Nephalia
  • 1 Jet Medallion
  • 1 K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Liliana of the Veil
  • 1 Lotus Petal
  • 1 Malakir Rebirth // Malakir Mire
  • 1 Mana Vault
  • 1 Momentum Breaker
  • 1 Mornsong Aria
  • 1 Necrodominance
  • 1 Necropotence
  • 1 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
  • 1 Ophiomancer
  • 1 Opposition Agent
  • 1 Oppression
  • 1 Orcish Bowmasters
  • 1 Peer into the Abyss
  • 1 Phyrexian Tower
  • 1 Pox
  • 1 Prized Statue
  • 1 Professor Onyx
  • 1 Ral Zarek, Guest Lecturer
  • 1 Reanimate
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Sheoldred's Edict
  • 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
  • 1 Skullclamp
  • 1 Smallpox
  • 1 Smokestack
  • 1 Snuff Out
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 23 Swamp
  • 1 The One Ring
  • 1 The Soul Stone
  • 1 Thought Vessel
  • 1 Tinybones Joins Up
  • 1 Tithing Blade // Consuming Sepulcher
  • 1 Torment of Hailfire
  • 1 Toxic Deluge
  • 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
  • 1 Urza's Cave
  • 1 Vampiric Tutor
  • 1 Vicious Rumors
  • 1 Winter Moon
  • 1 Wishclaw Talisman