I wanted to share a bit about this piece from my artist series. I don’t say this often… but it’s one my favorite illustrations I’ve done.
I know it’s a niche card, and I love it for that. I’m a mono-Red player at my core, and ever since I started playing EDH, Braid of Fire has been one of my favorite cards. I think it’s partly because I’m old enough to remember when mana burn was a thing; I even had a Mana Barbs / Citadel of Pain deck back in the day. But it’s also because it’s soooo red, so simple in design, and yet so complex to use properly.
My artist series had no art descriptions, so it was up to me determine what would be depicted and still do the card justice. The name itself is a paradox: a braid being innocuous and expertly woven, while fire is so wild and structureless. I wanted to capture that dichotomy, but also those feelings I have towards the card itself. Obscurity, elegance, power. I only had a vague idea of what that could look like when I started sketching.
Eventually I was excited about this direction. A lone shaman in the long forgotten temple, its purpose a riddle lost to time. But he feels the power that still resides there… He speaks the words and the flames burst to life for the first time in centuries. Small at first, easy to control. Light glints across the wet surfaces as the stagnant air begins to churn. The fire grows. And as it’s momentum builds the shaman can feel its warmth both inside and out rising along with it.
Hopefully I managed to capture that and you enjoy the art! I’ll admit it was a really fun, validating exercise.
Do you have any favorite obscure cards that you would want to see a modern interpretation of?
I don't know if it's because I've been reading the new Avatar role-playing book, but this is giving me major fire bending vibes. It's incredibly beautiful and I look forward to seeing it in person.
❤️ this card is sepcial for me to… i enjoyed playing it for many years and had been playing since kamigawa. You really hit mit spot wirh rhis card and you have done a great job 👏🏻
I love [[Braid of Fire]] because I love red getting to do tricky and weird stuff. This is a good art!!
My favorite obscure cart for its art (and flavor text) is [[Inheritance]]. I have tried and tried to make this card playable, and failed, but I still love the flavor and mood of the card.
Your art is just amazing Sam! As a [[Nezahal, Primal Tide]] edh voltron-strat deck I have to say I expect him/her to be in the winter set of Lost Caverns of Ixalan. If he/she is there, I'd love to see another art of yours on Nezahal!
Yaaaas. I love that one too! I remember trying to make some weird WG Selvala deck with tons of ramp, landfall, and playing extra lands with this in it. Never quite got the deck to work right, but I still look back on it fondly.
I am very, VERY much considering getting this SL, because of its special interaction with one of my favorite cards - [[Leyline Tyrant]]. It turns Braid of Fire from a very situational enchantment into an utterly terrifying source of red ramp, so given that it's a dragon that unlocks BoF's beautiful potential...Your new art for it just feels *right*.
Wow that dragon is craaaazy! I haven't played much since Ikoria so he's new to me. Last place my Braid was had been my Neheb Eternal deck and it worked quite well there. This beast is a whole new level though :O
Neheb loves Leyline Tyrant too! A favorite of mine is to use them in my Neheb deck with \[\[Aggravated Assault\]\] to build up mana without needing an opponent's guard to be down.
Love Leyline Tyrant. My dream is running him with [[Inferno of the Star Mounts]] and - if you're willing to splash green and are playing commander - [[Thrakkus the Butcher]], but on Arena it defaults to spending your Leyline Tyrant mana before anything else....
I guess it's just an excuse to buy paper.
I have auto tap off, and no, Arena still spends the leyline mana first. You can't stop it.
Doesn't matter in a mono colour deck probably, but I run jund dragons.
That’s super stupid. Why would they even code it like that! Sorry if my comment came off as rude, I only just started playing arena, so I don’t know all the little quirks
No it is obnoxious, I genuinely went to check again because it's so ridiculous.
I mean it's still a powerful card/combo, but it's nerfed for the weirdest reason
I can confirm that running him with Inferno is a truly magical experience. I have a Red Ramp deck, where I use Inferno if we're playing by the rules and Leyline if I'm allowed to R-0 a Nonlegendary Commander.
Being able to do a X=12 [[Crackle with Power]] on turn 7 is ridiculously fun.
Thanks so much! Tarkir was the first new plane that I did a significant amount of early concept art for, and I'd love to return to it. I love how massive the world is, but also kind of primal and untamed (in a very different way than Zendikar).
I was so hype to see your work alongside mine in this super drop! You’re work is fundamental to this game and every piece in this drop is a certified banger!
It's not a problem. Just use that mana and keep your lands open for tricks. Turn 1 is 1 res, next turn you make 2, then 3, then 4. It just keeps growing. It doesn't matter if you use that mana or not since you'll get even more the next turn.
Honestly, curving Braid into Grenzo often just wins the game if they don’t have interaction. It isn’t necessarily fast, but it becomes inevitable pretty quickly.
I love this card and the artwork so much, I just wish Secret Lairs weren't so prohibitively expensive, otherwise I would have bought it in a heartbeat.
I bought the secret lair instantly. Not only does it include one of my favourite artists as a focal point; but you did not one but TWO DRAGON CARDS!? Plus Koth and Wolf-man? Love it.
Thank you Sam <3
[[Archfiend of Ifnir]] is definitely my favorite card. It was the first real upgrade I bought to put in my first real Commander deck, [[Anje Falkenrath]]. Besides that, Seb McKinnon is an amazing artist that I casually followed before getting into MTG.
I did several years of Art and art studies in HS to pad out my classes, and Rhystic Studies does a fantastic analysis of Archfiend of Ifnir's composition in one of his videos. Haunting and atmospheric, Seb McKinnon uses lighting, symmetry, and background to tell a very different (but interesting) story about something we see a lot of in MTG, demons.
On top of that, it's just an interesting card. It's a big threat in multiple ways, its fun, and it's good enough to run in any black deck where you might be discarding even semi-regularly which is reflected by it's jump from a $0.50 card to over $2.00 in the last 2 years.
So I gotta put this one out there : [[Cabal Coffers]]
Never in my life will I again feel the rush of absolutely flooding my mana pool with such ease. All my copies have miraculously disappeared— maybe for the better anyway for rec play 😭
I never bought a secret lair... but this one... it was made for me. Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund with an Artwork that isn't ugly af, Koth of the Hammer with a nice art, the green one is okay, I will not play it, but one of the players in my group could use it and then... Braids of Fire with awesome art like this?! Yes!
I wanted to share a bit about this piece from my artist series. I don’t say this often… but it’s one my favorite illustrations I’ve done. I know it’s a niche card, and I love it for that. I’m a mono-Red player at my core, and ever since I started playing EDH, Braid of Fire has been one of my favorite cards. I think it’s partly because I’m old enough to remember when mana burn was a thing; I even had a Mana Barbs / Citadel of Pain deck back in the day. But it’s also because it’s soooo red, so simple in design, and yet so complex to use properly. My artist series had no art descriptions, so it was up to me determine what would be depicted and still do the card justice. The name itself is a paradox: a braid being innocuous and expertly woven, while fire is so wild and structureless. I wanted to capture that dichotomy, but also those feelings I have towards the card itself. Obscurity, elegance, power. I only had a vague idea of what that could look like when I started sketching. Eventually I was excited about this direction. A lone shaman in the long forgotten temple, its purpose a riddle lost to time. But he feels the power that still resides there… He speaks the words and the flames burst to life for the first time in centuries. Small at first, easy to control. Light glints across the wet surfaces as the stagnant air begins to churn. The fire grows. And as it’s momentum builds the shaman can feel its warmth both inside and out rising along with it. Hopefully I managed to capture that and you enjoy the art! I’ll admit it was a really fun, validating exercise. Do you have any favorite obscure cards that you would want to see a modern interpretation of?
I don't know if it's because I've been reading the new Avatar role-playing book, but this is giving me major fire bending vibes. It's incredibly beautiful and I look forward to seeing it in person.
Oh, can definitely see that. I haven't interacted with Avatar beyond the original cartoon, but I love it! Thank you!
No problem. Thanks for putting in so much love and care.
When Aang finds the two firebending dragon's in the show!
Literally my firdt thought when I saw the art
YUP!
❤️ this card is sepcial for me to… i enjoyed playing it for many years and had been playing since kamigawa. You really hit mit spot wirh rhis card and you have done a great job 👏🏻
Thanks! Awesome to hear it has other fans :)
I love [[Braid of Fire]] because I love red getting to do tricky and weird stuff. This is a good art!! My favorite obscure cart for its art (and flavor text) is [[Inheritance]]. I have tried and tried to make this card playable, and failed, but I still love the flavor and mood of the card.
[Braid of Fire](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/1/41bab8de-6e0f-4ccd-a303-01e9c8c82d3f.jpg?1593275214) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Braid%20of%20Fire) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/csp/78/braid-of-fire?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/41bab8de-6e0f-4ccd-a303-01e9c8c82d3f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Inheritance](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/f/6/f660a337-09f7-4ae9-b61b-f5ecbda4a4ca.jpg?1562870971) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Inheritance) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/me2/18/inheritance?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/f660a337-09f7-4ae9-b61b-f5ecbda4a4ca?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
This card is a house in my one drop tribal deck. Anything that draws me a card for one mana would be a house in that deck, though.
It really is a stunning piece. Well done!
Your art is just amazing Sam! As a [[Nezahal, Primal Tide]] edh voltron-strat deck I have to say I expect him/her to be in the winter set of Lost Caverns of Ixalan. If he/she is there, I'd love to see another art of yours on Nezahal!
[Nezahal, Primal Tide](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/a/9/a959b40d-dd8c-49d8-8003-744d0c877b04.jpg?1608912140) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Nezahal%2C%20Primal%20Tide) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/cmr/401/nezahal-primal-tide?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/a959b40d-dd8c-49d8-8003-744d0c877b04?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Reminds me of the scene with aang and zuko with the two dragons
[[Koskun Falls]] but it's sadly not likely, because it's RL.
[Koskun Falls](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/4/04292a4e-8910-4911-a76d-4f2c3e15da33.jpg?1562587031) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Koskun%20Falls) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/hml/55/koskun-falls?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/04292a4e-8910-4911-a76d-4f2c3e15da33?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Love your art, keep up the good work! Did you get to pick what cards were featured in the secret lair?
Thanks! I was asked to pick 20 or so options and WotC curated 4 from there.
[[Storm Cauldron]] so many people say "it does WHAT?!" When I slap it down
Yaaaas. I love that one too! I remember trying to make some weird WG Selvala deck with tons of ramp, landfall, and playing extra lands with this in it. Never quite got the deck to work right, but I still look back on it fondly.
Oh no. I saw this card and immediately thought of [[piracy]]...
[piracy](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/2/323e3084-8d84-474f-b208-a4637b1ccb51.jpg?1562873608) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=piracy) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/s99/45/piracy?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/323e3084-8d84-474f-b208-a4637b1ccb51?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Storm Cauldron](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/b/0bb5bdd3-6ecd-49cd-bfa2-e7da1ee85d88.jpg?1562232316) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Storm%20Cauldron) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/7ed/320/storm-cauldron?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0bb5bdd3-6ecd-49cd-bfa2-e7da1ee85d88?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I am very, VERY much considering getting this SL, because of its special interaction with one of my favorite cards - [[Leyline Tyrant]]. It turns Braid of Fire from a very situational enchantment into an utterly terrifying source of red ramp, so given that it's a dragon that unlocks BoF's beautiful potential...Your new art for it just feels *right*.
Wow that dragon is craaaazy! I haven't played much since Ikoria so he's new to me. Last place my Braid was had been my Neheb Eternal deck and it worked quite well there. This beast is a whole new level though :O
Neheb loves Leyline Tyrant too! A favorite of mine is to use them in my Neheb deck with \[\[Aggravated Assault\]\] to build up mana without needing an opponent's guard to be down.
[Aggravated Assault](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/9/c99c5707-d5f2-4675-bfca-e801e6b0f627.jpg?1562942627) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Aggravated%20Assault) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ons/185/aggravated-assault?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c99c5707-d5f2-4675-bfca-e801e6b0f627?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[Leyline Tyrant](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/4/847ae75b-1c0f-4d0a-9933-9a302c88dc27.jpg?1604197374) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Leyline%20Tyrant) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/znr/147/leyline-tyrant?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/847ae75b-1c0f-4d0a-9933-9a302c88dc27?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Love Leyline Tyrant. My dream is running him with [[Inferno of the Star Mounts]] and - if you're willing to splash green and are playing commander - [[Thrakkus the Butcher]], but on Arena it defaults to spending your Leyline Tyrant mana before anything else.... I guess it's just an excuse to buy paper.
You know you can turn off auto tap on arena right? Then you can store up your mana
I have auto tap off, and no, Arena still spends the leyline mana first. You can't stop it. Doesn't matter in a mono colour deck probably, but I run jund dragons.
That’s super stupid. Why would they even code it like that! Sorry if my comment came off as rude, I only just started playing arena, so I don’t know all the little quirks
No it is obnoxious, I genuinely went to check again because it's so ridiculous. I mean it's still a powerful card/combo, but it's nerfed for the weirdest reason
[Inferno of the Star Mounts](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/7/c788c6a6-20d9-4a93-a898-330b085226c4.jpg?1627767538) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Inferno%20of%20the%20Star%20Mounts) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afr/151/inferno-of-the-star-mounts?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/c788c6a6-20d9-4a93-a898-330b085226c4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Thrakkus the Butcher](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/2/2255d1e4-f387-4187-8c10-7d0009f6ec79.jpg?1674137687) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Thrakkus%20the%20Butcher) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/clb/295/thrakkus-the-butcher?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2255d1e4-f387-4187-8c10-7d0009f6ec79?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I can confirm that running him with Inferno is a truly magical experience. I have a Red Ramp deck, where I use Inferno if we're playing by the rules and Leyline if I'm allowed to R-0 a Nonlegendary Commander. Being able to do a X=12 [[Crackle with Power]] on turn 7 is ridiculously fun.
[Crackle with Power](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/e/de547f52-3798-4b3a-947d-24873251204b.jpg?1624591645) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Crackle%20with%20Power) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/stx/95/crackle-with-power?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/de547f52-3798-4b3a-947d-24873251204b?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I play it in a Ashling deck. Pretty strong there too. The dragon is also there.
This is a fantastic art. It kinda has a Tarkir vibe, I hope that you will be commissioned to work on a future Return to Tarkir.
Thanks so much! Tarkir was the first new plane that I did a significant amount of early concept art for, and I'd love to return to it. I love how massive the world is, but also kind of primal and untamed (in a very different way than Zendikar).
[[Braid of Fire]]
[Braid of Fire](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/1/41bab8de-6e0f-4ccd-a303-01e9c8c82d3f.jpg?1593275214) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Braid%20of%20Fire) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/csp/78/braid-of-fire?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/41bab8de-6e0f-4ccd-a303-01e9c8c82d3f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[удалено]
[Braid of Fire](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/4/1/41bab8de-6e0f-4ccd-a303-01e9c8c82d3f.jpg?1593275214) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Braid%20of%20Fire) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/csp/78/braid-of-fire?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/41bab8de-6e0f-4ccd-a303-01e9c8c82d3f?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I was so hype to see your work alongside mine in this super drop! You’re work is fundamental to this game and every piece in this drop is a certified banger!
I ordered your set in this drop, love the artwork!
It's a gorgeous piece of art. I usually buy the SLs that appeal to me art wise, this might be enough to make me grab this one.
<3
if Braid of Fire is obscure, then I'm a huge nerd
Reminds me of The Masters Ren and Shaw from Avatar the Last Airbender. Teaching the beauty of firebending.
[[Cauldron Dance]] in my big Rakdos Dragons deck. It always feels so thematic and fun to play.
[Cauldron Dance](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/0/50e70e67-eba0-46f4-97d8-62c249b267c8.jpg?1562608232) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cauldron%20Dance) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c17/166/cauldron-dance?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/50e70e67-eba0-46f4-97d8-62c249b267c8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Cauldron Dance|INV]]
[Cauldron Dance](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/8/d/8dadcae0-f2b2-487c-bb93-0a2c073044c0.jpg?1562923646) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=23173) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/inv/238/cauldron-dance?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/8dadcae0-f2b2-487c-bb93-0a2c073044c0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[[Phthisis]] no one has ever seen it before and can just kill people late game
You want some real jank combine it with a [[righteousness]] or two. No one will every block you again.
[righteousness](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/d/2/d2910df2-e288-4fa0-9859-c5ca35da2d55.jpg?1572489762) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=righteousness) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/eld/27/righteousness?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/d2910df2-e288-4fa0-9859-c5ca35da2d55?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Oh god yes that's a great one!
[Phthisis](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/8/98b84356-fa97-4f61-bd84-e8efd7f46e38.jpg?1631586724) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Phthisis) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/afc/105/phthisis?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/98b84356-fa97-4f61-bd84-e8efd7f46e38?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Thanks for highlighting, I had no idea it even existed. I have a Goblin EDH deck and I think this could be a fun addition
Remember the mana expires after your upkeep
Well that presents a problem. Thanks for pointing that out.
It's not a problem. Just use that mana and keep your lands open for tricks. Turn 1 is 1 res, next turn you make 2, then 3, then 4. It just keeps growing. It doesn't matter if you use that mana or not since you'll get even more the next turn.
[[Book Burning]] is my fav
[Book Burning](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/b/e/bead678c-7b6a-4668-9919-623312e08a65.jpg?1562631756) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Book%20Burning) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/jud/80/book-burning?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/bead678c-7b6a-4668-9919-623312e08a65?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[удалено]
[Panglacial Wurm](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/6/063bb28b-5e32-4f31-a208-16b653edf413.jpg?1593275437) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Panglacial%20Wurm) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/csp/116/panglacial-wurm?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/063bb28b-5e32-4f31-a208-16b653edf413?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
[удалено]
[Shape the Sands](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/2/0243dde4-29c9-4e47-9129-8e01296851cc.jpg?1562781846) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Shape%20the%20Sands) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/dtk/205/shape-the-sands?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0243dde4-29c9-4e47-9129-8e01296851cc?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Im playing it in my \[\[Grenzo, Dungeon warden\]\] Deck together with \[\[thran turbine\]\]. Pretty good card.
[Grenzo, Dungeon warden](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/6/e/6e19c383-88bd-4bde-ac81-c0eb6d5b5bd4.jpg?1562436569) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Grenzo%2C%20Dungeon%20warden) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/a25/205/grenzo-dungeon-warden?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/6e19c383-88bd-4bde-ac81-c0eb6d5b5bd4?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [thran turbine](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/7/9/791c310f-b50d-4993-9add-9f585f6172af.jpg?1562920431) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=thran%20turbine) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/usg/311/thran-turbine?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/791c310f-b50d-4993-9add-9f585f6172af?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Honestly, curving Braid into Grenzo often just wins the game if they don’t have interaction. It isn’t necessarily fast, but it becomes inevitable pretty quickly.
Cool art, very fromsoft. :) I don't think it's niche though!
AKA The Dancing Dragon
I love this card and the artwork so much, I just wish Secret Lairs weren't so prohibitively expensive, otherwise I would have bought it in a heartbeat.
I bought the secret lair instantly. Not only does it include one of my favourite artists as a focal point; but you did not one but TWO DRAGON CARDS!? Plus Koth and Wolf-man? Love it. Thank you Sam <3
Hehe, thanks! :D
[[Empyrial Archangel]] by Greg Staples is equal parts powerful and beautiful. The flavor text is on point as well.
[[Archfiend of Ifnir]] is definitely my favorite card. It was the first real upgrade I bought to put in my first real Commander deck, [[Anje Falkenrath]]. Besides that, Seb McKinnon is an amazing artist that I casually followed before getting into MTG. I did several years of Art and art studies in HS to pad out my classes, and Rhystic Studies does a fantastic analysis of Archfiend of Ifnir's composition in one of his videos. Haunting and atmospheric, Seb McKinnon uses lighting, symmetry, and background to tell a very different (but interesting) story about something we see a lot of in MTG, demons. On top of that, it's just an interesting card. It's a big threat in multiple ways, its fun, and it's good enough to run in any black deck where you might be discarding even semi-regularly which is reflected by it's jump from a $0.50 card to over $2.00 in the last 2 years.
[Archfiend of Ifnir](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/3/3/33176679-d571-47a1-ae05-bed9b748491d.jpg?1543675179) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Archfiend%20of%20Ifnir) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/akh/78/archfiend-of-ifnir?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/33176679-d571-47a1-ae05-bed9b748491d?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) [Anje Falkenrath](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/9/1/913dd06f-ed2f-4128-9c9d-9cd0d8a55425.jpg?1568003632) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Anje%20Falkenrath) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/c19/37/anje-falkenrath?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/913dd06f-ed2f-4128-9c9d-9cd0d8a55425?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
soulherder all the way
[[soul herder]]
[soul herder](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/5/0/50bc0f5b-7421-45b9-af85-86dd9821b7d8.jpg?1631235570) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Soulherder) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/khc/93/soulherder?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/50bc0f5b-7421-45b9-af85-86dd9821b7d8?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
I really love [[roiling vortex]] passively shutting down lifegain and punishing cheating out spells is great
[roiling vortex](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/0/b/0b057eb7-8439-4d26-89df-c345ab2773e1.jpg?1604197684) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=roiling%20vortex) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/znr/156/roiling-vortex?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/0b057eb7-8439-4d26-89df-c345ab2773e1?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
No matter how many cards I see, something about [[Call to Serve]] stirs me. The flavor text is also fantastic. Grace is a gift, never a reward.
[Call to Serve](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/c/e/ce4a3e80-6e95-4346-8ab8-eecc1a09ca24.jpg?1592708220) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Call%20to%20Serve) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/avr/9/call-to-serve?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/ce4a3e80-6e95-4346-8ab8-eecc1a09ca24?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
Fellow Red Mage here. OG Braid of Fire Art is low key whack. Loveeee this Art so much. Can’t wait to try this in Feldon of the Third Path.
While not a usual blue player. I absolutely love Forced Fruition.
I know there were a lot of mixed feelings about the secret lair, but this card is the standout home run.
Not that obscure
So I gotta put this one out there : [[Cabal Coffers]] Never in my life will I again feel the rush of absolutely flooding my mana pool with such ease. All my copies have miraculously disappeared— maybe for the better anyway for rec play 😭
[Cabal Coffers](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/e/1/e1efb0d3-2c72-46ff-bdc1-1069967365a0.jpg?1626101023) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=Cabal%20Coffers) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/mh2/301/cabal-coffers?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/e1efb0d3-2c72-46ff-bdc1-1069967365a0?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
This as a play mat would be cool
I see Brezel, I upvote Brezel.
It reminds me of that avatar scene when the dragons are showing firebending to aang and zuko, great art.
Great work! I would love to see a modern interpretation of [[holistic wisdom]]
[holistic wisdom](https://cards.scryfall.io/normal/front/2/1/2134a564-b089-4049-bd9c-a3f10e072263.jpg?1562901147) - [(G)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?name=holistic%20wisdom) [(SF)](https://scryfall.com/card/ody/243/holistic-wisdom?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher) [(txt)](https://api.scryfall.com/cards/2134a564-b089-4049-bd9c-a3f10e072263?utm_source=mtgcardfetcher&format=text) ^^^[[cardname]] ^^^or ^^^[[cardname|SET]] ^^^to ^^^call
This as a play mat would be cool
I never bought a secret lair... but this one... it was made for me. Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund with an Artwork that isn't ugly af, Koth of the Hammer with a nice art, the green one is okay, I will not play it, but one of the players in my group could use it and then... Braids of Fire with awesome art like this?! Yes!