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Braid of Fire

Enchantment

Cumulative upkeep—Add {R}. (At the beginning of your upkeep, put an age counter on this permanent, then sacrifice it unless you pay its upkeep cost for each age counter on it.)

CMC
2
Mana cost
{1}{R}
Color identity
R
Rarity
rare
Set
Secret Lair Drop
Price
—
EDHREC rank
#4084
Buy on TCGplayer
Braid of Fire card art
Braid of Fire adds a cumulative upkeep trigger that grows your mana every turn — and in Commander, where Obeka, Splitter of Seconds can skip the upkeep cost entirely, that growth never stops. The card is a mandatory inclusion in any red deck built around mana-hungry activated abilities, and Electro, Assaulting Battery sitting at 57% inclusion rate makes the case louder than any argument can.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Electro, Assaulting Battery

Electro, Assaulting Battery

57.5% of decks · synergy 0.53

Electro, Assaulting Battery runs Braid of Fire in over half its builds because the commander wants to dump mana into activated abilities at instant speed, and Braid supplies a growing red pool that exists exactly when you need it — on your upkeep before you untap. The synergy score of 0.53 reflects a near-mandatory relationship.

02
Ozai, the Phoenix King

Ozai, the Phoenix King

48.7% of decks · synergy 0.47

Ozai, the Phoenix King converts excess red mana into damage and recurring threats, so Braid of Fire's snowballing upkeep mana feeds directly into that gameplan. Nearly half of all Ozai decks include it for good reason.

03
Ashling the Pilgrim

Ashling the Pilgrim

49.0% of decks · synergy 0.44

Ashling the Pilgrim charges herself with red mana, and Braid of Fire provides a dedicated, growing pool to do exactly that every turn without touching your land drops. The more counters on Braid, the faster Ashling threatens a board wipe.

04
Ashling, Flame Dancer

Ashling, Flame Dancer

46.1% of decks · synergy 0.42

Ashling, Flame Dancer rewards casting and activating red spells repeatedly, and Braid of Fire ensures there's always fuel available on upkeep to keep the engine running. At 46% inclusion across over five thousand decks, it's a staple rather than a spice pick.

05
Xantcha, Sleeper Agent

Xantcha, Sleeper Agent

18.7% of decks · synergy 0.17

Xantcha, Sleeper Agent has a repeatable activated ability that costs red mana and drains opponents — Braid of Fire offsets that cost cleanly, letting you activate multiple times per turn cycle without straining your regular mana base.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer not legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is where Braid of Fire actually lives — the cumulative upkeep drawback is manageable over long games, opponents rarely have clean answers to enchantments, and commanders like Obeka, Splitter of Seconds can neutralize the cost entirely. In Legacy and Vintage, Braid of Fire is legal but sees essentially no competitive play; the cumulative upkeep is punishing in faster formats where games rarely reach the turns needed to recoup the investment. Modern legality doesn't translate to Modern relevance — the format is too fast and too interactive for a do-nothing enchantment that takes multiple turns to generate meaningful returns. Oathbreaker is the one other 60-card-adjacent format where Braid of Fire can find a home, particularly in red storm or activation-heavy signatures.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Price Context

Current price

unknown tier

Current pricing data for Braid of Fire isn't available in this snapshot, so check Scryfall or TCGPlayer for the live number before buying. Historically it has traded as a casual staple with moderate demand, so expect it to reflect that — not a bulk rare, but not a chase card either.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.