Has anyone noticed all the "Braids, Arisen Nightmare" players in Commander?

[GwennieMacrae]

AFAIK its a precon deck and I get that that plays a factor in so many people playing it but jeepers like I've found that like maybe a solid 40% or so of people I play in 1v1 over the passed 2 weeks or so have been playing that Braids deck.

And what's weird is that I notice a decent handful of them also play veeeeeerrrry slooooooow. Which I could chalk up to like, "New player just signed up, bought a cheap precon, still learning how the OS works" but it just stood out to me that its always these Braids players. And while its not all of them, its a decent amount of them that aren't just "kinda slow" but like they'll have already burnt 5 mins on their timer within the first 3 turns kinda slow. Like where they're stalling 20-30+ second every time they're prompted to respond to anything.

I also have noticed a few just playing weird. Like I've seen it a few times where a Braid player will do something like 1st turn: Swamp tap, Dark ritual (40 seconds pass).......2nd main phase, end turn. And thats it...they do nothing with the mana, they just seem to like do random stuff for no reason.

Not really complaining or anything here. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed these odd Braids players.

 

[Torbin]

I would bet money all those players are all new as we have had a pretty big influx of new players due to many things we are doing.

 

[GwennieMacrae]

I would bet money all those players are all new as we have had a pretty big influx of new players due to many things we are doing.

Right on, I mean I def am happy to have new players!! Heck I wish more people realized how nice MTGO is tbh. There's a reason I choose playing it over Arena or any of the free options. So for sure, would love to see more new players coming in!

Lol idk...just specifically these Braids, Arisen Nightmare players have been catching my attention recently just from their weird actions and odd/slow playing. Again, sincerely not complaining, just something that stood out to me.

 

[GwennieMacrae]

Okay wait though.....this is getting too weird and consistent for it to feel like its just new players?

When I say they're slow, I mean REALLY slow. Like multiple times within the passed 24 hours or so, I've played entirely different accounts playing Braids, Arisen Nightmare that have lost the game due to timing out. Where like I'll have 12-13 mins left on my clock (I set my games to 15 mins) and they'll have dropped to zero and been DQ'd by round 5 or 6. Like they're literally pausing for 10-15+ seconds after EVERY SINGLE prompt to respond, taking 2+ mins EVERY turn.

And on top of that, these Braids players will make odd mistakes. Like multiple times now I've seen completely different Braids players cast Dark Ritual and just do nothing. They cast it and pass the turn. Or they'll cast Bone Shredder on an empty board or just generally make odd plays that I can't help but think even a new player wouldn't make and certainly not multiple "new players" playing the same deck, making the same mistake.

I also notice they never concede. No matter how low their timer gets, no matter what the situation is, they always play until the timer hits zero. Like they're not "timing out" in the sense where they just sit there doing nothing. Technically they ARE doing stuff, they will pass priority, it just takes them a REALLY long time to do everything.

Are these like bots or something? This is too weird. I even saved some screenshots and these are just recent games. Notice the times on the clock and the turn number. It's not like they're running out of time after turn 15 or something. And this is only the screenshots I've taken today, I didn't think to screenshot other games but these aren't the only times it's happened with the Braids players.

https://imgur.com/a/b766Ibg

https://imgur.com/a/6pURO4i

https://imgur.com/GrAwSvd

I've ONLY seen Braids players do this. And there's just soooo many Braids players suddenly. Are you given a Braids precon when you start up? Are there any other choices for precons for starter players? Why is it only Braids players? Lol, I have so many questions!

 

[Firedrake]

It's not just the Braids Freecon. I've had it happen against the Pioneer Mono-White Aggro Tribal Humans Freecon, in which only one card costs more than 2 mana to cast (Adeline). They frequently tap out, and then cast nothing and pass the turn. Many of them don't understand the timing yet, like trying to cast Sorceries on someone else's turn.

And a lot of them don't know how to Concede, so they just stumble through the game until it's over. Or don't even realize there's a clock. The UI is a learning process, and can be steep for those unfamiliar with the game in general.

And yes, Snoz, the Braids Commander deck is a freebie with the $5 Account Upgrade Kit (along with one each for Pioneer, Modern, Legacy and Pauper -- all of which are mono, aggro, and some would say, too strong to be considered "JFF"). They're all annoying, but at least they're bringing new prospects into the game. Us old-timers just need to practice patience, and tolerance.

And remember, if it annoys you too badly, you too have the option to Concede and move on.

 

[GwennieMacrae]

It's not just the Braids Freecon. I've had it happen against the Pioneer Mono-White Aggro Tribal Humans Freecon, in which only one card costs more than 2 mana to cast (Adeline). They frequently tap out, and then cast nothing and pass the turn. Many of them don't understand the timing yet, like trying to cast Sorceries on someone else's turn.

And a lot of them don't know how to Concede, so they just stumble through the game until it's over. Or don't even realize there's a clock. The UI is a learning process, and can be steep for those unfamiliar with the game in general.

And yes, Gwen, the Braids Commander deck is a freebie with the $5 Account Upgrade Kit (along with one each for Pioneer, Modern, Legacy and Pauper -- all of which are mono, aggro, and some would say, too strong to be considered "JFF"). They're all annoying, but at least they're bringing new prospects into the game. Us old-timers just need to practice patience, and tolerance.

And remember, if it annoys you too badly, you too have the option to Concede and move on.

Well like I said a few times in the posts above. I'm sincerely not annoyed nor am I complaining really. It just stood out to me that it was ONLY the Braids deck. I mean I believe you've seen it as well with a diff deck. But as someone who exclusively plays 1v1 commander, I've only seen it with the Braids deck myself.

I guess it makes sense that its a "free" deck that a lot of new players get. And again, as I said in the posts above the last, I think its great we're getting new players and obviously I'm being patient, as the screenshots posted above show, I'm waiting until they run out of time too. I'm not upset or annoyed at all. It just seemed odd to me that diff accounts playing the same deck all made similar mistakes and would take so long between every action.

So for sure, I mean...I guess it's "just new players" or whatever. It's just like idk...even if you're brand new to the UI. Like if you were able to figure out to press "ok" once in response to something, it would just seem odd that it would take a person 15+ seconds EVERY TIME after that to press the ok button in response to the same effect.

Like i've won games against Braids players just by switching Equipment back and forth between creatures just cause it took them so long between every activation that their timer would run out. And this wasn't to like be cheap or unsporting, I was playing Nadu so I had a reason to and I was sincerely curious as to how they'd react and if they'd ever respond faster. But it would always take a long time for them to respond each time.

It just seemed like oddly consistent behaviour between different people playing the same exact deck.