I built this deck and I get to take it for my first test run tonight. I'll let you know how it goes. My deck is 90% the same except for the mana base, sun titan over mox diamond (money), and flip garruk over elspeth. (Because I thought I had an elspeth but I dont). Any last minute tips for my first time piloting stax?
Try and get a feel for your group: if Atraxa is kill on sight, then make sure you can protect her the turn she comes into play. 4 Mana isn't a ton, but it does add up. Otherwise, if you feel comfortable with your hand, your opponent's board presence, and your mana base, generally any tutor should go to Tangle wire, stasis, or Doubling season.
My suggestion after playing her is that she's really bonkers if you can add +1/+1 counters on creatures, especially herself. Honorable mention Opal Palace. Oh and you will be recasting her a lot, but thanks to Everflowing Chalice and Astral Cornucopia you will get a lot of mana - easily able to cast her 5-10 times per game. I would also like to stress that you include something that increases her strength and toughness to 5 or 6, as most fliers (and therefore blockers) tend to be 5/5's. Either that or first strike to make use of her death touch ability - or you can use that extra mana to recast her after she killed the blocker - very few decks have multiple flying blockers to sustain the flying onslaught Atraxa represents.
There really aren't any ways to add +1/+1 counters in this deck as they would dilute the overall strategy. If need be, Elspeth can make her a rather terrifying 7/7 while still pushing towards her ult. Keep in mind too that there are very few worthwhile creatures that are 4 or less mana that can stop Atraxa. In fact, if you are playing it right, your opponents shouldn't really have much to block with or any resources. I would also try and avoid needing to cast her too often due to us playing Winter Orb, Stasis, Static Orb, and Tangle Wire.
My advice for playing stax is that you need to always keep in your mind that you will win by slow-rolling ppl. Eeek out advantage and try never to back peddle. Stax runs lots of artifacts and enchantments. Do not overextend if you are already squeezing enough resources. Finally, recursion is huge in stax. Ppl will hate you and target you. Academy ruins, replenish, season's past, e.witness, Sun Titan (great choice in stax, is fantastic in Derevi), etc. Nothing is worse than to finally break out of a lock to have that same piece staring at you next turn. It's rather hilarious. For me.
No, the orb will be a PRIME target. and once it's finally destroyed you will have a dumb 3/2 that draws you nothing. Also, you want Stasis too and maybe Rising Waters or Hokori, etc...there just aren't enough artifacts to justify it in the typical Atraxa build.
but staff of domination, hell yes! So, maybe esper artifacts?
Would you consider playing the Quicksmith spoiled in Aether Revolt since it synergizes with the orbs so well?
I would consider it if it cost maybe one less and we had one more card that it synergized with (as is, only Winter Orb and Static Orb Synergize with it). Sadly that is not the case.
Quicksmith is unfortunately too slow and unsynergistic. She lets us draw but turns key pieces into even bigger targets. Seems like a lot of risk for an unnecessary reward.
I was thinking something like "Phyrexian Smog" what with Atraxa being Phyrexian and smog referencing Smokestacks, the namesake of the stax strategy. Plus Smog sounds more degenerate than smokestacks or smoke which is good cause we are going for a competitive deck. I will play with it though.
I was thinking something like "Phyrexian Smog" what with Atraxa being Phyrexian and smog referencing Smokestacks, the namesake of the stax strategy. Plus Smog sounds more degenerate than smokestacks or smoke which is good cause we are going for a competitive deck. I will play with it though.
Haha I don't know why but I read that as "phyrexian Smooch". Also hi everyone, I got the deck on release day and I've been trying different approaches, so far I wanted to ask your opinions on these cards:
I was thinking something like "Phyrexian Smog" what with Atraxa being Phyrexian and smog referencing Smokestacks, the namesake of the stax strategy. Plus Smog sounds more degenerate than smokestacks or smoke which is good cause we are going for a competitive deck. I will play with it though.
Haha I don't know why but I read that as "phyrexian Smooch". Also hi everyone, I got the deck on release day and I've been trying different approaches, so far I wanted to ask your opinions on these cards:
I was thinking in a "light stax" sort of thing which would punish degenerate plays and encourage sorc. speed gameplay.
I have seen some lists that focus more around hate bears than planeswalkers so yea it could totally work. While I don't think that direction is more effective, I don't see it as being ineffective either.
More specifically:
Eidolon of Rehtoric is solid especially if you have combo decks running around. Make sure to pair it with Zur.
Spirit of the Labyrinth is good as well. Pair with Zur and try and make your draw effects work with it: Necropotence and Dark Confidant.
Leovold is in the original list.
Dosan of the falling leaf is...a crumbier version of Grand Abolisher. Abolisher is great so I guess only run dosan if you really really need him.
In the Eye of chaos is good if that is what you are looking for, that being said, I think instants really help our deck so you are probably going to be shooting yourself in the foot if you run it.
Defense Grid is pretty solid after you establish a lock. Still I like Abolisher better.
Monastery Siege is fantastic if you want the +1/+1 counters route to be an option. Since you are probably going to have more targets for it then try it out. Still it is a little expensive.
Karmic Justice always looks great in theory, but too often it takes a single piece of removal, then whatever you were trying to protect get hit. I have not had good experiences with it.
I was thinking something like "Phyrexian Smog" what with Atraxa being Phyrexian and smog referencing Smokestacks, the namesake of the stax strategy. Plus Smog sounds more degenerate than smokestacks or smoke which is good cause we are going for a competitive deck. I will play with it though.
Haha I don't know why but I read that as "phyrexian Smooch". Also hi everyone, I got the deck on release day and I've been trying different approaches, so far I wanted to ask your opinions on these cards:
I was thinking in a "light stax" sort of thing which would punish degenerate plays and encourage sorc. speed gameplay.
A lot of those seem like meta decisions to me. If you have to deal with a lot of wheel decks yidris, leo, etc spirit is great. A lot of fast combo stuff eidolon is great. Leo is in the list. Grand abolisher is probably a better option than grid or dosan. Siege is a bit expensive for something thay is likely unnecessary. Karmic justice is just bad. It rarely accomplishes what you want it to.
As for a deck name, I have no idea lol. I have it saved in my deck buolder as Astaxa cuz stax. I'll se if I can't think of something.
How is the mana base feeling? I have been finding that I often have to mull my opening hand because it doesn't quite have enough mana sources. Colors are generally good, but I am considering adding one more land.
I haven't played in maybe 3-4 weeks due to work and whatnot, but you're probably roght about adding one more land. I never ran into too many issues that I remember though so don't wanna go too overboard with that.
I find this annoying as I don't want to have to open other windows or have to memorize what every possible commander does just to understand what your primer is talking about. That's why we card tag things. Anyway, I would recommend you tag Atraxa somewhere so it's visible for everyone else.
I imagine most people know what Atraxa does since she was released barely over a month ago, but I'll card tag her so your life is just a tad more convenient.
I imagine most people know what Atraxa does since she was released barely over a month ago, but I'll card tag her so your life is just a tad more convenient.
Well card tags are actually one of the basic requirements for a primer, if you were planning on going that route. So even if another user hadn't brought it up the Primer Committee would have. One of the keys of a successful primer is that it includes everything a reader might need to know, under the assumption that the reader doesn't know what a card does.
A fair enough assessment; however, there are better ways to point out an overalsight like than to just be a dick about it and complain that it makes your life ever so challenging.
A fair enough assessment; however, there are better ways to point out an overalsight like than to just be a dick about it and complain that it makes your life ever so challenging.
Yea...gotta agree with Joseph on this one.
I have been kinda meh about Armageddon lately. It feels rather redundant and requires a fair bit of setup. My thought is to drop it in favor of either Sphere of Resistance or Grand Arbiter Augustin IV. Thoughts?
I think you may be right on this. It feels redundant and I'm rarely happy topdeckin if I haven't gotten a fair ways to establishing a lock. Once we have a lock it's pretty redundant. Out of the two things you suggested I think sphere may be better. It is a symmetrical effect but the cost reduction from GAAIV is negligible in most situations and he costs twice as much.
I think you may be right on this. It feels redundant and I'm rarely happy topdeckin if I haven't gotten a fair ways to establishing a lock. Once we have a lock it's pretty redundant. Out of the two things you suggested I think sphere may be better. It is a symmetrical effect but the cost reduction from GAAIV is negligible in most situations and he costs twice as much.
I think GAAIV is a little more complicated than that.
Pros for GAAIV:
-Non symmetrical tax
-cheapens about 17 of our spells (depending on what you play)
-can carry sword
-can trigger derevi
-Can trigger Tamiyo, Field Researcher
Cons:
-is a creature so dies a lot
-costs twice as much, two of which are colored mana
Pros for Sphere:
-Cheaper colorless mana
-harder to shoot artifacts
-activates Mox Opal
-can be recurred with Sun Titan (if you play it)
Cons:
-makes us even more susceptible to Kataki
-symmetrical
Any I missed?
I am not saying it is better, I am just saying that there are more factors to consider.
Try and get a feel for your group: if Atraxa is kill on sight, then make sure you can protect her the turn she comes into play. 4 Mana isn't a ton, but it does add up. Otherwise, if you feel comfortable with your hand, your opponent's board presence, and your mana base, generally any tutor should go to Tangle wire, stasis, or Doubling season.
Looking forward to hearing about your experience!
There really aren't any ways to add +1/+1 counters in this deck as they would dilute the overall strategy. If need be, Elspeth can make her a rather terrifying 7/7 while still pushing towards her ult. Keep in mind too that there are very few worthwhile creatures that are 4 or less mana that can stop Atraxa. In fact, if you are playing it right, your opponents shouldn't really have much to block with or any resources. I would also try and avoid needing to cast her too often due to us playing Winter Orb, Stasis, Static Orb, and Tangle Wire.
but staff of domination, hell yes! So, maybe esper artifacts?
I would consider it if it cost maybe one less and we had one more card that it synergized with (as is, only Winter Orb and Static Orb Synergize with it). Sadly that is not the case.
Atraxa, I'd tap that
Multiplayer Decks- Memnarch - Animar, Soul of Elements - Zur, the Enchanter - Atraxa, Praetors' Voice - Food Chain Tazri - Teysa Karlov
Modern BUMill and Bant Spirits.
Thank you Xenphire for the signature!
...lol
I am looking into something a little more clever.
Multiplayer Decks- Memnarch - Animar, Soul of Elements - Zur, the Enchanter - Atraxa, Praetors' Voice - Food Chain Tazri - Teysa Karlov
Modern BUMill and Bant Spirits.
Thank you Xenphire for the signature!
Haha I don't know why but I read that as "phyrexian Smooch". Also hi everyone, I got the deck on release day and I've been trying different approaches, so far I wanted to ask your opinions on these cards:
I was thinking in a "light stax" sort of thing which would punish degenerate plays and encourage sorc. speed gameplay.
I have seen some lists that focus more around hate bears than planeswalkers so yea it could totally work. While I don't think that direction is more effective, I don't see it as being ineffective either.
More specifically:
Eidolon of Rehtoric is solid especially if you have combo decks running around. Make sure to pair it with Zur.
Spirit of the Labyrinth is good as well. Pair with Zur and try and make your draw effects work with it: Necropotence and Dark Confidant.
Leovold is in the original list.
Dosan of the falling leaf is...a crumbier version of Grand Abolisher. Abolisher is great so I guess only run dosan if you really really need him.
In the Eye of chaos is good if that is what you are looking for, that being said, I think instants really help our deck so you are probably going to be shooting yourself in the foot if you run it.
Defense Grid is pretty solid after you establish a lock. Still I like Abolisher better.
Monastery Siege is fantastic if you want the +1/+1 counters route to be an option. Since you are probably going to have more targets for it then try it out. Still it is a little expensive.
Karmic Justice always looks great in theory, but too often it takes a single piece of removal, then whatever you were trying to protect get hit. I have not had good experiences with it.
Hope that helps.
A lot of those seem like meta decisions to me. If you have to deal with a lot of wheel decks yidris, leo, etc spirit is great. A lot of fast combo stuff eidolon is great. Leo is in the list. Grand abolisher is probably a better option than grid or dosan. Siege is a bit expensive for something thay is likely unnecessary. Karmic justice is just bad. It rarely accomplishes what you want it to.
As for a deck name, I have no idea lol. I have it saved in my deck buolder as Astaxa cuz stax. I'll se if I can't think of something.
I find this annoying as I don't want to have to open other windows or have to memorize what every possible commander does just to understand what your primer is talking about. That's why we card tag things. Anyway, I would recommend you tag Atraxa somewhere so it's visible for everyone else.
Well card tags are actually one of the basic requirements for a primer, if you were planning on going that route. So even if another user hadn't brought it up the Primer Committee would have. One of the keys of a successful primer is that it includes everything a reader might need to know, under the assumption that the reader doesn't know what a card does.
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Yea...gotta agree with Joseph on this one.
I have been kinda meh about Armageddon lately. It feels rather redundant and requires a fair bit of setup. My thought is to drop it in favor of either Sphere of Resistance or Grand Arbiter Augustin IV. Thoughts?
I think GAAIV is a little more complicated than that.
Pros for GAAIV:
-Non symmetrical tax
-cheapens about 17 of our spells (depending on what you play)
-can carry sword
-can trigger derevi
-Can trigger Tamiyo, Field Researcher
Cons:
-is a creature so dies a lot
-costs twice as much, two of which are colored mana
Pros for Sphere:
-Cheaper colorless mana
-harder to shoot artifacts
-activates Mox Opal
-can be recurred with Sun Titan (if you play it)
Cons:
-makes us even more susceptible to Kataki
-symmetrical
Any I missed?
I am not saying it is better, I am just saying that there are more factors to consider.
-
Multiplayer Decks- Memnarch - Animar, Soul of Elements - Zur, the Enchanter - Atraxa, Praetors' Voice - Food Chain Tazri - Teysa Karlov
Modern BUMill and Bant Spirits.
Thank you Xenphire for the signature!