I have this list proxied and it has works pretty well for me, although the Legacy environment around where I play is rather poor. Can someone tell me why nobody plays Stasis in Legacy? There is almost no mention of it at all on the forums here, just an old closed primer in General. It seems too powerful to really have no application.
EDH: GGG Omnath, Locus of Mana (Ramp)GGG UG Momir, Simic Visionary (Combo/Control Elves and Friends) UG UR Nin, the Pain Artist (Control) UR WG Saffi Eriksdotter (Combo Reanimator) WG WUG Phelddagrif (True Group Hug) WUG WUGR Ink-Treader Nephilim (COMBO) WUGR
Other Assorted Decks
I suppose it just comes down to being able to land the combo when they have less than 2 mana so they never can cast the decay. After the combo's in place, there is no more casting anything for anyone (accept force, daze, and whatever comes off of free mana sources like spirit guide).
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Modern: RWUAmerican TempoRWU
EDH: GGG Omnath, Locus of Mana (Ramp)GGG UG Momir, Simic Visionary (Combo/Control Elves and Friends) UG UR Nin, the Pain Artist (Control) UR WG Saffi Eriksdotter (Combo Reanimator) WG WUG Phelddagrif (True Group Hug) WUG WUGR Ink-Treader Nephilim (COMBO) WUGR
Other Assorted Decks
Stasis+Root Maze+enabler (Forsaken City/Ral Zarek) is a 3-card combo that doesn't actually win the game but still requires drawing and resolving some sort of win condition. While possible to assemble in Legacy and possible to play around Abrupt Decay, it's usually just easier to assemble a 2-card combo that wins the game immediately and/or has redundancies. I mean, for 2-cards you can just assemble "I Win" with Painter+Grindstone or Entomb+Shallow Grave. Yeah you can play Stasis in a blue shell with cantrips and counters and tutors to make it more consistent. But you can also play SneakShow/OmniTell/Reanimator, with similar support cards but just win easier. Most people prefer to play the "win easier" combos. Those decks are just way more consistent at going off against disruption.
Also, prison decks that are slow at winning are disproportionately unpopular tournament choices (even if they CAN win) as:
a) more mental exhaustion as rounds accumulate (you play longer games than everyone else)
b) risk of drawing out against slow opponent
c) less time to get food or scope opponents, leading to incremental disadvantages
Some people have tried Stasis with Ral Zarek with some results, but it appears to be overall inconsistent and unpopular.
Been brewing myself, i would drop anvils and ebony owl, they do nothing for furthering the archetype. As for abrupt decay you need to run a non zero number of misdirection.
As far as wincons go, run a durable vigilance creature or something not dependent on your opponent, Mystic Penitent fits the ticket I think. Cheap creature that comes down before or after stasis and starts hitting for 2 flying/vigilance after a few turns. I'm thinking laboratory maniac could be a possible wincon as well.
That list is a good start, but i see it getting entirely blown out by dredge. Instead of running elvish spirit guides you could run mox diamond since it fixes your mana even better too, or run both because this is a combo deck right?
My brew was RBUG, using discard effects like thoughtsieze to minimize answers/threats, stasis for the lock, and dragonmaster outcast to kill with tokens. Run the full gambit of cheap artifact mana as well. Its just an archetype that has no fast wincons.
Modern: UUUBlue Man Group
Legacy: UWBMiracles
Edh: UUUThassa Control WWWHokori Stax GGGJolrael, Empress of Land Stompy BBBGriselbrand French List RBGShattergang(Super Villians) RWGHazezon Flicker UBRMarchesa Aggro URGMaelstom Wanderer (Maelstorm)
Planeswalkers seem like a better win con than vulnerable creatures. Garruk and Ral work both as enablers and wins. Maybe Jace too?
Creatures that don't have some kind of built-in protection are vulnerable to removal spells (and they'll probably have some removal sandbagged for if they can ever generate mana). Seems safer to play something harder to interact with. Otherwise you might as well just play Chronatog FTW. Ebony Owls don't seem bad. Very hard to kill, since opposing Abrupt Decays will be aimed at Stasis. Ebony Owl also gives you something to Misdirect an Abrupt Decay into if opponent has no permanents.
Getting blown out by Dredge is a non issue. Most decks get blown out by Dredge in game 1. Luckily, sideboards exist.
I have a friend of a friend that played U/R Stasis. Jace, Ral Zarek, and a singleton eldrazi were his wincon.
I don't know if it was SB or MD but Vedalken Shackles, but I remember that too.
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The very fact that Flamethrowers exist proves that someone somewhere said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire... But I'm just not close enough to do it"
I actually really like your list a lot. It would do well in my meta I think. I used to play it years ago but I played WU Chronatog Stasis. Decks like Stasis and Solidarity have just fallen way out of favor over the years because of the evolution of the meta. I love the deck personally and I'm sure it would catch a lot of people off guard at a SCG Open.
I used to also play Portent if you've ever tried it.
Yeah I really enjoy Stasis decks as well. I used to run a mono-U Chronatog build.
SCG recently featured a Bant Stasis list that looked pretty cool. It used mana creatures, Quirion Ranger, and Scryb Ranger with Exploration and Horn of Greed as the engine. I'm in the process of building it (or some iteration thereof) because Stasis is the best!
Stasis is probably my favorite archetype ever, as it's the deck that got me into Magic so many years ago. But nowadays the card (and the deck that comes with it) is just a worse version of Stax hard lock, with the difference being Stax actually hard locks the opponent and destroys all their permanents, and Smokestack can't be Abrupt Decayed. Plus the entire deck can be brown and has much better mana acceleration. I've been trying for years to make Stax work again but even that deck isn't viable anymore.
I used to play stasis, but after the 500th or so time a game i start to play began with my opponent asking "your not playing stasis are you?" I retired the deck.
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The answer is purple because ice cream has no bones.
Hells yeah! Stasis should be brought back. I like several interactions in your decklist, did not even know about Forsaken City but that's sweet! Tabernacle, root maze, awesome. As people have mentioned though, if it all relies on stasis, it's pretty vulnerable. There's not much (virtually nil) enchantment hate in Legacy, but it is absolutely going to die to things like Abrupt Decay and Pyroblast. You willl need some insurance to get this out, get multiple copies, and/or protect it. Enlightened Tutor is of course great, what about Sterling Grove for fetch and protection? I could see a Rest in Peace/Helm of Obedience kill working here. As has been said, Misdirection is a fun way to turn abrupt decay your way. Keep going with this! I think you need more stuff that will untap your stuff though... there's so many great cards that do that. I will have to come back with a full list of suggestions for you.
Props for thinking out the box.
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~Playing~
LegacyHelm LegacyBelcher LegacyCheeri 0 s LegacyManaless Dredge CubeDragons
I think the whole stasis archetype can be exploited by the fact that planeswalkers don't tap. I retired after mirage playing a stasis deck that relied on decking and was by no means tournament caliber. I just had plenty of instants that returned stasis to my hand at the end of your turn and the old relic that is time elemental. Howling mines, millstones, and a timely prosperity or braingeyser for the win. I'm proud to say I stumbled upon the forsaken city exploit back then by total happenstance. I picked the game back up right in the middle of M15 and was taken aback by these new planeswalkers who essentially exist outside of the battlefield. I play standard pretty much now, but I'm itching to rekindle stasis. I have about 13 forces of will because it was widely available when I stopped playing. Cards like jace and ashiok seem like they could bleed a deck pretty fast if you can get a lock established. I will use mindcrank as an alternate win condition, but as you say it is all dependent on getting stasis out. Somebody win an event with a stasis deck.
I would love stasis to work. If anyone gets a list that can lock quickly and securely please post.
Keeping stasis and playing free spells seems to not work with 3 sphere/stacks.
Maybe energy field, with rips/helm as wincons?
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People with belligerent signatures are trying to compensate for something....
4 Anvil of Bogardan
1 Ebony Owl Netsuke
Enchantments (8)
4 Root Maze
4 Stasis
Instants (26)
4 Brainstorm
4 Crop Rotation
4 Daze
4 Enlightened Tutor
4 Force of Will
3 Impulse
3 Swan Song
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Breeding Pool
4 Forsaken City
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
4 Tropical Island
4 Tundra
RWUAmerican TempoRWU
EDH:
GGG Omnath, Locus of Mana (Ramp)GGG
UG Momir, Simic Visionary (Combo/Control Elves and Friends) UG
UR Nin, the Pain Artist (Control) UR
WG Saffi Eriksdotter (Combo Reanimator) WG
WUG Phelddagrif (True Group Hug) WUG
WUGR Ink-Treader Nephilim (COMBO) WUGR
Other Assorted Decks
RWUAmerican TempoRWU
EDH:
GGG Omnath, Locus of Mana (Ramp)GGG
UG Momir, Simic Visionary (Combo/Control Elves and Friends) UG
UR Nin, the Pain Artist (Control) UR
WG Saffi Eriksdotter (Combo Reanimator) WG
WUG Phelddagrif (True Group Hug) WUG
WUGR Ink-Treader Nephilim (COMBO) WUGR
Other Assorted Decks
Stasis+Root Maze+enabler (Forsaken City/Ral Zarek) is a 3-card combo that doesn't actually win the game but still requires drawing and resolving some sort of win condition. While possible to assemble in Legacy and possible to play around Abrupt Decay, it's usually just easier to assemble a 2-card combo that wins the game immediately and/or has redundancies. I mean, for 2-cards you can just assemble "I Win" with Painter+Grindstone or Entomb+Shallow Grave. Yeah you can play Stasis in a blue shell with cantrips and counters and tutors to make it more consistent. But you can also play SneakShow/OmniTell/Reanimator, with similar support cards but just win easier. Most people prefer to play the "win easier" combos. Those decks are just way more consistent at going off against disruption.
Also, prison decks that are slow at winning are disproportionately unpopular tournament choices (even if they CAN win) as:
a) more mental exhaustion as rounds accumulate (you play longer games than everyone else)
b) risk of drawing out against slow opponent
c) less time to get food or scope opponents, leading to incremental disadvantages
Some people have tried Stasis with Ral Zarek with some results, but it appears to be overall inconsistent and unpopular.
As far as wincons go, run a durable vigilance creature or something not dependent on your opponent, Mystic Penitent fits the ticket I think. Cheap creature that comes down before or after stasis and starts hitting for 2 flying/vigilance after a few turns. I'm thinking laboratory maniac could be a possible wincon as well.
That list is a good start, but i see it getting entirely blown out by dredge. Instead of running elvish spirit guides you could run mox diamond since it fixes your mana even better too, or run both because this is a combo deck right?
My brew was RBUG, using discard effects like thoughtsieze to minimize answers/threats, stasis for the lock, and dragonmaster outcast to kill with tokens. Run the full gambit of cheap artifact mana as well. Its just an archetype that has no fast wincons.
Draft it Here!
UUUBlue Man Group
Legacy:
UWBMiracles
Edh:
UUUThassa Control
WWWHokori Stax
GGGJolrael, Empress of Land Stompy
BBBGriselbrand French List
RBGShattergang(Super Villians)
RWGHazezon Flicker
UBRMarchesa Aggro
URGMaelstom Wanderer (Maelstorm)
Creatures that don't have some kind of built-in protection are vulnerable to removal spells (and they'll probably have some removal sandbagged for if they can ever generate mana). Seems safer to play something harder to interact with. Otherwise you might as well just play Chronatog FTW. Ebony Owls don't seem bad. Very hard to kill, since opposing Abrupt Decays will be aimed at Stasis. Ebony Owl also gives you something to Misdirect an Abrupt Decay into if opponent has no permanents.
Getting blown out by Dredge is a non issue. Most decks get blown out by Dredge in game 1. Luckily, sideboards exist.
I don't know if it was SB or MD but Vedalken Shackles, but I remember that too.
Stasis is mana denial at its core, and the best mana denial strategy in Legacy is the Delver deck, IMO.
I used to also play Portent if you've ever tried it.
Glad to see people still want to play it.
SCG recently featured a Bant Stasis list that looked pretty cool. It used mana creatures, Quirion Ranger, and Scryb Ranger with Exploration and Horn of Greed as the engine. I'm in the process of building it (or some iteration thereof) because Stasis is the best!
Props for thinking out the box.
Legacy Helm
Legacy Belcher
Legacy Cheeri 0 s
Legacy Manaless Dredge
Cube Dragons
~
Keeping stasis and playing free spells seems to not work with 3 sphere/stacks.
Maybe energy field, with rips/helm as wincons?
Three words "people hate it"
Three words " it's to slow"
Three words "it won't win"
thats all that I've got out of stasis through my magic career
[center][color=Blue]
Edric Spy and die
Azami the lady of the draw
Naya Zoo
Past decks
Orloro
sharuum the hegemond
Mono black control
splinter twin