I was looking through my old cards and I realized I could make my drana deck in to a Stax type deck. My questions are the following.
1. Is a stax type deck using cards like smokestack viable in MP?
It seems like in my meta that people zoom real far ahead of me a lot of times in terms of permanents on the board and these are usually the decks I have trouble with.
2. What type of match ups would Stax be most effective? In my mind not knowing much about Stax it seems like whoever has the best token/permanent generation will win but it costed me cards to make that happen.
3. What are the basics to playing a stax/monoblack/control deck?
4. As a total noob to Stax, what should I know or consider before playing Stax?
Artifact stax is most effective. Maybe ramp into Deathcloud while makimg people discard. Braids with Bittetblossom, Breeding Pit. Pox, Small Pox, Mind Twist, Ensaring Bridge will help you delay.
It's definitely workable, best done with Xiahou Dun (which is a bit of a worry for the bank balance). That said, it's never seemed to be amazingly effective, because most EDH decks are naturally resistant to stax, and green decks in particular can often benefit more than you do from your machinations.
You added smokestack and tanglewire, voila, it worked. But not against creature based lists.
Your problem with EDH stax is this: when playing against creature based decks, you need to put Smokestack up to at least 2 counters, and creature based decks should be rocking around 10 ways to blow up artifacts and enchantments. They both *wreck* you.
Mono B stax revolves around Braids, Cabal Minion in EDH, and is paired with cards like The Abyss and Chains of Mephistopheles along with token generation. You basically just try to keep the board clean. You can kinda build it in any color that can easily tutor for the pieces, mono U for Arcum Dagsson is probably the best even though you lose braids.
I played with a Savra, Queen of the Golgari Stax style build for a while and it seemed to do "just ok" in duels, and in multiplayer, it was just too hard to get stuff online and running. Keeping a Smokestack or Braids in play against 3 other players is near impossible, and just trying to keep everyone down with disruption makes you the tables primary target.
Thanks guys. You confirmed what I already thought but wasn't sure of. I wont bother with Stax in MP. It really seems like it would mostly hurt the player thats already in trouble from mana screw or something so he's low on permanents and the biggest threat would just sac a unimportant permanent as they go on winning.
I was looking through my old cards and I realized I could make my drana deck in to a Stax type deck. My questions are the following.
1. Is a stax type deck using cards like smokestack viable in MP?
It seems like in my meta that people zoom real far ahead of me a lot of times in terms of permanents on the board and these are usually the decks I have trouble with.
2. What type of match ups would Stax be most effective? In my mind not knowing much about Stax it seems like whoever has the best token/permanent generation will win but it costed me cards to make that happen.
3. What are the basics to playing a stax/monoblack/control deck?
4. As a total noob to Stax, what should I know or consider before playing Stax?
Thank you for your time.
Thank You Rivenor/Miraculous Recovery Studios!
GGGSKamahl's Band of Monstosities SGGG
RRRSFreaki-Kiki, The Goblin DoucheSRRR
BBGGNath, Raper of Hands and Spewer of Tokens!GGBB
BUGDamia, Sage of AnswersBUG
WIPs
BBBXiahou Dun, the Bitter Stax Enabling BastardBBB
On Break
BBBSKagemaro, First to RetireSBBB
BBBThe Walking DeadBBB
UUUSTeferi Combo PrimerSUUU
EDH
BWG Doran Suicide Tempo BWG
BUW Sharuum Midrange Control BUW
You added smokestack and tanglewire, voila, it worked. But not against creature based lists.
Your problem with EDH stax is this: when playing against creature based decks, you need to put Smokestack up to at least 2 counters, and creature based decks should be rocking around 10 ways to blow up artifacts and enchantments. They both *wreck* you.
Mono B stax revolves around Braids, Cabal Minion in EDH, and is paired with cards like The Abyss and Chains of Mephistopheles along with token generation. You basically just try to keep the board clean. You can kinda build it in any color that can easily tutor for the pieces, mono U for Arcum Dagsson is probably the best even though you lose braids.
Banner by Nakamura, Thanks!
EDH Math
EDH Decks:
Ghost Council: The Magic Mafia of Orzhova
BB Drana: Down with the Sickness
Rasputin: Reality is Broken
Vish Kal Bleeder: Bloody Kisses
Teysa, Orzhov Dominatrix
Stonebrow: Breaking Things
BWR Kaalia Punisher: Heaven's on Fire
Grimgrin: Dead Reckoning
Thank You Rivenor/Miraculous Recovery Studios!
GGGSKamahl's Band of Monstosities SGGG
RRRSFreaki-Kiki, The Goblin DoucheSRRR
BBGGNath, Raper of Hands and Spewer of Tokens!GGBB
BUGDamia, Sage of AnswersBUG
WIPs
BBBXiahou Dun, the Bitter Stax Enabling BastardBBB
On Break
BBBSKagemaro, First to RetireSBBB
BBBThe Walking DeadBBB
UUUSTeferi Combo PrimerSUUU