I didn't see a thread for this card, and I don't see it in a lot of lists, but it's in enough that I think it's an interesting card to discuss.
It's not as easy to work around as in constructed, but it has potential. You basically have to play it fair, which places it somewhere close to the average power level of cubes. However, what I like the most about it is that it is fairly versatile. It fits into a Ux tempo deck, where you can curve 1-drop, 2-drop, and then drop this and something else. It also goes okay in control, if you can control the board early, this can stall out an aggro opponent.
It's kind of a risky card, as they can have a response to it that screws up your plan. However, I have kind of a soft spot for these mini-game cards, that create a sort of game within a game, provided they are interesting otherwise.
My group and I absolutely love Standstill. Our blue decks tend to be about 50/50 between tempo and control, though, so it will probably see a lot more play in a group like that than in a group that's mostly playing hard control blue decks. My favorite deck that I had Standstill in was a UW Skies aggro deck with aggro dorks like the pegasus brothers, Tangle Wire, Armageddon, and Standstill. It was just a house in that deck.
It never really shined for us. In aggro decks, it was good because with the early board presence down you can cast it with board advantage relatively often. Control decks struggled to do this. So it was ultimately cut for a blue card that was useful in several different blue decks instead of one. But if I was playing a larger cube (even slightly larger cube) there's a good shot it would make it in, because it's a great card for the decks that do actually want it. I'd probably play it at 630, or at 540 if I was playing a lot of blue tempo in my group (which we do).
It got cut from my 450 cube because everyone got sick of playing against it. It's pretty good in any blue deck. Control or tempo. You just have to play it differently in different decks to abuse it.
Edit -- I'm considering putting it back in though now. The cube has changed a lot so people might not find it as frustrating.
Yeah, my blue section is one card short and I'd like to add something in that's interesting. My one worry is the annoyance factor. zombieBaxter, can you explain a bit why this card was frustrating for your group?
Yeah, my blue section is one card short and I'd like to add something in that's interesting. My one worry is the annoyance factor. zombieBaxter, can you explain a bit why this card was frustrating for your group?
Well first off it's just a strong card. Drawing 3 is always good. I think the frustration in standstill is its triggering mechanic. If you are ahead or the bored is empty it is the same as 1U draw 3. How ever it is more than that because it gives the impression/feeling that you are punishing your opponent somehow. This can make it very frustrating to play against all the time. And when I say all the time I mean all the time. If it was in a draft it was played.
I don't think it's an over powered card and I think it merits inclusion in a cube. Most people I played with just didn't like it because it's a sinking feeling they experienced every daft. It was just a fun factor for them, and at the time standstill didn't have it.
i don't really understand being frustrated with standstill. that sounds like making up a problem where it doesn't exist. triggering it is usually the right thing to do, unless you can drop a manland or spend mana on an ability or something. they get 3 cards at slower than sorcery speed for 1U, which is really good, but in cube everything is really good. if it's preventing you from casting spells (which i agree can be frustrating), i feel like you're just playing against the card wrong.
anyway, i love the card. if you're playing a reasonable amount of non-control decks in blue, or creature/permanent heavy control decks, it will be worth a slot even at a very small size. with the increase in quality creatures in blue lately, standstill is just getting better.
When I see Healing Salve, I'm often like "Oh girl, I wish I could turn every card into this." Thanks they removed the gain life part, otherwise this would have been broken.
i don't really understand being frustrated with standstill. that sounds like making up a problem where it doesn't exist. triggering it is usually the right thing to do, unless you can drop a manland or spend mana on an ability or something. they get 3 cards at slower than sorcery speed for 1U, which is really good, but in cube everything is really good. if it's preventing you from casting spells (which i agree can be frustrating), i feel like you're just playing against the card wrong.
anyway, i love the card. if you're playing a reasonable amount of non-control decks in blue, or creature/permanent heavy control decks, it will be worth a slot even at a very small size. with the increase in quality creatures in blue lately, standstill is just getting better.
Couldn't agree more with you that you should just crack a standstill if you can play to its advantages. I was simply stating how some people felt it was frustrating and thus didn't like it. It is a reasonable assumption to make that some people don't play well against standstill and that can make the card extremely frustrating. Kind of like fact or fiction. I try to cater to my group of players when I can. It's not like standstill is a must for cube so if people arent enjoying it, it goes out.
I think it is similar to seeing you best cards milled from your library. It is just frustrating, even though that reaction isn't entirely logicil in regards to what it means for the game.
So with all of the talk about Blue Aggro, I was wondering what people thought of the card this time around. I still like the concept of, and I'm always happy to see a lands.deck pop up, but still I'm not as sure about this card.
But here's another question, how bad is it in a control deck? More so, a deck that packs things like the recently discussed Mental Misstep and cheap removal like Innocent Blood or Swords to Plowshares? You know, the deck that can basically answer the first threat or two of an aggro deck without too big of a hindrance with 1 for 1s and then just slam this on the table to basically say "Ok, I'll replenish my hand now, or just continue developing my mana so I can drop a bomb."
It requires your deck to play above its average means before it will be good in those situations. If your deck has an answer to every early threat they play, do you need anything else? Probably not. So for all other situations, Standstill is awful when you're behind. Once they play that T1 Jackal Pup T2 Soltari Trooper, Standstill is a dead card for far too long.
But in aggro, where the average performance of the deck puts you ahead in the early game, the card is great. Dropping in on T2 or T3 when you have an advantageous board state is what makes the effect truly asymmetrical. You put your opponent in a situation where they have to react to your board, and therefore trigger the Standstill. When you're behind or dead even the effect isn't even remotely as powerful. Since control decks usually sacrifice early game advantages for late game stabilization and dominance, Standstill is a card that plays poorly in those environments.
You're not going to have as many cheap answers as they have cheap threats.
If I were going to dedicate cards to hard tempo strategies this is a good one. You have to be ahead - if you are, you get your three cards. You don't need to curve out as long as you're in front. However, it's very risky indeed against aggro.
It's very bad in control. By the time I'm ahead and willing to play this, I can afford much more reliable and less risky draw.
But that's really the question I'm asking... I'm not saying you have an answer to everything they play, but rather you have enough answers for the first and maybe second threat, and then use this to replenish.
Generally you might answer one guy and then hold back until you can Wrath, but can this be used, if in your opening hand, to basically run out your 1 for 1 answers faster and then just play this so you can draw a bunch of cards and get answers for their next couple of plays that you potentially couldn't have answered otherwise?
Like let's say you open a hand of something like Mental Misstep, Dismember/Snuff Out/Swords/Force of Will/whatever at 1 mana instant, 3 lands, Stand Still, and something not super relevant. You Misstep their 1 drop, play your land, pass the turn, kill their next threat, untap, play Standstill. You don't have answers in your hand at this point and since you're playing more lands than them they probably have the ability to draw gas faster than you get answers or get into that big card, but with Standstill you kind of recover.
Yes, this is optimal, but it's less unlikely on the play if you just have Standstill and a 1 CMC or less answer to their first threat. It's also not terrible if you can answer their board, such as a Pyroclasm, and then drop Standstill, so that when they go to reset with say Ranger of Eos or BBE, you get to gain some cards too.
Yes, it's still an aggro-tempo card first probably, but it seems like it can be played in control to some efficiency. It's also pretty brutal in control mirrors.
But that's really the question I'm asking... I'm not saying you have an answer to everything they play, but rather you have enough answers for the first and maybe second threat, and then use this to replenish.
In situations where you can, it's fine. In most situations, you can't. So you're better off using safer draw spells for your control decks. I'd much rather have Divination in my control deck than this spell. Because most of the time, you're behind in the early game.
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It's very bad in control. By the time I'm ahead and willing to play this, I can afford much more reliable and less risky draw.
I could see mid-range sideboarding the card in against a dedicated control deck, sure. Basically, if you're anticipating being the beatdown, it's worth maindecking. The only decks that reliably feel they will be in the majority of their matchups are aggro/tempo decks.
Control mirror, not so much. It's risky there. If they happen to drop the first threat, the card's dead until you mitigate that card and establish your own board dominance.
I feel like playing this even on a board where they have a 2 power creature is fine. They can't just sit there and not apply more pressure, because then they've allowed the game to progress to a point where your cards have a much larger impact on the board than theirs. They have to have to be able to knock you down 4+ life a turn to make this a dead card IMO.
I like the card a lot and used to play it in 360, but there's no way that i'd put it into a control deck.
Standstill belongs in the same deck that wants Silent Departure, Daze and Into the Roil.
I agree that its much better on a more consistent basis in that kind of deck. I'm merely stating its not as impossible as everyone's making it sound to be decent in a control deck. A simple removal spell followed by this will normally require them to break it to continue their game plan.
I just added this card in as my first tempo-only card in blue. We've been playing so many blue tempo decks lately that I don't think it's going to be dead as often as it used to be in my cube. I'll keep everyone updated as to how it plays for my group.
I think he looked at his hand, thought for a second about what was in his deck, and then scooped it up.
While it's not insane in control, some drafts just don't have fact or fiction in them, or you got cut on it, and this is still a draw spell. I'm happy it's there
Correct. It's simply not a control card. Period. It should be played exclusively in decks that anticipate being the beatdown in their matchups. For all the reasons stated numerous times throughout this thread already.
I didn't see a thread for this card, and I don't see it in a lot of lists, but it's in enough that I think it's an interesting card to discuss.
It's not as easy to work around as in constructed, but it has potential. You basically have to play it fair, which places it somewhere close to the average power level of cubes. However, what I like the most about it is that it is fairly versatile. It fits into a Ux tempo deck, where you can curve 1-drop, 2-drop, and then drop this and something else. It also goes okay in control, if you can control the board early, this can stall out an aggro opponent.
It's kind of a risky card, as they can have a response to it that screws up your plan. However, I have kind of a soft spot for these mini-game cards, that create a sort of game within a game, provided they are interesting otherwise.
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Edit -- I'm considering putting it back in though now. The cube has changed a lot so people might not find it as frustrating.
Well first off it's just a strong card. Drawing 3 is always good. I think the frustration in standstill is its triggering mechanic. If you are ahead or the bored is empty it is the same as 1U draw 3. How ever it is more than that because it gives the impression/feeling that you are punishing your opponent somehow. This can make it very frustrating to play against all the time. And when I say all the time I mean all the time. If it was in a draft it was played.
I don't think it's an over powered card and I think it merits inclusion in a cube. Most people I played with just didn't like it because it's a sinking feeling they experienced every daft. It was just a fun factor for them, and at the time standstill didn't have it.
anyway, i love the card. if you're playing a reasonable amount of non-control decks in blue, or creature/permanent heavy control decks, it will be worth a slot even at a very small size. with the increase in quality creatures in blue lately, standstill is just getting better.
Couldn't agree more with you that you should just crack a standstill if you can play to its advantages. I was simply stating how some people felt it was frustrating and thus didn't like it. It is a reasonable assumption to make that some people don't play well against standstill and that can make the card extremely frustrating. Kind of like fact or fiction. I try to cater to my group of players when I can. It's not like standstill is a must for cube so if people arent enjoying it, it goes out.
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But in aggro, where the average performance of the deck puts you ahead in the early game, the card is great. Dropping in on T2 or T3 when you have an advantageous board state is what makes the effect truly asymmetrical. You put your opponent in a situation where they have to react to your board, and therefore trigger the Standstill. When you're behind or dead even the effect isn't even remotely as powerful. Since control decks usually sacrifice early game advantages for late game stabilization and dominance, Standstill is a card that plays poorly in those environments.
You're not going to have as many cheap answers as they have cheap threats.
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It's very bad in control. By the time I'm ahead and willing to play this, I can afford much more reliable and less risky draw.
On spoiled card wishlisting and 'should-have-had'-isms:
Generally you might answer one guy and then hold back until you can Wrath, but can this be used, if in your opening hand, to basically run out your 1 for 1 answers faster and then just play this so you can draw a bunch of cards and get answers for their next couple of plays that you potentially couldn't have answered otherwise?
Like let's say you open a hand of something like Mental Misstep, Dismember/Snuff Out/Swords/Force of Will/whatever at 1 mana instant, 3 lands, Stand Still, and something not super relevant. You Misstep their 1 drop, play your land, pass the turn, kill their next threat, untap, play Standstill. You don't have answers in your hand at this point and since you're playing more lands than them they probably have the ability to draw gas faster than you get answers or get into that big card, but with Standstill you kind of recover.
Yes, this is optimal, but it's less unlikely on the play if you just have Standstill and a 1 CMC or less answer to their first threat. It's also not terrible if you can answer their board, such as a Pyroclasm, and then drop Standstill, so that when they go to reset with say Ranger of Eos or BBE, you get to gain some cards too.
Yes, it's still an aggro-tempo card first probably, but it seems like it can be played in control to some efficiency. It's also pretty brutal in control mirrors.
In situations where you can, it's fine. In most situations, you can't. So you're better off using safer draw spells for your control decks. I'd much rather have Divination in my control deck than this spell. Because most of the time, you're behind in the early game.
Ya, pretty much this.
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Control mirror, not so much. It's risky there. If they happen to drop the first threat, the card's dead until you mitigate that card and establish your own board dominance.
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I agree that its much better on a more consistent basis in that kind of deck. I'm merely stating its not as impossible as everyone's making it sound to be decent in a control deck. A simple removal spell followed by this will normally require them to break it to continue their game plan.
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T1: Land, Chrome Mox, Coiling Oracle (Flip Land)
T2: Bitterblossom, Standstill.
I think he looked at his hand, thought for a second about what was in his deck, and then scooped it up.
While it's not insane in control, some drafts just don't have fact or fiction in them, or you got cut on it, and this is still a draw spell. I'm happy it's there
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