MTG Salvation

Hi there,

I have tried before to get a stasis list going and what I found out was that the deck was too reliant on Stasis. When the namesake card was not drawn/fetched, Forsaken City became an awful card, as did cards like thwart and ensnare.

This is the reason why I'm trying to get this list somewhere else than the Exploration/Horn of Greed direction. These cards have been, from my experience, good when the lock was up and bad when it was not.

For stasis to be good, I think it has to go away from stasis.

My only dead drops are Quirion rangers if I don't get stasis. Then again, they are not all that dead, as they can protect from Wasteland and ramp somewhat.

I'll think about that Tanglewire and try to imagine matchups for which it would be good.

I'm not all that sure about the Leyline yet, I have not tried it. It theoretically is protected from Grixis Delver's removal suit and can gain me some life to ensure I settle my board better. I do enjoy the idea of Spellskite, as my infect matchup is not all that great. Absolute Law and Mark of Asylum just seem lackluster.

Thanks for the feedback!

Hey guys,

I know there is a thread for stasis decks, but this is not exactly one.

Here's the decklist:



This deck is going in many directions, according to how the game is going.

For starters, Stasis soft-lock can be obtained through a mana dork and Quirion or Garruk. Opposition soft-lock can be obtained with monastery mentor.
The deck can play more of a tempo deck when it needs to, or more controllish, all according to what deck you're up against.

Post sideboard, the possibilities widen. Helm combo allows to be combo for matchups like Miracles. More counterspells allow to disrupt combo much more, as does Trinisphere. A major issue in testing has been Grixis Delver, and so I brought in a Leyline of Vitality to protect my dudes from Staticaster and forked bolts while allowing them to block Young pyromancer's tokens all day long.

I have played in 4 small tournaments (8-16 players) and am heading to a bigger tournament in two weeks. I have a good game against Miracles and a bad game against grixis Delver. The other matchups are still unsure. I'd like to have your opinion on the deck, on the strategy and on the cards themselves. Please find the card I forgot about that will revolutionize it.

I posted this on Reddit last week and have added Trinisphere since then, a card that really helps my combo matchup and that makes my lock even harder to break.

Thanks!

Thanks for the good words. I am now following your account and am eager to see how your build develops. Good luck to you.

Here's the round by round. I only take light notes, so some rounds will be pretty simple.

Round 1 vs Matt on UWr Mentor

I win in 3, with Engineered Explosives on his side being the thing that caused me most problems. Apart from that, my Wastelands and cheap counters allowed me to win off of simple beats.

1-0

Round 2 vs Jacob Wilson on RUG Delver

I win in 2. The first game, I get to stabilize and get Squadron Hawks to block his Goyf. Mishra's for his Mongoose and Jitte gets his Delver. The second game, he mulls to four, after which I wasteland him and get a quick win off of Cloud of Faeries with Sword of Fire and Ice.

2-0

Round 3 vs Theodore on Miracles

I lose in three. I win game one easily with True-Name, Mishra's with Standstill. I lose game two after I make a stupid mistake in a counter war where I counter the wrong spell. His DTT goes through and he gets the game. Game two, I mull to five and get ever so close to killing him when he Entreats for just enough and I lose. I messed up, I should have won this one.

2-1

Round 4 vs Keven on BUG Delver

Delver is easy, I win in two. I win game one with True-Name, after killing all his threats. Same thing game two. Squadron Hawk gives me so much time, it's incredible.

3-1

Round 5 vs Ed on URbg Delver

I lose in three. I said Delver was easy, well not when paired with Young Pyro. I win game one easily. Game two, a turn two Null Rod makes my game hard, I still land Batterskull and get the guy down to 2 life through Deathrite Activations, he eventually piles enough Tokens to get through and takes the game. Game three, I mull to six and never find an Island.

3-2

Round 6 vs James on BUG (some GSZ NO build)

I win in three. We get the standstill game going game one, with his dryad and my cloud of Faeries. I win the game off of Mishra's eventually. Game two, he NOs a Progenitus when I have a three turn clock. Game three, I beat him senseless, his Goyf cannot do much against my Squadron.

4-2

Round 7 vs Caleb on Storm

I lose in three. I do not know how to play against storm well and think I should have won if I had played the matchup some more. Anyway, I lose game 1 quickly. I win game two with turn two Rest in Peace and the appropriate Counters. I sadly meddling mage Burning Wish in game three, a card he does not play. He Past in Flames me for the win.

4-3

Round 8 vs Eric on Infect

I win in two, was not even close. Squadron Hawk MVP here, blocks like a champ. Nothing else to say really.

5-3

Round 9 vs James on Goblins

I lose in three. I win first game by countering Thalia, Wastelanding his Caverns and getting an early Batterskull. Games two and three, I feel unlucky all throughout, drawing only lands game two and no lands game three. Tuktuk gets my vial and Pyrokinesis gives him game two. You get the picture. I think the matchup is hard, but winnable.

5-4

One win away from day two. All my losses were in three. I think that with some more practice, this deck really has some potential. I never boarded in the Sword of Light and Shadow and the Manriki. I do not believe the matchup against Stoneforge is that bad. I would remove the sword and get the last Swords to Plowshares and another Ethersworn Canonist.

Lots of people were interested in the deck, and many opponents were angry at the hawk for being so awesome. Thanks for the tips!

Had fun with the deck, but I'm dropping it now. My next brew will have Opposition and Young Pyro in a U/R miracles build. Wait and see!

I went 5-4, one win away from day two (goblins was the nail in my coffin). Pretty satisfied with the deck. I will report as soon as I can.

Here's what I'm heading with. Wish me luck!

I'll be trying with one DTT.

Sky Hussar puts me in a control mode which I do not want. I rather play tempo here. I want to be able to apply pressure. Spellstutter was cut earlier for that same reason. Daze is mandatory here with Vial and Wasteland for early game disruption.

Squadron Hawk is an awesome idea. Takes care of the Tarmogoyf I feared. Can shuffle my deck in a pinch and wields swords like a champ.

I'm working the numbers.

I am trying out some new things, thanks to you. I have to test it out. My initial feeling is that you are right about meddling mage and Ninja. The mage is often meh on the first game. The Ninja rarely gets in twice (out of 50+ games against a varied meta). The Cloud of Faeries are awesome with Vial, they give me an edge under choke, they allow crazy mishra activations, they ramp to batterskull.

As to what I bring in, I will try Brainstorm, I did not like it with Vial, but you're probably right that it is mandatory.

I do not have Karakas available, so that plan is off the table, not that it does not sound good. I will try a third Mystic.

What do you think of a Dig Through Time or two? With a vial, I can get a lot of things going for two mana.

Quote from FlaviusBelisaurius »

I have thoughts about your main-board configuration, but I'll restrict myself solely to sideboard options.

First, Tidebinder Mage is atrocious. I'm sure it's for Tarmogoyf decks, but those decks have infinite ways to remove a 2/2, so it's just terrible. In place of that, I'd up the number of Swords to Plowshares.

Profaner of the Dead is flashy, but doesn't synergize with anything else you're doing. Kira, Great Glass Spinner is fun and interesting but of limited use as well.

Therefore, to streamline your sideboard, I would suggest something along these lines:

Sideboard Option 1Magic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards
4x Swords to Plowshares 2x Flusterstorm 1x Manriki Gusari 1x Sword of Light and Shadow 1x Batterskull 2x Ethersworn Canonist 2x Containment Priest 2x Rest in Peace

Thank you for your input. I try to use as many creatures as answers as I can. They allow me to keep some pressure ala Death and Taxes.

Profaner of the Dead was meant to help my game against Young Pyro and True-Name Nemesis. I do agree that it probably just is flashy. Kira was added to play against decks like Stoneblade with bolt or Bug. Anything with spot removal. However, having just the one doesn't bring me far enough. I'm still tinkering on what I'll do.

What were your thoughts on the main deck?

Quote from tomsloger »

i'll admit i dont really know legacy, but stonecloaker might be cool in this deck. some major shenanigans with a vial and a ninja of the deep hours. can even be cast without changing your mana base.

This is an awesome proposition. I will try it out, at least once in replacement of Blinkmoth Nexus (which was used against Delver). It provides a nice clock. I'll keep you posted on how it plays out.

Quote from Bosque »

Is this better than just playing Merfolk? The shell is the same just the creatures are a little different and it might lack the same synergy and ability to close out games quickly that Merfolk have.

I have never played merfolk, but it does seem similar. Merfolk probably can close games faster than this deck. However, this deck has so many angles that it has a game against pretty much everything.

What I was wondering was if I should have some graveyard hate at all. I have Meddling Mages that prevent loam shenanigans and Containment Priests for Reanimator, Tin Fins and Dredge. The Canonist, the counter spells, revokers, meddling mages against Storm. Do I need to keep a spot up for Relic of Progenitus, or maybe Faerie Macabre to bypass Standstill? The Macabre could eventually be played off vial. What do you think?


I will post results shortly after.

Here's a deck I've been working on the last two months. I'm attending SCGO Worcester this weekend and would like to get some feedback for the sideboard. Thanks.

OK, so I'll try it out as such, with no defense against Leyline. I'll hope people don't play them!

I was heading for a blue manaless-dredge version. Is this version simply unable to play against leyline? Otherwise, it'd take over 10 cards to get that green sideboard.
Among those who play the blue manaless-dredge version, how do you prepare against leyline?

I played with a friend and his Leyline of the Void wrecked me. Is there anything we can do if someone packs a four-of?