Stasis Deck #1 W/U

by batman69 on 19 March 2011

Main Deck (60 cards)

Sideboard (15 cards)

Instants (2)


Artifacts (3)


Enchantments (7)

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Deck Description

U/W Stasis with CP/Top


CREDIT TO FoolofaTook

Mana base

21 lands is more than enough to support the concept given that there are 4 Sensei's Divining Top and 4 Brainstorm included to dig at the start on lowland draws. Only 3 Forsaken City because they are a bit problematic in the opening hand, although they do draw Wastelands and I will play them out before a Tundra if that's the draw.

Counters

7 instant counters is really all the deck can afford. All 7 work turn 1 to land an SDT and all 7 work under Stasis. Counterbalance is to bridge from turn 4 to turn 10 or so as you're maneuvering to setup the lock, not to mention it just hoses Threshold badly and that's the single most likely opponent you'll face in the meta.

Removal

Tight anti-creature package that relies on Stasis to cover some faults down the road. The StP get you to 4 mana where you can sweep with Wrath of God if necessary or drop the Moat, which is a huge hoser for Goblins, Threshold and Landstill.

Echoing Truth works against tokens and multiple drops and is general removal otherwise after Counterbalance/Top is in play. It also works with Stasis sometimes to let you reset and grab the lock.

Engineered Explosives is the tutorable sweeper of last recourse against tokens and other swarming problems. It can get up to 3 fairly easily with the Forsaken Cities and can get to 4 in the late game if that becomes critical.

Non-removal permanents

Sensei's Divining Top is probably the key card in the deck. It let's you search very quickly, in conjunction with the Fetchlands and tutors, for whatever you need at the moment.

Counterbalance is the holding mechanism and softlock that allows you to get to Stasis.

Stasis is a soft lock on it's own and a hard lock once Frozen Aether has hit the board. Occasionally Stasis lands very early to stop a problem and then the game tends to go very long as both sides slowly recover from the turn 2 to 4 Stasis.

Frozen Aether is a nice delaying mechanism in it's own right, however it's very hard to land early on which is why Stasis has always been a mixed bag. Kismet, which is largely identical to Frozen Aether had the same problem. The ideal combo lands naturally, like SDT turn 1 and Counterbalance turn 2. Stasis, on the other hand, is delayed significantly by it's ponderous partners. One of the things that makes Frozen Aether workable here is that it also works with Back to Basics for a soft lock in the main deck and with Meekstone for a soft lock in the sideboard.

Back to Basics is a hoser for Threshold, Landstill, 43 Lands and about 80% of the rest of the current Legacy meta. It's a firm soft lock with Frozen Aether in play against much of the meta.

Moat is just an amazing anti-creature device against most of what kills you in Legacy. Defended by counters or counterbalance it can be GG really easily.

Draw/Tutors

Brainstorm is Brainstorm. In this deck it's Brainstorm+ because it works so well with Counterbalance in addition to it's other uses, giving you an effective 6+ cards to look at and put topdeck in most situations before activating Counterbalance.

Enlightened Tutor is what lets you play only one each of a bunch of nasty hosers and only 2 each of Stasis and Frozen Aether. It also allows you to put a 0 to 4 cc artifact or enchantment topdeck to use in conjunction with Counterbalance when you need it. For awhile I was running one Bazaar of Wonders in the deck to be able to put a 5cc enchantment top deck to use against Force of Will in the mid-game. The problem in the end was that this deck already chews up Threshold and Bazaar of Wonders had no other natural enemies that mattered by turn 7 or 8 which is when it could typically land.

Creatures

One Serra Avenger and one Serra Sphinx. Originally was two Serra Avengers until I realized how vulnerable I was with both my win conditions killable by the same solution. The deck's timeline supports killing with the Serra Sphinx and I've done that a few times.

Sideboard

Energy Flux eats Affinity and a few other decks alive.

Tabernacle is for Goblins (very effective) and Sui Black (not so but better than nothing).

The Leylines are for Ichorid, Cephalid Breakfast, UB reanimation in general and Crucible decks. If I sideboard them in I probably mull until I find one.

Meekstone comes in against the rogue decks that are just trying to get up a big creature and kill you. It lands turn 1 right after their ritualed Phyrexian Negator or Stifled Phyrexian Dreadnought and it keeps you alive long enough to recover.

Feldon's Cane is a situational tune, usually against dedicated control when I'm worried that the match will come down to somebody getting decked.

Academy Ruins tunes in with Feldon's Cane so I have a way to get it back if the cane is countered the first time around. The ruins also work with Engineered Explosives to good effect.

Stifle comes in against combo as an additional turn 1 or 2 answer. As a sideboard card against the right decks it's just very strong.

Ivory Mask is an additional resource against red burn and dedicated black discard. I can't say that it's all that effective at this point but it's better than Solitary Confinement in a slow deck like this.

Matchups

The deck eats Threshold alive and has good matchups against Landstill, 43 Lands and most combo decks that don't use the graveyard. It has a very good game two against virtually all combo decks.

On the down side Goblins is a tough matchup game one and Sui Black can be just devastating game one. Goblins can be tuned for and becomes much better game two. Sui Black is just the unfortunate matchup that is 25/75 at best unless they get a hosed draw.

Deck Tags

  • Control

Deck at a Glance

Social Stats

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Mana Curve

Mana Symbol Occurrence

1630000

Card Legality

  • Not Legal in Standard
  • Not Legal in Modern
  • Not Legal in Vintage
  • Not Legal in Legacy

Deck discussion for Stasis Deck #1 W/U

This is a much better build than your #2 deck; U/W always seems easier to build with Stasis even though G suits it very well, too. The deck needs Sol Ring, and I would strongly suggest bounce with U/W versus pay with your U/G build.

Boomerang, Chain of Vapor, Rescue, all will work at getting your Stasis into your hand at the end of your opponent's turn so that you may have an untap phase. Add in an Isochron Scepter and it's insult to injury, really, being able to do it every turn. Vedelkan Mastermind will do the same thing (and you will see that in my Blue Prison deck posted on the site).

With only 2 Stasis' in the deck, however, I would strongly consider adding Muddle the Mixture; it's a 2 CC instant/sorcery counter that alternatively allows you to tutor for a 2 CC card (a Stasis hunter, if you will).

0
Posted 19 March 2011 at 18:34

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