Unlocking the Vault #20: Landstill Primer

In the early days of Magic, control decks were infamous for their “Draw-Go” play style. These decks would be loaded up with countermagic, removal, draw spells, and just a small handful of creatures. The idea was pretty simple; counter everything you see, reload your hand with an Ancestral Recall, Braingeyser, or the like, keep playing land and when you are ahead, drop a large evasive creature such as a Serra Angel or a Mahamoti Djinn, and beat face until you win. Mishra’s Factory was a key card, as it could win the control mirror match and help limit the damage taken versus aggro decks.

Fast forward about a decade and Odyssey is released. With it came a card that would forever change the “Draw-Go” play style: Standstill.

Standstill, when played correctly, reads: “When your opponent plays their next spell, draw three cards so that you can draw into a counter if you don’t already have one.” Well, it doesn’t actually say that, but in essence, it does. The Standstill engine is one of the most powerful draw engines available to Magic Online Eternal players. Standstill is the closest thing to Ancestral Recall (as a draw-three, not as an instant) and it provides the fuel for “Draw-Go” style decks online that simply has never been available to them otherwise. Since its printing, nothing has come close to its utility.

But how do you best utilize Standstill so that you can maximize its potential? I’m here to help you out! The first, and most important rule to playing with Standstill is that you should only play the card when you are either ahead in board position or in the early portion of the game where no permanents other than land are in play. This is critical. Because Standstill affects both players, Standstill also effectively prevents you yourself from casting a spell to get out of a jam. Being able to recognize when you are ahead is usually straight forward, but it’s not always clear, especially when playing against other blue decks (more on this later).

Also, it’s important to note how the client handles Standstill. When an active Standstill is on the board and your opponent plays a spell, that spell goes on the stack with the Standstill trigger going on top of it. To draw your three cards, simply click “OK” (or hit F2 on your keyboard), and the client will draw three cards for you. The opponent’s spell will remain at the top of the stack (unless they respond with another instant) after the resolution of the Standstill trigger, and you will be free to use your new cards, as well as your previous hand, in order to deal with the opponent’s spell. Usually, this comes in the form of countermagic, but you could also cast a Brainstorm in response to draw even more cards. Knowing how to play the stack is perhaps the most important thing for piloting this deck.

How to Build a Standstill Deck

There are several variations of Standstill Decks. Mono-blue, blue-red, and blue-white are the most common and popular variants. There are also “Deedstill” decks that are blue-black-green and built around Standstill and Pernicious Deed. Each version has its own benefits, so I’d like to outline the card choices available to Standstill players.

Countermagic – Nearly synonymous with “Draw-Go”, countermagic is the backbone of Standstill decks.

Force of Will – This is a blue deck, so Force is an obvious auto-include.

Mana Drain – Not every blue deck wants Drains, but a Standstill deck can put that mana to good use. While slightly mana-intensive at 2 blue mana, it opens up your mana base to play more countermagic on the following turn and can help turn the tide in your favor. It can provide free activations of Mishra’s Factorys or power out a win condition such as Jace, the Mind Sculptor. This card should be a three- or four-of in all Standstill decks.

Mental Misstep – Like many other decks, Misstep is another great free counter available to Standstill pilots. At minimum, it should be a two-of in every Standstill deck, and each pilot should probably have access to a full set of four in the 75.

Misdirection – Perhaps the best home for Misdirection is currently in Standstill-based control decks. In Vintage, it’s used as Ancestral Recall defense, but since Classic does not have Recall, Misdirection’s applications are somewhat diminished. Misdirection can still protect your win conditions (Factories and Jace) and help win counter wars. Most Standstill decks should make room for one to two Misdirections.

Spell Pierce – Another mana efficient counter, Pierce is welcomed in Standstill decks as another piece of countermagic. When going the route of mana denial in Standstill, Pierce is even better.

Mindbreak Trap – Usually viewed as a countermeasure to Storm decks, Trap is nearly as useful in Standstill decks. Opponents who have played Standstill decks before will try to sandbag their plays until they believe they can win a counter war. This often results in them playing three or more spells on the turn they decide to “go off”. Sounds similar to how Storm decks work, right? Trap is the ultimate trump in counter wars against other blue-based control decks. In the late game, it can become a hard counter, and in the off chance that your opponent tries to cast Emrakul, the Aeons Torn off the back of a Channel, Trap is the only way you can probably wiggle out of losing the game. If not maindeckable, one to two copies should be played in the 75-card list as a way to gain an edge versus other blue decks.

Flusterstorm – While similar to Mindbreak Trap, the fact that it still costs 1 mana yet won’t affect creature, artifact, or enchantment spells is a strike against it. It’s still a fine option against Storm decks, but not nearly as useful in Standstill decks as Mindbreak Trap is.

Red Elemental Blast/Pyroblast – In blue-red Standstill decks, these two cards are often the best tools to beat other blue decks. A hard counter for 1 mana to every counter and draw spell from blue decks is as efficient as it gets. The fact that is can pull double duty as a 1-mana Vindicate to cards like Jace, Delver of Secrets, Vendilion Clique, and more, makes these spells automatic in blue-red Standstill builds.

Spell Snare – With so many 2-mana-cost creatures running around, Snare is a fine choice as a one- or two-of in most Standstill decks to deal with the threats that manage to evade Missteps.

Win Conditions – With most of the deck consisting of a large amount of countermagic, your win conditions have to count. As a result, the best choices have traditionally been Jace and Mishra’s Factory.

Jace – Not much more can be said about this card. It helps dig for answers when you find yourself behind on board position. It can bounce a creature that managed to hit the board. And Jace’s +1 can control what your opponent draws while you build up to his ultimate that can end the game. Standstill decks should have no fewer than two copies of Jace in the maindeck.

Mishra’s Factory – Factories are the best solution to winning if you can’t manage to find a Jace, or if your Jace(s) are countered or destroyed. It’s telling that Factories were in the “Draw-Go” decks of yore and still manage to find their way into the modern versions of “Draw-Go” decks! It’s uncounterable and can be pumped by friends to deal with larger creatures. The only downside is that because it’s a land, Wasteland is a good way to deal with a stray Factory. As a result, play these sparingly and wait for your opponent to use their Wastelands on your other lands (that is, until you can play a Crucible of Worlds to recur Factories from the graveyard).

Faerie Conclave – Best for mono-blue builds, it can act as Factory numbers 5 and 6. Because it comes into play tapped and costs a blue mana to activate (instead of Factory that can be activated by Wasteland and Library of Alexandria, etc.), you don’t want to draw multiples. That being said, it’s one of the best reasons to play mono-blue Standstill decks.

Other Utility Spells – While the crux of Standstill decks are the countermagic and the few win conditions, Standstill pilots need answers to deal with situations where they find themselves behind on board.

Nevinyrrals Disk – The ultimate board sweeper. It can clear a table full of creatures and artifacts. Its only downside is that it is very slow. Drains can help to power it out early in the game, which can make all the difference when facing Fish decks. Better yet, Jace and Factories are unaffected by Disk (assuming you wait to activate your Factories until after you activate the Disk)! For mono-blue Standstill decks, this is the best choice of sweeper.

Engineered Explosives – Similar to Disk, it is an efficient sweeper. It’s only going to be useful in Standstill decks that have access to two or more colors, though. The upside to Explosives is that you don’t have to wait a turn to activate it.

Pernicious Deed – Yet another sweeper, this is a superior choice to Disk. Finding the mana to cast Deed can be difficult, but because it can be cast and activated the turn it comes into play, this sweeper has the edge. Its advantage over Explosives is that it can eliminate all non-land, non-planeswalker permanents with mana cost equal to or less than the mana spent to activate it. Deed plays very nicely with Mana Drain as well.

Brainstorm – Any deck with access to blue mana should have a full playset of Brainstorm.

Crucible of Worlds – Earlier, it was pointed out that Crucible helps to recur Factories and Conclaves that manage to hit the graveyard. It is also useful in controlling the mana of your opponent by recurring Wasteland and Strip Mine. At worst, it helps smooth out your mana base and can help dig through your deck with the help of fetch lands.

Null Rod/Stony Silence – These are more viable in Vintage as they stop Moxen and Black Lotus, but they can be useful in Classic, too. These cards are good choices when Storm is running rampant, as they stop Lion’s Eye Diamond and Lotus Petal. They can also limit the damage from Arcbound Ravager and a few other common artifacts. If you are running white, Stony Silence is a strict upgrade to Rod.

Swords to Plowshares and Lightning Bolt – For Standstill decks that have access to white or red, respectively, these cards represent the best spot removal available. Bolt can also sometimes double as a finisher in a pinch. DeadGone is another decent option for red builds, as it can kill most creatures in Fish decks and can bounce Tinker-bots. FireIce has been popular in the past for similar applications.

Chain of Vapor, Echoing Truth, Steel Sabotage, and Hurkyl’s Recall – All of these are bounce spells to get things off the board that manage to evade your arsenal of countermagic. Chain and Truth are the best options for mono-blue builds that don’t have access to Swords and Bolt. Sabotage is great against megagames filled with Workshop decks and/or Affinity, and it doubles as spot “removal” for Tinker-bots. Same goes for Hurkyl’s Recall.

Stifle – Stifle is a multi-purpose catch-all for Standstill decks. It can play the role of mana denial by stopping fetch lands. It can stop your opponent’s Strip effects from destroying your Factories and/or Conclaves. Storm triggers can be prevented as well. There are many other uses for Stifle, but these are among the most common and useful.

Snapcaster Mage and Vendilion Clique – It may seem blasphemous to include creatures in a Standstill deck, but both of these cards have their merits. Snapcaster can recur spent countermagic and other cards from the graveyard. Because it is instant speed, you can cast it after you’ve drawn your 3 cards from Standstill with your opponent’s spell on the stack, and even if you don’t hit something else, hopefully you have enough mana to pay for Snapcaster and a counter from your graveyard. A singleton Ninja of the Deep Hours could also be considered, as once a Snapcaster has hit the board and attacks an opponent, you can ninjutsu out the Ninja without busting a Standstill on the table! Clique plays a similar role to Snapcaster, with the minor difference in that it is more of a late-game win condition that helps control your opponent’s hand and beat down.

Sower of Temptation – While a creature, Sower’s applications are quite different from those listed above. When Oath of Druids decks are running around, Standstill decks can be at a serious disadvantage if an Oath lands on the table. In fact, Sower is perhaps the best trump card available for Standstill decks against Oath. ShOath lists are a little more resilient to Sower since they will usually have 4 Emrakuls, and the turn after the Sower hits can simply Oath up the next Emrakul, legend-ruling your stolen Emrakul off the board. Then, the ShOath pilot can Oath up yet another Emrakul a turn later, eliminating your trump in Sower.

Mox Diamond – I’ve experimented with one-two Diamonds before in Standstill decks and found that you won’t often draw them enough for an impact. When you do manage to draw them in the early game, they are quite useful, though. If you are running Crucibles, discarding a land card isn’t too prohibitive, and the benefit of powering out a quick Standstill or smoothing your mana base in multicolor builds is a nice feature to have. Chome Mox doesn’t have nearly the same effect and Lotus Petal‘s single use doesn’t seem worthwhile in a deck like this one.

Grafdiggers Cage – For a deck that is inherently fair, Cage is a prohibiting Snapcaster from being good, there is nothing in Standstill decks that would be limited by the Cage since even Crucible of Worlds is unaffected by it.

Other fringe options include: Moat, Enlightened Tutor, Wrath of God, Counterbalance-Senseis Divining Top, Life from the Loam, Zuran Orb, The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Chalice of the Void (set at 1 counter), Daze, and Fact or Fiction. All of these cards have their merits but would be difficult to crack into the 75 of modern Standstill lists.

Building your Mana Base

Without Moxen (assuming you decide not to use Mox Diamond, it’s advisable to have 24-26 lands in your Standstill deck. You do not want to miss a land drop because your game plan depends on answering your opponent’s spells with countermagic of your own. It is simply not acceptable to lose a counter war, not because you don’t have enough counter spells, but because you don’t have enough mana. When you throw in the fact that you will probably want to play with four to five strip effects, any fewer than 24 lands would be suicide.

One of the best reasons to play Standstill in Classic is because you have access to unrestricted Library of Alexandria. “Draw-Go” decks were perhaps the single largest factor in the restriction of Library in the first place. When you constantly look to have seven cards in hand, Library will often draw you one extra card each turn with an effect that can’t be countered (Stifle aside, but who would bother Stifling a Library activation?). That being said, you don’t want to include a full playset, especially when you will already have eight or nine other colorless mana sources in the form of Factories and Strip effects. Two to three Libraries seem ideal.

With all of that under consideration, here are ideal snapshots (“consensus” lists) for the mana bases and full decklists of mono-blue Standstill decks and multi-color Standstill decks:

Mono-blue Manabase
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
4 Mishra’s Factory
0-2 Faerie Conclave
2-3 Library of Alexandria
10-14 Island

Multi-color Manabase
3-4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
4 Mishra’s Factory
2-3 Library of Alexandria
6-7 Fetch Lands
6-7 Dual Lands
2-4 Island or other basic land(s)

Full Decklists

Conclusion

Standstill, or Landstill, variants are a great choice for those who remember the good old days of “Draw-Go” control decks. Anyone who played control in the early to mid-1990s would feel right at home playing one of these decks.

While Standstill can be a strong deck choice, it’s not for those who want to play quick matches. Games with Standstill are incredibly long. They are probably not an ideal choice for a long 6-round tournament such as a PRE or Premiere Event. Keeping focus for six hours straight will wear on many players very quickly, and you won’t win any friends who have only a short period of time to play.

That being said, there is always a time and a place for Standstill decks to shine. In this current unknown metagame where the fear is that everyone will be packing three or four Grafdiggers Cages, Standstill could be quite potent, as the Cage is a virtual blank against it.

enderfall
Clan Magic Eternal
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