GoldenCid
08-08-2010, 09:50 PM
PRIMER WHITE AGGRO STAX
Since my beginning in magic i was interested in the working of anit- metagame decks.
I began with the classic control version of stax in which is based the deck I present to you in this primer. As a general concept stax deck are based in mana denial and reduce de possibilities of the opponent for casting their low cmc spells with the objective of getting “free turns” to set a full lock. Unlike control stax, the aggro version sets its lock using creatures all with flying with the help of f course of chalice of the void and trinisphere. In this website there is a topic dedicated to armaggedon control stax and some variations but aggro stax was a bit set aside.
So I based my ideas on the top versions for this deck and refined them by testing for a period of six month. Here I show you an almost optimized list and its possible variations:
Main Deck (60)
Lands (21)
3 Flagstones of Trokair
5 Plains (1)
4 City of Traitors
4 Ancient Tomb
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Karakas
3 Wasteland
Creatures (14)
4 Aven Mindcensor
4 Windborn Muse
4 Exalted Angel
2 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Other Spells (25)
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Trinisphere
3 Armageddon
4 Chrome Mox
1 Moat
2 Suppression Field
Sideboard (15)
1 Suppression Field
3 Sphere of Law
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Glowrider
3 Magus of the Tabernacle
2 Aura of Silence
Card selection
Mana base
21 lands a bit lesser than in control version it’s enough to not be screwed or flooded.
8 “2 mana lands” gives the explosiveness to consistently cast a trinisphere or even better, for turn 1, a chalice.
I found that more than 4 flagstones is an excess especially when we run 3 armaggedons and no smokestacks. 3 is a good number because you can explode it despite its legendary ability and make well use of our geddons.
Wasteland could be replaced by Ghost Quarter if you wish. I prefer wasteland because you can produce real mana denial. Off course that if you have Aven Mindscensor into the battlefield Ghost Quarter could be a serious problem for your opponent.
This is the only card that is affected by our suppression field but commonly you play wasteland before SF if not the lock effect of the enchantment will be better than cracking a land.
I included a single Karakas to have a chance against a resolved iona, it could be omitted if you can’t get it. What it’s advisable to get is the tabernacle. This card is hyper synergic with the almost the hole deck. Off course we have a good stuff of guys but it will be always worse for your opponent than for you deal with it.
Creatures
I love the creature pack of this deck. They are all easy playable into the range of the deck and all of them have flying.
Aven Minscensor: Despite of being a 2/1 guy I consider one the best guys in the deck. It craps fetchlands and any kind of tutor. It has flash (and flying) so you can play it in response to an activated fetch or whatever you consider dangerous. I’d play no less than 4 copies.
Windborn Muse: Our “prison” creature. Many times she works as a win condition, seriously. She has flying (2/3) so you can remove the “flying nuisance” of your opponent with Oblivion ring and just attack. Her prison effect combined with tabernacle, trinisphere and / or chalice makes her a 4 copies girl.
Exalted Angel: Our solid win condition. You can play it for the ideal cost of 3 under sphere and morph it the next turn. It’s a very well known guy who found comparison with the arrival of Baneslayer Angel. However I found Exalted a bit better than slayer here. This due to the form you can cast exalted and the amount of mana we can generate. I observed that the generation of 5 mana with double white is difficult for the deck. However, if your meta is plagued of Tombstalker a split of 2 Exalted 2 Slayer could be played if you consider it necessary.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence: The Rise of Eldrazi addition. She fits very well to the deck. She has a definitive “field effect” on creatures: Quasali Pridemage, Ravager, Grim lavamancer, army of mana generating elves, Cursecatcher and so on. It resists a single bolt and flies what it’s really awesome. Linvala and suppression field almost locks completely to the opponent.
Other spells:
Lock pieces:
Chalice of the void, Trinisphere and Suppression Field: Maybe the card which needs more explanation is Suppression Field. This deck can make a lock in almost all aspects of the game. However activated abilities were beyond of the limitations that lock itself produces. I found that some permanents have annoying abilities: sensei’s divining top (not to mention counter-top), grindstone, engineered explosives, Quasali pridemage, Survival of the fittest, Jace, the mind sculptor, and so on. All of them provides a real advantage for the opponent.
Moat: What can I say? All the creatures of our deck can fly, so with moat everybody wins!
Oblivion ring: Our spot permanent removal.
Armageddon: Almost a finisher with Windborn muse and a “Wrath of God” Before dropping tabernacle. Chrome mox is absolutely synergic here. I think that no explanation is requires here.
Crucible of World: Another obvious card: Provides the wastelock and the reposition of the lands destroyed with Armageddon.
Sideboard
Keeping aside the obvious cards:
Magus of the tabernacle: Agaist aggro is our ticket to victory. Magus + mox + ggedon = gg?
Glowrider: Another perfect piece against storm combo.
Aura of silence: Our way out against enchantress and affinity (if it’s still played). In mirror match is useful too.
Well I think that’s all by now. Any additional information will be added.
Thanks!!
Since my beginning in magic i was interested in the working of anit- metagame decks.
I began with the classic control version of stax in which is based the deck I present to you in this primer. As a general concept stax deck are based in mana denial and reduce de possibilities of the opponent for casting their low cmc spells with the objective of getting “free turns” to set a full lock. Unlike control stax, the aggro version sets its lock using creatures all with flying with the help of f course of chalice of the void and trinisphere. In this website there is a topic dedicated to armaggedon control stax and some variations but aggro stax was a bit set aside.
So I based my ideas on the top versions for this deck and refined them by testing for a period of six month. Here I show you an almost optimized list and its possible variations:
Main Deck (60)
Lands (21)
3 Flagstones of Trokair
5 Plains (1)
4 City of Traitors
4 Ancient Tomb
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Karakas
3 Wasteland
Creatures (14)
4 Aven Mindcensor
4 Windborn Muse
4 Exalted Angel
2 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Other Spells (25)
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Oblivion Ring
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Trinisphere
3 Armageddon
4 Chrome Mox
1 Moat
2 Suppression Field
Sideboard (15)
1 Suppression Field
3 Sphere of Law
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Glowrider
3 Magus of the Tabernacle
2 Aura of Silence
Card selection
Mana base
21 lands a bit lesser than in control version it’s enough to not be screwed or flooded.
8 “2 mana lands” gives the explosiveness to consistently cast a trinisphere or even better, for turn 1, a chalice.
I found that more than 4 flagstones is an excess especially when we run 3 armaggedons and no smokestacks. 3 is a good number because you can explode it despite its legendary ability and make well use of our geddons.
Wasteland could be replaced by Ghost Quarter if you wish. I prefer wasteland because you can produce real mana denial. Off course that if you have Aven Mindscensor into the battlefield Ghost Quarter could be a serious problem for your opponent.
This is the only card that is affected by our suppression field but commonly you play wasteland before SF if not the lock effect of the enchantment will be better than cracking a land.
I included a single Karakas to have a chance against a resolved iona, it could be omitted if you can’t get it. What it’s advisable to get is the tabernacle. This card is hyper synergic with the almost the hole deck. Off course we have a good stuff of guys but it will be always worse for your opponent than for you deal with it.
Creatures
I love the creature pack of this deck. They are all easy playable into the range of the deck and all of them have flying.
Aven Minscensor: Despite of being a 2/1 guy I consider one the best guys in the deck. It craps fetchlands and any kind of tutor. It has flash (and flying) so you can play it in response to an activated fetch or whatever you consider dangerous. I’d play no less than 4 copies.
Windborn Muse: Our “prison” creature. Many times she works as a win condition, seriously. She has flying (2/3) so you can remove the “flying nuisance” of your opponent with Oblivion ring and just attack. Her prison effect combined with tabernacle, trinisphere and / or chalice makes her a 4 copies girl.
Exalted Angel: Our solid win condition. You can play it for the ideal cost of 3 under sphere and morph it the next turn. It’s a very well known guy who found comparison with the arrival of Baneslayer Angel. However I found Exalted a bit better than slayer here. This due to the form you can cast exalted and the amount of mana we can generate. I observed that the generation of 5 mana with double white is difficult for the deck. However, if your meta is plagued of Tombstalker a split of 2 Exalted 2 Slayer could be played if you consider it necessary.
Linvala, Keeper of Silence: The Rise of Eldrazi addition. She fits very well to the deck. She has a definitive “field effect” on creatures: Quasali Pridemage, Ravager, Grim lavamancer, army of mana generating elves, Cursecatcher and so on. It resists a single bolt and flies what it’s really awesome. Linvala and suppression field almost locks completely to the opponent.
Other spells:
Lock pieces:
Chalice of the void, Trinisphere and Suppression Field: Maybe the card which needs more explanation is Suppression Field. This deck can make a lock in almost all aspects of the game. However activated abilities were beyond of the limitations that lock itself produces. I found that some permanents have annoying abilities: sensei’s divining top (not to mention counter-top), grindstone, engineered explosives, Quasali pridemage, Survival of the fittest, Jace, the mind sculptor, and so on. All of them provides a real advantage for the opponent.
Moat: What can I say? All the creatures of our deck can fly, so with moat everybody wins!
Oblivion ring: Our spot permanent removal.
Armageddon: Almost a finisher with Windborn muse and a “Wrath of God” Before dropping tabernacle. Chrome mox is absolutely synergic here. I think that no explanation is requires here.
Crucible of World: Another obvious card: Provides the wastelock and the reposition of the lands destroyed with Armageddon.
Sideboard
Keeping aside the obvious cards:
Magus of the tabernacle: Agaist aggro is our ticket to victory. Magus + mox + ggedon = gg?
Glowrider: Another perfect piece against storm combo.
Aura of silence: Our way out against enchantress and affinity (if it’s still played). In mirror match is useful too.
Well I think that’s all by now. Any additional information will be added.
Thanks!!