Stifle Vise

[Mr. Safety]

Looking for a fun new project to troll the local I whipped up this janky pile of shit. I've always been really fascinated by a potential mono-blue tempo list for Legacy, likely centered around Delver, but also able to leverage Stifle in a way that isn't underpowered. Black Vise, if landed early, can be a way to leverage mana disruption as a fast threat. I have found even on the draw it has done well in my limited playtesting/goldfishing. If I find this deck has legs at the local level I might actually invest in some Force of Wills to replace the Counterspells. Stifle seems quite good in the format ATM, as it has always been, but without a super fast clock to back it up or a way to leverage the mana denial, it has fallen out of favor. Nimble obstructionist is an uncounterable stifle that can be a win condition if needed.

EDIT: Black Vise is 'on hold'; I couldn't consistently keep cards in opponent's hands to make it threatening enough. Games were finished with Delver, Djinn, Snapcaster, and Obstructionist. Vise needs a lot more 'build-around' cards, so for now I'm going with Stifle-Djinn as the main plan. Dismember is very necessary and Djinn is a fast clock, even though it isn't resilient like TNN.

4x Delver of Secrets
2x Snapcaster Mage
3x nimble obstructionist
3x Tempest Djinn

4x Brainstorm
4x Ponder
4x Stifle
4x Daze
3x Vapor Snag
2x Spell Pierce
2x Pact of Negation
3x Counterspell
2x Dismember
1x Predict
1x Jace, the Mind Sculptor

4x Wasteland
4x Flooded Strand
10x Island

Sideboard
4x Misdirection
1x Vendilion Clique
1x Venser, Shaper Savant
1x Tormod's Crypt
2x Echoing Truth
2x Grafdigger's Cage
2x Pithing Needle
2x Ratchet Bomb


Feel free to post and join me in the jank-pile.

[Mr. Safety]

I may play some number of Foil in the deck...it's a poor-man's Force of Will in a deck with 10 islands. I like the fact that Daze feeds me an island to pay for it, and I don't need more than 2-3 lands optimally. That makes Tempest Djinn a little worse, but I was feeling like Force of Will would be too much card disadvantage for the deck that really needs *all* it's cards to keep the tempo pressure on. FoW is a necessary evil however, and maybe Foil can be that card for me. Most Force decks make sure to have 16 cards available to pitch at a minimum, to support a full set of Force. Ten Islands might not be enough to support Foil, at least not a full set. I think Disrupting Shoal would likely be better than Foil, and that card is limited as well. Foil could be a sideboard option when a t0 free counter is needed.

Another card I'm debating over Tempest Djinn is Nimble Obstructionist, because why not 8 Stifles? And a stifle that can attack for 3 as well, with flash? Janky yes, and makes me want to touch myself.

[H]

I have this belief that Snapcaster Mage would be really good here. Stifle is your best card, so getting to use it twice is even better. I'd much rather play that than a sorcery speed Air Elemental for 3 mana. Once upon a time, we would play Modern for shits and giggles and I'd play a bad version of Grixis Control. I'd always keep a couple Shadow of Doubt in there and times where you Shadow a fetch, make your lands drop and their next turn, Snapcaster Shadow on another fetch were priceless.

[Mr. Safety]

EDIT: Thought you were talking Obstructionist, but you were talking Djinn.

Shadow of Doubt seems alright, especially where it cantrips. It has applications outside of fetchlands as well (Stoneforge Mystic, Infernal Tutor, Dark Petition, Green Sun's Zenith, Crop Rotation, Gamble.) I'm not sure it's better than Obstructionist, which can stifle/draw OR beat for 3 in the air, with flash. I have the Snapcasters, and they were in there before I went deep into Tempest Djinn. Djinn might not be good enough, but getting a 3/4 flyer for UUU, and one that rewards late game lands, seemed to be good. Maybe not good enough, but the dork in me has to try.

Thanks for the response! I wasn't sure if I would get any feedback at all, lol.

EDIT: I honestly think Shadow of Doubt could be really good here. Will test.

[JackaBo]

EDIT: Thought you were talking Obstructionist, but you were talking Djinn.

Shadow of Doubt seems alright, especially where it cantrips. It has applications outside of fetchlands as well (Stoneforge Mystic, Infernal Tutor, Dark Petition, Green Sun's Zenith, Crop Rotation, Gamble.) I'm not sure it's better than Obstructionist, which can stifle/draw OR beat for 3 in the air, with flash. I have the Snapcasters, and they were in there before I went deep into Tempest Djinn. Djinn might not be good enough, but getting a 3/4 flyer for UUU, and one that rewards late game lands, seemed to be good. Maybe not good enough, but the dork in me has to try.

Thanks for the response! I wasn't sure if I would get any feedback at all, lol.

EDIT: I honestly think Shadow of Doubt could be really good here. Will test.

Check out Interdict. Doesnt counter triggers but neither does shadow. Maybe shadow is better as it counters tutors of all sorts.

[Mr. Safety]

Will check on interdict.

I'm looking at nimble obstructionist closer, because it's an uncounterable stifle that cantrips, all while conveniently being a 3 power flier when needed.

Edit: interdict is a no. Too narrow of a stifle effect, shadow is leagues better. If it was 1 mana it would be tempting.

I think Djinn might be a no-go. Obstructionist seems way better, even if it isn't as big. Will be changing up the deck soon.

[JackaBo]

You tap WO at opponents endstep. With a tapped WO you are allowed to untap your lands and the WO - making it tax your opponent in his untap phase.
Tappning it in your own upkeep (i.e with tangor wire) is ill advised. Then it will be tapped on your opponents untap phase and be turned off.
The key here is tapping it after opponents untap phase, essentially.

[Mr. Safety]

You tap WO at opponents endstep. With a tapped WO you are allowed to untap your lands and the WO - making it tax your opponent in his untap phase.
Tappning it in your own upkeep (i.e with tangor wire) is ill advised. Then it will be tapped on your opponents untap phase and be turned off.
The key here is tapping it after opponents untap phase, essentially.

Gotcha, that seems pretty decent to me. At this point do I dig deeper and play Ports? I don't have them, but I can get them without too much trouble.

[GrimoirePath]

I put together the list I posted above and have been goldfishing it. I have since pulled the Ports and the Vault Skirges. I have added two Darksteel Citadel (to make sure I hit metalcraft) and I have added 3 Aether Spellbombs. I pulled the snapcasters to put in something that ca do more damage, and tried playing with the Thing In Ice for a bit, but it was too slow, so I slipped in some True Name Nemesis. Added a Winter orb which can be great, but finding the right number of them will take testing. Four is too many. One to two seem ideal.

Certarch can actually be really cool, but is weak to removal. I considered spellskite to protect it.

Edit: forgot to mention that Standstill is very cool here. If you have a vise (or two, or three!) and they have four cards in hand, you can pull moves like casting a spell into your own standstill to hit them for lethal.

[Mr. Safety]

Edit: forgot to mention that Standstill is very cool here. If you have a vise (or two, or three!) and they have four cards in hand, you can pull moves like casting a spell into your own standstill to hit them for lethal.

Now you're talking!!!

[FTW]

If you have Winter Orb and Black Vise, +4 Mox Opal and maybe +2 Chrome Mox or Mox Diamond. Easy mana to cheat around Winter Orb.


This looks like a good start:


4 Mox Opal
4 Brainstorm
4 Vedalken Cetarch
4 Black Vise
4 Winter Orb
4 Standstill
4 Tangle Wire
4 Trinket Mage
3 Ghirapur Aether Grid

2 Academy Ruins
4 Wasteland
3 Seat of the Synod
1 Great Furnace
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Polluted Delta
2 Volcanic Island
2 Island