[Deck] UW(x) Landstill

[Erdvermampfa]

Regarding Crucible of Worlds I have to say that I'm in line with TakeYourTime's argumentation that it'll get more useful against the respective decks once they board their otherwise useless point removal (Decay) out so in the end it remains its longevity. Besides there is always Academy Ruins. However, as like Iron Buddha correctly stated, they overall prevalence of Deathrite Shaman decreases the validity of many grave-based strategies, hence we might often find us not having enough targets for Crucible because fetchlands or wasted lands had been removed earlier. Nevertheless, this becomes less severe as the game further progresses because I think we are all content that Deathrite Shaman is to be removed as soon as possible so you can still make use of Crucible in the long run. Then again, I've found myself in situations where I'm pressingly in the need of answers because my opponent had a good Delver or Mongoose start-off and in these moments it feels highly awkward having a CC3 artifact in hand that does next to nothing in the first place. But, as we consented above, we have to keep in mind that Landstill's main strength is the late game and therefore we have to keep a sufficient mass of late game cards in the deck, hence Crucible seems legit once more. I hope we can get more notions of other landstill players on this matter.

As for Geist as a 1-of I can only say for now, due to limited testing, that he definitely serves his purpose of a fast clock quite well and altogether I think its safe to say that draws can be reduced by including him. On the other side, his neither an answer for threats (except for opponent's planeswalkers) nor specifically strong as a late game card because he doesn't play well along with mass removal and still gets outclassed by bigger creatures easily. I'm currently under the impression that he can provide nothing which you couldn't achieve with Elspeth and fast playing as well.

Moreover, I'd say that we have to share thoughts on Humility once again. I torn between running it maindeck and putting it in the sideboard or to leave it at all. First of, I'm definitely aware of it's power not just in tribal and creature-heavy areas. Humility is Landstill's way to establish a lastingly superior board situation when paired with cards like Mishra's Factory and Elspeth because now your creatures become at least equal or better than each of your opponent's. Also, as we all know, it shuts down utility creatures like Confidant, Stoneforge and mother of Runes. On the other hand, it's not necessarily the best answer when being under pressure, because 1/1s can still become a threat when in high quantities, especially when your on low life. It's also possible that the aforementioned permanent turning of the game state to your favor can also be achieved by Engineered Explosives when being recurred with Academy Ruins, but then again, we can't really assess the reliability of this strategy because of Abrupt Decay's and Deathrite Shaman's high prevalence right now.

[Canarias4life]

I have found this thread( http://www.thecouncil.es/foro/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2255 ) about Antonio Escamilla's Landstill. He is one of the best spanish players of Landstill. He talks about his years playing Landstill and how he has changed the deck list. This is the last tournament he has participated with Landstill, in February 2013. http://www.mtgdecks.net/decks/view/45959 That's interesting see the experience of expert players

[spedn7]

Moreover, I'd say that we have to share thoughts on Humility once again. I torn between running it maindeck and putting it in the sideboard or to leave it at all. First of, I'm definitely aware of it's power not just in tribal and creature-heavy areas. Humility is Landstill's way to establish a lastingly superior board situation when paired with cards like Mishra's Factory and Elspeth because now your creatures become at least equal or better than each of your opponent's. Also, as we all know, it shuts down utility creatures like Confidant, Stoneforge and mother of Runes. On the other hand, it's not necessarily the best answer when being under pressure, because 1/1s can still become a threat when in high quantities, especially when your on low life. It's also possible that the aforementioned permanent turning of the game state to your favor can also be achieved by Engineered Explosives when being recurred with Academy Ruins, but then again, we can't really assess the reliability of this strategy because of Abrupt Decay's and Deathrite Shaman's high prevalence right now.

Engineered Explosives isn't effected by Deathrite Shaman and if you can assemble Academy Ruins with EE then you how a decent lock if you can reach 3cc. The only thing to remember is to kill Deathrite first so if your Academy Ruins gets hit by wasteland you have time to get Crucible of Worlds into play to get it back. Humility does its best work when paired with Moat but as long as you aren't playing against fast aggro decks like zoo or swarm decks like Goblins Humility is good on its own because you can get to 4cc with a good life total a lot of the time and you are in a strong position once Humility is on the board

[kiblast]

I'm trying to tune a Miracle Still list based on the one that top8ed Ghent last year.
There is no comparison when you are playing a Standstill control deck with 4 tops vs one without tops. Top is already amazing by itself so I opted to play the full playset, so I can play miracles as well. I'm playing 2 terminus and 1 Entreat.

Basically it's a Miracle list which plays Standstill instead of CB and it feels great. Red is by far the best support colour because of Reb and Pyroclasm.

[b] Uwr Miracle Still

//Main
4 Flooded Strand
4 Island
1 Plains
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Tundra
4 Mishra's Factory
1 Academy Ruins
1 Karakas
2 Volcanic Island

4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Spell Pierce
2 Supreme Verdict
3 Standstill
1 Engineered Explosives
4 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Entreat the Angels
2 Counterspell
2 Terminus
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

//Sideboard
3 Vendilion Clique
2 Flusterstorm
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Pyroclasm
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Disenchant
1 Counterbalance

[thefreakaccident]

Ive been playing something similar, except with a tiny bit for focus on countermagic, and the pyroclasms in the mainboard, since my meta is fullof maverick/deaths taxes/elves/cascade... Pyroclasm has been surprisingly good vs the format md, kills just about everything besides goyf. Also, teeg hits supreme verdict, and I find I always either have taken too much damage pre verdict, or I'm killing 1-2 dudes, both are just not worth it. Clasm comes two turns earlier, costs the same as a rupt decay, and usually does the exact same job as verdict. It's easier to flashback with potential snapcasters as well.

[dsck]

I'm trying to tune a Miracle Still list based on the one that top8ed Ghent last year.
There is no comparison when you are playing a Standstill control deck with 4 tops vs one without tops. Top is already amazing by itself so I opted to play the full playset, so I can play miracles as well. I'm playing 2 terminus and 1 Entreat.

Basically it's a Miracle list which plays Standstill instead of CB and it feels great. Red is by far the best support colour because of Reb and Pyroclasm.

[b] Uwr Miracle Still

//Main
4 Flooded Strand
4 Island
1 Plains
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Tundra
4 Mishra's Factory
1 Academy Ruins
1 Karakas
2 Volcanic Island

4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Spell Pierce
2 Supreme Verdict
3 Standstill
1 Engineered Explosives
4 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Entreat the Angels
2 Counterspell
2 Terminus
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

//Sideboard
3 Vendilion Clique
2 Flusterstorm
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Pyroclasm
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Disenchant
1 Counterbalance

I played quite similar list a lot. Then I lost to RUG more than once and there went my interest. This deck does however roll over all those different cascade decks.

[kiblast]

I played quite similar list a lot. Then I lost to RUG more than once and there went my interest. This deck does however roll over all those different cascade decks.

What would you change to adjust the matchup vs. Rug? Were you playing CB? Which combinations of spot removals / removal tools were you using?

[dsck]

What would you change to adjust the matchup vs. Rug? Were you playing CB? Which combinations of spot removals / removal tools were you using?

I tried bunch of different options but the problem was having a decent finisher once you have stabilized (usually at 7 life). You want to play around: Daze/Spell Pierce/Stifle/Flusterstorm/Red Elemental Blast/Krosan Grip/Spell Snare/Lightning Bolt. I quess now that think about it Jötun Grunt could be okay. It is however very narrow and takes many SB slots.

I used to play 1 Counterbalance main (over 2nd Counterspell) and 2nd in the SB or E. Tutor. I dont think Surgicals are at their best here, you'd rather want RIP or Relic of Progenitus as those are also good vs RUG.

[dsck]

Lol @ this list:
http://thecouncil.es/tcdecks/deck.ph...0&iddeck=89260

[Einherjer]

Besides the fact that I will play Miracles at GP Paris I was taking this deck to our local tournament today. I didn't wanna beat everyone by playing Miracles, so I decided to play the clearly inferior Landstill. This was the draft list I put together the day before the tournament:

4 Tundra
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Flooded Strand
3 Scalding Tarn
1 Karakas
5 Island
3 Plains
4 Standstill
4 Supreme Verdict
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Brainstorm
4 Counterspell
3 Vendilion Clique
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
//Sideboard
4 Flusterstorm
2 Spell Snare
1 Spell Pierce
1 Rest in Peace
3 Timely Reinforcements
2 Batterskull
2 Baneslayer Angel

Round 1: UR Delver
I: I destroy all the threats he deploys, and while he is digging for more I beat him down with Mishra and Snapcaster. Before he can find anything he dies.
II: I make an mistake by acting too aggressively - leaving me with Force without pitch for one single turn - he gets down Vortex and I die.
III: I dominate the game with multiple Timely Reinforcements - but in the end it comes down to a race between his Vortex and my Clique and Mishra - which I happen to win at 1 life.
Best move was him attacking with 2 Goblin Guides and me brainstorming in response to triggers and putting two Islands on top. Who said Ancestral Recall was illegal?

1-0

Round 2: Team America
I: I open with 2 Swords and 2 Snapcaster, followed by another Sword from top. Nothing stays alive on his side, Mishra brings it home.
II: He chains Hymns but consecutive Brainstorms make me live long enough to eventually win with Elspeth - paired with Snapcaster and Mishra.

2-0

Round 3: Belcher/Oops-All-Spells-Hybrid
I: I know what he is on, mull to 4 to find Fetchland, Snapcaster Mage, Brainstorm and blank. He combos, I brainstorm, brick and die.
II: You know how these games work... got the counter? Gotcha!
III: See above.

3-0

Round 4: Team America
I: I go Island go, he plays Deathrite, I play Standstill with Mishra, he dazes - next turn I play another which sticks. He wastes my Mishra but as soon as I got another he is forced to move and can't keep up with the CA I have accumulated.
II: He deploys multiple threats which are taken away by Verdict, only to be followed up with Baneslayer Angel. He dies without real possibility to handle it- cause I had Counterspell, Jace and Batterskull in Hand.

4-0

First place, yaay. Deck was alot of fun and I will continue to play it for the lulz! Second time I took first with Landstill, btw: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...l=1#post690278

LONG LIVE LANDSTILL!

Greetings

[klaus]

4 Standstill
4 FoW
4 Jace
4 BS
4 STP
2 UAbsent
3 Snare
2 CS
3 Supreme Verdict
2 SCM
2 Clique
1 Elspeth
1 Ponder
36

4 Flooded Strand
4 Factory
2 Arid Mesa
2 Delta
4 Tundra
4 Island
2 Plains
1 Dustbowl
1 Kor Haven

SB:
1 PtE
1 Verdict
2 EE
4 Fluster Storm
3 RiP
1 Disenchant
2 Canonist
1 Needle

Will try this out now and tell you how flows.

[Erdvermampfa]

So, Klaus, would you mind to tell us how the list turned out for you? In my view your list seems a bit slow due to the fact that you run 8 CC4 spells. In my experience, 6 CC4 cards are the Maximum lest the deck becomes too incosistent and makes you end with unbearable Hands. Additionally, you don't run Top that usually ensures your landdrops which is crucial for this deck. In Standstill-control decks, Sensei's Top appears to me to be the best way to enable Standstill because you get yourself in a highly favorable position if you manage to drop a Standstill above a Top to the extend that it obliges your opponent to break SS immediatly. I can't see any reason why that singleton Ponder shouldn't be Top except for Snapcaster, but that is neglectable since you have a plenty of other targets for him.

[cab0747]

I know this deck isn't popular, but I was wondering if anyone has done anything with the RiP Helm combo. I have always wanted to find a shell where this fit and the list that made top-16 in an SCG Open recently (linked here) looks to do this very well.

Since Strands have cone down in price, I was thinking about messing around with this a little. So, does ANYONE still play this or a variant of it?

[pandaman]

I play it in Vintage and sometimes in Legacy. Love me some Legacy legal Ancestral Recall.

[lavafrogg]

I have seen a few players experimenting with an old school fish list that runs delver and man lands to abuse standstill, just like the good old days... I also feel like I have seen an article in starcity with a brew of "fish".

[pandaman]

The DreadStill guys have been kicking around a UW version with the Torpor Orb flyer, but it's very different to the decks discussed here, of course.

[lambert101]

Recently played a version of this deck to a 4-1-2 record at a local GPT for New Jersey. I came in 3-4 place. I went 3-0 then double ID into top 8. I was the 1 seed going into the top 8. It played like the old Landstill decks with cruse over standstill.

Match-ups
UWR Delver: 2-1; won with assemble racing a True Name-Nemesis with a Jitte
BUG Delver: 2-0; Game 1 Turn 4 Blood Moon won with Force and Daze Mana
Dark Maverick: 2-0; Killed all the dudes and drew all the cards
Double ID into top 8
Top 8: Dude scooped to me as top 8 spilt and played it out for byes. He isn't going to New Jersey.
Top 4: Lost to Hollywood on UR delver cruse deck. I haven't played against it and I ran out of steam game 1 and game 2 he cast all 4 cruse. It happens. Hollywood went on to win the buys. Good do and fun games.

Here is the list

Main:
4 Ponder
4 Brainstorm
4 Treasure Cruse
2 Jace, the Mindsculptor
1 Batterskull
1 Enlightened Tutor
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Council’s Judgement
1 Blood Moon
1 Keranos, God of Storms
1 Assemble the Legion
4 Force of Will
2 Spell Pierce
2 Counterspell
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Arid Mesa
3 Island
2 Plains
1 Mountain
3 Tundra
2 Volcanic Island
1 Karakas

Board:
1 Null Rod
1 Pithing Needle
2 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Flusterstorm
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Eidolon of rhetoric
1 Blood Moon
1 Council’s Judgement
2 Rest in Peace
1 Grafdigger’s Cage

The list was solid but thinking about the following changes:

Main:
4 Ponder
4 Brainstorm
4 Dig Through Time
2 Jace, the Mindsculptor
1 Batterskull
1 Enlightened Tutor
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Council’s Judgement
1 Blood Moon
1 Keranos, God of Storms
1 Assemble the Legion
4 Force of Will
3 Spell Pierce
2 Counterspell
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Arid Mesa
3 Island
2 Plains
1 Mountain
2 Tundra
2 Volcanic Island
1 Karakas

Board:
1 Null Rod
1 Pithing Needle
2 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Flusterstorm
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Blood Moon
1 Council’s Judgement
2 Rest in Peace
1 Grafdigger’s Cage

These changes lower the land count to 21. I got flooded almost every game as the 1-1 removal and fetches fill up delve for end of turn dig through time. The 6 basics are awesome and the Karakas would be a Tundra but it helps against Sneak and Show, Reanimator, Thalia decks,and Miracles (legends build). Please give me feed back. I understand this is like miracles without the miracles but plays different as you are not relying on top and have answers to early delvers, deathrites, and random dues (aka swift spear). The end game plan of Keranos, Jace, Batterskull, and Assemble the Legion have been awesome in testing. Especially Assemble because it survives -1/-1 effects and can't be pyroblasted after landing.

[jafar]

I loved the deck, sometimes still trying to play it.

Just few questions here:

- Why replace Cruise with Dig Through Time? (Impression, thoughts)
- Do you think Spell snare could be useful to fight opposing counterbalance (and a lot of other legacy Staples)?
- 21 lands isn' too few?

Thx,

Bye

[lambert101]

Dig allows you to play more draw go. The land situation is the same as miracles with 1 Tundra over 1 Karkas. So far the games have played out as follows:
Turn 1-2 removal/counter early threats
Turn 3-4 ponder and more removal
Turn 4-5 Blood Moon and Dig Through Time
Turn X then win

[H]

I've been playing BUG Landstill off and on for the last 6 months or so. Since Treasure Cruise got printed I was contemplating reviving it, but looking your list is inspiring me to try something a little different. The trouble I always had was not being able to close the game quickly or efficiently enough once I had control. Assemble and Keranos look like great passive win conditions that constantly generate some kind of value, something I didn't have in BUG besides Loam (which really isn't a win condition or passive) letting you hold up countermagic. Deathrite, Liliana, Decay, and Deed are amazing cards, but they do constrain what you can do overall. Considering the post-TC meta, while Deed is a hell of a card, the way it informs the types of other answer cards you can play probably isn't the best choice. Permanent based hate is too critical now and probably even more so going forward, which Deed precludes.

Once I have the last few cards I need for this (I never got any Council's, also need a Keranos and Assemble), I will be testing this. I am going to see how your first build feels for me, as I think I would be more comfortable with more lands when my win conditions cost 4, 5, 5, and 5. Of course, you may well be right that Cruise makes it so you can do with less land, but I'd be fearful of opening too many 1-2 mana 7s that have to be mulled with only 21 lands.