[Deck] Braids Stax... Yes, it's back...

[Citrus-God]

// Mana 28
4 Mox Diamond
4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors
3 Wasteland
4 Flagstones of Trokair
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Windswept Heath
1 Flooded Strand
4 Scrubland
2 Godless Shrine


// Creatures 7
4 Braids, Cabal Minion
3 Exalted Angel


// Spells 26
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Trinisphere
4 Smallpox
4 Ghostly Prison
4 Smokestack
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Vindicate


// Sideboard 15
1 Exalted Angel
3 Hanna's Custody
3 Tormod's Crypt
4 Defense Grid
4 Engineered Plague

A re-design of the ever-popular Angel Stax. This deck was made because of Flagstones and Exalted Angel. The basic strategy is to gum up the board until you win through devastating board effects or you drop an Exalted Angel while your opponent is in a vaunerable and horrid position. With Smokestack-8 with the 5th to 8th being Braids, and Board removal serving as Smallpox and Vindicate, this deck is a force to be wrecken with. Ghostly Prison stalls the early game aggression, and the deck like quickly devastates your board.

[Sek'Kuar]

would Pox be more effective than smallpox simply because it is more devastating?

[Alex_Van_R]

Did you ever consider that black angel from apocalypse with kicker and an armageddon effect? (I don't know the name anymore.)

[Cavius The Great]

Did you ever consider that black angel from apocalypse with kicker and an armageddon effect? (I don't know the name anymore.)

Desolation Angel I think.

[outsideangel]

For reference, the old thread about B/W Stax with Braids is here:

http://mtgthesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2973&highlight=braidstax

Anyway, the first thing I can think of is that Crucible should be a 4-of. You always want to have a Crucible out, so I don't see any reason to run anything less than the maximum. It's just so good with Smokestack, Braids, Wasteland, City of Traitors, Mox Diamond, Smallpox, and Fetchlands.

[thefreakaccident]

I used to play a list very similar to this... yours looks much better, seeing as I was never able to get a complete set of diamonds (I have 3 and it still makes me sad :cry: ).. This deck was designed to wreck the board and all players/decks that rely on it... truely potent. Would you mind if I borrowed your build for a little while, maybe go to a tourney or two? And of coarse do some play testing... looks great all together though; good work.

but yaw, I do like to see 4 crucibles; but the list is already soooo tight that I cannot see him cutting any slot for that additional crucible...

[outsideangel]

I

but yaw, I do like to see 4 crucibles; but the list is already soooo tight that I cannot see him cutting any slot for that additional crucible...

-1 Vindicate
+1 Crucible of Worlds

Vindicate is a funny card in this deck. It's something I feel like I shouldn't need, but also something I wouldn't want to be with out. It's not really a strong contributor to the main strategy of the deck (blowing up 1 land or whatever isn't huge) but it's also something of an "oh shit" button that answers whatever your opponent does manage to get through. In summation, I could see going to 3x for a card as important as the 4th Crucible.

[Silverdragon]

-1 Smallpox; +1 Crucible
Smallpox looks not that good in this deck. I agree it has a devastating effect but remember that even if you have Crucible or Flagstones you still have to discard a card in a deck with absolutely no carddraw and it costs BB in a deck that plays not a single basic land because of the heavy mana and color requirements the staples already have. It also is not a permanent that could be sacced to one of your 8 Smokestacks.
Is Ghostly Prison better than Ensnaring Bridge in this deck? Ensnaring Bridge could make the drawback of Smallpox even less negative by helping you achieve hellbent.
What about some Armageddons between Maindeck and Sideboard?
What about Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth? You only need double W for Angel.
At the moment your Flagstones can only fetch 6 lands. Maybe cut some fetchlands or Wastelands for more Duals/Basics?
Are Wastelands really needed preboard? With 4 Vindicate and 4 Smallpox I think 2 Wastelands are enough unless you play in a meta that is full of Landstill and Threshold.
edit: outsideangel was faster^^ However I think this deck needs Vindicate more than Smallpox and because of the Flagstones it should be easier to get the 1BW for Vindicate than the BB for Smallpox

[outsideangel]

Urborg is sexah. I'd probably cut 1x Flagstones for it. The deck needs BB more than it needs WW, actually, so I think having 4x lands that make only W is a little excessive, especially when you don't need WW until pretty late into the game.

[Bane of the Living]

Play the new swamp with Dredge 2. Its an auto 4 of in a deck with 8 stack effects isnt it? It means you dont need Crucible out and its freakin uncounterable since its a land!

Seriously that card is the reason Id consider mashing a b/w stacks deck together.

[thefreakaccident]

bane's right that card would be the nuts in this kind of deck... man black is getting a lot of lands recently... hmmm

[outsideangel]

CITP sucks, though. For real real. Also it's not nearly as good as you think it is, since it replaces your draw every turn in a deck that only draws cards in its draw step.

Crucible is so much better with Smokestack than this.

[Bane of the Living]

CITP sucks, though. For real real. Also it's not nearly as good as you think it is, since it replaces your draw every turn in a deck that only draws cards in its draw step.

Crucible is so much better with Smokestack than this.

Angel Stax runs all perms but four Wrath of Gods which allows the deck to drop a smokestack and satisfy it every turn. Your playing 11 cards you cant cast for smokestack/braids. (counting braids) I realize your running Crucible but we cant all have our cake and eat it too. Crucible gets countered, discarded, meddling maged, and blown up all the time. There are also times you just wont find one. (running no card draw)

The fact the land will always be a perm to sac is redonculous. It doesnt matter that you replace a draw because all you wanted to draw was a perm to sac! It doesnt mean you need to dredge it every turn, but it makes you less reliant on crucible. Coming into play tapped isnt a huge deal since the deck doesnt play any one or two drops aside from chalice. You also play Mox Diamond so pitching this land will be awsome, especially when you have Mox Diamond and no Crucible.

[f|i[p]]

I am choosing between different legacy stax decks right now as I am planning to build it since I love prison decks. Im looking for a consistent yet fun stax deck that I could use as a skeleton...

I was wondering if you have considered Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth?... it fixes alot of mana issues for the deck...

how is the mana base going? In mono white stax they seem to be having a problem achieving double white even with 14-15 white sources, this deck seems to be wanting double black as well as double white..

Is small pox and vindicate enough to control creatures along with braids and smokestack?

[Citrus-God]

I used to play a list very similar to this... yours looks much better, seeing as I was never able to get a complete set of diamonds (I have 3 and it still makes me sad :cry: ).. This deck was designed to wreck the board and all players/decks that rely on it... truely potent. Would you mind if I borrowed your build for a little while, maybe go to a tourney or two? And of coarse do some play testing... looks great all together though; good work.

but yaw, I do like to see 4 crucibles; but the list is already soooo tight that I cannot see him cutting any slot for that additional crucible...

You'll love this deck. I havent complained at this deck other than the generic Mulligan for early broken play problem. Luckily, this deck is all about explosive plays.

1st turn Smallpox, Prison, Vindicate, Vindicate, Braids, CoW? Now that is just sexy right there.

I'm not playing this deck much right now because of I'm paranoid about every deck I built being bad at the moment. Most games I've played is on MWS, but it isnt so bad thus far...


Is small pox and vindicate enough to control creatures along with braids and smokestack?

Smallpox, Vindicate, and Ghostly Prison is just stall to keep you alive. For a prison deck, you are always playing one role until Angel hits play: Control. disrupt your opponent as much as possible with semi-marginal effects until you drop a Smokestack.



how is the mana base going? In mono white stax they seem to be having a problem achieving double white even with 14-15 white sources, this deck seems to be wanting double black as well as double white..

Hence no basic lands. If you feel that getting double Black is an issue, cut a Flagstones or two for Tomb of Yawgmoth so Ancient Tombs arent completely suicidal.



Urborg is sexah. I'd probably cut 1x Flagstones for it. The deck needs BB more than it needs WW, actually, so I think having 4x lands that make only W is a little excessive, especially when you don't need WW until pretty late into the game.

It's true. I never wanted White until later in the game, but the synergy of Flagstones with Smokestack, Braids, and Smallpox allow you to still have enough lands to keep maintaining disruption like Vindicate while it's slowly eating your opponent's board up.

[APriestOfGix]

I've been working on a version of Stax that can compete with the current meta of combo insanity.

Here is what i have come up with:

Men in Stax!

//Land
5 Swamp
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Wasteland
4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors
2 Umborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 The Tabernacle at Pendral Vail

//Creatures
3 Braids

//Spells
2 Bottled Cloister (could be Phyrexian Arena)
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Smokestacks
4 Crucible of Worlds
4 Trinisphere
4 Mox Diamond
4 Damnation (could be The Abyss but $$ made this pick)
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Tangle Wire (maybe Duress/Cabal Therapy?)


The deck play like your normal stax deck, but owns almost all combo. it's 9-1 against TES right now, and doing fairly well against decks that have counters like Thresh and High Tide.

[hugh1130]

I've been working on a version of Stax that can compete with the current meta of combo insanity.

Here is what i have come up with:

Men in Stax!

//Land
5 Swamp
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Wasteland
4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors
2 Umborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 The Tabernacle at Pendral Vail

//Creatures
3 Braids

//Spells
2 Bottled Cloister (could be Phyrexian Arena)
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Smokestacks
4 Crucible of Worlds
4 Trinisphere
4 Mox Diamond
4 Damnation (could be The Abyss but $$ made this pick)
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Tangle Wire (maybe Duress/Cabal Therapy?)


The deck play like your normal stax deck, but owns almost all combo. it's 9-1 against TES right now, and doing fairly well against decks that have counters like Thresh and High Tide.

tangle wire has to come out

it helps your good matchups ( combo)

and is pretty terrible in your bad ones ( goblins)

UBA mask, imo, is stax's best way to attack a hand so i'd use that before therapy/duress because A) its a perm and B) its a perm

id play more then 11 black sources, 13 with 2 tombs, for braids and damnation, prob cutting 1 card(a tanglke wire slot) + a wasteland for 2 swamps

ensnaring bridges is probably your best answer for agro in general, and leyland depending on your meta- is a sideboard slot for the same reason tangle wire is not good.

[outsideangel]

You don't really have to metagame Stax for combo all that much, since combo is one of the deck's best matchups already. I suppose it's worth noting, though, that you still probably don't beat Flash. Stuff like 3sphere and Tangle Wire is really bad against a deck that only needs to resolve a single instant to win.

[greenmage]

I have no real experience with prison decks, but would second sunrise fit in? I can imagine putting 1WW in the mana pool in response to the smokestack trigger and then playing this.

[APriestOfGix]

tangle wire has to come out

it helps your good matchups ( combo)

and is pretty terrible in your bad ones ( goblins)

UBA mask, imo, is stax's best way to attack a hand so i'd use that before therapy/duress because A) its a perm and B) its a perm

id play more then 11 black sources, 13 with 2 tombs, for braids and damnation, prob cutting 1 card(a tanglke wire slot) + a wasteland for 2 swamps

ensnaring bridges is probably your best answer for agro in general, and leyland depending on your meta- is a sideboard slot for the same reason tangle wire is not good.


your right on the bridges, i forgot about them.

mask, is iffy, is it really that good w/o welder?

the black isn't a problem at all. unless they have land destruction, but the mox's and swamps seem to be fine, as you only need 2.

what about a board?
Chains/Plauge/Pate?

[hugh1130]

mask, is iffy, is it really that good w/o welder?

it is not terrible in my experineces, but it takes a slot of better cards, but if only becasue it is a perm and messes with a hand, it is better then most hand disruption which effect may be better, but is not a perm.




the black isn't a problem at all. unless they have land destruction, but the mox's and swamps seem to be fine, as you only need 2.

if you drop the leylands to the board infavor of something like say , small pox ( helps ensaring out as a bonus), which i would deffiantly upp the black count to atleast 13




what about a board?
Chains/Plauge/Pate?

as a board id prob run

4x laylines
3x defense grid
4x engineered plague
4x meta

flash is going to be a toruble match, as i see it, no matter what meta slot card choices you make,

plague(on zombies)+ensnaring ( agsint kikijiki version if you cxan empty your hand that fast..... id hontesly mulligan to 5 or so in absence of any other choice to make this route easier)+ leylines+chalice hopefully is enough for flash... but it isnt.. and non perm answer hurt the decks viability agaisnt most other match ups in almost all cases.


I have no real experience with prison decks, but would second sunrise fit in? I can imagine putting 1WW in the mana pool in response to the smokestack trigger and then playing this.
not so much
second sunrise doesnt really help our plan all to much, it is not a good card in and upon itslef ( synergie is nice but nifty 2 card combos are tough when a deck draws 1 card per turn) and more often then not id see it as a dead draw(again really really bad agasint a deck that basicly in top deck mode every game)