Stasis Mentor

[Turboninja]

Hi folks,

This is a deck I've been working on for some time. It is nowhere near polished but it feels great to play.

I'm here for advice, as I'll be taking this baby to a bigger tournament next weekend.

The deck has so much versatility. It can play out as a prison deck, a tempo deck and a control deck.

To the cards:
Stasis, the namesake, is played as a two-of because although it can be backbreaking sometimes, there are board states where you can't play it. Also, I do not want my deck to rely on one card to be good. Hence, with the cantrips and Enlightenend Tutors, I can get my hands on one within the fourth turn pretty easily. The card combos with either Quirion Ranger or Garruk Wildspeaker to allow for a soft-lock. I then win either through Garruk's Tokens or with Exalted attacks that I generate with Quirion. Having a monastery Mentor makes sure that I always have untapped personnel for my exalted attackes.

Monastery Mentor is powerful in this deck, as I can bring him out early against an unsuspecting opponent and close out a game really quickly. Not only that, but with the addition of Opposition (which can also be fetched with Enlightened Tutor), I can soft-lock my opponents out of the game. A turn one dork into Mentor into Opposition means that the opponent will not have lands to play sorceries from then on. Eventually, I get more creatures and can attack through whatever defense they have.

Post sideboard, I have a Rest in Peace package that allows me to benefit from my graveyard independancy (except for the one DTT) and punish decks like Lands, Dredge and the likes. Against Miracles, I also bring out the RIP Helm combo which often comes as a surprise. Note that when I have Opposition in play, only wear//tear can get them out of the game, as I can tap the white sources before Upkeep.

Trinisphere in the sideboard can also give me a great game against Grixis Delver and Omnitell. Trinisphere combos well with both of my soft locks.

Here is the deck:

4x Windswept Heath
4x Wooded Foothills
2x Misty Rainforest
2x Savannah
4x Tropical Island
1x Dryad Arbor
1x Forest

2x Birds of Paradise
4x Noble Hierarch
2x Quirion Ranger
4x Monastery Mentor

2x Stasis
2x Garruk Wildspeaker
1x Opposition

4x Brainstorm
4x Ponder
3x Enlightened Tutor
2x Swords to Plowshares
1x Spell Pierce
2x Green Sun's Zenith
4x Daze
1x Detention Sphere
3x Force of Will
1x Dig Through Time

Sideboard
1x Divert
1x Flusterstorm
1x Force of Will
1x Helm of Obedience
1x Krosan Grip
1x Leyline of Vitality
1x Opposition
1x Pithing Needle
3x Rest in Peace
1x Spell Pierce
1x Swords to Plowshares
2x Trinisphere


Thank you!

[cchalc]

I haven't really tested or anything. But how do you find daze in this deck? I feel daze is not what you want to be doing playing stasis. Maybe just more pierces as they will also be good in the late game.

I think 3 enlightened tutor is too much just based on previous experience. Too much card disadvantage.

Lastly, have you considered the new retreat to coralhelm?

/c

[Turboninja]

I'll be playing on Tuesday. I will most certainly think about Daze and enlightened tutor. I have noticed that daze was oftentimes lackluster. Thanks for your comment.

As for the retreat, I'll have to test, but I expect it to be good only when I have Quirion, and that doesn't sound right.

[Turboninja]

Hi, so I did play tonight. Three rounds, I went 1-2.

First win against storm, first game his hand was slow and my few counters helped me land an Opposition with Mentor.
Second game, I got turn two stasis followed by Trinisphere. This went well.

Second round against infect, which is not so good a matchup. Stasis does not do much, as most of their spells are free and they wait for the alpha strike. Post board it gets easier, with the other STP and the extra counterspells, but still a bad matchup.

Third round against Miracles. First game I land a turn three stasis lock after countering his counterbalance. I have mana for a brainstorm. He draws a land and STPs my Quirion, brainstorm fails to find a free counter and I end up losing that game. Second game I get my Helm combo, with RIP in play Helm in hand. I'm about to get that fourth land and he Wear//Tears my RIP. Ends up winning with Jace. I feel like he got some luck on both those games and that Garruk would have helped a ton in each game.

Daze was good to me. Mostly because I want to tap out for my mana dorks and other bigger spells (Mentor, Garruk, Opposition).

Twice I got two enlightened Tutors in my hand, but I always managed to Brainstorm it away or cast one as a bait.

I do not feel like it is that important right now.

Detention Sphere did not do much except pitch to Force. I'll be thinking about that one.

Dig Through Time has to be replaced. Maybe another Swords to Plowshares could do the trick.

Any ideas?