Casual Stax

[RobPro]

This is a deck I've been using for the past few years at my local card stores, it's undergone various tweaks and whatnot. What I am interested in is making this a "multiplayer control deck." Right now, it's built so it can lockdown a game with 2+ people and then win slowly with Factory beats or win quickly with Colossus beats.

I try to keep to the Type 1 restricted list, and some cards are in there for their "fun" factor over their "effectiveness" factor. I'd appreciate it if you could offer advice and input on artifacts that have a "mass" effect and would help lock the table down, so if you can see any cards that are strictly superior than a card on the list, or you don't get why something is in there, post a question and I'll answer the best I can.

Lands ( 22 )
4x Gemstone Mine
4x Ancient Tomb
4x City of Brass
4x Mishra's Factory
2x City of traitors
2x Wasteland
1x Tolarian Academy
1x Strip Mine

Creatures ( 9 )
4x Goblin Welder
3x Sundering Titan
1x Darksteel Colossus
1x Memnarch

Artifacts ( 20 )
4x Tangle Wire
4x Smokestack
3x Crucible of Worlds
2x Sphere of Resistance
1x Trinisphere
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Vault
1x Mana Crypt
1x Grim Monolith
1x Mox Diamond
1x Zuran Orb

Spells ( 9 )
4x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Tinker
1x Crop Rotation
1x Balance

[Ephraim]

I think that we probably belong to different schools of casual Magic, so I have to ask a few questions before I can help you.  Where in your casual metagame does this deck stand?  Are you top dog?  If so, by how much?  Which of the cards do you consider to be more fun than effective?  Maybe this isn't an optimized list (not by a long shot) but I see a LOT of effective cards here.

[RobPro]

Well, when the decks parts just sort of "click" during a game it becomes the one at the table people are usually trying to knock out. I usually don't end up winning much after people catch on to what I'm doing, so unless I could open with a Tangle Wire or a Trinisphere or something else to slow the game down, people will do what they can to knock me out... but I have fun being the guy people are trying to knock out. It keeps the game interesting, from my point of view, to watch the other people at the table try and make deals "I'll kill his tangle wire before your turn if you'll attack him with your dudes."

So I guess I'm looking for cards to effect everyone at the table. I consider cards like Memnarch and Mana Crypt to be more fun than effective, since it's silly to watch Memnarch steal things or to die from Mana Crypt damage (even though Crypt makes a turn 1 Colossus possible).

Cards I would consider adding for the sake of fun would be something like a Timesifter, which I'll probably throw in as a 1-of and see how it works next time I play. I'm willing to cut the "effective" cards for more"fun" options, so long as the deck stays competitive in a multiplayer environment.

So I wouldn't say I'm the top dog, but I do play a deck I've spent a while collecting cards for and like to update from time to time that puts out threats other people at the table have to deal with. Otherwise, a multiplayer game can become draw, untap, play land, read all the cards in your hand, go, which gets boring.

Does that sort of give you an idea about the cards I'm looking for?

[Ephraim]

I am going to have to think before I can make any recommendations about what I would add.  I would be very careful, though before adding Timesifter.  With cards like Tangle Wire and Smokestack in play, you do not want to be the only person taking turns.  Unless you can find some way to make your opponents take extra turns more often than you do, that's probably not a good plan.  You might find better synergy in a card like Bosh, Iron Golem.  You already get to shuffle Sundering Titans around with Goblin Welder, but if you have the mana around, then Bosh gets you 7 damage instead of another artifact back.  That's probably something that would be more fun than powerful.

[RobPro]

That's a great idea! You've got me skimming through the Mirrodin block now, looking for interesting artifacts.

[dend51]

You could also look into Meditate. They would give you a lot of card advantage. Also Karn, Silver Golem, nothing is more fun than making their artifacts creatures and knocking them out with direct damage (Triskelion, Bosh).

[Staxringold]

Have you considered the Painter's Servant/Grindstone win condition is:

A. Cool/Fun, at least IMO
B. A nice, cheap (mana and $$ wise) 2 card combo and
C. For multiplayer it's essentially a tapping laser beam, knocking off an opponent of your choice. Since you have to tap the Grindstone it gives the other opponent one more turn, but it seems highly effective.

I can't speak to your specific meta, but ever since I read that Painter Stone combo I've wanted to use it, and a more casual Stax deck seems like the perfect place (can dedicate many slots to this, making the deck more combo-oriented, or just a couple, treating it like any other win condition for Stax).