Shop Racks

[John Jones]

The other day I started to think how good it would be to go Shop Sphere Rack, then I thought about Ebony Owl Nesuke and dropping that turn one with a sphere. So I decided to build a control shop list that utilized these cards.

Mana
    4 Ancient Tomb
    1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
    4 Mishra's Workshop
    4 Wasteland
    1 Tolarian Academy
    1 Strip Mine
    1 Mana Crypt
    1 Mox Jet
    1 Black Lotus
    1 Mox Sapphire
    1 Mox Pearl
    1 Mox Ruby
    1 Mox Emerald
    1 Mana Vault
    1 Sol Ring

// Creatures
    4 Juggernaut
    4 Walking Archive

// Spells
    1 Trinisphere
    4 Tangle Wire
    2 Crucible of Worlds
    4 Sphere of Resistance
    4 Thorn of Amethyst
    2 Ebony Owl Netsuke
    4 Howling Mine
    4 Black Vise
    3 Chalice of the Void

Card Choices
Walking Archive and Howling mine - This keeps their hand full of cards. As well as keeps your own hand stocked of threats you can play off shops.
9 Sphere - Prevents opponents from playing cards
Crucible, 5 Strip, Chalice, Wire - Mana denial plan which helps prevent the opponent from playing spells.
Rack, Ebony Owl - Continually deals opponents damage. Can easily be cast off any mana in the deck.
Juggernaught- The original list did not include these guys, however, It seemed like Owls just didn't do it and I needed something to swing with. Juggs seems to fit, however I might switch it to Trisk, I am not sure.

How the deck plays out
The deck is really all about being on the play, if you win the die roll you usually have a good chance like most shop decks. I have not done a lot of Hard testing, but the deck doesn't seem entirely good. It seemed like a decent idea so I just through something together. I am not a shop player so I don't really know the ins and outs of the deck. I deceided to just post it here to see what you guys thought.

[nineisnoone]

I'm not sure where this fits in with your deck idea, but whenever I see Howling Mine I remember how I always wanted to try playing March of the Machines with Howling Mine for 1 sided card draw and a 2/2 beater. 

[BruiZar]

How about canonist? That helps limit the amount of cards played by your opponent. Also, I'd think of replacing jugs with Arcbound Ravager. That way you can ramp up counters and throw them on walking archive to give lethal rack/owl damage.
That would mean, sac a few artifacts, attack for *
Sac ravager, put them on archive, deal damage for *

What you could also do is sac artifacts at end of opponents turn, put them on walking archive, draw a bunch of artifacts and replay the ravager you just drew or drop a bunch of racks

[John Jones]

Wow, ravager seems very good. I am trying to stay away from colors here otherwise I think I would run tutors and draw spells. Then the deck will just become a bad 5c stax deck.

I am going to replace jugs with ravager

[salthecarp]

Maybe this is a little too nostalgic, but what about Winter Orb and Relic Barrier? Relic Barrier can make trinisphere and winter orb's mana denial even more one-sided, stop them from drawing off howling mine when necessary, and lock down artifact mana to tighten the stranglehold. Then again, Winter Orb and Relic Barrier overlap somewhat with Tangle Wire which may be a better lock piece overall.

[swawagon]

Black Vice does only cost 1 and works under Null Rod. However Black Vice isn't the fastest win for Stax, nor does is stop creatures, nor does it disrupt the opponent.

Also Black Vise conflicts with one of Stax strongest plays, Chalice for 1.

The problem is not really the win condition in Stax decks, it is locking up the opponent as quickly as possible. And finding ways to survive Kataki, Energy Flux, and Hurkyl's Recall. And not losing to fast combo.

Howling Mines draw opponents their lands, which is often one the only ways opponents get out of Stax locks. Obviously there is Vice damage synergy, but damage is a resource to buy time, not disruption. Plus feeding opponents more cards is anti-synergy to slowing them down unless you think drawing one extra behind them yourself is better, but I don't really see how it is. How about Grafted Skullcap or Bottled Cloister for you to get extra draw - into more disruption. While they stay slogged under Stax lock pieces and they gradually draw up to Vice damageable hands.

I don't see any new tricks here, but I'd love use my antsy playset of Black Vices!

[geckoskin]

without having actually played the deck, i am really not a fan of the walking archive or ebony owl netsuke. both are just worse versions of the originals. i think you are better off with more disruption in those slots. maybe smokestack or pithing needle. it's a shame that there is no good way to fit ethersworn canonist into the deck as someone earlier suggested, because it would be such an amazing addition to what you are trying to do.

call me crazy, but have you thought about trying to sneak rishadan port into here? You could cut mikokoro and 1 owl or archive for 2 ports. there are few things more satisfying than saying 'port you' during your opponent's upkeep.

[Bill Copes]

Suggestion: 
- 4 Howling Mine
- 4 Walking Archive
- 2 Ebony Owl Netsuke
- 1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea

+ 4 Smokestack
+ 4 Ankh of Mishra
+ 2 Mishra's Factory (try to fit a 3rd)
+ 1 Chalice of the Void

Happy hunting!

Shoot for consistency and you don't need a draw engine for yourself.

*Edit -- Have you considered Metalworker, since you're mono-brown?

[BruiZar]

Meditate works wonders with smokestack though

[psyburat]

I'd like to see an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth in there somewhere so that your Workshops can pay Kataki/Flux upkeeps.

[geckoskin]

so you should definitely be playing this newly spoiled card

probably -4 walking archive +4 ~this

for those too lazy to click:

Font of Mythos (4)
Artifact (R)
At the beginning of each player's draw step, that player draws additional two cards.