[single card discussion] Stifle - what makes it good?

[mylkhead]

I had a lot of good discussion about my last thread like this about Brainstorm.  Now I am definitley not a newbie when it comes to Magic.  I've been playing since 1995-96 but have been out for the last year.  I am getting back into it and just have a great curiosity on how and why some of the current card choices are so successful in decks.  

I read the article about Tempo.  Which was very fascinating.  And I have always wondered why the card [card]Stifle[/card] was included in a few decks.  Looking at it, it seems like it has a very conditional number of uses.  And at first glance I think, how is this gonna win me the game?  And if I Stifle an ability now, my opponent will simply do it agian next turn.  Shouldn't I replace Stifle with something a bit more proactive, like Disenchant, Oxidize, Swords, etc?  Well, thats what I thought at first.

I noticed that it's fun having "tempo."  The opponent spends his resources to play a spell.  And oftentimes they spend more to activate the ability.  And if buying yourself one more turn is what you need, then Stifle works great.  I play LandStill Oath currently and I am working on getting myself a few copies of this card.  I still don't understand the full power of this card and why it is used, and that's why I started this thread.  It's a mini Time Walk sometimes.  But is it more than that?

[AngryPheldagrif]

Stifle is a proactive Strip Mine against fetchs! And it leaves their deck more mana-clumped. It's also great tech against Worldgorger Dragon's leaves play ability! Or why not even buy yourself a free turn against Oath of Druids? Or a get-out-of-Slaver-free chance? You might even use it, not only as a complement to your Wastelands, but even against your opponent's Wastelands!

But I know that a card that can do that still isn't so amazing, so how about being the only reactive answer to Tendrils in the whole game? And theres even a bunch more! Having trouble with those stupid Rector decks in your area? Stifle!!! They hardcasting Illusions for some unknown reason? Stifle Stifle Stifle Stifle.

Even for the weirder situations its great! Vengeur Masque? Don't lose to Phage (at least for the turn)! Counter war with Fish? Now you don't have to fear Spiketail Hatchling (Or instead of paying and losing a card you could just pay the -Ed.)[/color] or Voidmage Prodigy! Smokestack got you down? Not for a turn it doesn't! Hulk smashing you? Too bad, you're fucked. This card isn't that broken you know.

Stifle, it's the spice of life.

No really.

-Dan

[edited for errors, damn Standstill]

[edit2] @scars4eyes: Dear god man! God gave you the shift key for a reason. Use it. You might have 'scars4eyes,' but that doesn't mean you have to scar ours. And it's spelled S-T-I-F-L-E. [card]Stifle[/card].

[scars4eyes]

against a slaver it is pretty nice, memory jar, wasteland, stripmine, pernicious deed.

you cant use it against standstill due to standstill triggering multiple times for every spell cast.  also nev disk doesnt have a sacrifice to its activation so a stiffle stops it for a turn.  but what stiffle does do is it is causes you to have a way to stop your opponent from doing some game breaking things, stoping a WGDragon, or stopping a welder for a turn thats pretty good.

[CoBra]

I just had the same reaction the first time i saw this card on the Net: conditional, not so useful, and even rare! What the...?
Then i saw it being used.
Yeah, True, if you Stifle a permanent ability, it can be used again next turn, but not so often: many abilities require sacrifying (Pernicious Deed, Fetches, Wasteland...), some other are one-shot, like come-into-play abilities (FTK, Worldgorger...) or Decree of Justice's cycling, or Storm, other ones can be turned into one-shot (What if you Stifle Regeneration when your Oppo is out of Mana?); And, of course, you've got Tempo gaining (Maybe used on Smokestack or Tangle Wire...). I've been playing 2 in my blue Fish for a while, but now i turned to 4 MD: just too useful.
The point is: the use of this card is really very conditional, but can be useful among a lot of different conditions

[Moxlotus]

Just to clarify you can't stifle Tangle Wire's counters coming into play.  You can stifle it so you don't have to tap stuff for the turn.

[mylkhead]

wow!  I never thought Stifle would be THIS good!   Just Stifling your opponents Fetches and Wastelands is reason enough!  It's just like a U Land Destruction Spell that has other uses.  I love this card.  Im gonna hurry and get 4x right away.  Very cool.

[Evilkin]

The more you play with Stifle, the more you realize how very versitile it is.  I sometimes even have a couple spots reserved in the maindeck of Worldgorger Dragon for these.  

We play in a format where games are won on turn 2 and 3 with combo very consistantly.  Simple plays like using Stifle on an opponents fetch land or to protect your own Bazaar of Baghdad from an opposing Wasteland can be game breaking.

They are mostly sideboard tech, but for a deck that relies heavily on mana deniel and tempo like Landstill they are like having 2-4 extra Sinkholes in the deck that only cost 1 blue mana.  (Only better)

There is always something in any deck you can Stifle, but do you really need to?  This card doesn't belong in every deck and sometimes gets overused from its own versatility.  Yes you can Stifle that Goblin Welders activation, but did you really need to this turn?  Is it going to cause you an advantage in tempo?  Are you going to win the game in the next turn because of this play or did you simply cast Stifle because you could?

Is there a definitive list of everything it can be used to do?  

Some of my favorite plays:

Lets see, maybe I'll Stifle...

the cycling on your Decree of Justice.  
the madness trigger on your Arrogant Wurm.
that Tormod's Crypt and win now.
your Chalice for 2 after I cast Animate Dead.
your Animate Dead spell after its trigger goes onto the stack.

There are few funny plays that I hear about from time to time as a result of this cards great versatility.  Last tournament my friend playing Landstill blocked a  Mishra's Factory with his Faerie Conclave.  Then when his opponent went to pump his Factory with another one, he Stifled the 2nd Factories pump activation.  It's just such a janky unexpected play you have to laugh at it.

[jpmeyer]

Stifle always has targets, which is why people tend to think that it's good.  However, while hitting fetchlands/Wastelands is nice, I'd say that unless you are countering Decree of Justice, Tendrils of Agony, or Worldgorger Dragon's leaves play ability, Stifle really doesn't usually generate much of an effect.

[M.Solymossy]

JP i have to disagree with the point you made here:

I'd say that unless you are countering Decree of Justice, Tendrils of Agony, or Worldgorger Dragon's leaves play ability, Stifle really doesn't usually generate much of an effect.

I am currently playing 3-color Fish and wasteland's hurt me, BAD. Strip Mines hurt too.  another thing that really hurts me is Food Chains.  There is nothing MORE fun then playing a food chains deck (the one around here relies SOLELY on Sharpshooter)  and stifling the sharpshooters ability to untap for a turn, allowing me to fire/ice or swords his threats (sharpshooters, lackies).  That also gives me a turn to cast more blocking power for the next wave of attacks.

I also like stifling the belcher for a turn, because most likely they have exhausted a lot of their mana (tinder walls, LED, ect) and that allows me to get another turn to get my null rods.

I also like stifling the phage against venguer-mask, and then hitting it with swords.

against trini-TnT.... well... i'm fucked.

It IS very situational and i WOULDNT consider playing Stifle in a deck like Hulk or Drain-Slaver... but in fish, it definitely has a place for at least 2.

[The Grim Reaper]

JP i have to disagree with the point you made here:

I'd say that unless you are countering Decree of Justice, Tendrils of Agony, or Worldgorger Dragon's leaves play ability, Stifle really doesn't usually generate much of an effect.

I am currently playing 3-color Fish and wasteland's hurt me, BAD. Strip Mines hurt too.  another thing that really hurts me is Food Chains.  There is nothing MORE fun then playing a food chains deck (the one around here relies SOLELY on Sharpshooter)  and stifling the sharpshooters ability to untap for a turn, allowing me to fire/ice or swords his threats (sharpshooters, lackies).  That also gives me a turn to cast more blocking power for the next wave of attacks.

I also like stifling the belcher for a turn, because most likely they have exhausted a lot of their mana (tinder walls, LED, ect) and that allows me to get another turn to get my null rods.

I also like stifling the phage against venguer-mask, and then hitting it with swords.

against trini-TnT.... well... i'm fucked.

It IS very situational and i WOULDNT consider playing Stifle in a deck like Hulk or Drain-Slaver... but in fish, it definitely has a place for at least 2.

'

Actually I beleive Stifle is best when used against the Ringleaders in FCG. After they stack their deck and go for the win, simply stifle the triggered ability and laugh as they topdeck nothing for several turns

[M.Solymossy]

very true against the piledriver kill, but the deck i've seen around grafton (other than my budget build of FCG) runs +2 sharpshooters and +2 matrons and -4 piledrivers....  so nulifying their sharpshooters ability to untap totally fucks up his deck.