Serenity or Energy FLux

[TJaro]

I have 3 slots open for my standstill Side board but i dont know which is better flux or serenity. I love them both but i am not sure which is better. Sere will destory all artifacts for sure but is slower than flux but with flux they can just safe the combo pieces, it will still slow them but they still have a chance. I can't chose

[Machinus]

Flux is probably better because they can't wait until the serenity trigger passes and then drop their artifacts the next turn.

[Yare]

I like Energy Flux here for a couple of reasons:

1) Energy Flux takes effect next turn, which is not only faster, but may catch them off guard because they are holding back something.
2) Energy Flux doens't destroy your own Standstill like a Serenity and Standstill in succession would do.
3) Energy Flux pitches to Force of Will, Serenity does not.
4) Holding back against Energy Flux is not effective unless there is some way to remove it, whereas one can hold back a turn against Serenity.
5) I feel like there are better answers to combo than Serenity if you are specifically targetting combo.  Orim's Chant, Echoing Truth, or Chain of Vapor might be some suggestions if you are specifically trying to deal with combo.  Energy Flux, which while I can be played around by protecting combo pieces, will tighten up the mana of the combo player, making it take longer for them to go off.

[Rico Suave]

Serenity is cheaper to play, removes enchantments that Energy Flux does not touch (Chains, In the Eye of Chaos, Future Sight), cannot be REB'd, doesn't let them keep a dangerous artifact in play by just tapping mana (Metalworker, Academy, lands built up by Crucible, or even 2 lands, etc), and after a Serenity pops the Standstill player should be in control of the game whereas Energy Flux intereferes with playing Crucible, Chalice, Nevinyrral's Disk, etc.

If a player waits for Serenity to pop in order to play their threats, the Standstill player is now untapped and there is a clear board.  Or worse, they popped Serenity and then played Standstill while still keeping UU up.  By all means, hold your threats back because it is only playing into control's gameplan. 

[TJaro]

Thank you, the 3 slots open are for artifact hate, mainly for stax or affinity, possiably sensei amd even wielder. should of mention that earlier... thank you

[Freelancer]

I would definitely say that I would run the serenity's. My reasons:

1) It sweeps the board, you don't have to worry about artifacts they can pay for
2) It sweeps enchantments
3) Its faster (1 mana cheaper)
4) It counters a dropped but not activated memory jar (IE they have no mana left and wait a turn)
5) It hardly interferes with your own gameplan (you should be dropping standstill/disk/crucible AFTER the serenity because serenity is cheaper than all off those mentioned above)
6) It prevents welder craziness (no targets if you manage to nab everything and at least less targets)

The biggest advantage is probably that its 1 mana cheaper, especially in the stax matchup with all those wastelands/sphere's being trown around this is huge. The W mana is usually not a problem, you shouldn't be using your fetchlands anyway until you drop a serenity. It also gives you the opportunity to outplay your opponent, I can't say how many times I won against stax through dropping a serenity at the last possible moment after dropped one of there last lock pieces and have me almost locked out.

[dskippy0]

4) It counters a dropped but not activated memory jar (IE they have no mana left and wait a turn)

I'm pretty sure that's not true. Could you explain why you think it is?

-mike

[crazynlazy]

I'm guessing he means destroy, to my knowledge serenity does no countering.

[Outlaw]

Thank you, the 3 slots open are for artifact hate, mainly for stax or affinity, possiably sensei amd even wielder. should of mention that earlier... thank you

Coming from a very avid Sensei player, both of those enchantments do absolutely nothing vs. us. Yes it could pop off a helm or a future sight, but if I have a future sight in play and havent won I will next turn after you play the serenity (wouldnt have played it if you just played the serenity).  I will hold back my combo pieces and not let them hit the board vs. Flux and same vs. serenity.  I think Serenity is generally better because its not reb-able, any deck that you bring in flux vs. they should be bringing in rebs anyways (stax and workshop aggro, Affinity looses to both). 

[dskippy0]

I understand he was using Magic slang, I just disagree that a Serenity nullifies a Memory Jar without mana. For starters Memory Jar takes no mana to activate, so you can just set it off. If he's saying that you need mana to activate a Jar because you need mana to play the cards you draw it's still an unfounded argument. The Jar player would need to play the Jar with the Serenity on the table, which is just a dumb thing to do if you're going to not activate it. It makes you hold things back, sure, this has already been mentioned. But unless I'm mistake and there's a good example, Jar's activation is not a good reason to run Serenity.

While I'm at it I think it's also strange to say

2) Energy Flux doens't destroy your own Standstill like a Serenity and Standstill in succession would do.

Serenity will not destroy a Standstill. You can't put Standstill out the same turn as a Serenity to protect it very fruitfully because you'll lose it as explained, but you're not going to be playing Serenity and Standstill on the same turn. That's just silly. You're much better off saving the two mana for a counter.

-mike

[Sgt. Pepper]

Freelancer is talking about the following situation:

Workshop player: tap for 5 mana, play Memory Jar, pass the turn (not enough mana left to play any/enough cards of Jar hand).
Standstill Player: tap for 1cc and 1w, drop Serenity.

In that situation the Workshop CAN activate the Jar, but it wouldn't do him any good. All of the artifacts and enchantments he would drop will be destroyed by the Serenity next turn so there is no point in playing anything.  Therefore the Workshop player will simply pass the turn and let his Jar get destroyed (though activating it in his opponents turn MIGHT be a better play). That is basically how you can 'counter' a Memory Jar.

As for the Serenity vs Energy Flux debate, you might keep in might that Chalice for 2 is a far more common play then Chalice for 3 which is a big reason too play Energy Flux IMO. Other then that, Serenity is probably the better play since it takes care of Enchantments as well and can't be nullified by a Worker, Academy or lands like Rico Suave said.

[doomhed]

Against Memory Jar, neither is any good, as they will allow the upkeep effect to stack on thier turn and pop the fucking Jar!

OOPS

Anyways, with your build of landstill TJ, you need to use energy flux. And since I gave you 4 you definitely have them!

[Sgt. Pepper]

Against Memory Jar, neither is any good, as they will allow the upkeep effect to stack on thier turn and pop the fucking Jar!

OOPS

Anyways, with your build of landstill TJ, you need to use energy flux. And since I gave you 4 you definitely have them!

Serenity doesn't activate on their turn so it still can destroy a Jar.

[prosbloom225]

energy flux is awesome, ownage on shop decks.