5c Stax - how to play it properly

[sundering titan]

Hi,

I have just recentrly started to play 5c Stax. I am not a very experienced player so it is not easy for me to play it properly. I am facing several problems (taking Roland Chang deck as reference) :

a) When to mulligan. What should be the strategy for mulligan with this deck?

b) What is the best way to play Smokestack and Tangle Wire? What is the logic behind these two cards?
I would like to understand better the strategic purpose of these two cards in the deck.

c) Why sundering titan instead of DSC?

d) What do you think about moving from 4 Smokestack to 4 Jesters Cap?

I would appreciate some tips and help to understand this deck!!
Thanks for your help.

[CwaM]

c) Why sundering titan instead of DSC?

You should try to weld a DSC

[sundering titan]

DSC vs Titan is not only about weldering it.
Is much better to tinker for DSC with so much artifact hate around. 

[Harlequin]

As far as Smoke Stack + Tangle Wire goes.  The combination of the two cards lets you savagely abuse the rules of triggered abilites.  Because you control both the cards you get to choose the order of resolution, and you can change the order from turn to turn.  So for example lets say you, and your opponent each have 5 perms in play.  A, B, C, D, E.  Durring your turn you resolve the 4 abilities in the following order:

Fade Tangle
Tap Tangle
Sac with Stax
Boost Stax

So lets say you have a fresh tangle and a smokestack at 1.  So that means you would tap A,B,C (leaveing D, E untapped) and sac A.  Leaving you with 4 perms 2 of wich are untapped.  You pass the turn.  Durring your opponents upkeep stack

Sac with Stax
Tap for tangle

Now they have to sac 2 FIRST, then tap 3.  So they sac A, B, and then tap C, D, E.  They are left with 3 perms all of wich are tapped.

The ability it flip-flop those abilites make thier combined synergy a win condition.  As for Tanglewire alone, It's basically the Artifact timewalk.  It gives you Extra turns to draw cards and play lands, and it always puts you ahead in the tapping count.  Yhe way it breaks down: Opponent taps 4, you tap 3, they tap 3, you tap 2... then its paridy until 0.  That initial kick of 4 is why the card is worth playing.  


============

With sudering titan, Artifact Hate = 1 sided Armagedon.

[sundering titan]

Hi
Thanks!
So these below are all abilities activated in my unkeep :
Fade Tangle
Tap Tangle
Sac with Stax
Boost Stax

Then i understand i could sacrifice a Tangle with no counters for my smoke right? Id resolve Sac with Stax before Fade Tangle.

Then i understand best thing is to play the complete set of Smokes and Wires (if you are playing them) to maximize sinergies.

Wires are good as well to tap your oponent before you play a real treat.

I am plenty of doubts about maindecking chalice of the void (instead of spheres). From my point of view chalices are better but still most of the decks keep on with spheres. chalice for 0 on the play or for 2 on the draw are pretty good against most of the decks. I minimize the amount of times i play it for 1 (only against goblins) since im plenty of spells cc 1.

The decks i have most problems against are aggro decks like goblin. I maindeck one darkblast, 1 balance, but still is not enough. Is there any strategy to follow against aggro or is all about being lucky?

Any tips about how to mulligan?

Thanks!

[Harlequin]

As far as the stax/tangle wire is concerned, the answer is Yes.

Lets say you have a smokey at 1 and a tangle wire at 0 at the end of your opponent's turn.  Note: Fade only sacs the card if you cannot remove a counter, not if it goes from 1 to 0 counters.  durring that upkeep you want to stack your order of resolution so that you sac before you fade.  For example:

Sac
Boost
Fade (wich will kill the wire)
Tangle

So essentially the tangle wire is sacced before the fade resolves. 

MEGA-NOTE:  You cannot sac a tangle wire or smokey (or crypt for that matter) that has triggered to avoid paying it.  This includes any ability such as welder etc.  If your turn starts, and the card is in play, it will trigger before you get priority.  Killing the card durring your upkeep will not counter the ability or prevent the ability from going on the stack.   But to that you might say: "AH-ha!  But a Tangle Wire in the grave yard has 0 fade counters - therefore I tap 0 cards when it resolves."  Wich it technically true.  But there is a little rule know as "Last known information."  Think of Last know information as some container that has the parameters of an ability stored in it.  So you put your tangle on the stack it say "Tap [4]." Now you Fade before the tap ability resolves.  This type of ability goes in and changes last known information, so now it reads "Tap [3]"  If you then weld out the tanglewire, or Sac the tangle wire to smokestack (before the tap resolves) - it will NOT update the last known information.  So the ability still reads "Tap [3]."  Abilities that alter the counters will update last known information so forexample Quicken -> AEther Snap played durring the upkeep would update Last known info, and thus cause the ability to be modified to  "Tap[0]." 

If Last known information did not exsist then cards like Powder Key and Engineer Explosives would ALWAYS destroy cards of 0cc.  Because you would sac it as part of the cost, and it would have "no" counters on it in the yard.


As for muliganing.  I can't really comment.  I do not play the deck, so the fine art of judgeing a "keepable hand" is something that's definately over my head.  I would say this, esp if your on the draw, try and deturmin if there is a one card sollution that will absolutly wreck your hand.  If a single durress or Wasteland or even null rod/chalice for 0 would decimate your hand (and your still at the 7 card hand level) then toss it back for a 6-pack.

[Pitlord]

Definitly play 7/10 over DSC, the land destruction is a no-brainer for a deck that wants to keep your opponent with as little mana as possible.

Also, 4 stacks nd 4 wire are the standard, although I have toyed around with all combinations of wire, chalice, 1sphere, and stack. For a traditional 5c build ala Chang, I played with 4 chalice 3 spheres and 4 smokestacks. The tangle wire was good, but I felt that chalice could always be much more devastating. If you want a tempo based approach though, which is best used backed up by a semi-aggro or combo finish, drop the smokestack completely because they can take a long time to do a lot when all you need is a time walk or 3. For my current tempo-based list I play 3 spheres, 4 wire and 4 chalice. I think that learning with wire is probably the best though, becuase it is the most balanced way of playing and allows you to get the hand of welder tricks.

As for mulliganning, it is definitly tricky with stax. Knowing what you are playing agasint helps A TON, because then you know exactly what the bast locks to play are and how often a lock may get countered. If you are facing an unknown opponent though, I will usually look for a hand witht he following things... at least 2-3 mana turn 1, at least 1 source of on-color mana, and at least 2 lock pieces or a lock and welder/tutor. If you are missing maybe 1 thing, the hand could still be, Ok as long as you have a dolid turn 1. If not, ship it back.