UG Landstill ???

[ketchupgun]

I've had this idea for a deck, which I'm gonna test out this weekend at a non-powered, rather casual tournament.

It comes from thinking that Hidden Gibbons can complement Standstill in Landstill, speeding up the clock. Yes, UR is superior due to the SB choices available..but I'm planning to have some fun with this and see where it goes. Landstill is primarily U Control...so my thinking is a Green splash may be an accelerated alternative....I doubt this deck would hold up in a powered/proxied environment .. but I'd love to see some critics.

The sideboard is still in the works, but I wonder if a transformational Oath SB would work? I've never played transformational before. Any ideas anyone?

I wish I had more results to post, but this is not been tested really..I just sorta came up with the list finally, and wanna see if anyone sees  any glaring oversights on my part.

THE LIST (my non-proxied list that is)

4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
1 Counterspell
3 Misdirection (maybe 2?)
4 Stifle

3 Brainstorm (maybe 4?)
4 Standstill

3 Chain of Vapour (maybe -1, +1 rushing river?)
1 Echoing Truth
3 Null Rod

3 Hidden Gibbons
1 Crop Rotation
1 Regrowth
3 Life from the Loam

1 Lotus
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
4 Mishra's Factory
2 Fairie Conclave
4 Tropical Island
4 Fetchs
2 Island
______

3 Annul
3 Tormod's Crypt
2 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Krosan Reclamation
1 Blazing Archon
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
4 Oath of Druids

[Shock Wave]

I think you've got to ask yourself exactly what you're trying to accomplish with this deck. If you're just trying to build a fun Landstill variant and want to play something different, then sure, you can justify playing cards like Hidden Gibbons. However, if you're looking to play a truly competitive Landstill archetype, substituting green for red is absolutely suboptimal. There really is no compelling reason to run it.

[Sarah Angel]

Seriously.  What is life from the loam really accomplishing, besides putting some possible key cards in to your graveyard?  Also, what does this deck need to recur with regrowth?  Crucible of Worlds is far better than either of those cards.

With no acceleration and having to strip/waste/stifle, the  cc of Null Rod actually becomes problematic, not to mention the fact that you are only running 3.

Counterspell?  Come on.  Even mana drain is not synergistic with Landstill.  What do you ever need the drained mana for?  Nothing.  In a mana denial deck, Mana leak is both sufficient and more efficient.

[treezzzzz]

Where's fastbond?  Wouldnt fastbond be good for this kind of deck?

[Dante]

Even mana drain is not synergistic with Landstill.  What do you ever need the drained mana for?  Nothing.

Cast crucible.  Activate your Manlands while still holding up mana for another drain (or cast standstill + attack), etc, etc.

[Duncan]

Counterspell?  Come on.  Even mana drain is not synergistic with Landstill.  What do you ever need the drained mana for?  Nothing.  In a mana denial deck, Mana leak is both sufficient and more efficient.

mana drain is a hard counter, mana leak isnt.

[ketchupgun]

Ok..

Mana Drain is not an arguement here. Shockwave has demonstrated this many times...It's is a neccessary evil in the deck because it is a Hard Counter...and more often than not, you won't be mana bruring, instead sinking the mana into manland activations..which are a nice boost. Also easily casts crucible or even null rod.

Just this weekend, draining a FoF, and then using all that mana to activate manlands to attack and playing a Standstill, all for essentially paying U.

The reason I posted 3 Drains and 1 Counterspell, I was I was psoting this deck non proxied/unpowered..and that's what I own..missing the fourth drain. big whoop!

With all that said, playing this deck sucks. It was a decent idea, but essentially, the trasonformational sideboard is crap...Oath without orchard is just wrong. The Hidden Gibbons are doing their job...boosting the clock up a bit, but really, Landstill is all about playing slow...and those cards just take up slots that could be used for more countermagic...instead of faster clocks.

To me, Landstill is played by removing all your opponent's gas, then start beating with the manlands...gg.

[Sarah Angel]

I still stand by that Drain isnt very synergistic with this deck.  Mana leak, of course, is a soft counter, but in a mana denial deck, it is certainly almost as good as a hard counter.  If you have 2 mana available to play drain, shouldnt you instead play null rod?  I would want that on the table as soon as possible.

I guess drain>Crucible is worth having the drain, but it sounds pretty narrow to me.  Especially because you need wastelands/strips/stifles in the first few turns and it seems to me very difficult to hold open 2 blue.

Having one island and a wasteland and being able to have it open to either mana leak or waste their land on their turn/EOT seems like a stronger play.  But then, I've not played the deck in an actual tourney, so I could be greatly mistaken.

[GUnit]

The problem is that some of your matches will be looooooooooong, and when that happens mana leak will be baaaaaaaaaaaaaad. If you're not going to playtest the deck, trust the people who have and play mana drain.

[BruiZar]

Might I suggest Eyes of the Wisent.


Although its on the same CC slot as standstill and Nullrod, multiple 4/4's without any additional mana commitment seems very strong. Landstill typically does not want to pay mana for spells but keep them open for counter wars, strips and manlands.

Also, I'd play Daze and Spellsnare instead of drain / counter spell.

[Shock Wave]

Also, I'd play Daze and Spellsnare instead of drain / counter spell.

You would play Daze or Snare in the place of the 4x Drain slot? That's not wise at all.

[ketchupgun]

I've subbed in a single spell snare for my missing mana drain before...but I wouldn't use them in replacement of the whole lot..ever.
Daze doesn't help this deck at all..for the same reason mana leak won't work..once games get into turn 356 (!)...you need the hard counters. "Unless you pay.." means very little.

If I can derail this thread slightly, let's talk about UR Landstill.
I was looking at URBana Fish discussion, and the use of maindeck Control Magic.
Has anyone ever tried that in Landstill.

I played around with them in a scruby meta and found them useful. I was never SOL to cast them, running 25 mana sources. I was stealing DSCs, Rectors, and all sorts of weenies all day. they were just as good as any other removal or bounce, I found.

Also, URBana plays MD REBs....REBs and CMs..is that not a very narrow choice? And if it works for URBana, why not in Landstill?