Premodern Stasis Deck Guide (2026)
Premodern Stasis is a creatureless blue prison deck: Stasis stops every untap step, Forsaken City and replayed Islands pay its upkeep, and Black Vise wins. It held 3.04 percent of the MTGDecks metagame in the 60 days to mid-September 2026 and won 56 percent of 880 recorded matches between March 18 and September 14, 2026. Since September it has made up about 2 percent of the lists on MTGTop8, and its best result at a large event in that time was the top eight of the 139-player Bogardan War II in Bologna on September 27, 2026. The reference list is the blue-red build with Fire // Ice and Shivan Reef that Thursdayisgod2 played to first place at the 50-player Midwest Championship Open @ CubeCon on August 30, 2026. The mono-blue build is the main alternative, and on MTGTop8 the more common one: nearly two in three lists since March play no red, and more than half of those play Powder Keg.
How the deck wins
- Early on, Counterspell, Daze, Thwart and Fire // Ice handle the first threats while Impulse, Portent and Gush find the pieces. An early Black Vise punishes an opponent who keeps a full hand.
- Cast Stasis on your turn after the opponent tapped out on theirs, and their permanents stay tapped from then on. Pay the {U} upkeep with Forsaken City, which untaps in your upkeep when you exile a card from your hand, or with an Island you replayed on your last turn and left untapped. Gush, Thwart and Daze cost only tapped Islands, while the opponent gets one fresh land per turn. Foil, in most lists, is paid by discarding an Island card and one more card, and Gush returns the Islands for it.
- Black Vise deals the damage while the opponent's hand fills up. When your hand runs low, return your own Stasis with Chain of Vapor at the end of the opponent's turn, untap everything in your untap step and cast Stasis again before they ever untap.
Core cards
- 4 Stasis
- 4 Forsaken City
- 4 Gush
- 4 Chain of Vapor
- 4 Black Vise
- 4 Counterspell
- 4 Impulse
- 3 Thwart
- 3 Daze
- 3 Portent
- 1 Flash of Insight
- 1 Mana Short
- 1 Foil
- 1 Root Maze
- 17 Island
Key cards
- Stasis: Stasis costs two mana. Players skip their untap steps, and in your upkeep you sacrifice it unless you pay {U}. It is symmetrical, it does not stop untap effects such as Frantic Search, Quirion Ranger or Forsaken City's own trigger, and new permanents enter untapped. Cast on your turn, the first payment is due in your next upkeep.
- Forsaken City: A land that taps for any color but doesn't untap in your untap step. In your upkeep you may exile a card from your hand to untap it, so under Stasis it pays the upkeep every turn for one card, if you order the two upkeep triggers so the City untaps first. In most lists it is the only green source, for Root Maze and Gaea's Blessing, and in the blue-red build a red source next to Shivan Reef. It is also the land opponents most want to Wasteland.
- Gush: Return two Islands, tapped or untapped, instead of paying {4}{U}, and draw two cards. Under Stasis that is two cards for two lands you could not use anyway, an Island to replay untapped, and more cards to exile to Forsaken City.
- Chain of Vapor: Returns a nonland permanent to its owner's hand. Return your own Stasis at the end of the opponent's turn to untap and recast it, or in response to Naturalize or Disenchant. The controller of the returned permanent may sacrifice a land to copy it, so bouncing an opponent's permanent lets them return your Stasis.
- Black Vise: As it enters you choose an opponent, and in each of their upkeeps it deals damage equal to the number of cards in their hand minus four; this is how the deck wins. Under Stasis a hand of seven means three damage per Vise, and several Vises stack. Weak against Sligh, Goblins and Elves until the lock is in place.
- Thwart: Counters a spell for three Islands returned to your hand. Under Stasis those Islands are tapped and useless anyway, so it is free; before Stasis it is a real tempo cost.
- Daze: Return one Island to counter a spell unless its controller pays {1}. Under Stasis the opponent rarely has that spare mana.
- Fire // Ice: Fire kills Goblin Lackey, mana elves and Meddling Mage, and Mother of Runes while she is tapped or still summoning sick, which lasts until their next turn begins; otherwise she gives herself protection from red in response. Its two damage can also go to the opponent. Ice taps a permanent and draws a card, and under Stasis that permanent stays tapped. On MTGDecks in mid-September 2026, Fire // Ice and Shivan Reef were the flexible main-deck cards that converted best into top finishes; about a third of the lists since March play them.
- Root Maze: Artifacts and lands enter tapped, so under Stasis the opponent's land drop, a new Mox Diamond or a Lotus Petal produces nothing. It affects your replayed Islands too, so pay Stasis with Forsaken City while it is out. Any Powder Keg cast after it, yours or theirs, enters tapped and stays useless under Stasis.
- Upheaval: About four in ten lists play one, most of them mono-blue. It returns every permanent to its owner's hand, including your own Stasis, Black Vise and lands, so it is the reset for a board the lock cannot handle. Mana you tap for before it resolves stays in your pool until the end of that phase. With enough lands you can then play a land, if you have not played one yet this turn, and recast Black Vise or Stasis right away, while the opponent has to rebuild from an empty battlefield. A Black Vise cast again after Upheaval counts every card Upheaval returned to their hand, since they discard down to seven only at the end of their own turn.
Mulligan guide
Keep
- Two to four lands with at least two Islands, plus counters, card selection and Stasis, Forsaken City or Black Vise.
- Island, Island, Forsaken City, Stasis, Gush, Daze, Impulse: the lock, the payment and the free spells.
- Island, Island, Forsaken City, Black Vise, Gush, Counterspell, Fire // Ice.
Ship
- Fewer than two lands: Gush, Thwart and Daze need Islands on the battlefield.
- Only counterspells, with no card selection and no Stasis, Forsaken City or Black Vise.
- Six lands and one spell.
Against aggressive decks, prefer cheap interaction and Fire // Ice over a slow Stasis; against control and combo, a hand with Stasis, Forsaken City and counters is ideal. Twenty-three lands are not too many here: Gush, Thwart and Daze return Islands to your hand, and under Stasis the land drop is your main source of fresh mana.
Play tips and sequencing
- Cast Black Vise before Stasis when you can: it costs one mana, deals damage while their opening hand is still full, and keeps working once the lock fills their hand again.
- Cast Stasis when the opponent's mana is tapped, since every land they keep untapped gets one more use. Wait until they tap out, tap their last land with Ice, or, in the two thirds of lists with Mana Short, tap all their lands with it in their upkeep.
- Before you tap anything, check how you will pay the next upkeep: a Forsaken City with a card to exile, or an untapped Island. Keep the replayed Island untapped as backup.
- Stasis and Forsaken City trigger at the same time in your upkeep, and you choose the order: put Stasis's trigger on the stack first, so the City untaps before you have to pay.
- Before Stasis, pay for Counterspell with mana and save Daze and Thwart where you can: returning untapped Islands costs real mana, while under the lock they cost only tapped ones.
- Cast Gush at the end of the opponent's turn: it refills your hand, feeds Forsaken City and gives you an Island for your land drop.
- Count the opponent's mana every turn. Under Stasis it is their land drop plus whatever doesn't need to untap: Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, a new Mox Diamond, Priest of Gix, Eladamri's Vineyard, Wall of Roots, and free spells such as Fireblast, Gush and Daze.
- Reset the lock before you run out of cards for Forsaken City or Islands to pay with. Chain of Vapor on your own Stasis at the end of their turn costs three mana per cycle, which is better than losing Stasis to an upkeep you can't pay. Watch your library too: each Gush draws two cards, and Gaea's Blessing from the sideboard protects long games.
Matchups
- Stiflenought (even): Stiflenought casts the same Gush, Daze and Foil under your lock, Stifle counters Forsaken City's untap trigger, and Phyrexian Dreadnought needs only two mana with Stifle for its sacrifice trigger. Land Stasis once a counter war has used up their counters, and keep an untapped Island for the upkeep. Annul answers Dreadnought, and Gaea's Blessing protects you against Brain Freeze and Vision Charm's mill. Powder Keg, main deck in most of their lists, destroys Black Vise on one fuse counter. Their Chain of Vapor, in about two thirds of their main decks, returns Stasis to your hand, though you may sacrifice a land to copy it onto Dreadnought. MTGDecks: 48 percent over 98 matches.
- Goblins (slightly favorable): Goblins has to deal its damage before the lock is in place. Goblin Lackey, Goblin Warchief and Goblin Piledriver are fast, Mogg Fanatic deals damage without tapping, and Rishadan Port taps the Island you are saving for the Stasis payment at the end of your turn, and Wasteland, main deck in almost every list, hits Forsaken City. Their main-deck Naturalize, in about half their lists since September, destroys Stasis or Black Vise at instant speed. Kill Lackey with Fire and counter Warchief and Goblin Ringleader. After boarding Chill makes each Goblin they cast cost two more, and Cursed Totem stops Mogg Fanatic, Goblin Sharpshooter and Siege-Gang Commander's ability, though not Lackey or Piledriver. Hydroblast can counter Piledriver but can't destroy it once it resolves, because it has protection from blue, and they bring Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast. MTGDecks: 56 percent over 79 matches.
- Mono Black (even): Duress and Cabal Therapy take Stasis and Black Vise, Hypnotic Specter makes you discard, and Dark Ritual on a fresh Swamp makes three mana even under Stasis. Wasteland hits Forsaken City. Graveborn Muse, and Phyrexian Arena in about a fifth of their lists, fill their hand for Black Vise, Root Maze stops the Ritual on a new land, and Fire kills Hypnotic Specter or Withered Wretch. Bring Annul for Arena, Cursed Scroll and the Powder Keg in many of their sideboards, which destroys Black Vise on one fuse counter. MTGDecks: 53 percent over 57 matches.
- Sligh (even to slightly unfavorable): Burn needs little untapped mana: a one-mana spell with each land drop, Fireblast for free and Price of Progress against Forsaken City and Shivan Reef. Sulfuric Vortex is main deck in about two thirds of their lists, and Pyrostatic Pillar, main deck in about a quarter of their lists, deals 2 damage for every spell with mana value 3 or less, so Stasis, Daze and Chain of Vapor hurt you, while Gush and Thwart do not. Their Black Vise build, about a quarter of their lists since September, punishes the cards you keep for Forsaken City. Lead with Islands, counter Vortex and Cursed Scroll, and bring Chill, Hydroblast and Blue Elemental Blast: with Chill out, Fireblast costs two mana. After boarding they add Pyroblast and Red Elemental Blast for Stasis and Chill, and Overload for Black Vise and Cursed Totem. MTGDecks (Burn): 46 percent over 56 matches.
- Enchantress (even): Seal of Cleansing in the main deck and Aura of Silence, main deck in about four of ten lists since September and in most sideboards, destroy Stasis, and Solitary Confinement prevents Black Vise damage. Serra's Sanctum makes a lot of mana from one land, and Opalescence turns Stasis into a 2/2 for Swords to Plowshares. Counter Confinement and Seal, Ice the Sanctum, and bring all three Annul. Argothian Enchantress has shroud against Fire. MTGDecks: 48 percent over 56 matches.
- Landstill (favorable): Landstill fights Stasis with counterspells and Disenchant, main deck in almost every list, and Seal of Cleansing in about a fifth of them, and Dust Bowl, main deck in most of their lists, destroys Forsaken City before the lock is in place. Standstill backfires under the lock: the three cards it gives them only feed Black Vise. Mishra's Factory needs untapped mana to animate. Powder Keg, main deck in most of their lists, destroys Black Vise on one fuse counter, and after boarding their Annul counters Stasis and Black Vise. Your Annul counters Standstill and Powder Keg, and Brain Freeze and Gaea's Blessing help in the long games. MTGDecks: 68 percent over 50 matches.
- Terrageddon (slightly favorable): Their main deck answers Stasis with Naturalize, in almost nine of ten lists, Disenchant in about half and Seal of Cleansing in about a third, plus Wasteland on Forsaken City and Rishadan Port on your Island before your upkeep. After boarding they add Red Elemental Blast, Pyroblast, Aura of Silence and Ray of Revelation, and a freshly cast Mox Diamond gives them one more mana. Keep Counterspell or Daze for Naturalize and Aura of Silence, and Hydroblast for the Blasts. Root Maze makes Mox Diamond enter tapped. MTGDecks: 58 percent over 45 matches.
- Replenish (favorable): Replenish needs four mana and a stocked graveyard. Seal of Cleansing and Abeyance are its interaction, Frantic Search untaps lands under Stasis, and Defense Grid and Meddling Mage come in against counter decks. Annul counters Seal, Opalescence, Parallax Wave and Defense Grid. MTGDecks: 67 percent over 36 matches, limited data.
- The Rock (favorable): Pernicious Deed needs mana to activate, and Annul counters it and Recurring Nightmare, both enchantments. Duress and Cabal Therapy, main deck in almost every list, take Stasis before it lands, and Naturalize and Tranquil Domain come in after boarding. Root Maze keeps their new lands tapped. MTGDecks: 65 percent over 26 matches, limited data.
- Psychatog (unfavorable): Psychatog runs the same free spells with Gush and Foil, draws with Accumulated Knowledge, adds Duress, and its creature grows without mana: one untapped Psychatog attacks once and can deal a lot of damage. Cursed Totem stops its pumps and is the main sideboard plan, and their Annul, in almost every sideboard, counters it as well as Stasis and Black Vise. About half their lists also carry Powder Keg, which destroys Black Vise on one fuse counter. In counter wars, save your counters for Psychatog itself and let their card draw resolve. MTGDecks: 33 percent over 24 matches, limited data.
- Oath of Druids (favorable): Oath of Druids never triggers for them against a creatureless deck, and their land destruction is slow against a deck that returns its own lands to hand. Respect Wasteland, Rishadan Port and Mox Diamond. Sphere of Resistance, main deck in three of four lists, makes Stasis cost three and adds {1} to Gush, Thwart, Daze and Foil even when you return or discard Islands for them. Expect Naturalize, main deck in about half their lists, and Aura of Silence after boarding. MTGDecks (Oath Ponza): 78 percent over 23 matches, limited data.
- Elves (unfavorable): Elves is fast, wide and hard to lock. Quirion Ranger and Wirewood Symbiote untap creatures, a Priest of Titania untapped that way makes a lot of mana, and Deranged Hermit with Anger ends games quickly; their Gaea's Cradle is a land and stays tapped under Stasis. Nantuko Vigilante, in nine of ten lists, destroys Stasis itself. Cursed Totem shuts off their mana elves, Quirion Ranger and Wirewood Symbiote, and after boarding they add Naturalize and Tranquil Domain. MTGDecks: 24 percent over 21 matches, limited data.
- Full English Breakfast (unfavorable): Wall of Roots and, in some lists, Eladamri's Vineyard make mana without untapping, and one activation of Survival of the Fittest or Hermit Druid can be enough. Cabal Therapy, main deck in almost every list, can name Stasis or Black Vise, and after boarding they bring Duress, Naturalize, Uktabi Orangutan and Ray of Revelation. Cursed Totem stops Hermit Druid and Wall of Roots, though Uktabi Orangutan can destroy it, and Annul counters Survival, Vineyard and Animate Dead. MTGDecks: 36 percent over 22 matches, limited data.
- UG Madness (slightly favorable): Basking Rootwalla is free with madness, Wild Mongrel and Aquamoeba are free discard outlets, and Frantic Search untaps lands under Stasis. Circular Logic and Daze can counter your Stasis. After boarding, Cursed Totem shuts off Mongrel and Aquamoeba, though Careful Study, Frantic Search and Survival of the Fittest still discard, and they bring Naturalize, Tranquil Domain in about half their lists and, in some, Reverent Silence, which they can cast without mana while they control a Forest, though you gain 6 life. MTGDecks (Madness): 61 percent over 18 matches, limited data.
- Deadguy Ale (favorable): Duress, Vindicate and Hypnotic Specter are the dangerous cards, and Exalted Angel has to be turned face up for four mana, which is hard under Stasis. Disenchant is main deck in about half their lists and comes in with Seal of Cleansing after boarding, and Wasteland, main deck in most lists, hits Forsaken City. Keep Fire // Ice for Specter. No meaningful match data.
- Reanimator (unfavorable): Reanimate costs one mana, Lotus Petal and Dark Ritual don't need to untap, and Akroma, Angel of Wrath has vigilance, so it attacks every turn under Stasis. Chain of Vapor on Akroma buys time, because they can't pay eight mana to cast it again, though Careful Study, main deck in most of their lists, can discard it for another Reanimate. Cast it during their turn: they may sacrifice a land to copy it onto Stasis, and then you untap first and cast Stasis again before they untap. The reference sideboard has no graveyard hate; add Tormod's Crypt if Reanimator is common. MTGDecks: 12 percent over 8 matches, very limited data.
- MUD (favorable): Thran Dynamo, Mind Stone, Ancient Tomb and City of Traitors stay tapped under Stasis, Goblin Welder has to tap, and Root Maze makes new artifacts enter tapped. Sphere of Resistance makes Stasis cost three and adds {1} to Gush, Thwart and Daze even when you return Islands for them, and Defense Grid makes each spell you cast on their turn cost three more, Daze, Thwart, Gush and Chain of Vapor included. Rishadan Port, main deck in most of their lists, taps your Island before your upkeep. Counter Tinker itself, use Annul on Tangle Wire, Sphere and the Powder Keg most of them bring after boarding, and bring both Blasts for Welder. Tangle Wire's trigger resolves before Forsaken City's in your upkeep, so the City still untaps afterward and pays for Stasis. Very limited data.
- The Solution (slightly favorable): Meddling Mage naming Stasis and Lightning Angel, whose vigilance lets it attack every turn under Stasis, are the problems. Disenchant, main deck in about half their lists, destroys Stasis or Black Vise, and Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast and Annul come in after boarding. Fire kills Meddling Mage, and Mother of Runes while she is tapped or still summoning sick; an untapped Mother can protect either of them. Chill taxes their red spells, Lightning Angel included, and your own Fire too, so cast Fire before Chill is out. Very limited data.
- Aluren (even): Aluren lets both players cast small creatures for free at instant speed, which ignores Stasis once it is out. Counter Aluren with Annul. Chain of Vapor on a resolved Aluren works best while a Cavern Harpy spell is on the stack, since with Harpy in hand or on the battlefield they can combo in response. They may also sacrifice a land to copy your Chain onto Stasis or Cursed Totem. Cursed Totem stops Cavern Harpy's 1-life return, which their Spike Feeder, Rishadan Cutpurse and Ghitu Slinger loops need, though Harpy can still return itself with its own trigger and keep a Soul Warden loop going. Aluren plays Chain of Vapor too. No meaningful match data.
- Tron (favorable): The Urza lands stay tapped under Stasis, and Root Maze makes new ones enter tapped. Tron counters Stasis with Prohibit, which needs no kicker for it, and with Mana Leak and Miscalculation unless you pay. Disenchant, main deck in seven of their twelve lists since April, destroys it, and Meddling Mage from their sideboard is the card to kill with Fire. No meaningful match data.
- Zombies (slightly favorable): They play Duress, Cabal Therapy and Dark Ritual. Cursed Totem after boarding stops Shepherd of Rot, Withered Wretch and Lord of the Undead's recursion, though not its +1/+1 or a cycled Gempalm Polluter, and Root Maze keeps a fresh Swamp from casting Dark Ritual. No meaningful match data.
- Clerics (slightly favorable): Duress and Cabal Therapy can take Stasis, Dark Ritual gets their threats out before the lock, and Priest of Gix adds three black mana as it enters, even under the lock. Cursed Totem stops Dark Supplicant and Cabal Archon. No match data.
- Dromar Control (even): Meddling Mage, Vindicate, Duress and counterspells are their main-deck answers, and after boarding they add Annul, Seal of Cleansing and in some lists Cleansing Meditation. Fight over Stasis at a moment when Dromar is tapped out, and kill the Mage with Fire. No match data.
- White Weenie (slightly unfavorable): Their one- and two-drops come down before Stasis. Seal of Cleansing and Aura of Silence destroy it without mana, Disenchant for two. Seal and Disenchant are each main deck in about half their lists, while Aura mostly comes in after boarding. Wasteland, main deck in most of their lists, hits Forsaken City. Black Vise barely hurts a deck that empties its hand, so lean on Daze, Counterspell and Fire // Ice, which kills two X/1s at once, and Cursed Totem against Mother of Runes. Very limited data: 40 percent over 5 matches.
- BW Control (slightly favorable): A control deck with a full hand is a good target for Black Vise, and once Stasis locks the untap step their expensive cards such as Eternal Dragon stay in hand. Their Duress and Gerrard's Verdict are dangerous before Stasis, and Vindicate, Seal of Cleansing and Aura of Silence break it afterward, so counter those first; Dust Bowl, main deck in almost all their lists, can take Forsaken City. Cycling Decree of Justice cannot be countered, but under Stasis they rarely have the mana for it. Limited data: 60 percent over 15 matches.
- Gro-a-Tog (favorable): Black Vise punishes a hand full of cantrips, and once Stasis locks the untap step Quirion Dryad grows more slowly and stays tapped after it attacks, though Psychatog, in almost all their lists, still pumps without mana for its one attack. Gush, Daze and Foil cost them no mana, so keep Counterspell for their Meddling Mage naming Stasis, which is their best play, and for Armageddon, main deck in about two thirds of their lists, since without lands you cannot pay for Stasis. After boarding expect Ray of Revelation and Seal of Cleansing, and in some lists Annul. Limited data: 70 percent over 10 matches.
- Pit Rack (even): The Rack and Bottomless Pit work without mana, so Stasis does not stop their lock, and your Black Vise does little against an empty hand. In your upkeep their Bottomless Pit trigger resolves before Forsaken City's, so keep two cards in hand when the City has to pay for Stasis. Counter the discard spells and resolve Stasis before Duress finds it. Chain of Vapor returns a Rack to their hand, but they may sacrifice a land to copy it onto Stasis, so cast it during their turn, since you untap first. Wasteland, main deck in almost all their lists, hits Forsaken City. Limited data: 50 percent over 12 matches.
- Rebels (slightly favorable): Stasis stops their searches once their lands are tapped, and Black Vise punishes the counters they hold. Resolve Stasis when they are tapped out, since Counterspell, Mana Leak and Disenchant are their answers, and use Fire // Ice on two X/1 searchers. Keep Daze and Counterspell for Lin Sivvi. No match data.
- Contamination (unfavorable): Contamination ends Stasis, because its {U} upkeep cannot be paid from lands that make only black mana, Forsaken City included. Their main deck also has Rishadan Port and Wasteland in almost every list and Powder Keg in about three of four, which destroys Black Vise on one fuse counter. Counter Contamination whenever you can: once it resolves, you can only cast Gush, Daze, Thwart, Foil and Black Vise, and Powder Keg in the lists that play it. Very limited data: 33 percent over 6 matches.
- Turbo Lands (even): Stasis alone does little here, because their new lands enter untapped and Exploration gives them two a turn, so pair it with Root Maze, which makes those lands enter tapped. Seismic Assault needs no mana once it is out, so counter it, Exploration and Horn of Greed, and return a resolved one with Chain of Vapor, though they may sacrifice a land to copy it onto your Stasis. Black Vise punishes their hand of lands, but Glacial Chasm prevents its damage. Expect Pyroblast after boarding. No match data.
- Fluctuator (slightly favorable): Counterspell, Daze and Thwart answer Fluctuator and Songs of the Damned, and Chain of Vapor returns Fluctuator to their hand, though they may sacrifice a land to copy it onto Stasis. Stasis does not stop the engine: once Fluctuator is out, cycling costs nothing, and the kill needs only one untapped black source, so tap their Polluted Mire with Ice in their upkeep. Expect Misdirection and Miscalculation after boarding. No match data.
- RG Zoo (slightly favorable): Zoo floods the board with one-drops, so Stasis has to come down early; under it their creatures attack once and stay tapped, but each land they play still casts a one-mana burn spell, and Mogg Fanatic, Seal of Fire and Lava Dart's flashback need no mana, though your Chill makes the flashback cost {2}. Their main-deck Naturalize destroys Stasis or Black Vise at instant speed, so keep Counterspell or Daze for it. After boarding they bring Pyroblast, Red Elemental Blast and Tranquil Domain; bring Chill, Cursed Totem for Grim Lavamancer and Mogg Fanatic, and Hydroblast. Limited data: 70 percent over 10 matches.
Sideboard guide
- vs Stiflenought and the mirror: Annul, Gaea's Blessing. In: three Annul and two Gaea's Blessing. Out: two Fire // Ice, two Portent and Root Maze. Annul answers Dreadnought, Stasis and Black Vise, and Blessing protects against Brain Freeze, Vision Charm's mill and decking in long games. Portent is the first card out in almost every plan; never cut Stasis, Forsaken City, Gush, Chain of Vapor or Islands.
- vs Goblins and Sligh: Chill, Cursed Totem, Hydroblast, Blue Elemental Blast. Against Goblins: three Chill, three Cursed Totem, Hydroblast and Blue Elemental Blast in; three Portent, two Impulse, Flash of Insight, Root Maze and a Thwart out. Against Sligh: three Chill, one Cursed Totem for Grim Lavamancer and Mogg Fanatic, and both Blasts in; three Portent, two Black Vise and Flash of Insight out. Your own Chill also makes Fire cost {3}{R}, so cast Fire before Chill or use the Ice half.
- vs Enchantress, Mono Black, Replenish, Terrageddon, Oath of Druids and The Rock: Annul, Hydroblast, Blue Elemental Blast, Root Maze. Three Annul for three Portent against Enchantress and Mono Black, where Annul also counters Phyrexian Arena and Cursed Scroll. Against Replenish, two Portent and Root Maze go instead. Against Terrageddon add both Blasts and cut Flash of Insight and a Thwart; against Oath of Druids and The Rock add the second Root Maze and cut Flash of Insight.
- vs Landstill and Tron: Annul, Brain Freeze, Gaea's Blessing, Root Maze. Against Landstill: three Annul, Brain Freeze and a Gaea's Blessing in; two Fire // Ice, two Portent and Root Maze out. Against Tron: two Annul, Brain Freeze, Gaea's Blessing and the second Root Maze in; two Daze, two Portent and a Fire // Ice out.
- vs Psychatog, UG Madness, Clerics and Zombies: Cursed Totem, Root Maze. Three Cursed Totem shut off Psychatog's pumps, Wild Mongrel and Aquamoeba, and the Cleric and Zombie abilities. Against Psychatog two Portent and Root Maze go out; against the others add the second Root Maze and cut three Portent and Flash of Insight.
- vs Elves, Full English Breakfast and Aluren: Cursed Totem, Annul, Root Maze. Cursed Totem stops mana elves, Quirion Ranger, Wirewood Symbiote, Hermit Druid, Wall of Roots and Cavern Harpy. Against Elves: three Totem, two Annul for Survival of the Fittest and, in some lists, Tangle Wire, and Root Maze in; three Portent, two Black Vise and Flash of Insight out. Against Full English Breakfast: three Totem and three Annul in; three Portent, two Black Vise and Root Maze out. Against Aluren: three Totem and three Annul in; three Portent, a Fire // Ice, Flash of Insight and Root Maze out.
- vs MUD, The Solution, Deadguy Ale, Dromar Control and Reanimator: Annul, Chill, Hydroblast, Blue Elemental Blast, Root Maze. Against MUD: three Annul, both Blasts for Goblin Welder and Root Maze in; three Portent, two Impulse and Flash of Insight out. Against The Solution: three Chill and both Blasts in; three Portent, Flash of Insight and Root Maze out. Against Deadguy Ale and Dromar Control: three Annul for two Portent and Root Maze, keeping Fire // Ice for Hypnotic Specter, Meddling Mage and Mother of Runes. Against Reanimator only Root Maze for a Portent, so Lotus Petal enters tapped.
Budget and upgrades
Typical cost: $175–$390. The reference 75 costs about $390 at the Premodern-era printings tracked here. Three Shivan Reef from Apocalypse are the most expensive item at about $80, then four Forsaken City at about $49, four Chain of Vapor at about $47 and four Stasis at about $43. Black Vise costs about $4 in Fourth Edition, Root Maze about $12, and every other card under $7.
- Stasis, Forsaken City, Gush and Chain of Vapor are the lock, Black Vise is the win condition, and Thwart and Daze protect it for the price of Islands. Don't replace any of them.
- If your events allow tournament-legal reprints, Shivan Reef costs under $1, Forsaken City about $7, Chain of Vapor about $8 and Black Vise under $1, which brings the 75 to about $175. Stasis has no cheaper printing than Fifth Edition.
- Replacing the three Shivan Reef with Islands and Fire // Ice with blue cards such as Mana Short saves about $75 and turns the list into the mono-blue build. Powder Keg costs about $70 each, and about two in three lists play without it.
- Upgrade in this order: Islands, Counterspell, Impulse, Portent and Flash of Insight; then Gush, Thwart, Daze and Black Vise; then Stasis; then Chain of Vapor and Forsaken City; then the sideboard, and Shivan Reef last.
Every deck that costs under $500 with reprints is on our budget decks page, priced from a real tournament list.
