I pretty much run that list.
But mine(and I think Changs too) is:
-1 Xantid Swarm
+1 Darkblast
I seem to like the darkblast, but I may go back to the swarm. The problem I have with Swarm is, it doesnt stop Welders too well. I mean, vs. Control Slaver, I would rather have Darkblast because if I drop Swarm, my opponent can control the game with Welders as well. Not to mention, Swarm probably won't resolve, but Darkblast keeps recurring.
Darkblast also hits random x/1's and stuff. It has won me games.
Ro runs Darkblast. We were talking before the event, and I had a hard-on for Xantid Swarm that day, so I convinced him to run it. Neither of us actually saw it at all, so we couldn't say if it was good or not.
If it's a huge issue, run Engineered Plague. Your maindeck is supposed to give Combo fits, so I generally am not worried about it. If they combo off with Warrens, they could combo anyway, so I've already put myself in a losing position.
If it's a huge issue, run Engineered Plague. Your maindeck is supposed to give Combo fits, so I generally am not worried about it. If they combo off with Warrens, they could combo anyway, so I've already put myself in a losing position.
The problem is, it's 2B of non-Workshop mana. This makes it hard to play it when you need it.
IMO, EtW is house against Stax. I'm gonna be playing them in the sideboard of my Gifts deck.
You could also run Engineered Explosives (I run 3x SB), 'cause it's good against Fish, as well (and other random decks that focus on one or two casting cost permanents). It's nice to kill of their Moxes, as well (though you lose yours too, so sad).
You could also run Engineered Explosives (I run 3x SB), 'cause it's good against Fish, as well (and other random decks that focus on one or two casting cost permanents). It's nice to kill of their Moxes, as well (though you lose yours too, so sad).
Well, if you pop it for 0 to stop EtW tokens, Stax will wipe out it's own artifact mana. Which is a bad idea.
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Spread the word.
The optimal solution is likely tabernacle. Even Slice and Dice is better than decay.
EtW is not the reason that stax has seen little to no play as of late. Stax isn't capable of degenerate plays to the level of standardized drain and ritual based decks. Furthermore, playing around stax has become much easier and widely understood. The capacity for decks to run basics, fetches, and mass bounce is much easier than it once was.
Honestly, Tinker/Colossus is a lot scarier as it can evade Stax's main anti-combo measures, which hinder etw.
Stax needs to be rebuilt. It has grown obsolete. See the more recent lists on the Drain, running pillar, negator, and even sometimes cutting shop. Laplante is also on the right track with his much more successful innovations.
Stax needs new toys, it needs to be reworked for a changing meta. Hell, I don't even know if it can compete with the upcoming combo storm due to Future Sight shenanigans. We will see, I suppose.
The optimal solution is likely tabernacle. Even Slice and Dice is better than decay.
EtW is not the reason that stax has seen little to no play as of late. Stax isn't capable of degenerate plays to the level of standardized drain and ritual based decks. Furthermore, playing around stax has become much easier and widely understood. The capacity for decks to run basics, fetches, and mass bounce is much easier than it once was.
Honestly, Tinker/Colossus is a lot scarier as it can evade Stax's main anti-combo measures, which hinder etw.
Stax needs to be rebuilt. It has grown obsolete. See the more recent lists on the Drain, running pillar, negator, and even sometimes cutting shop. Laplante is also on the right track with his much more successful innovations.
Stax needs new toys, it needs to be reworked for a changing meta. Hell, I don't even know if it can compete with the upcoming combo storm due to Future Sight shenanigans. We will see, I suppose.
I have to agree with you, but not 100%.
Yes stax does need to be rebuilt, and maybe get more aggro.
When I play the deck, I'm not afraid of EtW.
You have answers.
Thats what makes the deck soo good, you have answers to everything.
Tinker/Colossus is not soo scary because we run Welders, and StP.
Stax does get those stupid I win hands that Drain/Ritual decks get as well.
BUT! You are right that stax does need tools.
And maybe get to be more aggro.
BTW this is not a flame or anything, it is just my input. I have been playing the deck for about a year and a half...
Metal Militia is correct in that statment as well, stax has infinite better options than decay.
@Magic Playa: I agree with almost everything you have said, except the tinker comment. I always board in tinker/colossus vs. stax, and it wins games. Sure, you have answers, however, you don't maindeck very many of them, and you board out most vs control (hoestly, stp is NOT a card you want to keep in 90% of the time, or even see most of the time). To this end, tinker dodges all mainstream hate of stax, evading almost everything that could be aimed at combo/control, a la spheres, rods, chalices, etc. Furthermore, it wins in a few turns. That means that all I have to do is play it when you don't have active welder, or precede it with a darkblast, and colossus will eat your face.
Also, I agree totally on the capacity for stupid hands, but statistically those occur much less than in combo, or even the new bread of "control" that exists, and "broken" for stax is usually much easier for said decks to deal with than vice versa. A turn one combo destroys stax. A turn one 3-sphere, chalice, crucible, etc. can be delt with by any one of contro or combo's MAINDECK mass bounce spells. Furthermore, all a drain deck has to do is drain one of your spells, and that mana is usually enough to win with. Things such as this is why stax, while able to go broken, not nearly AS broken. I think that almost purely statistically, if you find the total amount of "broken" hands for both decks, combo and control will typically far exceede stax.
Some comments I think that could fuel a "ground-up" build of stax here on salvation would be the following:
Winning slow isn't viable any more. Combo and conrol have developed powerful counter-strategies and maindeck sollutions to that meathod.
Instead, I believe one must focus on non-traditional solutions:
Null Rod should be run. I know this cuts down options, but rod is just too powerful a disrupter to be missed.
More enchantment based decks must be experimented with:
Root Maze, Pillar, IteoC (esspecially this one), chains, etc. These toys must be played with. They evade most bounce spells, and are hugely damaging.
Smokestack itself should be cut. It's too slow, too cumbersome; nothing more than a miguided rage with suspend too often.
Spheres need to be run. Combining these with the afformentioned rod, chalice, enchantments, and something like tanglewire provide a very powerful lock.
A draw engine must (MUST) be used! This is IMPERATIVE. Dark Confidant is an option. Intuition is also a poweful option. I would REALLY like some experimentation along these lines.
Alright, lets see what we can do. Any diagreements with what I have said would be welcome, the goal is to figure out how to rebuild Stax for a modern meta.
Metal Militia is correct in that statment as well, stax has infinite better options than decay.
@Magic Playa: I agree with almost everything you have said, except the tinker comment. I always board in tinker/colossus vs. stax, and it wins games. Sure, you have answers, however, you don't maindeck very many of them, and you board out most vs control (hoestly, stp is NOT a card you want to keep in 90% of the time, or even see most of the time). To this end, tinker dodges all mainstream hate of stax, evading almost everything that could be aimed at combo/control, a la spheres, rods, chalices, etc. Furthermore, it wins in a few turns. That means that all I have to do is play it when you don't have active welder, or precede it with a darkblast, and colossus will eat your face.
Also, I agree totally on the capacity for stupid hands, but statistically those occur much less than in combo, or even the new bread of "control" that exists, and "broken" for stax is usually much easier for said decks to deal with than vice versa. A turn one combo destroys stax. A turn one 3-sphere, chalice, crucible, etc. can be delt with by any one of contro or combo's MAINDECK mass bounce spells. Furthermore, all a drain deck has to do is drain one of your spells, and that mana is usually enough to win with. Things such as this is why stax, while able to go broken, not nearly AS broken. I think that almost purely statistically, if you find the total amount of "broken" hands for both decks, combo and control will typically far exceede stax.
Some comments I think that could fuel a "ground-up" build of stax here on salvation would be the following:
Winning slow isn't viable any more. Combo and conrol have developed powerful counter-strategies and maindeck sollutions to that meathod.
Instead, I believe one must focus on non-traditional solutions:
Null Rod should be run. I know this cuts down options, but rod is just too powerful a disrupter to be missed.
More enchantment based decks must be experimented with:
Root Maze, Pillar, IteoC (esspecially this one), chains, etc. These toys must be played with. They evade most bounce spells, and are hugely damaging.
Smokestack itself should be cut. It's too slow, too cumbersome; nothing more than a miguided rage with suspend too often.
Spheres need to be run. Combining these with the afformentioned rod, chalice, enchantments, and something like tanglewire provide a very powerful lock.
A draw engine must (MUST) be used! This is IMPERATIVE. Dark Confidant is an option. Intuition is also a poweful option. I would REALLY like some experimentation along these lines.
Alright, lets see what we can do. Any diagreements with what I have said would be welcome, the goal is to figure out how to rebuild Stax for a modern meta.
Yes I was just pointing out that Stax has answers to Tinker/Colossus=P
But we do need to rebuild Stax for the modern meta.
Anyone up for it?
Ugo Rivard ran a Shop Aggro deck that ran 4x Dark Confidant and 4x Jotun Grunt.
I thought it was Andy Probasco that came up with that little DC JG shop deck, but I could be mis-lead (pretty sure andy ran it though at the waterbury day 2 event where grunts was legal even though that set wasnt actually legal yet in fact)
Ive seen Stax put up a few results again lately, but my meta is just utterly gross for playing it currently IMO...I can build the deck for half the meta but if I try to make it work for the whole thing it just fails on multiple levels due to thinning and whatnot. Unrestrict Trinisphere? lol
@Glix
I dont totally agree on some of your views on Tinker/DSC...however take this with some caution as my thoughts are based on dated information with dated decks.
I generally always left a lone StP in if that was my answer or at least various forms of bounce which in 5cStax can be somewhat easily tutored for, along with Welders. Saying Tinker gets around all stax hate is also pretty flawed...Tinker is just as susceptable as any other 3cc spell if not moreso to stax playing lock pieces, with the exception being if you can tinker going first on the play which is obviously gg. In fact id say tinker might be even harder to get through in that you that the whole point of stax really is to keep you off of the needed 3 mana to win with. Strip/Waste + Sphere + Tanglewire + Chalice (gg on the play for stax vs tinker unless they have sol or mana vault) + null rod to keep them out of mana etc etc etc etc. My whole theory on stax initially was that the goal from the onset is to keep them off of the magical 3 mana threshold where they can play something that actually kills me. A lot of my thinking though might be more attributed to the Kevin Cron school of though and not so much the Roland Chang school. The premise of only playing lock pieces rings so true in the effort of keeping a player off of needed mana. Then of course IF things get through you still have various methods of getting to the bit of hate you actually have (echoing truth is hot since it deals with warrens and DSC equally well not to mention generally useful against a number of things various decks can use against you)
I know that there are some views on Smokestack being too slow or whatnot for use any longer, while I find some merit in this concept I still find almost all actual information on stack being slow poorly stated and inacurate in their arguments (they might be right in the long run, but not for most of the reasons stated) Taking out smokestack completely changes the theme of the deck and really makes any conversation on Stax with out smokestack misplaced.
Dont forget Bazaar in your list of draw engines for Stax of course.
Im sure I could talk all day on the subject, but I dont feel like it...just some things to keep in mind about the stax players focus against a deck that is running tinker (this might not be as easy these days since Tinker+DSC isnt the #1 win condition in EVERY deck like it was a year ago)
If you want to rebuild Stax (pun intended) then I suggest you look at creature based Stax lists. In my experience Stax decks that run Confidant, Grunt etc. are the scariest. Creatures give you answers to Fish, a draw engine and a most importantly a faster clock.
What type of Stax are we talking about, though? I generally play 5C Stax and it's pretty good. I feel much more comfortable using than any other form of Stax at the moment; although Monoblack Stax has done pretty well in my testing.
EDIT: I've done some testing with a u/B/r list and have found two cards which are INSANE in Stax - Necropotence and Yawgmoth's Bargain.
We all know how powerful these two are, but I've never seen them used in Stax before. I found that they allow you to filter through excess mana cards and draw into a ton more threats. They also help when you have a threat out and need to draw into things like Tangle Wire and Crucible to help sustain a lock.
I agree. I am wayy more comfortable playing 5 color. If we rebuild the stax deck, I dont think putting aggro into it makes it that good. I mean it turns the deck into shop aggro.
Ugo ran a Confidant Stax list. And yes, Andy ran the DC JG list... my misake
Some MUD lists have been top 8ing in Europe, as you can read in Morphline.de
Those lists all have one thing in common, they run Metalworker. I think the ability to drop your hand, and lock components, on turns 2 and 3 makes the deck that much better.
You have all heard about the MetalworkerAffinity deck that was pretty good. Its called Crusher, or something. That deck was good because it was an aggro deck, and it would win on turn like 3. But it became bad because it could lose to a turn 2 null rod, or disruption.
But, the deck is still viable. It is really fast. At the last tournament in Washington state, there are people who run Crusher still. The I think there was a top 8. Not sure.
But the deck can be brutal.
I am willing to help rebuild stax and such. And also test.
Stax's attack on mana bases is not as successful as it once was, however. Stax has far (far) more tools that can directly attack the mana cost of spells than it does lands. Everyone and their mother is playing with infinite basics, atm, and playing with fetches. Even then, stax doesn't have infinte mana itslef, and control has drain and fow to stop certain things. I'll say that I've won more games with colossus than other wins against stax, simply because I can slow play my mana out, and sac an early mox or ring, even if its nulled, and get a big win condition, utalizing that fow or drain stop your, what? 3 ways to get rid of it?
That being said, colossus isn't as played as it once was, and we now have access to other disruption cards.
For the sake of starters, I think that one of the strongest lock componants in a long time has just landed in our laps in the form of Aven Mindcensor.
This card does everything Stax wants, and at instant speed. It turns off fetches, it stops tinker, it stops all search cards, it rapes huge portions of opposing decks. Furthermore, if played against us, it does little to nothing. Also it beats.
I think the scariest things to see from stax are a large portion of spheres, iteoc, etc, and probably null rod.
I think that Stax should attempt to utalize some less standard spells, as well. People do not expect things like counterspells to be played by stax, and it usually catches them off gaurd. The problem is how difficult it is to fit counters into stax. Perhaps running Duress or even maindeck Blasts is a possiblitiy.
Tangle Wire seems underrated in stax. A Tanglewire combined with various cost increasers does what smokestacks does, but immediatly. Its almost like a triple time walk at times.
Combine this with a strong draw engine (not that I have any in mind) and some card to put pressure on your opponant (something like grunt, or juggs, or something), and we may have a basis for a deck.
I think the problem with Stax is its lack of a decent draw engine, hence why I'm using Necropotence and Bargain now. Bazaar just isn't as good any more and TfK isn't long term.
Metal_Militia
I don't see how Stax actually casts Necro and Bargain, both Bazaar and Confidant are the best draw engines Stax has now.
Aven Mindcensor is interesting, it makes Stax more like Fish which is good. Casting Mindensor is a little difficult though, running Ancient Tomb to support all of Stax's non artifact spells might be good.
Easily actually. I don't like Bazaar particularly because it takes up a land drop and I don't like Confidant because it causes a lot of life loss a lot of the time. However, it all depends on your build.
Sorry you are going to have to explain to me how Stax gets BBB or 4BB to play Necro or Bargain.
I can understand why some builds don't like Bazaar, mainly builds without welder. The life loss on Confidant however is not relevant compared to the number of cards you are drawing. As long as the average life loss is less then 2 your fine. Stax builds have successfully running Confidant since its printing.
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1 Black Lotus
3 Crucible Of Worlds
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Memory Jar
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Smokestack
1 Sol Ring
3 Sphere Of Resistance
3 Tangle Wire
1 Trinisphere
Artifact Creatures
1 Sundering Titan
1 Triskelion
Creatures
4 Goblin Welder
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Xantid Swarm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Crop Rotation
1 Vampiric Tutor
Legendary Artifact Creatures
1 Karn, Silver Golem
Sorceries
1 Balance
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Tinker
World Enchantments
1 In The Eye Of Chaos
Lands
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Bazaar Of Baghdad
4 City Of Brass
3 Gemstone Mine
4 Mishra's Workshop
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
Legendary Lands
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Chalice Of The Void
1 Jester's Cap
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Choke
2 Rack And Ruin
2 Ray Of Revelation
3 Red Elemental Blast
But mine(and I think Changs too) is:
-1 Xantid Swarm
+1 Darkblast
I seem to like the darkblast, but I may go back to the swarm. The problem I have with Swarm is, it doesnt stop Welders too well. I mean, vs. Control Slaver, I would rather have Darkblast because if I drop Swarm, my opponent can control the game with Welders as well. Not to mention, Swarm probably won't resolve, but Darkblast keeps recurring.
Darkblast also hits random x/1's and stuff. It has won me games.
Just my opinion...
control/combo players are going to add ETW to their MD and sideboard to battle stax. Stax is already on the decline...
What do you think?
The problem is, it's 2B of non-Workshop mana. This makes it hard to play it when you need it.
IMO, EtW is house against Stax. I'm gonna be playing them in the sideboard of my Gifts deck.
-DShell
You could also run Caltrops, which is amazing against another bad matchup (Ichorid) too.
Well, if you pop it for 0 to stop EtW tokens, Stax will wipe out it's own artifact mana. Which is a bad idea.
-DShell
Or you could run Ensnaring Bridge, which is amazing in not only Ichorid, but against Fish and Shop Aggro as well.
Spread the word.
Draft and Pauper on MTGO: RonTrauma
MTGArena: Mardu Aristocrats, Mono-R, 4C Dreadhorde, Golgari Citadel
The optimal solution is likely tabernacle. Even Slice and Dice is better than decay.
EtW is not the reason that stax has seen little to no play as of late. Stax isn't capable of degenerate plays to the level of standardized drain and ritual based decks. Furthermore, playing around stax has become much easier and widely understood. The capacity for decks to run basics, fetches, and mass bounce is much easier than it once was.
Honestly, Tinker/Colossus is a lot scarier as it can evade Stax's main anti-combo measures, which hinder etw.
Stax needs to be rebuilt. It has grown obsolete. See the more recent lists on the Drain, running pillar, negator, and even sometimes cutting shop. Laplante is also on the right track with his much more successful innovations.
Stax needs new toys, it needs to be reworked for a changing meta. Hell, I don't even know if it can compete with the upcoming combo storm due to Future Sight shenanigans. We will see, I suppose.
I have to agree with you, but not 100%.
Yes stax does need to be rebuilt, and maybe get more aggro.
When I play the deck, I'm not afraid of EtW.
You have answers.
Thats what makes the deck soo good, you have answers to everything.
Tinker/Colossus is not soo scary because we run Welders, and StP.
Stax does get those stupid I win hands that Drain/Ritual decks get as well.
BUT! You are right that stax does need tools.
And maybe get to be more aggro.
BTW this is not a flame or anything, it is just my input. I have been playing the deck for about a year and a half...
@Magic Playa: I agree with almost everything you have said, except the tinker comment. I always board in tinker/colossus vs. stax, and it wins games. Sure, you have answers, however, you don't maindeck very many of them, and you board out most vs control (hoestly, stp is NOT a card you want to keep in 90% of the time, or even see most of the time). To this end, tinker dodges all mainstream hate of stax, evading almost everything that could be aimed at combo/control, a la spheres, rods, chalices, etc. Furthermore, it wins in a few turns. That means that all I have to do is play it when you don't have active welder, or precede it with a darkblast, and colossus will eat your face.
Also, I agree totally on the capacity for stupid hands, but statistically those occur much less than in combo, or even the new bread of "control" that exists, and "broken" for stax is usually much easier for said decks to deal with than vice versa. A turn one combo destroys stax. A turn one 3-sphere, chalice, crucible, etc. can be delt with by any one of contro or combo's MAINDECK mass bounce spells. Furthermore, all a drain deck has to do is drain one of your spells, and that mana is usually enough to win with. Things such as this is why stax, while able to go broken, not nearly AS broken. I think that almost purely statistically, if you find the total amount of "broken" hands for both decks, combo and control will typically far exceede stax.
Some comments I think that could fuel a "ground-up" build of stax here on salvation would be the following:
Winning slow isn't viable any more. Combo and conrol have developed powerful counter-strategies and maindeck sollutions to that meathod.
Instead, I believe one must focus on non-traditional solutions:
Null Rod should be run. I know this cuts down options, but rod is just too powerful a disrupter to be missed.
More enchantment based decks must be experimented with:
Root Maze, Pillar, IteoC (esspecially this one), chains, etc. These toys must be played with. They evade most bounce spells, and are hugely damaging.
Smokestack itself should be cut. It's too slow, too cumbersome; nothing more than a miguided rage with suspend too often.
Spheres need to be run. Combining these with the afformentioned rod, chalice, enchantments, and something like tanglewire provide a very powerful lock.
A draw engine must (MUST) be used! This is IMPERATIVE. Dark Confidant is an option. Intuition is also a poweful option. I would REALLY like some experimentation along these lines.
Alright, lets see what we can do. Any diagreements with what I have said would be welcome, the goal is to figure out how to rebuild Stax for a modern meta.
Yes I was just pointing out that Stax has answers to Tinker/Colossus=P
But we do need to rebuild Stax for the modern meta.
Anyone up for it?
Ugo Rivard ran a Shop Aggro deck that ran 4x Dark Confidant and 4x Jotun Grunt.
It looked pretty ok.
Ive seen Stax put up a few results again lately, but my meta is just utterly gross for playing it currently IMO...I can build the deck for half the meta but if I try to make it work for the whole thing it just fails on multiple levels due to thinning and whatnot. Unrestrict Trinisphere? lol
@Glix
I dont totally agree on some of your views on Tinker/DSC...however take this with some caution as my thoughts are based on dated information with dated decks.
I generally always left a lone StP in if that was my answer or at least various forms of bounce which in 5cStax can be somewhat easily tutored for, along with Welders. Saying Tinker gets around all stax hate is also pretty flawed...Tinker is just as susceptable as any other 3cc spell if not moreso to stax playing lock pieces, with the exception being if you can tinker going first on the play which is obviously gg. In fact id say tinker might be even harder to get through in that you that the whole point of stax really is to keep you off of the needed 3 mana to win with. Strip/Waste + Sphere + Tanglewire + Chalice (gg on the play for stax vs tinker unless they have sol or mana vault) + null rod to keep them out of mana etc etc etc etc. My whole theory on stax initially was that the goal from the onset is to keep them off of the magical 3 mana threshold where they can play something that actually kills me. A lot of my thinking though might be more attributed to the Kevin Cron school of though and not so much the Roland Chang school. The premise of only playing lock pieces rings so true in the effort of keeping a player off of needed mana. Then of course IF things get through you still have various methods of getting to the bit of hate you actually have (echoing truth is hot since it deals with warrens and DSC equally well not to mention generally useful against a number of things various decks can use against you)
I know that there are some views on Smokestack being too slow or whatnot for use any longer, while I find some merit in this concept I still find almost all actual information on stack being slow poorly stated and inacurate in their arguments (they might be right in the long run, but not for most of the reasons stated) Taking out smokestack completely changes the theme of the deck and really makes any conversation on Stax with out smokestack misplaced.
Dont forget Bazaar in your list of draw engines for Stax of course.
Im sure I could talk all day on the subject, but I dont feel like it...just some things to keep in mind about the stax players focus against a deck that is running tinker (this might not be as easy these days since Tinker+DSC isnt the #1 win condition in EVERY deck like it was a year ago)
I agree. I am wayy more comfortable playing 5 color. If we rebuild the stax deck, I dont think putting aggro into it makes it that good. I mean it turns the deck into shop aggro.
Ugo ran a Confidant Stax list. And yes, Andy ran the DC JG list... my misake
Some MUD lists have been top 8ing in Europe, as you can read in Morphline.de
Those lists all have one thing in common, they run Metalworker. I think the ability to drop your hand, and lock components, on turns 2 and 3 makes the deck that much better.
You have all heard about the MetalworkerAffinity deck that was pretty good. Its called Crusher, or something. That deck was good because it was an aggro deck, and it would win on turn like 3. But it became bad because it could lose to a turn 2 null rod, or disruption.
But, the deck is still viable. It is really fast. At the last tournament in Washington state, there are people who run Crusher still. The I think there was a top 8. Not sure.
But the deck can be brutal.
I am willing to help rebuild stax and such. And also test.
That being said, colossus isn't as played as it once was, and we now have access to other disruption cards.
For the sake of starters, I think that one of the strongest lock componants in a long time has just landed in our laps in the form of Aven Mindcensor.
This card does everything Stax wants, and at instant speed. It turns off fetches, it stops tinker, it stops all search cards, it rapes huge portions of opposing decks. Furthermore, if played against us, it does little to nothing. Also it beats.
I think the scariest things to see from stax are a large portion of spheres, iteoc, etc, and probably null rod.
I think that Stax should attempt to utalize some less standard spells, as well. People do not expect things like counterspells to be played by stax, and it usually catches them off gaurd. The problem is how difficult it is to fit counters into stax. Perhaps running Duress or even maindeck Blasts is a possiblitiy.
Tangle Wire seems underrated in stax. A Tanglewire combined with various cost increasers does what smokestacks does, but immediatly. Its almost like a triple time walk at times.
Combine this with a strong draw engine (not that I have any in mind) and some card to put pressure on your opponant (something like grunt, or juggs, or something), and we may have a basis for a deck.
I don't see how Stax actually casts Necro and Bargain, both Bazaar and Confidant are the best draw engines Stax has now.
Aven Mindcensor is interesting, it makes Stax more like Fish which is good. Casting Mindensor is a little difficult though, running Ancient Tomb to support all of Stax's non artifact spells might be good.
Sorry you are going to have to explain to me how Stax gets BBB or 4BB to play Necro or Bargain.
I can understand why some builds don't like Bazaar, mainly builds without welder. The life loss on Confidant however is not relevant compared to the number of cards you are drawing. As long as the average life loss is less then 2 your fine. Stax builds have successfully running Confidant since its printing.