Stax Commander: How to Lock Down the Game and Win

Stax decks are the control decks of Commander. Instead of winning through combat or combos, stax decks win by locking down the game and preventing your opponents from doing anything. If you love controlling the game and watching your opponents struggle to cast spells, stax is the archetype for you.

What Makes a Good Stax Deck?

A good stax deck needs three things: a commander that enables your lock strategy, a suite of stax pieces that restrict your opponents, and a win condition that can close out the game once the lock is in place.

Stax Pieces

Stax pieces are cards that restrict your opponents' ability to play the game. Here are some of the best stax pieces in Commander:

• Winter Orb: Players can't untap more than one land during their untap steps. This slows down the game significantly and makes it hard for opponents to cast expensive spells.
• Stasis: Players don't untap during their untap steps. At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice Stasis unless you pay U. This is one of the most powerful lock pieces in the format.
• The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale: Creatures cost 2 more to attack. This makes it very difficult for opponents to attack you.
• Trinisphere: If a spell's total cost is less than 3 mana, that spell costs 3 more to cast. This makes it very difficult for opponents to cast cheap spells.
• Null Rod: Players can't cast artifact spells. This shuts down artifact-based combo decks.
• Cursed Totem: Activated abilities of creatures can't be activated. This shuts down creature-based combo decks.

Win Conditions

Once you've locked down the game, you need a way to win. Here are some common stax win conditions:

• Drain effects: Cards like Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Blood Artist can drain your opponents to zero life while you're protected by your lock pieces.
• Combat damage: Cards like Craterhoof Behemoth and Overrun can pump your creatures and deal massive combat damage.
• Combo finishes: Some stax decks include a combo finish like Exquisite Blood + Sanguine Bond or Torment of Hailfire.

Best Stax Commanders

Grand Arbiter Augustin IV

Grand Arbiter is the ultimate stax commander. His ability to make your opponents' spells cost 2 more and your spells cost 2 less creates a powerful advantage. With Grand Arbiter on the battlefield, your opponents will struggle to cast spells while you can cast your stax pieces for free.

Estrid, the Masked

Estrid is a stax commander that creates enchantment tokens and protects your enchantments. With Estrid on the battlefield, you can create a board full of enchantment-based stax pieces that are hard to remove.

Kraum, Ludevic's Opus

Kraum is a stax commander that makes your opponents pay 2 life whenever they cast a spell. This creates a powerful drain effect that can win the game over time.

The Stax Player's Dilemma

Stax decks are controversial in Commander. Some players love the challenge of playing against stax, while others hate being locked out of the game. If you play stax, you need to be aware of the social dynamics at your table.

Here are some tips for playing stax responsibly:

• Know your playgroup: If your playgroup doesn't enjoy playing against stax, consider leaving the stax pieces at home.
• Don't lock the game too early: Give your opponents a chance to establish their game plans before you lock down the game.
• Be willing to lose: If you lock the game and no one can do anything, you might not win either. Be willing to sacrifice your lock if it means the game can continue.

Checking Your Stax Deck with Rate My Decks

When you analyze your deck with Rate My Decks, we detect your deck's archetype and compare it to the optimal build for that archetype. If your stax deck is running too few stax pieces, we'll flag it as a weakness. If your deck is missing key lock pieces, we'll recommend additions.