This card is sweet. This is another card that has defined archtypes. u'll barely see a blue vintage deck without it. 4.5 out of 5
chemistry35
★★☆☆☆ (2.4/5.0)(4 votes)
The ultimate Browbeat.
wolfbear2
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(6 votes)
and this is why manlands are so good.
onepartmissing
★★☆☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(15 votes)
An ideal example of very powerful yet perfectly balanced card. And a very elegent design also.
LeoKula
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(10 votes)
I think this is the best draw spell after ancestral recall, plus it's more complex and less vanilla, making it a lot more interesting.
kronos539
★★☆☆☆ (2.2/5.0)(3 votes)
if one were to Stifle the triggered ability, would you not have to sac Standstill??
sir_dwar
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Nope, Kronos, if you stifle the trigger, this thing still goes bye-bye, because it is sacrificed the second the spell is played, and then the trigger goes on the stack. Which is why most legacy decks pack stifle. Well, one of the many reasons, anyway.
Guest1381794618
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5.0)(1 vote)
How did I not know about this beauty!? Just what I needed.
Leshrac_Nightwalker
★★★★☆ (4.2/5.0)(4 votes)
It's powerful - I don't think there can be any question of that.
The real question is, is it fun? In a duel, it will make your opponent not want to do anything, while presumably you are biding your time, building up a hand full of control-flavoured answers. This isn't a situation I'd want to put a game into *unless* I was playing with man lands to speed things along... sitting there for turns waiting to see who cracks it doesn't sound terribly thrilling.
If I had to pick a card that best exemplifies a Mexican standoff, it'd probably be this. Well, this or Pernicious Deed.
Hovercraft
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(8 votes)
I hate this card and want it to go away on the banned list where it belongs. Thanks for listening. I rate it for .5 stars for how utterly annoying and imbalanced it is. From the worst set to play with in memory when it was released because it outclassed all the other cards before it. Thanks WOTC for Odyssey. There are decks that will play this, and have nothing in play at all. They wont even be able to win for 30turns. But in 30turns they will win. The person opposite the table can end the agony by playing a card and triggering Standstill... or bother players will sit across from each other top decking 28times. Landstill. Look it up. makes for a fun evening. This is always 3 cards for 2 mana for the player who played it. Always.
Always? Always.
Anyone saying otherwise... lol. Whatever.
Why are cards like this legal?
Asmodi0000
★★★☆☆ (3.1/5.0)(7 votes)
I've seen this card blow up in their caster's faces way too many times. It's not something you can just slip into any deck that runs blue, because you might end up being the one who has to break the standstill. If that happens, you give your opponent essentially 4 cards advantage, which (considering the board is in a position that you had to cast a spell) usually means that the match is as good as over.
EvilCleavage
★☆☆☆☆ (1.5/5.0)(2 votes)
I was browsing Target the other day and thought I'd check out their cards. They actually had Vintage 2-packs of cards for like ten bucks (which is a little steep but I drool when I can get my hands on older sets :P) of Odysset and Judgment. I bought three of them totalling six packs (3 of each set) and was amazed when I pulled a Cunning Wish, Burning Wish, and two Standstills! I'm being dead serious too I couldn't believe it! I never would buy these online due to the fact that they are pretty pricey, but it was such a rush and I can't wait to go see if they have any more! Something about that excitement when you pull good cards, it's almsot like a high haha. Anyways, this card is soo good though, and I play casual so we play with all cards. Even Isochron Scepter, Mana Vault, Flashfires, Boil, etc haha. Magic is the best game ever created!! Tied of course with the Mass Effect series. :)
mlanier131
★★★☆☆ (3.6/5.0)(7 votes)
I dont understand why thrist for knowledge is restricted but this isnt
ratchet1215
★★★★☆ (4.8/5.0)(8 votes)
@kronos
You're right, sir_dwar is wrong. Standstill is sacrificed on the RESOLUTION of the triggered ability, not when the ability goes on the stack. Only when the ability that draws you three cards resolves will Standstill cause itself to sacrifice. Stifle, Trickbind, or Voidslime would counter not only the card draw but also the sacrifice of Standstill.
Of course, playing any one of those ability counterspells just causes another instance of Standstill's triggered ability to be put on the stack on top of it, so the point is moot.
@ sir_dwar. It doesn't get sacrificed immediately. Sacrificing the card is not part of the trigger. Sacrificing it would go onto the stack then drawing three cards would come after.
So playing stifle would prevent it from being sacrificed, which would it trigger a second time in response to the stifle. There isn't anything you can play to stop this abillity, someone is getting 3 cards. The only way to counter this is with a premanent thats already on the board.
Axelle
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@ dberry02: Only if you regret it.
TPmanW
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(3 votes)
Talk about powerseep! back in the day we got this as a one mana interrupt (instant for all you new-fangled kidiggans out there). Yes sir, card drawing in Magic isn't what it used to be.
Gabriel422
★★☆☆☆ (2.8/5.0)(2 votes)
This sure wasn't fun when it was in Standard. You see this come down turn two, and you either:
a) play nothing for a few turns, essentially forfeiting the game ('cause you're aggro and you always lose if the game goes long)
b) accept that they can just run four Ancestral Recalls for 1U. You play as if they didn't play a Standstill, and try to win before they can stabilize... Which usually ends up badly, 'cause well, they've just drawn three cards for two mana, and unless they're really unlucky, their hand is now full of answers.
Let's just say it was a horrible, horrible idea for a card. I'm glad these days all MaRo and friends talk about are making the game fun, and it seems they're more than aware to not print something like this again.
Mightyass
★★★☆☆ (3.0/5.0)(3 votes)
I think that after the banning of Survival of the Fittest, this card is next in line. 1) It s always a threat, never an answer. Why they dont ban FoW? Because its needed. Same goes with other powerful cards, that are answers. However, this card never answers anything - if you cast it when youre already behind, odds are you are gonna lose. If you cast it when you re winning - you have already won. 2) It makes the games go long. If you decide to play around it, the games are terribly long. They have already banned cards before which make the game go longer (see Top in Extended). 3) If your opponent has no way in playing around it, its a 1U: Draw three cards. Slightly worse Ancestrall Recall. Still incredibly powerful. 4) Once in play, its practically indestructible. If your opponent FoW it, you have just gained card advantage. This card is extremely powerful and definetly not fun.
Shadoflaam
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Hilarious in EDH. Very good team-building, too.
BlackAlbino
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this card But people seem to be more afraid of their opponent drawing those cards than they are of your actual board. I got news, if you lose for sure because of the board then it's ok to take risks w/ that card draw
Lyoncet
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Venser, the Sojourner and Vedalken Mastermind make this card even more broken in the turn 4-5+ range than in the 1-2 range. And as long as you're running Venser, why not put in a Sun Titan or four and recur it every turn?
Arachibutyrophobia
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
funny in edh
Cheza
★☆☆☆☆ (1.4/5.0)(4 votes)
This card is really good, but not "broken" per se (unless you're going first and play it on turn 1).
@ Mightyass This card is a Concentrate with an drawback that you don't draw the cards directly... and an additional risk factor, that you might even draw NO cards as all. That's clearly worth a reduced cost.
Your statements are incorrect. Basically, this card isn't just a threat, but can be a "proactive answer" to a wrath effect or similar. In a weenie deck that isn't the fastest - like merfolk - you always have to fear that your opponent plays Pyroclasm, Wrath of God or Damnation. Since you've nearly lost the game when this happens, you have to prepare yourself. And this is what Standstill does... It gives semi-fast decks the balance to win against slower control decks.
@ "Mightyass - 2)" It NEVER makes the game long, since it's stupid to "play around" this card. As I've said, it's a Concentrate and if you can't play a spell during your next time, it's just a longer delay until he draws the card.
@ "Mightyass - 3)" An Ancestral Recall costs one less and draws the cards directly. I wouldn't call this "slightly worse". And if you look at the Vintage decklists, how many standstills do you see? It's legal there ... so why not add 4 copies, if it's just "slightly worse" than a Ancestral Recall?
Sun Titan said hi thanks for giving me more cards.
Kirbster
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
This card isn't overpowered... but it certainly is extremely powerful. If you play a manland on turn one then this on turn two, you're pretty much guaranteed to draw those three cards. In fact, if you have any advantage at all - even a 1/1 creature to your opponent's nothing - the cards should be yours. Plus, when your opponent plays a spell and you draw the three cards - if one of those was a counterspell, you can still use it to counter the spell that triggered Standstill. Brutal!
xxxhugsxxx
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I have this in my Wild Mongrel draw deck, where I take board position, end of turn Standstill. We go through a few turns, I get more lands out or more cards in hand, until they can't take it anymore, or until I've won.
Such courtesy! if only all flavor text was this polite!
xMETALxMUL1SHAx
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Well I was wondering, say I have standstill in play, and say opponent plays a spell, DO I NEED TO SAC IT AUTOMATICALLY? It says "if you do"? So not sure please help!!!!!!
Grumman
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
@Metal: The first sentence says "When a player plays a spell, sacrifice Standstill." You cannot choose not to. The "if" in the second sentence only means that if something happens to prevent you sacrificing it, the rest doesn't happen either.
Jerec_Onyx
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I'm getting this for my WUBRG EDH deck to see how it works. I feel that this will end up being a draw spell for 2 every time as I don't know why anyone would try to play around it.
Dankirk
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
This would work quite nicely in an Iron Maiden type of a deck. Costs $6 - $8 though.
lebanen01
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Possibly my favorite card ever printed. It's basically 2 CMC to speed the game up by 10 minutes. It doesn't get much better than that.
DacenOctavio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Sun Titan has all the time in the world. Also, this card is why Ancestral Vision never sees play in Legacy.
BongRipper420
★★★★☆ (4.9/5.0)(4 votes)
I've seen this card used against me more than a few times, and I can tell you from experience that there is one golden rule to follow whenever opposing this card; don't play around it. Just accept that blue gets to draw 3 for and be done with it.
To reiterate, short of Aether Vial, graveyard strategies, esoteric deck types (Astral Slide), or an already powerful board presence, there really is no good way to play around this card.
DaveKT
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I play a blue-green deck running this guy, while my wife runs a red-white. In THG I bounce permanents and lay board trickery, she lays creature upon creature and once board control is established I kindly give them the option to allow us continued board control, or to draw more cards.
It's a filthy, dirty trick and it's brought her and I ever closer together.
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Recommendation: Always immediately play into this unless you have board advantage.
I usually try to lay down an early beater to either pressure the person who played this into casting a spell or I understand that since they laid it down early you often just play into it while they can't counter and may have to discard. If they're playing it later game it's usually lose-lose for you.
Playing *with* the card I'd probably try to get my own beater down, lay this down, and force them into using removal or giving me my cards. If your deck plays enough cards fast enough you won't over-fill your hand and will be in a dominant position.
Thusly seems best-with and worst-against aggro.
Continue
★★★☆☆ (3.5/5.0)(3 votes)
I always laugh when people cast Krosan Grip on this. Learn to read your cards, dipshits.
LordRandomness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Be a little careful with this. If your opponent casts something you REALLY don't want them getting, you can't counter it without giving THEM the cards!
Jiverman7
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
So Notion Thief, then drop that baby no matter what, you draw 3x number of opponents.
Xycolian
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this card.
Even if you're control, you can feel safe tapping out to play this card, because it is a deterrent, and if they do cast something even though this is on the board, then they're just filling your hand with answers to it.
I've even used this card to win 2 seperate games before. On those occasions, I milled my opponent down to the last few cards in their deck, before playing this and something else to make them draw out.
Kelptic183
★★★★★ (5.0/5.0)(1 vote)
"Card advantage is coming."
Aldonius
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
If u have at least one decent attacker or manland ie. mutavault, over your opponent than this card is an auto three cards for the caster....there's something really great about being able to draw the counterspell... that counters the spell... that triggered standstill lol.
JaxsonBateman
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
Sun Titan loves this, and that sort of UW deck just crafts itself... Sun Titan, Phantasmal Image, Standstill, O-Ring/Detention Sphere, perhaps Jace Beleren - personally, I've also got Mother of Runes, Wall of Omens and Flooded Strand in there as further potential Sun Titan targets, and I run a playset of Karmic Guide as they also work somewhat well with Phantasmal Image, and provide a way to get back real Sun Titans.
In any case, there's something brilliant about going Sun Titan > Phantasmal Image > Phantasmal Image > Standstill. Oh hey, 3 6/6 vig with an awesome on-attack trigger and an almost guaranteed 3 cards drawn? Sure, I'll take that.
Rayenous
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I love this card in my EDH deck.
As mentioned, Notion Thief + this is a great card advantage.
Play this early, then play Windafll... each other player draws 3, but then they disaccord their hand, and you get the same number of cards as they have.
Once, I managed to play this, then Windfall... and after the sac and draw, I flashed in Notion Thief before the Windfall resolved. - Thankefully, I had Library of Leng out.
If you play it right, you draw 3 cards. That's a big if, and that's where this card becomes fun and interesting where Ancestral Recall is not.
Conventional wisdom says that you should just accept that blue gets to draw 3 for two mana, and play into it, but that's not always the right play.
You can also play this horribly, and spend a card to let your opponent draw 3, so it's a skill-tester for sure.
Proof that fun, interesting, intricate, and powerful cards can exist at uncommon, which is nice.
Also Shardless Agent into standstill is completely amazing in so many ways. (To forestall rules discussions, cascade happens when you cast the agent. the agent is already on the stack, so even though standstill resolves before agent, agent was cast before standstill got out.)
EDIT: @JacksonBateman: I didn't think about the fact that sun titan can get it back. that's just plain evil.
Comments (52)
4.5 out of 5
The real question is, is it fun? In a duel, it will make your opponent not want to do anything, while presumably you are biding your time, building up a hand full of control-flavoured answers. This isn't a situation I'd want to put a game into *unless* I was playing with man lands to speed things along... sitting there for turns waiting to see who cracks it doesn't sound terribly thrilling.
If I had to pick a card that best exemplifies a Mexican standoff, it'd probably be this. Well, this or Pernicious Deed.
Always?
Always.
Anyone saying otherwise... lol. Whatever.
Why are cards like this legal?
You're right, sir_dwar is wrong. Standstill is sacrificed on the RESOLUTION of the triggered ability, not when the ability goes on the stack. Only when the ability that draws you three cards resolves will Standstill cause itself to sacrifice. Stifle, Trickbind, or Voidslime would counter not only the card draw but also the sacrifice of Standstill.
Of course, playing any one of those ability counterspells just causes another instance of Standstill's triggered ability to be put on the stack on top of it, so the point is moot.
So playing stifle would prevent it from being sacrificed, which would it trigger a second time in response to the stifle. There isn't anything you can play to stop this abillity, someone is getting 3 cards. The only way to counter this is with a premanent thats already on the board.
a) play nothing for a few turns, essentially forfeiting the game ('cause you're aggro and you always lose if the game goes long)
b) accept that they can just run four Ancestral Recalls for 1U. You play as if they didn't play a Standstill, and try to win before they can stabilize... Which usually ends up badly, 'cause well, they've just drawn three cards for two mana, and unless they're really unlucky, their hand is now full of answers.
Let's just say it was a horrible, horrible idea for a card. I'm glad these days all MaRo and friends talk about are making the game fun, and it seems they're more than aware to not print something like this again.
1) It s always a threat, never an answer.
Why they dont ban FoW? Because its needed. Same goes with other powerful cards, that are answers. However, this card never answers anything - if you cast it when youre already behind, odds are you are gonna lose. If you cast it when you re winning - you have already won.
2) It makes the games go long.
If you decide to play around it, the games are terribly long. They have already banned cards before which make the game go longer (see Top in Extended).
3) If your opponent has no way in playing around it, its a 1U: Draw three cards. Slightly worse Ancestrall Recall. Still incredibly powerful.
4) Once in play, its practically indestructible. If your opponent FoW it, you have just gained card advantage. This card is extremely powerful and definetly not fun.
But people seem to be more afraid of their opponent drawing those cards than they are of your actual board. I got news, if you lose for sure because of the board then it's ok to take risks w/ that card draw
@ Mightyass
This card is a Concentrate with an drawback that you don't draw the cards directly... and an additional risk factor, that you might even draw NO cards as all. That's clearly worth a reduced cost.
Your statements are incorrect. Basically, this card isn't just a threat, but can be a "proactive answer" to a wrath effect or similar. In a weenie deck that isn't the fastest - like merfolk - you always have to fear that your opponent plays Pyroclasm, Wrath of God or Damnation. Since you've nearly lost the game when this happens, you have to prepare yourself. And this is what Standstill does... It gives semi-fast decks the balance to win against slower control decks.
@ "Mightyass - 2)"
It NEVER makes the game long, since it's stupid to "play around" this card. As I've said, it's a Concentrate and if you can't play a spell during your next time, it's just a longer delay until he draws the card.
@ "Mightyass - 3)"
An Ancestral Recall costs one less and draws the cards directly. I wouldn't call this "slightly worse". And if you look at the Vintage decklists, how many standstills do you see? It's legal there ... so why not add 4 copies, if it's just "slightly worse" than a Ancestral Recall?
Does that make me a bad person?
To reiterate, short of Aether Vial, graveyard strategies, esoteric deck types (Astral Slide), or an already powerful board presence, there really is no good way to play around this card.
In THG I bounce permanents and lay board trickery, she lays creature upon creature and once board control is established I kindly give them the option to allow us continued board control, or to draw more cards.
It's a filthy, dirty trick and it's brought her and I ever closer together.
I usually try to lay down an early beater to either pressure the person who played this into casting a spell or I understand that since they laid it down early you often just play into it while they can't counter and may have to discard. If they're playing it later game it's usually lose-lose for you.
Playing *with* the card I'd probably try to get my own beater down, lay this down, and force them into using removal or giving me my cards. If your deck plays enough cards fast enough you won't over-fill your hand and will be in a dominant position.
Thusly seems best-with and worst-against aggro.
Even if you're control, you can feel safe tapping out to play this card, because it is a deterrent, and if they do cast something even though this is on the board, then they're just filling your hand with answers to it.
I've even used this card to win 2 seperate games before. On those occasions, I milled my opponent down to the last few cards in their deck, before playing this and something else to make them draw out.
In any case, there's something brilliant about going Sun Titan > Phantasmal Image > Phantasmal Image > Standstill. Oh hey, 3 6/6 vig with an awesome on-attack trigger and an almost guaranteed 3 cards drawn? Sure, I'll take that.
As mentioned, Notion Thief + this is a great card advantage.
Play this early, then play Windafll... each other player draws 3, but then they disaccord their hand, and you get the same number of cards as they have.
Once, I managed to play this, then Windfall... and after the sac and draw, I flashed in Notion Thief before the Windfall resolved. - Thankefully, I had Library of Leng out.
Conventional wisdom says that you should just accept that blue gets to draw 3 for two mana, and play into it, but that's not always the right play.
You can also play this horribly, and spend a card to let your opponent draw 3, so it's a skill-tester for sure.
Proof that fun, interesting, intricate, and powerful cards can exist at uncommon, which is nice.
Also Shardless Agent into standstill is completely amazing in so many ways. (To forestall rules discussions, cascade happens when you cast the agent. the agent is already on the stack, so even though standstill resolves before agent, agent was cast before standstill got out.)
EDIT: @JacksonBateman: I didn't think about the fact that sun titan can get it back. that's just plain evil.