Standstill - Ancestrall Recall in Legacy?

Ancestrall Recall is the better card obviously; 1 mana Instant, target player draws 3 cards. No doubt that it have to be banned in Legacy.
With Time Spiral Ancestrall Vision was printed. The attempt to create a balanced version of Ancestrall Recall and in my opinion a successfull one.
But what about Standstill? The only thing both have in common is the possibility to draw three cards but also the also the possibility that your opponent does.
Standstill is a little bit tricky. It's an enchantment for 2 mana and whenever a player casts a spell the opponents of that player draw 3 cards and Standstill is sacrificed.
You see, to get an Ancestral Recall out of it your opponent has to "break" the Standstill. But how do you achieve that? Playing Mindslaver? No. You force your opponent by pressure. Creating a clock without casting spells, to make your opponent lose the game if he or she doesn't intervene.

See this article as a guide how to abuse Standstill in a post-Deathrite Shaman-meta.

If you play Legacy for a longer period of time, you are probably familiar with Standstill decks and strategies; so this guide is something a new player wants to read or someone who is interested to build a Standstill.dec.

With Standstill being blue you should pick some colors which support a control plan.
There are multiple color conigurations through out the history and formats of Magic which provide strong control shells.
No matter what kind of tips and advice you get from me or other, always feel free to experiment and brew yourself.

As I mentioned before, you have to create pressure while Standstill is on the battlefield. Either by playing a threat before playing Standstill or right after it. But remember, you shouldn't cast spells so your option will be manlands. The list of mandlands is quite long, the most common option is Mishra's Factory, because you have the nice ability to pump them. For the build I show you a bit further in this article I will pick up some Mutavault(s).


Ready for a UW Fairy Standstill list?
This list wants to abuse the counter ability of Spellstutter Sprite; countering spells and get a anoying flyer into the game? sounds great. Spellstutter Sprite gets better for each fairy you have and you have another 4; Mutavault.
But one after another; we should start with the blue core of the deck:
4 Brainstorm and 4 Ponder as your cantrips; they help you to get more consistency in your deck.
4 Force of Will + 3 other counterspells; Force of Will costs you no mana to cast and is the number 1 counterspell in Legacy, as addition I play 2 Spell Pierce and a Counterspell into the deck.
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor; one of the strongest Planeswalker; he brainstorms, he unsummons but mostly his ultimate can win the game.
And of course 3 Standstill. You can't play a Standstill deck without it.

A good control deck needs removal and white is the right color for this job.
4 Swords to Plowshares deal with nearly every creature you may face.
For mass removal you get Supreme Verdict. A wrath effect which can't be countered, just great.
Council's Judgment is the catch all removal. Nothing can stop it; no hexproof, no protection.

The land base is quite simple.
8 Fetchlands; 4 blue ones and 4 Flooded Strand.
A triplet of Tundra, a couple of Wasteland and a playset of Mutavault. Nothing to crazy.

Your deck is almost complete, just add another few support cards to it. More threats, more control elements and you can come to this result:

Creatures (8)
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Spellstutter Sprite
2 True-Name Nemesis

Spells (30)
4 Brainstorm
2 Myth Realized
4 Ponder
2 Spell Pierce
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Counterspell
1 Search for Azcanta
3 Standstill
1 Council's Judgment
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Supreme Verdict
4 Force of Will

Lands (22)
4 Flooded Strand
3 Island
4 Mutavault
1 Plains
4 Polluted Delta
1 Riptide Laboratory
3 Tundra
2 Wasteland
Legacy can be expensive and budget restrictions can slow you down, playwise and in your experience. But as long as the reserved list exsists we have to deal with it.
You could begin with only 1 Tundra, maybe a Prairie Stream. Celestial Colonnade as manland and dual land.
I hope you get your way into Legacy if you aren't playing it yet.

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