Stasis MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 16 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Stasis offers control over the game’s pace, indirectly creating card advantage by stalling opponent actions.
  2. Supports decks designed for untap mechanics or alternative resource generation, providing a strategic advantage.
  3. Instant-speed spells and abilities complement Stasis well, allowing active response while opponents are locked down.

Text of card

Players do not get an untap phase. Pay o U during your upkeep or Stasis is destroyed.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Stasis doesn’t directly allow for drawing extra cards, but it provides a distinct strategic advantage. It freezes the game state to your benefit, effectively making the opponent’s cards less useful as they cannot untap their permanents. This indirect card advantage can shift the game in your favor as you dictate the pace, forcing opponents to discard due to hand size while you continue to play normally.

Resource Acceleration: While Stasis itself doesn’t accelerate resources, it complements decks designed around untap mechanics or alternative resource generation. With clever deck building, you can sustain its upkeep cost while hindering your opponent, leading to a scenario where you’re the only player effectively playing the game—creating a significant imbalance in resource availability and control.

Instant Speed: Despite being an enchantment, Stasis pairs exceptionally well with instant-speed spells and abilities. By controlling the game’s tempo, you can confidently pass the turn with mana available, ready to respond to opponents’ actions. This positions you to utilize your instant-speed interactions without the pressure of a developing board state, as your adversaries are stuck in a standstill.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Stasis commands a specific mana base, requiring blue mana which may not easily fit into every deck archetype, thus limiting its versatility across various strategies.

Discard Requirement: In order to maintain the lock on the game that Stasis provides, you might find yourself forced to discard cards to keep enough mana open, potentially draining your hand and reducing your options.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Despite its powerful effect, Stasis has a mana cost that some players consider quite high for its upkeep. This can be a significant drawback, especially when you need to maintain other spells and actions within your turn.


Reasons to Include Stasis in Your Collection

Versatility: Stasis is a card that can be used as a key piece in control decks, effectively locking down opponents and slowing down fast-paced games to your advantage.

Combo Potential: This card opens the door for various combos, especially in blue-based control decks that seek to capitalize on the absence of untap steps, creating one-sided game states.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where aggressive or creature-heavy decks prevail, including Stasis can give you the upper hand, as it disrupts opponents’ tempo and allows you to dictate the pace of the game.


How to beat

Coping with the challenges posed by Stasis, a classic and potent MTG card, requires strategic planning and prompt action. This card’s ability to lock down the battlefield by preventing untap steps can be overwhelming. To counteract Stasis, players should aim to have artifact or creature removal spells on hand. Cards such as Naturalize or Disenchant can efficiently dispose of Stasis, effectively breaking the lock.

Another practical approach is managing resources wisely—keep up land drops and conserve instant-speed removal to use at the end of your opponent’s turn. Utilizing untap capabilities that outpace the constraints of Stasis can give players an edge. Haste-enabling cards or creatures with vigilance also sustain momentum under a Stasis regime. In addition, prioritize pressuring opponents to deplete their resources, compelling them to abandon the Stasis lockdown.

Ultimately, the key to outmaneuvering a card like Stasis is to remain adaptable, leveraging removal and resource management to disrupt the intended control strategy and reestablish the game’s flow in your favor. As turn order regains its natural rhythm, you reclaim the ability to execute your strategy unimpeded.


BurnMana Recommendations

Mastering MTG strategy often comes down to understanding how to use cards like Stasis to maximum effect. Whether you’re crafting a control deck that thrives on dictating the tempo or searching for ways to disrupt aggressive opponents, Stasis can be a game-changer. It’s clear that while this card requires careful resource management, the payoff in controlling the board can be immense. Embrace the challenge by fine-tuning your deck to leverage Stasis’s strengths, considering its place in the meta, and preparing to counteract its limitations. Ready to delve deeper into the nuances of this fascinating card? Continue your journey on BurnMana and discover the full potential of Stasis in your MTG arsenal.


Cards like Stasis

Stasis is an iconic piece in MTG’s history, known for its unique ability to freeze the game’s tempo. It finds its closest relative in Frozen Aether, which shares the concept of controlling the pace by impacting how permanents untap. Though Frozen Aether is not as restrictive as it does not prevent players from untapping per se, it delays the untap phase for an opponent’s artifacts, creatures, and lands.

Looking across the spectrum, we encounter Kismet, an older card that also taps down opposing assets as they enter the battlefield, setting back opponents similarly to Stasis. Kismet, however, does not perpetually keep things in a state of suspension. Then there’s Root Maze, which has a more narrow effect, causing only lands and artifacts to enter the battlefield tapped, affecting the flow of the game but not ongoing activities.

While examining these various options, it’s evident that Stasis stands out for its comprehensive lockdown effect. It demands continuous investment with its upkeep cost but has the potential to dominate a game unlike any other. These similarities and differences underline why Stasis remains a memorable and potent card in the fabric of MTG.

Frozen Aether - MTG Card versions
Kismet - MTG Card versions
Root Maze - MTG Card versions
Frozen Aether - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Kismet - Legends (LEG)
Root Maze - Tempest (TMP)

Cards similar to Stasis by color, type and mana cost

Copy Artifact - MTG Card versions
Invisibility - MTG Card versions
Power Leak - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Terrain - MTG Card versions
Creature Bond - MTG Card versions
Lifetap - MTG Card versions
Power Artifact - MTG Card versions
Psychic Venom - MTG Card versions
Venarian Gold - MTG Card versions
Homarid Spawning Bed - MTG Card versions
Soar - MTG Card versions
Flooded Shoreline - MTG Card versions
Dance of Many - MTG Card versions
Teferi's Veil - MTG Card versions
Legacy's Allure - MTG Card versions
Chill - MTG Card versions
Buoyancy - MTG Card versions
Mana Maze - MTG Card versions
Psionic Gift - MTG Card versions
Immobilizing Ink - MTG Card versions
Copy Artifact - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Invisibility - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Power Leak - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Phantasmal Terrain - Invasion (INV)
Creature Bond - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Lifetap - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Power Artifact - Antiquities (ATQ)
Psychic Venom - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Venarian Gold - Legends (LEG)
Homarid Spawning Bed - Fallen Empires (FEM)
Soar - Mirage (MIR)
Flooded Shoreline - Visions (VIS)
Dance of Many - Masters Edition III (ME3)
Teferi's Veil - Weatherlight (WTH)
Legacy's Allure - Tempest (TMP)
Chill - Tempest (TMP)
Buoyancy - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Mana Maze - World Championship Decks 2001 (WC01)
Psionic Gift - Odyssey (ODY)
Immobilizing Ink - Odyssey (ODY)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Stasis MTG card by a specific set like Limited Edition Alpha and Limited Edition Beta, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Stasis and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Stasis Magic the Gathering card was released in 15 different sets between 1993-08-05 and 2022-11-28. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-08-05Limited Edition AlphaLEA 801993normalblackFay Jones
21993-10-04Limited Edition BetaLEB 811993normalblackFay Jones
31993-12-01Unlimited Edition2ED 811993normalwhiteFay Jones
41993-12-10Intl. Collectors' EditionCEI 811993normalblackFay Jones
51993-12-10Collectors' EditionCED 811993normalblackFay Jones
61994-04-01Revised Edition3ED 831993normalwhiteFay Jones
71994-04-01Foreign Black BorderFBB 831993normalblackFay Jones
81994-06-21Summer Magic / EdgarSUM 831993normalwhiteFay Jones
91995-04-01Fourth Edition4ED 1041993normalwhiteFay Jones
101995-04-01Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border4BB 1041993normalblackFay Jones
111997-03-24Fifth Edition5ED 1271997normalwhiteFay Jones
122002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 656482015normalblackSeb McKinnon
132011-01-10Masters Edition IVME4 641997normalblackFay Jones
142019-12-02Secret Lair DropSLD 11032015normalborderlessJérémie Solomon
152022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 802015normalblackFay Jones
162022-11-2830th Anniversary Edition30A 3771997normalblackFay Jones

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Stasis has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Stasis card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2004-10-04 Does not prevent cards from being untapped outside the untap step.
2004-10-04 Since there is no untap step, Phasing in/out won’t happen.

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