Standstill MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityUncommon
TypeEnchantment

Key Takeaways

  1. Standstill promotes strategic play; players must skillfully navigate around its card-draw trigger to gain control.
  2. Integral in control decks, Standstill’s presence on the board shifts the dynamic of the game, forcing tough decisions.
  3. This enchantment is a staple in Legacy formats, creating tense standoffs and rewarding patient, calculated playstyles.

Text of card

When a player plays a spell, sacrifice Standstill. If you do, each of that player's opponents draws three cards.

"Take your time."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The strength of Standstill Mtg is especially evident in its ability to provide card advantage. With its effect, when a player casts a spell, that player sacrifices Standstill. If you do, each opponent draws three cards. This is effective for maintaining or even expanding card advantage in the midst of a game.

Resource Acceleration: In addition to creating an overwhelming card advantage, Standstill can effectively suppress your opponents’ card plays, offering an indirect resource acceleration. As your opponents may not wish to activate the Standstill effect and provide you with cards, they may delay their own boards’ development. This way, Standstill offers an edge in resource management and tempo.

Instant Speed: Although Standstill isn’t an instant itself, it has significant synergy with instant speed spells. Standstill typically rewards the player who can operate at instant speed, as you’re able to respond to actions taken by your opponent, particularly if those are attempting to break the Standstill, with the optimal immediate reaction.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Standstill Mtg, just like several other cards does not require a discard but it may force your opponent into making a play. This can potentially leave you at a disadvantage as it could disrupt your strategy or leave you with fewer cards.

Specific Mana Cost: Standstill Mtg has a specific mana cost. It requires two mana of any color and one blue mana to play. This may limit its execution to mainly blue or multi-color decks, possibly affecting its flexibility and use in your game plan.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: An aspect to consider when thinking about Standstill is its mana cost. Despite the enormous advantage it provides, some might consider the three mana cost a bit expensive, especially when compared to other control cards. This might lead you to delay its play or choose other alternatives in the game.


Reasons to Include Standstill in Your Collection

Versatility: Standstill exhibits a flexible nature that lets it slide into multifarious deck archetypes. Particularly those centered around strategy and disruption, leveraging its ability to stall the game and disrupt opponent’s moves.

Combo Potential: The intrinsic value of Standstill lies in its potential for dynamic combinations. It can be aptly combined with cards that instigate abilities or enhance strategies contributing to a lockdown, rewarding your patience and strategic gameplay.

Meta-Relevance: For the current meta-game encompassing ample mid-range or control strategies, the strategic advantage and disruption provided by Standstill is paramount.


How to beat

One of the most intriguing Mtg spells is known as Standstill. This card presents a unique challenge for Magic: The Gathering players, but there are numerous strategies to neutralize its effect. Stifling the card before your opponent can capitalize on it is an important tactic. By making a move early, you can impede them from profiting from the benefits Standstill brings such as drawing cards.

Being prepared with removal spells can be also advantageous, especially if you can deploy destruction or countertarget spells. Utilizing these options gives room for nullifying the Standstill effect even after it has been initiated, thereby robbing your opponent of the card advantage they were anticipating.

Another noteworthy approach is rushing your opponent while Standstill is active. By creating a threatening board state before the Standstill is played, you can make the act of breaking Standstill more detrimental to your opponent than to you, therefore transforming their strategic play into potential defeat.

In conclusion, several tactics can cripple the Standstill card in Mtg, turning this potential setback into a powerful window for strategic advantage.


Conclusion

In wrapping up our exploration of Standstill in Magic the Gathering, we recognize the depth and cunning required to effectively utilize this card. It’s a dance of patience and timing, where knowledge is power, and each play could lead to a game-changing moment. Continue to sharpen your skills and deepen your understanding of card interactions. Remember, every match is an opportunity to learn and grow as a player. We invite you to dive deeper into MTG strategies, discover advanced tactics, and enrich your gaming experience. Join our community for more insights, and let’s embark on the path to victory together.


Cards like Standstill

Standstill is a unique card in Magic: The Gathering that adds suspense to any game through the strategic play of psychology. Cards like Mana Breach share a similar demeanor, disrupting opponents and providing strategic advantages, but lacks the element of drawing extra cards that truly sets Standstill apart.

Another noteworthy comparison would be Rhystic Study. Although it offers constant card draw, it gives the opponent the option to nullify this advantage by paying an additional cost. Standstill, in contrast, gives no such option, merely posing an engaging challenge to continue the game sans any spell play. Further, Rhystic Study is focused on enchantments, rather than any spell like Standstill.

Torus Wurm, an unusually disruptive card, bears mention. Like Standstill, it applies pressure to the enemy, but in a more targeted approach, costing them life points for spells cast. However, it doesn’t provide the card advantage that Standstill ensures on its activation.

In a nutshell, Standstill holds a reputable position among disruptive MTG cards. Its previously mentioned characteristic card draw coupled with the enemy’s pressured tactic, stakes it’s place in any threat and strategy, leaning deck.

Mana Breach - MTG Card versions
Rhystic Study - MTG Card versions
Mana Breach - Exodus (EXO)
Rhystic Study - Prophecy (PCY)

Cards similar to Standstill by color, type and mana cost

Invisibility - MTG Card versions
Power Leak - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Terrain - MTG Card versions
Stasis - MTG Card versions
Creature Bond - MTG Card versions
Lifetap - MTG Card versions
Power Artifact - MTG Card versions
Venarian Gold - MTG Card versions
Psychic Venom - MTG Card versions
Soar - 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
Stupefying Touch - MTG Card versions
In Too Deep - MTG Card versions
Invisibility - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Power Leak - Summer Magic / Edgar (SUM)
Phantasmal Terrain - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Stasis - 30th Anniversary Edition (30A)
Creature Bond - Fourth Edition (4ED)
Lifetap - Intl. Collectors' Edition (CEI)
Power Artifact - Antiquities (ATQ)
Venarian Gold - Legends (LEG)
Psychic Venom - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Soar - Mirage (MIR)
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)
Stupefying Touch - Torment (TOR)
In Too Deep - New Capenna Commander (NCC)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Standstill MTG card by a specific set like Odyssey and IDW Comics Inserts, 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 Standstill and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Standstill Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2001-10-01 and 2012-01-01. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12001-10-01OdysseyODY 1021997normalblackHeather Hudson
22012-01-01IDW Comics InsertsPIDW 72003normalblackMatt Stewart

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Standstill has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Standstill 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 It only works once. If someone casts another spell after it triggers, but before that trigger resolves, then it will trigger again. The first time one of these triggers resolves, it will be sacrificed for the full effect. Any additional triggers on the stack will do nothing when they resolve because you will be unable to sacrifice it additional times.

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