Tax, Tap, Destroy, casual stax

[Casters Master]

This is my first time working on a STAX deck, the play style fortunately or not is very intuitive to me naturally. Getting back into building a few Commander deck lists has been a great way to be occupied during the COVID-19 quarantine. The commander is Grand Arbiter Augustin IV, one that I cherished way back then but never built. I built this deck list myself after researching STAX.
I tried to implement the taxing and tapping elements of STAX, with counter spells and some board wipe of creatures and land to control tempo. I have lots of card draw and mana rocks to aid in card advantage and recovery of my side of the board after a global pandemic hits (board wipes like Wrath of God). My playgroup has some serious decks, and I am building my collection again from scratch.
Please give any feedback, I'd like to get a sense for this deck lists potential weaknesses and strengths. Perhaps even this deck could be cEDH, it probably is not even close due to being my own jank build but there is the dream.

SPOILER

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Decklist

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

Commander (1)

1 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV

Artifacts (12)

1 Chalice of the Void

1 Grafdigger's Cage

1 Crucible of Worlds

1 Sol Ring

1 Thought Vessel

1 Chromatic Lanturn

1 Caged Sun

1 Thaumatic Compass

1 Commander's Sphere

1 Empowered Autogenerator

1 Spinning Wheel

1 Seer's Lantern

Creatures (17)

1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre

1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope

1 Consecrated Sphinx

1 Sanctum Prelate

1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator

1 Snapcaster Mage

1 Drannith Magistrate

1 Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker

1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling

1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth

1 Loxodon Gatekeeper

1 Medomai the Ageless

1 Silent Arbiter

1 Chancellor of the Annex

1 Spelltithe Enforcer

1 Magus of the Tabernacle

Enchantments (12)

1 In the Eye of Chaos

1 Smothering Tithe

1 As Foretold

1 Pendrell Mists

1 Words of Wind

1 Land Tax

1 Rhystic Study

1 Collective Restraint

1 Dissipation Field

Martyr's Bond

1 Mind Unbound

1 Monastery Siege

Instants (14)

1 Cyclonic Rift

1 Enlightened Tutor

1 Mystical Tutor

1 Mana Drain

1 Force of Will

1 Cryptic Command

1 Render Silent

1 Neutralize

1 Broken Concentration

1 Counterspell

1 Didn't Say Please

1 Disallow

1 Dissipate

1 Tale's End

Lands (36)

1 Tundra

1 Ancient Tomb

1 Maze of Ith

1 Flooded Strand

1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All

1 Prismatic Vista

1 City of Brass

1 Reflecting Pool

1 Sea of Clouds

1 Hallowed Fountain

1 Kor Haven

1 Tolaria West

1 Thespian's Stage

1 Halls of Mist

1 Dust Bowl

1 Evolving Wilds

6 Island

5 Plains

1 Mistveil Plains

1 Mystifying Maze

1 Reliquary Tower

1 Rishadan Port

1 Strip Mine

1 Terramorphic Expanse

1 Field of Ruin

1 Rhystic Cave

1 Wasteland

Planeswalkers (4)

1 Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage

1 Jace, Memory Adept

1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

1 Jace, Unraveler of Secrets

Sorceries (4)

1 Wrath of God

1 Day of Judgement

1 Supreme Verdict

1 Armageddon

1 Catastrophe

Approximate Total Cost:

[WizardMN]

Well, let me preface this with "I am not a Stax player" (which is why I was hoping your Commander was Medomai the Ageless in the other thread ), but my cousin had a brutal deck that was a pain to play against. He shared the list with me years ago so here is what he was running:

SPOILER

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Decklist

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

General (1)

1 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV

Lands (29)

1 Academy Ruins

1 Ancient Tomb

1 Azorius Chancery

1 Buried Ruin

1 City of Traitors

1 Command Tower

1 Crystal Vein

1 Flagstones of Trokair

1 Hallowed Fountain

7 Island

1 Lotus Vale

1 Mishra's Workshop

1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds

7 Plains

1 Scorched Ruins

1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

1 Tundra

Enchantments (10)

1 Aether Barrier

1 Aura of Silence

1 Frozen Aether

1 Invoke Prejudice

1 Land Equilibrium

1 Mana Breach

1 Overburden

1 Rising Waters

1 Sphere of Safety

1 Stasis

Artifacts (30)

1 Darksteel Citadel

1 Azorius Signet

1 Chromatic Lantern

1 Coalition Relic

1 Commander's Sphere

1 Crucible of Worlds

1 Darksteel Ingot

1 Fieldmist Borderpost

1 Gilded Lotus

1 Khalni Gem

1 Mana Crypt

1 Mana Vault

1 Mana Web

1 Marble Diamond

1 Mox Diamond

1 Mox Opal

1 Sensei's Divining Top

1 Sky Diamond

1 Sol Ring

1 Sphere of Resistance

1 Static Orb

1 Storm Cauldron

1 Talisman of Progress

1 Tangle Wire

1 Thran Dynamo

1 Trading Post

1 Voltaic Key

1 Ward of Bones

1 Winter Orb

1 Worn Powerstone

Instants (9)

1 Capsize

1 Cyclonic Rift

1 Enlightened Tutor

1 Evacuation

1 Mana Drain

1 Mystical Tutor

1 Path to Exile

1 Sunder

1 Swords to Plowshares

Creatures (7)

1 Chancellor of the Annex

1 Glen Elendra Archmage

1 Hokori, Dust Drinker

1 Lodestone Golem

1 Spelltithe Enforcer

1 Sun Titan

1 Venser, Shaper Savant

Planeswalkers (7)

1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

1 Narset Transcendent

1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage

1 Teferi, Temporal Archmage

1 Tezzeret the Seeker

1 Venser, the Sojourner

Sorceries (7)

1 Armageddon

1 Day's Undoing

1 Supreme Verdict

1 Time Reversal

1 Time Spiral

1 Timetwister

1 Windfall

Approximate Total Cost:

Since it hasn't been updated in a long time, there are probably some newer cards that are worth adding, but this might offer some other ideas of what to add. And I know that the list is very much "not budget" but I think there are a fair amount of budget cards in the list.

[Casters Master]

Well, let me preface this with "I am not a Stax player" (which is why I was hoping your Commander was Medomai the Ageless in the other thread ), but my cousin had a brutal deck that was a pain to play against. He shared the list with me years ago so here is what he was running:

SPOILER

Show

Hide

Decklist

DecklistCMCManaPricesChartsDraw 7

General (1)

1 Grand Arbiter Augustin IV

Lands (29)

1 Academy Ruins

1 Ancient Tomb

1 Azorius Chancery

1 Buried Ruin

1 City of Traitors

1 Command Tower

1 Crystal Vein

1 Flagstones of Trokair

1 Hallowed Fountain

7 Island

1 Lotus Vale

1 Mishra's Workshop

1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds

7 Plains

1 Scorched Ruins

1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

1 Tundra

Enchantments (10)

1 Aether Barrier

1 Aura of Silence

1 Frozen Aether

1 Invoke Prejudice

1 Land Equilibrium

1 Mana Breach

1 Overburden

1 Rising Waters

1 Sphere of Safety

1 Stasis

Artifacts (30)

1 Darksteel Citadel

1 Azorius Signet

1 Chromatic Lantern

1 Coalition Relic

1 Commander's Sphere

1 Crucible of Worlds

1 Darksteel Ingot

1 Fieldmist Borderpost

1 Gilded Lotus

1 Khalni Gem

1 Mana Crypt

1 Mana Vault

1 Mana Web

1 Marble Diamond

1 Mox Diamond

1 Mox Opal

1 Sensei's Divining Top

1 Sky Diamond

1 Sol Ring

1 Sphere of Resistance

1 Static Orb

1 Storm Cauldron

1 Talisman of Progress

1 Tangle Wire

1 Thran Dynamo

1 Trading Post

1 Voltaic Key

1 Ward of Bones

1 Winter Orb

1 Worn Powerstone

Instants (9)

1 Capsize

1 Cyclonic Rift

1 Enlightened Tutor

1 Evacuation

1 Mana Drain

1 Mystical Tutor

1 Path to Exile

1 Sunder

1 Swords to Plowshares

Creatures (7)

1 Chancellor of the Annex

1 Glen Elendra Archmage

1 Hokori, Dust Drinker

1 Lodestone Golem

1 Spelltithe Enforcer

1 Sun Titan

1 Venser, Shaper Savant

Planeswalkers (7)

1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

1 Narset Transcendent

1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage

1 Teferi, Temporal Archmage

1 Tezzeret the Seeker

1 Venser, the Sojourner

Sorceries (7)

1 Armageddon

1 Day's Undoing

1 Supreme Verdict

1 Time Reversal

1 Time Spiral

1 Timetwister

1 Windfall

Approximate Total Cost:

Since it hasn't been updated in a long time, there are probably some newer cards that are worth adding, but this might offer some other ideas of what to add. And I know that the list is very much "not budget" but I think there are a fair amount of budget cards in the list.

Sharing this was great! I have many of those cards in my "big list," but will be adding the few I don't have to it. I think a main difference with my deck is the part of STAX I am channeling into. My deck list is not at all budget friendly either. I like dropping the hate bears as creatures, versus the artifact versions. One reason is creatures are exciting and have multiple uses! Your cousin's list is more what I might say competitive, very very low mana curve and much faster. Someday plan is to have a collection of a lot of STAX cards to allow me to morph the deck in the STAX theme, like I said a dream of cEDH.

[BeneTleilax]

stax is not causal.

[Casters Master]

stax is not causal.

Fair opinion.

[Inkeyes22]

Not to pile on, but if we agreed on a casual game and someone pulled out Stax/MLD/cEDH deck I would either think they are new or disingenuous. If you want to play this ( Grand Arbiter Augustin IV), I would have a conversation with the people prior to so they don't think you are trying to pubstomp newbs.

A million years ago I had a Braids, Cabal Minion deck and when I would pull it out we always had a conversation. When I found out EDH had an official ban list I was very sad.

So tl:dr I am not saying you are bad or your fun is wrong, but just be aware that people might look at you sideways.

[Casters Master]

It seems like I should perhaps post this in cEDH? My apologies on not knowing what qualified. If any mods are able to take a look, and move or let me know to delete and try my luck in cEDH that would be helpful.

My play group is very willing to fight a STAX deck when I finish building one. I haven't built this yet, I am working on it. We have a couple turn 3-4 combo win decks which are allowed. At least in my play group it's fine. Of course if it's really that bad to fight, I wouldn't be bringing it to a table with people new to me.

[Mimicvat]

Decks don't just fit into casual and cEDH, there are "high power, low combo" decks in the middle that people might be ok to pilot against this. But definitely anything staxxy is in the "ask your playgroup" catergory.

If people are running T3 combo, even if it's not optimized, they pretty much forfeit the right to complain about this. With a 30,000 foot view it looks like it would not be an issue, but I would keep an eye on the win rate and on the other players enjoyment while testing it out. I wouldn't play this at a cEDH table as it doesn't look to be at that power level.