Standstill is a very interesting card in Legacy that generally gets used for one of two purposes. Merfolk and Sliver decks used to use it in conjunction with Aether Vial, since it allowed you to get on the board early and continue developing your board without casting spells and then reload when your opponent was forced to interact. Control decks use it as a means to discourage opponents from continuing to apply pressure, giving you an opportunity to hit your land drops and pull ahead on cards. It’s been awhile since Standstill saw play at the top tables of Legacy events, but perhaps this build can change that:

Blue-White Standstill - Legacy | StefanOGS, 5-0 Legacy League

• Creatures (3)
• 3 Snapcaster Mage

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

• Instants (17)
• 2 Counterspell
• 3 Daze
• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Force of Will
• 4 Swords to Plowshares

• Sorceries (8)
• 4 Ponder
• 4 Terminus

• Enchantments (8)
• 4 Myth Realized
• 4 Standstill

• Lands (22)
• 2 Plains
• 5 Island
• 1 Arid Mesa
• 3 Mishra's Factory
• 3 Tundra
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 4 Polluted Delta

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Blessed Alliance
• 2 Containment Priest
• 1 Council's Judgment
• 2 Disenchant
• 1 Ethersworn Canonist
• 3 Flusterstorm
• 1 Humility
• 1 Null Rod
• 1 Snapcaster Mage
• 2 Surgical Extraction

Buy This Deck

This deck maximizes on cheap interaction in the form of Force of Will, Counterspell, and Daze as ways to punish opponents who are forced to break your Standstill by finding a counterspell or removal spell. You can even find Snapcaster Mage as a way to rebuy your cheap interaction and apply further pressure all at once.

The end game of this deck involves resolving a Jace, the Mind Sculptor and backing it up with Standstill. One of the biggest strengths of Standstill is that it helps to solidify your board presence with Planeswalkers and ensures that you’ll have the ability to protect them if your opponent has the means to interact with them effectively.

If you’re looking for a new way to play control now that Sensei's Divining Top has been banned, maybe Standstill is the new engine that you’ve been looking for.