Stasis + Smothering Tithe

2-card combo · WU

Verdict

Yes — this 2-card lock uses Smothering Tithe's Treasure tokens to pay Stasis's upkeep cost indefinitely while opponents never untap again.

Cards required

Cheapest stack total

$69.54

Color identity

Popularity

7,321 decks

Format

Commander

Buy required cards on TCGplayer

Stasis locks the board by preventing untap steps for everyone, but demands one blue mana each upkeep to stay in play — Smothering Tithe solves that by generating Treasure tokens every time opponents draw. Once opponents are too tapped out to pay the two-mana Tithe tax, the tokens flow freely, and Stasis is self-sustaining. This is the defining lock shell for Azorius stax commanders like Teferi, Hero of Dominaria or Hanna, Ship's Navigator.

How it works

Prerequisites

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Steps

Each time an opponent draws a card, Smothering Tithe triggers.
Opponents will eventually be unable to pay for Smothering Tithe due to Statis causing them to skip their untap steps, causing you to create a Treasure artifact token.
At the beginning of your upkeep, Stasis triggers.
Holding priority, activate a Treasure token by tapping and sacrificing it, adding .
Resolve the Stasis ability, paying .
Repeat.

Result

Players skip their untap steps; Lock

Cheaper, tighter, alternate lines

Freylise's Winds can substitute if Stasis is unavailable, though it costs five mana to deploy and lacks the instant lock pressure. The combo locks the table but doesn't win — add Teferi's Puzzle Box to force constant draws and accelerate the Tithe trigger count, or close with Shark Typhoon cycling repeatedly while opponents sit paralyzed.