Stax is a deck archetype in Magic: The Gathering that focuses on slowing down the game and denying opponents the ability to play their decks, while buying time to eventually "break parity" or dig to your own win condition. The term "Stax" comes from the card Smokestack, which is an artifact that forces players to sacrifice permanents on their upkeep. Stax decks use cards and effects that slow down the opponents play by making things more expensive to cast, slowing down their mana abilities, or causing them to sacrifice permanents each turn. The archetype is often referred to as a "prison deck" because of its ability to restrict the opponents resources. Stax decks tend to have a high permanent count and use sac effects to remove permanents, use Winter/Static Orb to tap down lands, use Necrogen Mists to remove hands, use Lodestone Golem to increase costs, and other similar effects. Stax is a controversial archetype, with some players finding it fun to play and others finding it frustrating to play against.