First, an anecdotal story that explains the origin of my modern Guild themes. In 2006, I had given up on Magic. The sets at the time didn't interest me; they didn't ignite my imaginative spark. Then, Dissension and GuildPact came out. I found what I had been looking for in Magic. The idea of several guilds fighting each other appealed to me. So, when I heard that Ravnica was being revisited, I couldn't wait to see what would come out! I was not disappointed in the slightest. :D
With that out of the way, let's talk Dimir. Black and Blue are a lethal combination of colors. With Black's ability to remove threats and Blue's trickier style of play, Dimir is a formidable Guild acting in secrecy. Like true assasins, this deck secretly does it's damage to the opponent over time in the form of milling. By undermining the greater body of the opponent's deck, you limit the opponent's options before they even know that they are in trouble. Let's break it down, card by card.
Death's Approach A really handy one drop. If you've been doing any form of milling or destroying, the death toll will add up quickly.
Far/Away A nice Fusion card. Play on turn two for disruption, turn three for removal, or turn five for the combination of both.
Hidden Strings Very utilitarian. Tap or untap a permanent, then tap or untap another permanent. Give something pseudo-vigilace, tap a pesky blocker, or combo with Chronic Flooding for that extra bit of mill. The Cipher effect comes in handy to untap your own lands or untap your own attackers.
Paranoid Delusions Mill for 3 and Cipher. Pretty simple. Works as a nice substitute until you get Chronic Flooding into play. Wight of Precinct Six Whether it is turn two or turn ten, a Wight in play benefits greatly from all the milling you do, early or late game.
Dimir Infiltrator Great 2 Drop 1/3 with unblockable. If you get it mid or late game, it can Transmute into something else, like Hidden Strings or a Wight of Precinct 6. Had to run 4 of these very versatile Spirits.
Chronic Flooding The bane of Turn Two. Whether your opponent uses the enchanted land or not, you've effectively forced your opponent into a tough decision; either play what I want and mill three cards, or set this land aside and hold. Either way, Dimir is benefiting.
Mind Grind Early game, there are other cards that are better to use. Late game, when you can dump alot of land into the cost, it sets up to be a game ender.
Psychic Drain You won't have many creatures that want to take the punishment from your opponent, so having a way to gain X life while permitting the style of play is a nice bonus.
Slate Street Ruffian Whether it is blocked or is dealing damage, the Ruffian plays a nice mind game with your opponent. Willing to block it? There's nothing in hand they care about. Does not block? Watch that hand. There's something wicked coming.
Dimir Cutpurse A very nice target for Cipher. Also draws some board presence while Ciphered... and looks nice with the Infiltrators.
Dimir Doppelganger Although it hurts the power of your own Wight, often having the Doppelganger as a copy of another creature will work towards your benefit. In some decks, having graveyard removal could also be the difference between having an Abhorrent Overlord summoned by the Whip of Erebos or well... not.
Bane Alley Broker Great untap target for Hidden Strings. Her pool of exiled cards begins to act like a second hand under the right conditions. Draw advantage is also nice.
Psychic Strike Deal with a threat and play towards the style of the deck.
Perplex More often than not, most people will discard their hand. Big grins akimbo.
Induce Paranoia I didn't want there to be too many counter spells in this deck, but they are also nice to have. Think of it as a more powerful Psychic Strike for one more colorless mana.
Whispering Madness Even though your opponent will be drawing cards, which is often a no-no, this card can also combo well with Notion Thief.
Notion Thief Play Whispering Madness, interrupt with the Notion Thief. Gain all those extra cards drawn. Swing with your Ciphered creature, do it again. That will hurt the library immensely.
Dimir House Guard Whether you decideto play it as a creature against nonblack field, or use the Transmute, the House Guard does a great job in place of Diabolic Tutor.
Circu, Dimir Lobotomist Thought it was a House Guard? No. It's Circu, Dimir Lobotomist. One of my favorite cards in the deck. Play a spell and lock your opponent out of some of the finer choices they have left to play.
Consuming Aberration Frightening creature that gets more powerful the longer you play the deck. Also draws field presence so watch out for cards like Grizzly Spectacle or enchantment cards like Pacifism.
Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker Maze Champion. Acting like a Mind Grind for 4, whenever Mirko Vosk deals damage to the opponent, they will certainly be feeling it.
Szadek, Lord of Secrets The Dimir Legend, Szadek. As long as he can strike at the opponent, he'll only get stronger and stronger. Even creatures have a hard time dealing with him once he has hit the opponent atleast one time.
AEtherling The AEtherling is kind of an Ace in the deck. With so many activated abilities that can pump it's stats, grant it evasion, or even remove it from the game, your opponent will have a hard time trying to eliminate it. It also works great as a blocker that can remove itself from combat. Just keep that mana open.
