Wouldn't Snapcaster Mage be better than Shriekhorn, since your powerhouse mill cards of Glimpse the Unthinkable and Mind Funeral mill more than that, plus Snapcaster Mage serves as a useful blocker or beatstick? I know Shriekhorn is mill without a mana investment, but I feel like the ability to cast up to 8 Glimpse the Unthinkable or what have you is more likely to win you games.

I know Snappy is expensive for a non-tier deck, but to be fair mill isn't a budget strategy when Glimpse is at $30 ;)

Nice primer and explanation!

Thanks a lot for your comment.

I can use this answer to your post to clarify upon a number of points.

First, this list is not meant to be budget: instead, it is build in order to be the best Glimpse the Unthinkable-based list available in Modern.

Secondly, if you suggest to insert Snapcaster Mage because you think that it being a creature is part of the value that the card can add to the deck, I must point out that that part of value is irrelevant in this type of deck: the reason is that there's a common issue with creatures in deck-type, concerning the inability to block effectively when needed most (namely, against wide-aggro decks; or, for what it's worth, against decks that combine pressure and removals, letting them use their removal with no loss in tempo); least of all to attack. For integration, I redirect to the part of my description in which I digress about the usefulness of Jace's Phantasm and Wight of Precinct Six in this type of strategy.

Third, if you're hinting at Snapcaster Mage because the value it adds to the deck is to be able cast a good spell lategame (granted that the extra value makes worth having that good spell very overcosted (at least for this deck)), then the work is not worth the trouble: this deck almost never runs out of spells to cast, and in regard to this it gets a great help from the 4 Shelldock Isle and the 4 Visions of Beyond played. In addiction, Snapcaster Mage works bad with the only route this strategy can go down (as my detailed description attempts to show): having a great turn 3, so that that play could make the deck win in the following turn (or cast a(n other) fog effect, that is to say have another turn).

Wrapping up: this deck gains nothing in playing Snapcaster Mage, whether under the 'creature' respect, or under the 'spell' respect. The high versatility of the card means nothing when none of its uses is effective for the deck's plan.

Thanks again: comments are really appreciated.

Why Shriekhorn over Codex Shredder or Grindclock? And why Ravenous Trap instead of Tormod's Crypt which requires definitely less situational gimmics from you?

Wiktul, thanks for your comment.

Given that combo, control and midrange are easy match-ups, Shriekhorn is better than Codex Shredder because the game against fast decks never has to not last more than 4 turns (5 or more if covered by fog effects). If Shriekhorn is drawn early, it's a 'mill 6 for 1 mana' spell, which is really strong; if it is drawn late, this list doesn't care about it because it has a lot of things to play in mid- or late-game. For this reasons Shriekhorn is even better than Tome Scour in this list.

I think it is useful to remind here (as I already depicted in the deck description) that it is essential to the plan to play a mill spell turn 1 or utilize all mana on turn 2 (i.e. when playing Shelldock Isle or Hedron Crab to 'dodge' removal, that is to make value before it dies); it is essential to be in a winning position on turn 4, that is to say win that very turn, or have drawn via Visions of Beyond the turn before and/or cast fog effects.

In addition, Shriekhorn works perfectly with Set Adrift form the sideboard (turning it on early without spending a whole card), and it is useful to have mill effects that are cheap (i.e. to mill away the card targeted by Set Adrift)) and instant (i.e. to win against Academy Ruins, in conjunction with Shelldock Isle + any mill spell or Hedron Crab + a fetchland).

Grindclock is overtly too slow: Mesmeric Orb is better in any situation (remeber that against control it is very easy to win). I don't play Mesmeric Orb for the reasons explained in the deck description.

Tormod's Crypt would be a perfect Ravenous Trap number 5-8. Ravenous Trap is superior because Tormod's Crypt is a permanent (i.e. Tron would often remove it via Oblivion Stone and Karn Liberated before we mill Emrakul, the Aeons Torn) and an artifact (susceptible to every form of hate potentially before we mill the problematic cards away; about this point, see the problems with Ensnaring Bridge in the deck description). Ravenous Trap's alternative casting condition is exceedingly easy to achieve, even in the opponent's turn (it is possible to do so by via Shriekhorn, via Shelldock Isle + any mill spell, or via Hedron Crab + a fetchland, or (not reliable but possible) via Archive Trap). It is even possible that the opponent's triggers it on his or her turn simply by playing his or her game (again, you should not rely on this, but it happens often enough).

I hope I answered to all of your doubts: don't hesitate to write back if I did not do so. Thanks again.

Ok. That's essentially means that you die instantly to Grixis Control (or any other version of it, like Azorious based on Elspeth tokens), Delve (opponent on a draw with Tasigur, the Golden Fang or Gurmag Angler will simply laugh you out after your Tome Scour turn one), mono R or Boros burn and anything with Leyline of Sanctity in the sideboard.

If the reason not to play things like Mesmeric Orb or Ensnaring Bridge is that thay can be removed, it's not a reason at all. Your spells can be and will be countered and you'll finally get killed by crap like Snapcaster Mage countering another one of your mill spells. Even burn can't afford playing nothing but burn in the mainboard, nor can you. How would you like to endure Merfolk assault? O Pyromancer's, not to mention Eldrazi? Abrupt Decay is no greather threat to you than is Thoughtseize, Skullcrack, Smallpox, Silence, Eidolon of Rhetoric, Progenitus, Eidolon of the Great Revel, Platinum Angel or Mana Leak. Even with a deck capable of removing your shield like Ensnaring Bridge you're making him waste the card, mana and most of all - time, to do so. And that is not something you can get without interacting with opponent in any other form than throwing Lightning Bolt in the mill version in his face all the time. Surely, you can take the opponent by surprise game1, but after sideboard I can't see much hope for that strategy.

In this case Serum Powder is ridiculously out of place in here. I'm the only player I know so far playing this card in very, very specific deck that really, really needs to draw a single card at the opening hand. Set Adrift is not argument to run it in here. Would you like to win past turn 4 by removing Leyline of Sanctity? Let's say you can cast it turn 2, after Tome Scour at yourself. What can prevent your opponent from countering your Set Adrift or simply from putting Leyline back in the field around turn 4-6, when you STILL haven't milled him out? How is exiling your milling fuel with the Serum Powder supposed to help you with maintaining the tempo of milling, still without any kind of defensive or passive-aggressive interaction with your opponent's creatures? Ensnaring Bridge and Mesmeric Orb are doing CRUCIAL part of the job called "staying alive", much more than a single trick like Darkness.

The biggest problem I can see here so far is putting everything at the stake of perfect opening hand, perfect draw, perfect mana base, perfectly bad hand from the opponent's side and perfect value from the randomly milled cards.As far as I know, the only archetype that does not contain any kind of plan "B", in case if plan "A" called "everything worked out just perfectly" didn't happen, is Storm and this is really, really far away from Storm's consistency. In my opinion, you really need to include anything BUT the mill cards in here - either the slightest amount of control, removal, defence or alternative win con. I have seen many struggles between modern mill and merfolks, delve or even wierd decks like this one Quest to break Modern in which wining or loosing has been simply the matter of luck and randomness. And that, if I am no wrong, is not good enough ;)

I'm happy that you care to respond, making this thread hopefully useful for any reader. :)

Regarding Grixis Control, it is a very very good match-up. The only way the list I posted could lose is, as you mentioned, Tasigur, the Golden Fang or Gurmag Angler on turn 1 or 2 (and that is a certain play if they see them) covered by a lot of counterspells. My deck can win against an early Tasigur, the Golden Fang or Gurmag Angler simply by executing its plan (winning fast of fog effects); but surely if the opponent's has got enough counterspells to delay the mill plan, they surely make any fog useless; also they can counter my fog in a critical moment, but that would happen even with an Ensnaring Bridge. Post side the match-up become a tad easier, because the maindeck 4 Darkness are swapped with 4 Set Adrift: any Tasigur, the Golden Fang or Gurmag Angler is permanently removed this way. In any case, especially before sideboard, I can lose only if they see a very specific combination of cards, one type of which must be seen early and is played in a very small amount of copies. All in all, I feel (and I have been in my long and meticulous testing) favoured.

Any flavour of Azorious-based control or Elspeth tokens, as you call it, is simply to slow to make me worry. Their eventual disruption is uneffective because of the thick mill package and card draw built in my deck (Visions of Beyond and Shelldock Isle). I think I never lost against those kinds of deck.

Mesmeric Orb is a good mill card. I have had a very long experience with the card and these are my consideration: as I wrote in the description (apart the removability problem, that is not a real problem here because it is a mill spell and my list is very redundant in them) Mesmeric Orb sometimes requires a fog investiment to take the game where needed (that is 'activate' Visions of Beyond and Shelldock Isle); if this happens, it is kind of difficult (and lucky) to retrieve another fog effect for the moment of need. I prefer Breaking in its place, which mills averagely the same amount of cards of Mesmeric Orb; the only match-ups where the latter is better is against control (where it is unneeded because it is a very good match-up) and Affinity: here, surely Mesmeric Orb is broken, but not indispensable (also the exceptional performance of Mind Funeral here makes up for its absence).

The clock impressed by Snapcaster Mage is negligible, and the card is functionally nothing more that another counterspell (like Mana Leak, which is not a big threat, again beacause redundancy and card 'draw'). Eidolon of Rhetoric is not a frightening menace (can be played around). Thoughtseize is quite irrelevant because of redundancy (except when they take a fog and they are a fast aggro deck). Smallpox: again, redundancy. Silence is just a kind of Remand: not a real problem, and also fog are instant if they want to 'silence' those. Progenitus is just an Emrakul, the Aeons Torn-effect, and about that kind of problem I have written in the deck description. Young Pyromancer-base decks don't offer a fast clock against me or a proper control (but I can be wrong); Merfolks are a tad more difficult post side, when they have counterspells, before sideboard my list deck is at the best of funcionality possible (and it is not a so bad one, even if I understand that here Ensnaring Bridge would shine).

About the 'interactive spell generating time' matter, I thought I treated adeguatedly the point in the deck description (about removals on Jace's Phantasm or Wight of Precinct Six, but the argument was meant to be applyed to any 'removal situation'): where defence is relevant (that is against fast-clock decks), when the opponent cast the dreaded removal spell they most certainly have already deployed their relevant threat (Tarmogoyf, Affinity cards, Infect cards, Zoo cards..) and they most probably don't need to cast any additional spell (if not the removal): this means that they cast the removal at no tempo cost, and the opportunity cost to cast removal at that point is negligible or null.

This is the perfect place for Serum Powder: as you argued, we really need to have a single card in the opening hand (be it Set Adrift against Leyline of Sanctity or Ravenous Trap against Emrakul, the Aeons Torn); if we don't have it, we don't have time to get it otherwise or simply wait for it because we would die; the deck redundancy makes nearly any hand with a copy of the single card playable (also no need to worry because of exiling mill spells). I redirect to the comment about Serum Powder in the deck description for further thoughts.

About Set Adrift getting countered: if it's the case, they are playing control (so that I can most probably wait for another one) or Ad Nauseam (and they cannot Pact of Negation an early Set Adrift even with mana acceleration; if they Swan Song it, they had a really good draw indeed being Leyline of Sanctity in starting hand and Swan Song really specific cards played in a small amount of copies).

About this kind of mill deck needing disruption (control elements in general), I think I already analyzed every form of possibile disruption in the deck description (under "Cards and combinations I found bad" and "About the 'turn 1' slots" sections, to which I redirect) and concluded that the 'fog effect route' is the more effective.

This deck is not so inconsistent, so it doesn't require by any means a perfect hand to win: it needs 2-4 lands in the opening hand (which is affordable), and a bunch of mill spell and usually only a utility or defence card played along the course of the game. Archive Trap lets you literally race against fast decks. Visions of Beyond makes you win almost always on the following turn (and that is possible, by the way, thanks to mill spells on turn 1, which also permit the early activaction of Visions of Beyond). Again, Darkness in this strategy is a Time Walk for 1 mana, because it is very easy to win the following turn. Crypt Incursion makes almost always use the whole turn, but on the other hand it usually gains a couple (or more) of them: same as Darkness.

In addition, more or less randomness is part of the game, and everything in this game can be calculated in terms of probability (and consistency be estimated on those bases). As I wrote in the "About competitiveness" section, you are right: mill is not too much competitive. It needs at least some (more?) critical defence to work consistently (Ensnaring Bridge is not what is needed: I remand to my section about it and to what i have written here).So if everything in Magic is a gamble, playing mill now is a bad gamble. Storm is most certainly a better deck by all means. But this thread is meant to build the best Glimpse the Unthinkable-based deck possible in Modern, and NOT to declare that mill is the best strategy in Modern.

Hope I wrote enough to answer you. Thanks again. :):)

Ok, if this works good for you - it does and there's no point arguing about that. Practice is all evidence of being right that one could need. But if anything of this whole concept - which I enjoy very much, as a man who also likes to torment opponent with mill - is still a theory to be checked, I will still strongly discourage you from using Serum Powder.

Serum Powder is anything but a sideboard card. Thinking that way after 1st game you need to:

1. Hit 1 of 3 sideboard artifacts at the opening hand, only in order to...
2. Exile 7 (or less after mulligan, if point 1 is not checked) cards that you REALLY need to get during the game, in order to...
3. Get 1 of 4 other sideboard cards that you can't cast effectively unless...
4. You can mill yourself out in first turn and then cast for 1-2 mana, what is of any use only if...
5. Your opponent really have layline or other nasty crap in early-game, what means furthermore...
6. That you're loosing your tempo of first 2-3 turns by milling yourself instead of opponent, wasting time and mana to cast sorcery, that either can be countered or ignored in the course of next few turn due to...7a. Opponent casting another copy of what you've struggled so hard to remove7b. You're dead already - it's modern, turn 4-5 win is nothing uncommon, not even for decks far slower than merfolks or eldrazi
7. Even if point 7b is not happening already, it will - after all your gimmics to draw, exile and finally get Set Adrift into opening hand, decreasing it's cost, casting it and removing a threat, you still need to mill it out in the very same turn. What means that...8a. You need to waste even more time and mana to cast another spell in the same turn, so you have to prepare all the mana base and cards required for that card of somehow complex action.8b. It still can be countered or simply wasted by a single Serum Visions in respond.
8. EVEN IF all went nice and swift and nicely, Set Adrift is not a win-con, and not being one, it strictly does not deserve all the effort you're about to make to get it and to use it.

I've done literally hundreds of games with the Serum Powder in the mainboard. You either have 4 copies of it or none. Very ofthen you'll get a hand without the card you're diggin' for and 2 copies of Serum Powder. The odds of drawing another one without playset in the deck are really low. Serum is really nasty tool for yourself. It strips you of the card you need further to... well... simply play anything you've planned. It strips you from the lands you've exiled, making you sit and watch as you're gettin' mana-screwed. Even if you can hit what you need with it for the first time with decent opening hand, you still have to face a threat of drawing a dead card in most crucial moment, because Serum Powder is essentially useless outside starting the game. Last but not least - you're wasting very important sideboard slots for 3 cards that have very situational and conditional use and are only a very wierd tutor for other sideboard card. Considering all this, even Vanishment seems less conditional. I'd rather try some more balanced tactics, like combining Void Snare with Duress...

,,,BUT - as I said at the begining, if the concept we're talking about worked good for you so far and you haven't noticed (or simply have dealt with) the problems I pointed out, then simply ignore my moaning and keep doing your best :) The deck I made from the very first card to the last one by my own idea and experience requierd almost 4 years of hard playtesting and discussions before it could reach the level when it at least try to compete against tier decks. And finally it reached a point in which I know there is nothig more to achieve or improve - it is and will be a glass cannon. But nevertheless, it's till hell of a pride for me and I think your's will be as much for you ;)

Truth be told, the 3 Serum Powder are a very recent addition - probably not tested enough, because I share some of the doubts you expressed about the card (see below). They used to be 3 Nihil Spellbomb until little time ago, which I swapped because I found myself losing too often against Ad Nauseam (otherwise a good matchup) only because I mulliganed to oblivion and couldn't find 1 of 4 copy of Set Adrift. This problem bore some insight.

Those 3 remaining slots must cover the roles of graveyard hate and/or enchantment removal (not bouncers, even if mixed with discard spells: it seems to me already very difficult to find 1 answer, even to find it with mill spell that I would already play and are played in a lot of copies). I would split those 3 slot between those roles, but (as I wrote in the description) if there are many possible substitute for Ravenous Trap in Tormod's Crypt and Nihil Spellbomb, there are none for Set Adrift without splashing for just 1-2 niche sideboard cards. Also, splitting lowers the chances to see them in the opening hand, which is hardly affordable.

Now about your points:

• (1) and (2) happens mostly only when condition (3) is not satisfied, as it must be clear to you.

• (4) is a requirement very easy to accomplish, as it is to mill Leyline of Sanctity immediately.

• (5): if they don't have Leyline of Sanctity down after sideboard, I admit to be in a not so good position: probably down of a number of cards because of mulligans, and with at least dead card in hand. (Again, mill is not a very good deck.) However, it is still possible to race them; also Set Adrift can be used to remove mana acceleration or Phyrexian Unlife against Ad Nausem (if they do not accomplish to win in the same turn they cast it), or to remove auras against Hexproof, in each case gaining us at least a little amount of time.

• (6) yes the process to get rid of Leyline of Sanctity consumes tempo, and even cards at least because we probably have to mulligan to get the answer. BUT they could have mulliganed too, maybe incentivized by the very possibility of starting with a Leyline of Sanctity. If they cast another copy of it, they are lucky, but we can be lucky too to find another answer (as they can with their cards, we can dig into our deck with Visions of Beyond and Shelldock Isle because we should have milled while there were no Leyline of Sanctity). Yes we can lose before winning, even after having dealt with Leyline of Sanctity: as I said, it is not a so good position (but not so terrible nonetheless, if our answer is found before mulliganing to 4 or less).

• (7) and (8a): both mana base and cards incidentally support 'activating' Set Adrift, both decreasing its cost and milling the same turn we cast it (Shriekhorn is the best tool to get the job done). I would play those cheap mill spells (and manabase, for what it matters) regardless of the synergy with Set Adrift because of the arguments I exposed in the description. So, not only Set Adrift is the cleanest answer to Leyline of Sanctity in these colors, but incidentally it is at its best in this list! I admit this is a lucky coincidence indeed, and one I am 'happy' for (I would prefer not to rely on Set Adrift in the first place).

• (8b): about Set Adrift being countered early, I explained in the previous post that it is unrealistic. About Serum Visions ruining my plan, I don't understand: it is a sorcery spell, and obviously we have to mill Leyline of Sanctity immediately or they would draw it the following turn in their draw phase. If you mean that they can search for another Leyline of Sanctity via Serum Visions, we have draw spells too (in the worst case we can mill ourself to 'activate' our draw engine: there is little worry to run out of mill power, especially in late game).

• (8): I'm not sure this deck can afford a 'plan B' (maybe an Unburial Rites package? Surely attacking is not the way to go, as I extensively argued in the description). So, casting Set Adrift is the best shot this strategy can get.

About Serum Powder exiling lands and mill cards: redundancy won't permit that to be a problem. Fetch targets are really a lot, and so are mill spells both cheap and powerful. Even it being possible, it would be incredibly rare for things to go wrong because of this. Really, I hardly understand the problem here.

About Serum Powder being dead late game: so are some of our cards even maindeck (like Archive Trap past their turn 2). Even Burn has dead cards after around turn 2 (Wild Nacatl?). This is not a midrange or control deck: we can afford to draw a dead card, because we don't really care about card or value advantage.

About situationality: Serum Powder is 'situational' and 'conditional' in a way that is comparable to Stony Silence in any Abzan midrange deck: it is necessary to combat a certain strategy, and it is (probably?) dead late-game. Sure, unlike Abzan, we really cannot win if we don't see it (again, mill is kinda lame at least for now). And sure, we will rarely board in the Serum Powder package in a tournament, but mill has so few defence slots available in the 60 cards even after sideboard (here, 7/8 -> 11/12?) that it can afford to slot answers to infrequent strategies (also because we lose to them if we don't, but that is another matter).

(Vanishment or Void Snare + Duress are obviously not real options. :) )

Finally, I am aware of all the risks and problem I have written about above, but it is very possible I haven't noticed something big yet, as you suggest, or I am simply wrong about something. For now, I too reached that point where I believe there is nothing more to be done to make this strategy better; and yet it is not enough for it to be really competitive. Anybody can prove me wrong anytime (this is the main reason I published the deck here), and I'll still be glad (as I've done so far) to happily reply to their arguments or to recognize that their idea produces a real improvement to the deck.

Many thanks for your constructive thought-sharing, as always. I encourage you and everyone else to do the same. ;)

( P.S. I would really like to see your list, Wiktul. I'm sure I can learn a lot. :):) )

Nah, I don't really think there is so much to learn from it ;) I've already linked the deck I was talking about: Quest to break Modern. It's perfect against control, it was fairly good against old Twin, it's at the same level as Infect, almost useless against merfolks, nice against Burn, horrible against anything with Abrupt Decay, but it's still my most favourite deck, I love it much more than my tier 1 BUG Delver for legacy. Aaand it's unbeatable against straight mill like yours after sideboarding in single Progenitus, cause - unlike Emrakul or Kozilek - he can't be reached by any kind of grave hate ;) But it's clearly not an issue you should be afraid of encountering anyhow.

+1 from me, by the way, I'd love to see your comments below my series of articles that I've just started in here. The first one is here, the next will be added relatively soon, so stay tunned ;)

I'll surely have a look (and possibly comment) in a short time on both the deck and the series. :)

I must admit I didn't read well Progenitus. It is clear I can't handle it with the present list.

Anyway, I'm pondering about switching the 3 Serum Powder for 3 Noxious Revival. If I have Noxious Revival in starting hand from sideboard, the plan would be to mill myself and Noxious Revival at Set Adrift or Ravenous Trap hopefully milled meanwhile. But I'm not totally convinced about it.

Another option would be adding 3 Laboratory Maniac (as I discovered from a post in this very site about a mill deck) and milling myself for the win: but any removal would make me lose instead. Or I could add Laboratory Maniac and Unburial Rites (splashing white), in order to be sure to find it. Or I could switch plan and add a full Unburial Rites package (with Iona, Shield of Emeria and whatsoever, maybe even with Gifts Ungiven).

But Progenitus remains a problem. Leyline of the Void wouldn't solve the matter either.

I'll read soon your posts!

As for your ideas from above and my experiences from the past:

Laboratory Maniac is any good only in wierd, "all-or-nothing" combo decks, like self mill without lands with Balustrade Spy and Simian Spirit Guide. Lots of fun with friends, especially in multiplayer, but simply don't try it on tournament. You won't be able to put him in the right place and keep him alive - period. Don't bother trying it.

Noxious Revival seems much more flexible, safe, cheap, hande and controlable than Serum Powder. Besides all synergies with your own cards and different scenarios, you can ruin someone elses plan - play it in responce to Snapcaster Mage, Goryo's Vengeance etc. All in all, it will never be useless card in your deck or hand.

Progenitus - yep, it's unevitable. You can't mill it. But in other hand, opponent needs to keep his hand always at 7 + Progenitus at the draw as a last card. That means that he simply can't play anything past turn 3-4 if he want's to stay in the game. I'm perfectly fine with that in my wierd deck, but I don't believe that anyone would do the same. All so called competitive players would feel ashamed to have anything in their sideboard against mill deck (it's not competitive! How dare you even to mention that?!), especially card with so high cost in the meaning of tempo and proactiveness as Progenitus. So don't worry about it - you simply won't see it anywhere. And even if you do, don't bohter either, cause there's nothig you can do about it. If you have won the first game your opponent probably won't be able to kill you in time with his hand still at 7 and Progenitus on the last draw, so either you're gonna win or draw in the worst case scenario.

I agree on all your points.

To play around Leyline of Sanctity, Emrakul, the Aeons Torn and Progenitus I'm also trying this sideboard:

4 Jace's Phantasm3 Tasigur, the Golden Fang4 Gurmag Angler4 Sibsig Muckdraggers

Plus, Mesmeric Orb instead of Breaking / Entering mainly to 'charge' Jace's Phantasm against Leyline of Sanctity (not sure if it is reliable enough though).

After little testing, I incidentally found out (I hardly believe it, and I didn't think of it before) that Burn has a troubled time winning against this plan.

Still have to be tested more (i.e. I don't feel favourite against Auras).

Manic Scribe perhaps?

CalciferDK thanks, but I invite you to read the deck description before posting.

From reading your desc. I can give you kudos for knowing a lot about turbo-mill +1. Now onto suggestions, have you thought of Echoing Truth or Rite of Undoing instead of Set Adrift? Allow me to explain:

Echoing Truth - can return multiple leylines back to your opponents hand early game so they, on the draw, will lose before they can recast them. Furthermore, Echoing Truth can ease up the pain that zoo/ tokens/ go wide aggro decks can inflict (e.g. zoo plays 4 Wild Nacatls bouncing 1-3 can be a huge tempo swing.)

Rite of Undoing - suggesting for 2 reasons.

1.) Cheaper than Set Adrift

2.) Synergy with Shriekhorn i.e. T1 shriekhorn>mill self for 2>T2 mill self w/ shriekhorn again>cast Rite of Undoing on their leyline and Shriekhorn then recast the horn w/ fresh charge counters

Food for thought my friend, I think this build is amazing

Thanks Sinist3r.

I think 4 Set Adrift must be played before any bouncer, because I can't realistically win if i waste turn 2 casting a bouncer (after probably having already wasted turn 1, milling myself (Hedron Crab), holding spells (Tome Scour) or reducing the cost of a bouncer). Also, Archive Trap is dead against Leyline of Sanctity, so I am quite slow and surely unable to win turn 4 against it. However, I'm pondering playing at least a single Void Snare: costing 1 less mana means a relevant turn more to mill.

Rite of Undoing being cheaper is irrelevant: Hedron Crab and Tome Scour don't care about the single less mana, and a double activation from Shriekhorn is often followed by a fetch (5 cards total in graveyard). Also, being a bouncer is significantly worse than Set Adrift (this is a real removal, that comes is also against Blood Moon, Chalice of the Void and Tarmogoyf: Rite of Undoing can't fill this role).

Rite of Undoing's synergy with Shriekhorn is really too slow, and when it is relevant (almost never I think) the downside of Rite of Undoing being a bouncer backfires (they can easily recast Leyline of Sanctity).

Again, thanks for your comment and I appreciate you like this build.

This deck seems fine. It knows exactly what it's doing. I've never played with a straight mill deck like this. I'm not sure how competitive they are, but this is almost perfect for a deck like this. The problem with this deck is that it has almost no answers to anything. It seems like you just want to cross your fingers and hope you win. By the time you draw your one of enchantment removal, you've lost the game to Leyline of Sanctity. Crypt Incursion is only good against creature decks, so you might want to put it in the side board.

Thanks for the useful commenting, Stedge.

As I wrote, this strategy can only seldom win against high tiers: in addition, Burn and Infect are almost unbeatable even post-side, and even crowding the deck with lifegain or removal spells or Spellskite-like niche-but-powerful cards. Yes, very often the plays are a lot risky, the all-in kind, in which you cross your fingers and hope to win as you very fittily guessed; but it is not the case it rarely works: victories are common, excect versus aggro where crossing fingers is quite the norm (but not so a desperate or unfruitful one!!). About games against Leyline of Sanctity, I think you missed the point: you cannot afford to wait to draw an enchantment romoval, because you couldn't do anything meanwhile: you must get an enchantment removal in your starting hand; I play 5 enchantment removals: 4 Set Adrift and 1 Kiora's Dismissal, which also gives a unique (even if costly) fog-effect against Auras if not used to bounce Leyline of Sanctity; so it is not so unreliable to mullingan until I can find one; obviously, it is not a good situation, but win if possible nonetheless (surely there are better chances than against Infect or Burn). As you argue, Crypt Incursion is only there for creature decks: but they are the only ones that this deck care about. Also, in game 1 more controlling decks like Jeskai, Grixis or Jund have less answers to your plan, so in those games it can gain you some time while post sideboard they are quite uneffective. And it is useful, even when it is a bad spell to cast, to allow Mesmeric Orb to mill some more cards. However, one swap I can consider is switching 1 Crypt Incursion in the mainboard for 1 Surgical Extraction in the sideboard: it would be a concession to the ubiquity of Emrakul, the Aeons Torn but not one that leaves you in so a better shape than before anyway, so I'm not sold on it.

As always, I appreciate discussion.

If your main goal in mind is speed, I have to suggest Twin Cast. It's worth putting into a deck if just to have it target a zero cost Archive Trap. Also, I must suggest Sadistic Sacrament. It alone gives you an edge over a multitude of decks. Knocking out a set of Thalia or an entire set of tron lands in addition to some other useful stuff, for 3 mana, isn't too bad.

Sadistic Sacrament is 3 mana only virtually: it is difficult to have BBB on turn 3; comething like 4 or 5 mana is more indicative of the real cost: it is obviously prohibitive, and shifting to a more supportive mana base is not worth it given the alternatives. If in need of this effect, milling and casting Surgical Extraction is all accounted more reliable and faster. And if you waste time on "knocking out a set of Thalia, Guardian of Thraben" you'll be surely dead from all the other spells meanwhile: you cannot afford it.

Archive Trap is already bad on its own (motivations in the deck description I have still to write): adding a bad spell with strict color requirements and high cost (for this deck) just for it is even more counterprodctive than comboing with Ghost Quarter is (you can read the present desciption about this point). Finally, managing to cast even a single Archive Trap is almost often enough to win the race (or at least to compete) with the fastest decks: thankfully, no more bad cards are needed.

First of all, these are just suggestions that you may not have thought of. Secondly, your thinking is clearly closed minded, but it could also just be for a lack of experience on your part. I can tell you from experience that these cards are quite strong. A Sadistic Sacrament, followed by a Haunting Echoes can completely shut down your opponents' deck, pre-emptively removing all of their useful cards before they have the chance to use them. If five mana is too much, you now have 7 hand picked targets for Surgical Extraction. This strategy is especially effective when used in conjunction with Inquisition or Thoughtseize, which ensures that if they could have made any manner of valuable play previously, they can no longer do so. I've never heard of anybody refer to potentially game breaking cards as, "bad cards."

Unfortunately, these suggestions miss the whole point of the deck, which I summarize here:

• a linear Mill strategy is too slow compared to tier decks, so it needs defence of some sort;
• traditional defence (creatures, spot or mass removals, counterspells, discards..) is -- each kind for different reasons, and in any quantity or mix -- utterly uneffective here;
• we have a form of unventional defence in fog-effects, which Mill can win only with if it is capable of winning the very next turn;
• Mill can win the very next turn after a fog only if the rest of the deck is heavily dedicated to mill;
• the only fog-like cards available in U/B not costing more than 3 mana (higher cost is unaffordable) are Darkness and Crypt Incursion, and the latter cannot be a 4x because the second copy accomplishes nothing;
• nonetheless even adding another color just for more fogs is not worth it, because Mill cannot play too many fogs (more than 8-9, according to my own experience) without diluting the milling plan -- thus making fogs much less effective (if not completely useless);
• so other defence cards are confined to sideboard, and they have to deal with decks or single cards we lose otherwise;
• because of this, there are cards addressed to decks demanding spot removals on our side (Infect, Burn, Hatebears), which are good also against aggro decks in general;
• then there are cards meant to fight shuffle-effects without drowning in graveyard-hate effects (because we have to mullingan until we find one in first hand: we cannot afford to wait fot it; so we have less mill-power than normal) after using the first one (that is why Surgical Extraction is preferred to Ravenous Trap: thus we can 'flood' without 'drowning');
• and, finally, cards that work as enchantment removals for Leyline of Sanctity;
• given that the full playeset of Disfigure, Surgical Extraction and Set Adrift are better than any other option, there are 3 sideboard slots left that have to be filled according to the roles I depicted because they are too much important (and at least for the latter two you have to see the card in first hand, so more or less functional copies are welcome). I chose the present mix, but is quite opinable I guess.

So, there isn't room for any other kind of defence, especially costing so much mana as the ones you suggested.

Also, 'game breaking' doens't mean 'part of a good plan'. Even Fog in an aggro deck like Zoo can be game breaking: it can make the caster win the race against another aggro; but it doesn't mean it is a good plan to execute, because reaching that particular situation in quite rare and difficult to achieve, and in other situations that card is just the equivalent of an empty sleeve.

In my deck the card that most resembles Fog in this situation is not any of the fog-effects cards themselves, because the deck is designed to make those cards really strong (and even to require them); but Archive Trap. Nonetheless, I presume that searching is an action executed widespreadly enough to make them more worth than the Fog in the previous example is in its situation; also they a 'necessary evil' because the opportunity cost is quite low against fast decks (there are hardly good enough substitutes in that slot).

I've played a fine mono black mill deck built around a combo of Sacrament and Echoes, and it works beautifully. It was one of the best mill decks that I've ever played, and I've played a few. So, just because you didn't build around a card or strategy doesn't make it bad, or part of a bad plan.

With that said, whether you want to play with a suggested card or not isn't much in question. I think there's an issue with the fact that is seems as though you're out right calling these cards bad, when they absolutely are not. A lot of players, both old and new, visit these deck techs to get some fresh ideas for new cards, combos, or general strategies. If, indeed, you're outright implying that these cards are bad in general, then you're feeding these mostly new, sometimes veteran players bad information. If that's not where you're going, then I apologize.

Mono black mill is a totally different story than what are we trying to do here: the best Glimpse the Unthinkable-based deck available in Modern.

I call a plan or card 'bad' if supported by arguments; nothing I write is fancy, and if I construe hypoteses I make sure to emphasize them. As I wrote, I have yet to compose a detailed article: that is why some of my choices may seem immotivated.

That said, I'll provide 'argumented information' as soon as possible.