Good ideas, however, i think you need at least 1 or 2 different mill bombs if you want to call this a mill deck. Even a 1-of Mind Grind or Increasing Confusion will make your list go a long way.

You think so? I might replace one of the Consuming Aberrations with Mind Grind, because I think that is the most realistically usable standard mill bomb currently. Thanks for the suggestion!

Also, if anybody could take a look at my Surgeramp Cratermaster (FNM Top Placer) I would really appreciate it, because that's been the deck I've been using at FNM's.

The thing about Mind Grind is that it can be wonderful, or terrible (god i love mill :D)

You could mill 4 land for paying 4 for x right off the top...

Or you could mill 15 cards for paying 4 for x.

So, taking out 1 Consuming Aberration for 1 Mind Grind is good, however, i think you should also take out 1 Shimian Specter for 1 Increasing Confusion. Increasing Confusion is worth it... The first initial cast of it is usually meh, maybe do it for 4 then leave it in your graveyard until you can cast it for the win, or at least, close to it.

If the game lasts late, and you're controlling the field, those two cards alone can secure a victory. Only run 1 of each however, you don't want to get Slaughter Games'd and lose your win condition... which is why running a 4-of some cards is dangerous these days. If they waste a Slaughter Games, or a Nevermore, to get rid of your only Mind Grind or only Increasing Confusion, thats a good win in my book.

That's actually a really good idea! Thanks! Now I have to go aquire those, but when i do ill post win results from my local FNM. Thank you!

As you are only running a single zombie I would say consider swapping the Undead Alchemist out with some other cards. Dimir Charm is one to look at. Adding a second Mind Grind might help too, Mind Sculpt is another good mill card. Could also look for Dreadwaters as a later game mill card. But either way I would really consider cutting those alchemists

You don't really need zombies to make him good. Look at Undead Alchemist as an entirely alternate win condition. If at any point (when he is on the field) you mill their creatures... you get your own!

You can use them, then, to attack to mill more, or, to chump block opponent's creatures while you continue to mill them. And if for some reason your Undead Alchemist dies, you can use your zombies for aggression.

He puts another benefit into your deck for using mill :)

That's what I was thinking, since he also can generate some chump blockers, but after playing it, he's really not that great against control decks. Do you think I should sideboard him, or leave him mainboard and sideboard him out against control? And if so, what card(s) should I sideboard in? Thanks guys!

Here's my opinion on how to make your deck tighter.

I would put very low value on cards that mill your opponent without helping your control the game. Right now, your deck looks more like an aggro mill deck than a control deck.

Psychic Spiral is fine in your sideboard in-case you encounter other mill decks, but otherwise it's not that important.

running Increasing Confusion, Sands of Delirium and Mind Grind in your deck is like running Fireball in a control deck that wins with damage, except you can't target creatures with them instead. you run cards like that if you need to shorten the game, but you should be more concerned with lengthening the game.

Undead Alchemist is also a game shortener, and not a game lengthen-er. I wouldn't run it.

Whispering Madness is actually an extremely effective mill card if you can hit with it, and it will also re-fill your hand with answers. I'd consider running 2 or 3 of them.

If you are wanting to play cipher cards, I'd run Invisible Stalker to power them through.

As your deck currently is, the aggro decks will eat you up. To combat this, you'll probably want to run a full play-set of [c]mutilate[/c] and the [c]watery grave[/c] to fuel it with.

Sam_I_am is right in the fact that you'll need to control the field before milling in this kind of deck. Race Mill decks do not usually work. Because while you're tapping mana to mill them early, they are building up their army, and are eating away at you.

Cards that mill them away slowly, passively, while you demolish their attempts to hurt you are the best kinds of cards. Along these lines, i would almost suggest Curse of the Bloody Tome. You play it, it sits there and mills them out. No more maintenance. You can focus your attention on their army / plan or whatever it is you are going to counter.

Maybe you should get rid of Undead Alchemist, or maybe keep him in the sideboard to bring in against people. They wont expect it, and might side out some of their cheap kill spells (Pillar of Flame, Searing Spear, Ultimate Price) because the creature they will be afraid of is Consuming Aberration.

So i would take the Undead Alchemist out, and throw in 3 Dissipate or Syncopate in place of him, to prevent your enemy from casting their shit.

I am still going to disagree with Sam_I_am on one point however. This deck DOES need a finisher or two. Increasing Confusion and Mind Grind, when cast late game when the enemy has run out of steam, are very very potent. Increasing Confusion can be cast twice for 1 card, and Mind Grind, when cast for 7 for X could potentially mill 20 cards. assuming a land every 2 or 3ish cards. Maybe more.

Sands of Delirium is also a really good mill card. Because it can sit on the field, doing nothing, until you have absolutely nothing to do, then tap out your remaining mana to mill them that much. When i was playing Where are we? Dunno... Gideon looks pissed., Sands of Delirium was an all-star. I would only use it when i had nothing else to do... and eventually, it became, "Oh, i tap all out now, and next turn i can mill you completely.

I would still keep at least one of each, as you have it.

Thanks for the suggestions! I actually have found Sands of Delirium to be really effective late-game, and I was definitely considering adding more Whispering Madness. I'm also considering puting in a playset of Judge's Familiar for more counter and chumps. Also, I know Undead Alchemist gets a lot of hate, but he is super effective against aggro decks.

And curse of bloody tomb is great later-game, but this deck is lacking the control power to really make effective use of it, and I feel that there are better cards.

And Mind Grind almost always finishes when it's played. By the time I cast it, usually once they tap out for a big creature or for Sphinx's Revelation, I play it for crazy amounts and win.

Right, Mind Grind is an excellent finisher. Do not get rid of it.

Roger.

Frank.

If you want some context, There actually is a high-tier competive mill deck, in standard who's only actual source of mill is Thoughtscour and Nephalia Drownyard(the actual most useful mill card in your deck atm), with Psychic Spiral in the sideboard for the mirror and land destruction.

Here are the decks from a recent pro-tour

I think you'll find that one of them is a mill deck, and it does not run mind grind

It's not actually a mill deck, it's a control deck with a mill wincon. It doesn't set about from the start to win by milling, it stabilises and then wins through the mill.

Whispering Madness is an awful card for control decks. You want to hang onto your cards to play in their turn - not have to discard and redraw.

Ok so this I what I have:

Whispering Madness is an aweful card! Whispering Madness is a great card! Mind Grind sucks. Mind Grind rocks! This is what I say. Mind Grind is a good one of finisher, but I wouldn't add any more than one. I'm also keeping one Whispering Madness because it is actually great in control- you get to mill like a madman, and then refill your hand as well. I'm moving the Psychic Spirals to sideboard though, so what should they be replaced with?

But then if you're constantly discarding a hand full of instants in your turn then you're getting rid of your own counter spells for a lucky dip.

I disagree with various points both Vos_Is_Boss AND Sam_I_am have said.\

First - Whispering madness is a great mill card and is good in decks where you control the board. In decks where you want to be playing instants, it's horrendous because it triggers in your combat phase (usually) so you have to discard your hand in your own phase for a random pick of instants when you could have had a great hand already. Most of the time you're going to have a Psychic Strike or some other card you really want to use so attacking with a creature with Whispering Madness on it is counterproductive. The only reason to use it would be when you have no hand and the opponent has a large hand - that's not going to be often.

Second - You don't need a finisher. If you control the board completely and utterly then Nephalia Drownyard is enough to win. Now maybe this deck isn't tight enough on the control BUT if you have a deck where you find you can absolutely always clear the board or counter everything they throw at you then you do not need a certain wincon. Nephalia Drownyard is fine.

It's worth remembering that roughly 1 in 3 cards is a land card. So to mill 10 with Mind Grind you're going to have to make X = 4 to be on the safe side. You're then paying 6 mana to mill through about 10 cards. Compare that to Mind Sculpt.

I usually do not play whispering madness unless I get a hand full of instants I can all cast before it resloves, and any suggestions on how to be more controlling are absolutely welcome!

You have zero board clear. Mutilate or Cyclonic Rift are your options at the moment. Mutilate may not work because your low on swamps. Cyclonic Rift costs a ton of mana. Not sure which is better.