Triton Tactics does more than just give two creatures +0/+3 though. It also untaps two creatures you control, basically doubling the amount of mill with Phenax out. However you're not going to have Phenax every game. In these cases a Triton Tactics can still offer additional toughness for blocking and making your Doorkeeper a Wall of Frost until the end of the turn.

What do you think of Sylvan Caryatid ?

@ HumanOverlord -- I completely missed that sentence! That makes Triton Tactics much more appealing. Does there appear to be any cards that are significantly weaker than the rest? I'm also thinking about replacing Grisly Spectacle with Doom Blade .

Sylvan Caryatid is a little pricey for the deck, but would fit nicely in Gatecreeper Vine 's spot. I'll change it for now (well, tomorrow), but it's going back if I need more room in the budget. Thank you for the suggestions!

Breaking / Entering maybe?

@ jchudz -- I really like Breaking / Entering but it yields little utility except for outright mill. I think I need to keep the count on control cards high in this deck for it to succeed. Is there anything it should obviously replace?

I have replaced Gatecreeper Vine with Sylvan Caryatid as it has a better body and more protection. Should I need room in the budget for other cards, I'll change back to the Vine.

Doom Blade is better than Grisly Spectacle . The Spectacle costs twice as much and its second part isn't worth the double cost.

@ Matsi883 -- Agreed. I'll make the change, but keep Grisly Spectacle in mind for certain situations (and against MBD). What are your thoughts on keeping BUG as opposed to just UB?

What will this deck do in games where it doesn't draw Phenax, God of Deception ?

@ Matsi883 -- Cry. Nah, I'm thinking either beatdown with Colossus of Akros or adding in Consuming Aberration . I'm not quite sure yet. Opinions?

I've changed out Grisly Spectacle for Doom Blade . I suspect that the former will find its place in the sideboard, against decks where DB doesn't work.

You've probably considered it already, but Tome Scour for efficient milling? 5 cards for only 1 mana is a pretty solid rate. +1

@ thispersonisagenius -- It's a very efficient card, but I have the same opinion for it that I do for Breaking / Entering . I think the mill cards in this deck need to have utility to them as well to keep the defenders alive for the majority of my mill output. Thank you for the suggestion though!

The Doom Blade mainboarded at 3 may be a weakness to black decks; a mix of both Doom Blade and (in the current meta more relevant) Ultimate Price would make the deck more consistent at removal.

I like Dimir Charm , but not as a 3-off, because: it either "fateseals", wich may be the throw-away mode (like the draw on Azorius Charm , while the "destroy target with power 2 or less" clause is the main attraction of the card. Most creatures with power 2 or less include Nightveil Specter , early Pack Rat and Master of Waves , but those can also all be killed by the new Bile Blight , wich may also be relevant against token/Elspeth decks.

I would also split the playset of Psychic Strike into 2x Dissolve and 2x Psychic Strike for more consistancy.

Also, Hover Barrier is a great and well-curving defender, a must for this type of deck.

Pilfered Plans is a great draw spell for this deck (as is Read the Bones . Also, Tower Defense may be a cool addon; I played against these type of decks and the Defense really helps when you a fort ready to mill with.

Hope this helps :)

@ dimax -- Thank you for all of the suggestions! While Doom Blade is weaker against black decks, I think it's more relevant and I'll have Ultimate Price sideboarded when needed. Again, Bile Blight is another card that would be great in the sideboard, but I think having the utility from the Charm mainboarded is more beneficial.

Hover Barrier is a great card, but I'm not sure where I'd find room for it in the deck. The same goes for Pilfered Plans and Tower Defense - both very useful, but I'm not sure if I can find room for them.

I'm open to further discussion on anything I've said above.

What about this:

-1 or -3 Codex Shredder

-1 or -2 Doorkeeper

-1 Doom Blade

-1 or -2 Dimir Charm

-1 or -2 Colossus of Akros

+3 Hover Barrier

+1 Ultimate Price

+2 Tower Defense

I feel like this deck sticked with the control side of previous mill decks (mostly because of the trauma the decks had against aggressive decks), but I tink that the removal can be cut down a bit in favor to focus on the strategy itself. This deck is all about (cheap) defenders with high thoughness that can take slow down or even stop aggro. The midrange and control decks do hurt it, so dont cut the whole control part out. IF you find yourself losing to aggro, maybe consider Drown in Sorrow , wich clears the board a bit while you sit back and relax a bit with your walls. Although I think the spot removal is still relevant against midrange.

@ dimax -- Your suggestions leave this deck with a lot of 1- and 2-ofs. In my experience, that will leave the deck very inconsistent and unpredictable, something that hurts especially in a budget deck of a weaker archetype. While I agree that some of the cards you listed would be beneficial, I don't think they warrant reducing the reliability of the deck.

I do recommend picking up some Guildgates (Dimir Guildgate , Simic Guildgate , and Golgari Guildgate )instead of basic lands- you need the mana fixing in a tricolor that. Them, or Unknown Shores , Transguild Promenade , or Shimmering Grotto .

@ Dekord -- I will add the mana-fixing and Guildgates when I get a more final deck list :) They'll probably all be in the form of Guildgates.

What about Triton Tactics ? Could be Phenax's mill x2!

@CanibalKaiser -- Triton Tactics is the card I'm trying to fit in the most, but I'm not sure what it could replace. Dimir Charm maybe?

Yes, Dimir Charm could be replaced without hurt so much :D

I have replaced the three Dimir Charm s with three Triton Tactics . Let's see how it works!

If it were my deck Mill of Deceit I would abandon the green mana ramp because it's too slow to deal with aggro.

You can work wonders with Murmuring Phantasm Wall of Frost and Hover Barrier when combined with Phenax, God of Deception . you really really don't need other mill in the deck because when you play him on turn 5 you can tap your walls on your opponents upkeep to mill a consistent 15-20 cards.

You need tons of removal, I recommend Rapid Hybridization as well as Cyclonic Rift

lol you don't need Prophet of Kruphix at all. you shouldn't be tapping your creatures on your turn. Tapping a creature for its activated ability is an instant speed move. you're supposed to do it at your OPPONENTS end step. that way your upkeep happens immediatly after, which means you draw your card and all of your creatures untap again. and because blocking doesn't tap a creature you will always have your walls to defend.

Prophet of kruphix doubles the amount of mill. Mill at the end of your turn and then untap during their turn and mill them again at the end of their turn