Maybe cut a little more on control and start digging with cards like Read the Bones (digs 4), Pilfered Plans (digs 2 and mills 2), etc.

And again, I think Dimir Charm doesnt have a dependable use, I still prefer Bile Blight . That fateseal+mill 2 is a solid card disadvantage, which you dont want unless there is no other use.

Either way, keep it up! It's turning out nicely :)

@dimax Dimir Charm is good. i use it to fix my next card as well if there is nothing on the field or in a control matchup

@ Drkblade -- Basically that's it. The list may benefit from Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver or Jace, Memory Adept too.

@ Legionnaire -- I have had this opinion since I started playing mill with the original PoM deck - I don't like Wight of Precinct Six nor Nighthowler because of their lack of evasion and limited use against control builds.

@ Kryptonick --- I definitely think that a BUG mill deck with Phenax can work, but one of the main issues I had was a budget preventing me from using shocklands and the scrylands. Let me know if you start something!

@ dimax -- I definitely want to find a draw card for the build, which might ultimately replace Dimir Charm I agree that its use is limited, and probably needs replacing. Out of the UB draw cards in standard, which do you think would be the best?

@ kiranearitachi -- I agree that it has a use, but it may not be a optimal card for the deck. I'd much rather have a hard countersspell or a hard kill spell than one that kind of does both.

Thank you everyone for the comments! I'm more than happy to discuss anything further.

I'd run a split of Read the Bones and Pilfered Plans for straight-up card draw. Read is great for digging deep, but does hit your life total (though without shocklands or Thoughtseize you could probably afford it: my build uses shocklands, so the excess life loss can add up). Plans is basically Divination with Mill 2, so it's pretty much upside.

Dimir also has it's own kind of Underworld Connections in Bane Alley Broker , though she's widely untested. I kinda like her, though.

UB is one of my favorite color combos, and cracking it is always a challenge. Best of luck!

@ Legionnaire -- I think it would be much more consistent with Read the Bones and Pilfered Plans , I actually really like Bane Alley Broker ... She has a decent toughness to mill with, and can save a card I'm trying to hold onto should I have Thoughtseize cast on me. I'll have to get some other opinions on her, but I like her.

Sphinx's Disciple at first glance looks lame, but he is a mill 2 and draw 1 if you have phenax out. Similiar situation with Siren of the Silent Song , a mill two and discard for opponents. Aso dont forget about doubling your mill/block potential with some Triton Tactics

oh, didnt see you had Triton Tactics already

@ Orvos101 -- I got a little excited when I saw Sphinx's Disciple ... then I saw it's converted mana cost is five. Siren of the Silent Song also only mills one (toughness of one). Both have their pros and cons, but I don't think either adds enough benefit to warrant removing something else.

How about breaking / entering from dragon's maze?

I would not recommend Bane Alley Broker as a reliable means to draw. Just as with Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver and Nightveil Specter , you may only interact with cards exiled with that specific copy of the creature: she dies, them cards is gone! She's got no offense so as a blocker she's kind of moot, she can mill 3, yes, but then you can't activate her draw mechanics. I think if you are looking for draw I'm going to echo what has been said: Read the Bones is awesome because it digs 4 which can be a real life-saver. Pilfered Plans would be a close second as it's a strictly better Divination .

Siren of the Silent Song mills 2 actually. Tap him with phenax to have target opponent mill one then when he untaps he mills ALL opponents for one and makes ALL opponents discard one.

He also combos well with Triton Tactics cause first off he only costs 3 to get out. So when you tap him with phenax he makes target opponent mill one, untap him with Triton Tactics each opponent mills 1 and discards one, then tap him again to mill target opponent again, then you can either repeat with more Triton Tactics or just wait for him to untap at your upkeep. Either way it mills 1 opponent 4 times and makes all opponents discard 2 and any other non-targeted opponent just milled 2 times. A grand total of 4 mill and two discard all for one blue mana, supposing you already had Siren of the Silent Song out.

Granted if you don't play multiplayer very often or at all the grand notions mentioned above don't seem so awesome... But in my opinion he works well in any mill deck that revolves around Phenax just because you are forcing your opponent to play off the top of his deck which in some ways is just as good milling them to death.

@ biggod71 -- It lacks utility in this deck; the main milling output comes from defenders.

@ alulien -- That is very true, I don't want to try to protect a Phenax and then end up losing the Broker and Phenax. I think Read the Bones is my best bet - I'm not losing any life from shocks or anything, so it'll probably fit best.

@ Orvos101 -- Valid point. I'll have to try it out and see how it works. What should it replace? I think I'm dropping the Charm for Read the Bones .

I'm going to have to disagree with Siren of the Silent Song . This is just my take on the deck, but it seems that creatures help stall, while spells smooth out kinks (permission a la Psychic Strike and removal a la Doom Blade and Far / Away ): the whole goal of the deck is to establish a board presence while removing threats that can't be dealt with/are difficult to handle. Phenax comes down, theoretically, on turn 5 and all of a sudden you're milling ~9 cards per turn at opponents end step (best case you have 1x Omenspeaker and 2x Wall of Frost when Phenax comes down so he gets turned on making for 17 milled on first end step after he hits with a big 24 happening on your next upkeep: a blowout). How does Siren of the Silent Song help establish such a board presence? Sure, the discard is nice, but consider: Siren comes down on t3 and has no effect on the board (aside from a chump blocker), swings on t4 (assuming no removal/blockers/need to hold a chump), and THEN on t5 the inspired finally hits. For me, that's far too long to notice the effect of a 3 cmc 2/1.

@ alulien -- The timing it would hit the board bothers me as well - the deck's curve is already upward-sloping and will have an even steeper slope when I add Read the Bones or Pilfered Plans .

Here's a thought (at least for sideboard against control): how about running Duress . Your one-drop slot is practically empty, where your turn-1 play is either a Dimir Guildgate or Codex Shredder (which I'm still iffy on). Duress would help you pick threatening non-creatures (like Detention Sphere or any kill spells) before your opponent even has the mana to cast them, and gives you more options on turn 1 and something for turn 4 after you play a 3-drop creature or draw spell.

I agree, Duress would be an excellent include for the side as Psychic Strike is your only answer to enchantments or Planeswalkers.

ducttapedeckbox - I feel that the 3 drop slot is the MOST important for Dimir: Psychic Strike , Dissolve , Hero's Downfall , Pilfered Plans , Read the Bones , Divination , Drown in Sorrow , and Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver . Not to mention the fact that the 2 best UB walls are 3 drops... That slot is so tight that any includes NEED to impact the deck heavily.

Unless you plan to stay on budget, the best drawing card for UB is obviously Jace, Architect of Thought . But that guy is so expensive it will probably mill away our wallets >.>

Read the Bones would be your best choice for draw, -although- it is not good if you are trying to stabilize if you are at low life. Hence I used a split of 2x Read and 2x Pilfered Plans in my UB Control deck.

If you are in for late-game, big-draw, go for an Opportunity or 2.

Another good drawing card I still use and really like myself is Underworld Connections . Each turn an extra card is welcome in every slow-ish deck (both control, midrange and this type).

Also please consider changing Psychic Strike into Dissolve . Its much better if you dig than milling 2 cards.

@ Legionnaire -- I like the idea of Duress . It will definitely find a slot in the SB, and maybe even in the MB.

@ alulien -- I completely agree. The 3-drop slot is an imperative, but right now I think that the 3-drops in this deck are pretty solid. I'm not sure where I'll find room for the draw power.

@ dimax -- I'm looking at adding Read the Bones and Pilfered Plans (2-3 of each), but am having trouble finding room for them. I would like to take out Dimir Charm for them, but don't think that would impact the curve in a positive way. I probably will also change the counterspells.

What do you guys think about AEtherling versus Consuming Aberration ?

Minor change: I've swapped out a Swamp for Rogue's Passage .

AEtherling is a better card, hands down. Sure, Consuming Aberration can have some great interactions in this deck, but they're situational and easily disrupted. AEtherling costs more to cast, yes, but it's great control finisher because it has a built in flicker which allows it to swing in unblockable for at least 4 each turn, flicker, and then block with fluid P/T. In a control build with tons of counters and destroy it works really well. The other thing is that he can mill for 9/turn (assuming 4U dedicated mana) which could often be a better route than attacking given the current build.

I say run him at a 2 of over the Aberration. I ran a control build with 24 land and 2 AEtherling and rarely ran into issues casting him.

Another thing I would think about removing is Triton Tactics . Yes, it has beautiful synergy with Phenax and can be used to keep your opponent's creatures tapped down, but I don't think it's that relevant. From my dealing with decks similar to this, you rarely have to deal with a creature bigger than your wall: your opponent just kills the wall with spells or abilities, or attacks with evasive creatures (flying, intimidate, unblockable) or with enough creatures so that you can't block them all. With that in mind, Triton Tactics just becomes extra mill once Phenax hits the table. Honestly, it now seems even more situational than Consuming Aberration .

@ alulien -- I'll make the change and try him out. He also allows for a T5 Phenax and a T6 AEtherling .

@ Legionnaire -- I agree, but I would then be lacking anything in the one-drop slot. Maybe Duress to replace it?

I've changed out Consuming Aberration for AEtherling (these posts are mostly here for my own record keeping of the deck's progress).

While AEtherling IS in fact a better card, it ISNT for this deck. Lemme explain.

First of all, this deck needed to focus on its strategy more than control. Therefor, the deck lacks control aspects for AEtherling .

Second, and most importantly, this decks needs to win by mill. Adding a creature that wins the game by life totals hurts both the curve and the strategy. Of course, its cool as an alternate wincon, but I'd rather have a 20/20 consuming abberation that will probably die fast (however, its immune to Doom Blade and Ultimate Price , and burn and Bile Blight ), BUT will mill the opponent for 20 cards. Thats about half the deck when it drops. If you can let it stay alive, you win faster than you can drop AEtherling .