Help with a modern mill deck
Modern Deck Help forum
Posted on Dec. 29, 2015, 10:06 p.m. by mtmlsandman
So I was thinking I wanted to build a deck with Traumatize and maybe Sphinx's Tutelage and, I'm not much of a blue player I just wanted to give this milling thing a try after playing Jace's campaign in Magic Duels. It looks some trolling fun to my best friend Mitch who's always playing with modern dragon's I wanna see the look on his face when he can't use them.
the5ervant says... #3
As you can imagine, there are a lot of options. Probably the most common is blue/black. The main thing to consider is that you want to ensure that you fill the deck enough to actually mill their entire library before they kill you. That route takes something of a commitment, because milling for 40 then having to swing for 20 damage isn't going to be easy. Here are some staples: Glimpse the Unthinkable, Mind Funeral, Hedron Crab, Jace's Erasure and Jace's Archivist, Tome Scour, Mindcrank, Keening Stone, and more. If budget isn't too much of a consideration, some of the heaviest hitters are going to be Jace, Vryn's Prodigy Flip, Jace Beleren, and Jace, Memory Adept. Jace, the Mind Sculptor's ultimate is also an instant-mill.
With these as the core, you can set up other defensive shells. There's a blue/black zombie shell (with Undead Alchemist, Diregraf Captain, and other zombies as your wall), blue/red tokens (Talrand, Sky Summoner, Young Pyromancer), or just plop down some cheap big butts and counter/bounce everything (e.g. Doorkeeper, Riddlekeeper, Murmuring Phantasm with Unsummon, Negate, Cyclonic Rift, etc. There are probably more shells you can use to defend yourself while milling, but these are all I can remember.
December 29, 2015 11:10 p.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #4
Do you want to make competitive mill or jank mill? Is this for LGS tournaments or casual play? There's a huge difference between the two.
December 29, 2015 11:30 p.m.
mtmlsandman says... #5
Now thanks for the suggestions lordAKU but how do get enough mana early in the game to summon these things faster. Also a big thank you to the5ervant for all the card suggestions they're a big help in this brewing process!
December 29, 2015 11:31 p.m.
mtmlsandman says... #6
ToolmasterOfBrainerd This is all for some fun nights at a friends house.
December 29, 2015 11:32 p.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #7
Aah ok. Because if you're trying to do well with mill at a LGS tournament, you want to play Esper Mill and you do not want to play Traumatize or Tutelage because they're too slow.
For casual play with your friend, Pentad Prism and Lotus Bloom are great ramp options, as are Dimir Signet and Talisman of Dominance.
December 29, 2015 11:42 p.m.
the5ervant says... #8
I hope you have a lot of fun frustrating your friends. Also, just to add injury to insult, Bonehoard can wreck some freakin' faces in a mill setup.
December 29, 2015 11:43 p.m.
i remember my first good deck was a 4 color defenders/mill deck using Axebane Guardian and Sylvan Caryatid for mana fixing, while running the fantastic removal and counterspells that WUBG offers. the goal was to ramp into a massive Mind Grind or with all the defenders, use Phenax, God of Deception. i also added one Colossus of Akros because the timmy in me loved him. from a competitive outlook, the best mill cards would have to be Archive Trap, Glimpse the Unthinkable, and the best, Hedron Crab
December 29, 2015 11:45 p.m.
EddCrawley says... #10
if you'd like, check out below. it is my surprising combo mill deck for modern format. But you can take out the expensive lands and such for a more budget friendly option.
Mallorean gospels
Modern
SCORE: 3 | 4 COMMENTS | 657 VIEWS
December 30, 2015 3:21 a.m.
Sphinx's Tutelage is probably a decent card to base a mill deck around. Just combine it with Painter's Servant and a shed load of draw cards, like Divination, Think Twice, Jace, Vryn's Prodigy Flip, Jace's Archivist, and protect yourself with Remand and Cryptic Command. Also Sphinx's Revelation if you want to splash white, or Notion Thief and Whispering Madness/Dark Deal
Probably too expensive cmc wise, but Consecrated Sphinx is also an option.
December 30, 2015 5:35 a.m.
Actually Imma make this deck myself... Painter's Servant + Sphinx's Tutelage is basically a modern legal version of Grindstone + Painter's Servant
December 30, 2015 5:50 a.m.
Darkened Tutelage is the result of my endeavors! :D The only thing I struggled to find room for was Gitaxian Probe
December 30, 2015 6:33 a.m.
ToolmasterOfBrainerd says... #14
That doesn't quite work because if they mill a land, the combo stops.
December 30, 2015 10:26 a.m.
If it is a casual deck then do you really care if it stays within the modern format? You can add things like Sol Ring and High Tide for ramp. Getting Jace, Memory Adept to ultimate is pretty sick with Sphinx's Tutelage out.
December 30, 2015 1:59 p.m.
shawgreen73 says... #16
I am trying a blue/black mill concept. Might spark some ideas. Welcome suggestions myself
http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/30-12-15-mill-and-kill/
lordAKU says... #2
thou mustest use the mana expensive combo of Phenax, God of Deception and consuming abberation to make an unnecessary Keening Stone
December 29, 2015 10:56 p.m.