Last updated on 12.12.2024.
Last week I worked on some personal finances and other objectives. This week is quite important as the North American Legacy Championships are coming up at Eternal Weekend in Pittsburgh this Saturday, November 23rd. In this article, I'll outline my most recent draft of my mill deck and some tricks I might try out at Eternal Weekend.
I call this my 'Land Trap' Deck, because it runs many non-basic lands, baiting the opponent into trying to wasteland, etc. one of them.
Here are some of the cards I am considering including, accompanied with some of my thoughts. Of course, not all of them will make it into a 60 card deck, so I'll need to prioritize later. I'll rate each card with stars and explain my rating criteria for each category beforehand.
While playing Magic is fun, I'd love include a way to win the game with my deck that I proactively can work towards.
I've rated each win condition based on how efficiently they can consistently win the game. 1 star is the least efficient, 5 stars would be the most efficient.
If we start from the beginning of the game, Delver wins with 1 mana / 8 turns and The Mindskinner wins with 3 mana / 8 turns. This is good news as it means that The Mindskinner is as fast as Delver in a fishbowl. In terms of evasion, The Mindskinner is even harder to block than delver and doesn't rely on a transformation. The Mindskinner's major downsides include its more expensive casting cost and that anti-mill effects are much more powerful than the equivalent life gain effects that would thwart Delver's progress.
Each of these cards make the win conditions win faster. I'll give each one a star for each distinct situation they can be used in.
Allows one of my attacking creatures to attack 1 turn sooner. This effectively mills 13 cards, deals 8/13 damage.
Can be used with Legolas' quick reflexes to increase damage dealt to opponent's creature.
Doesn't disrupt / play defense by itself.
Not very helpful for my creatures that no longer have summoning sickness.
;Assault Strobe#★★☆☆☆:Doubles the effectiveness of my win con's attack.
Can ensure that enemy blockers die and my attacking creatures live.
Doesn't disrupt / play defense by itself. One less card to defend myself with and doesn't really have value until I threaten to win the game.
;Fraying Sanity#★☆☆☆☆:Doubles effectiveness of mill based win conditions. Good for ending a game, but works better with crabs than The Mindskinner.
Its rather mana expensive compared to casting Berserk or even Assault Strobe.
Its card disadvantage until it threatens to win the game.
;Standstill#★★☆☆☆:Backs up The Mindskinner, a crab, or an unblocked phantasm. Can force enemy to give me +2 card advantage or stall a fast opponent.
Can be used to force enemy to draw 3 cards when their deck has been milled out.
It only works if I'm ahead of enemy in a race, which is not guaranteed.
;Forced Fruition#★★☆☆☆:Stops Opponent from casting spells, else they will soon die, but if they draw the spells they need to finish the game, I'm doomed. One way or another the game is almost over.
Wins the game immediately if the enemy has a milled out deck.
Expensive to cast, but perhaps justified.
;Dawn's Truce#★★★★☆:2 mana is the most efficient casting cost for forcing enemy to draw a card, which can close out the game. Its great that this card doesn't require any targets!
Even without the gift, this card can stop a burn spell, save any of my permanents from spot removal and even save my permanents from sweepers!
;Lore Broker#★☆☆☆☆:0 cost effect that wins the game once enemy is out of cards.
Other than that, it is easy to kill, can't be used immediately, helps the enemy, and has no further uses beyond being a chump blocker.
;Cephalid Looter#★★☆☆☆:Similar to Lore Broker, but its effect can help me during the game, not just at the end.
It also chump blocks a bitter better, but is more expensive. I like the art.
;Vision Skeins#★☆☆☆☆: Similar to Dawn's Truce for closing out a game, but not as useful during the early and mid games. ;Dress Down#★★★★★:Draws a card.
Allows The Mindskinner to deal 10 unblockable damage, rather than mill 10 when when played after the declare blockers step.
Can be played on enemy end step to split mana up between turns.
Can unpower enemy creatures like Emrakul or those that trample, fly, etc.
This seems like it could be quite useful and versatile.
Can be tutored by enchantment tutors that find The Mindskinner.
Here are cards that I can use to trade resources (Hopefully for advantages!).
1 card → Tempo.
Never costs me any mana.
Can give me an early mana advantage.
Allows me to play both mana lands and disruptive lands each turn. I can wasteland my opponent like a spell without delaying my proactive game plan.
Can double the offensive effectiveness of crabs for less mana than Fraying Sanity.
;Brainstorm#★★★★★:1 mana, 1 card → +3 good cards, -2 bad cards.
Digs for a needed card.
Upgrades 2 cards in hand, which can be shuffled away using a fetch land or other shuffle effect.
Can hide cards on top of deck from discard effects.
Can be pitched to Force of Will.
Can be used as an extra spell on the stack.
;Ponder#★★★★☆:1 mana, 1 card → 0 - 3 good cards, avoid drawing 3 - 0 bad cards, when used with fetch land.
Digs thru 4 cards.
I decide whether I want to keep 1, 2, 3, or none of the cards on top of my deck.
Can be pitched to Force of Will.
;Preordain#★★★☆☆:1 mana, 1 card → 0 - 2 good cards, avoid drawing 2 - 0 bad cards
Digs 3 deep.
Effectiveness is not contingent on a fetch land. Can be used without shuffling library.
Can be pitched to Force of Will.
;Once Upon a Time#★★★☆☆0/2 mana, 1 card → 1 land or creature card.
Counts as a land in opening hand.
Digs 5 cards down for a creature and can find land as a backup plan.
Second mana can be paid using wasteland.
;Eladamri's Call#★★★★☆2 mana, 1 card → Any Creature Card.
Fantastic card advantage neutral creature tutor!!
Instant, can be played at enemy's end step to use mana efficiently.
Shuffles Library, which can help out brainstorm.
Can find Dryad Arbor.
;Enlightened Tutor#★★★★☆1 mana, 1 card → Artifact or Enchantment on top of deck.
Great versatility, but it loses me a card.
Finds The Mindskinner, Crucible of Worlds, Baleful Strix, Sterling Grove, etc.
Shuffles library, but can't be used with other tutor to top of deck cards.
Instant, can be played at enemy's end step to use mana efficiently.
(Even better in a deck based around Counterbalance! I feel like my opinion of this card has diminished slightly as I try to use it in non-counterbalance decks.)
;Worldly Tutor#★★★☆☆1 mana, 1 card → Creature card on top of deck.
It is like Eladamri's Call, but it is easier to cast and loses a card.
;Sterling Grove#★★★☆☆2 mana, 1 card → Shroud protection + 1 enchantment card on top of deck.
Protects The Mindskinner from targeted removal.
Can be used immediately, unlike Mother of Runes. It is a bit more expensive though.
When I'm ready, it can be used as half an enlightened tutor and can easily find The Mindskinner.
(It doesn't have flash, so it can't be used to surprise the opponent and gain an advantage.)
Downgrades powerful or disruptive lands or lands that are essential to enemy's game plan.
Can destroy any land. Its a strip mine if enemy can't search library.
Can be used to play 2 mana spells with a generic mana cost.
It can destroy my own land to mitigate Price of Progress, while losing 1 land, rather than 2.
;Wasteland#★★★★☆Destroys dual lands. May lead enemy to be man screwed.
Gets rid of enemy's powerful sol lands or can pressure enemy into cracking their fetch lands.
Can be used to play 2 mana spells with a generic mana cost.
It can destroy my own land to mitigate Price of Progress.
(Wasteland may be a brick if the enemy plays only basic lands, but it can still be used to play spells with a generic cost.)
;Surgical Extraction#★☆☆☆☆After a land is destroyed by Wasteland, Surgical Extraction can remove the rest of that land from the game. Imagine an Izzet Delver player with no volcanic Island's in their deck!
(I don't think this is reliable as there are ways for players to diversify their land bases, such as playing Ravnica Shock Lands.)
Disables Enemy Fetch Lands and tutor cards.
Allows Wasteland to destroy fetch lands.
Mills cards that can be used with surgical extraction or to help win the game.
Exiles enemy's graveyard, mitigating the ways milling could help enemy and reducing the risk of an anti-milling effect.
;Shadow of Doubt#★★★★★Effectively destroys an enemy's fetch land or counters one of their tutor spells.
Produces Card Advantage if used in response to a tutor spell of fetch land ability.
Upgrades Ghost Quarters into Sink Holes.
When used with wasteland, threatens enemy fetch lands or allows them to be outright destroyed.
Forces enemy to leave their fetchlands unused after turn 1 and wait around for my wasteland or ghost quarter to show up.
;Reroute#★★★★☆Counter's enemy wasteland and earns +2 card advantage
I can wasteland an enemy fetchland. Once they activated it and find a dual land, I can reroute my wasteland to destroy their dual land.
I can reroute enters the battlefield abilities, such as those that destroy one of my permanents or those that would deal damage to target creature of target player.
I can reroute an ability that targets a land or creature to Dryad Arbor, then cast Teferi's Response, netting +2 card advantage.
;Stifle#★★★☆☆Trades 1 for 1 with enemy fetchlands.
Counters an anti-milling effect, such as Emrakul, the Aeon's Torn.
Robs Show and Tell player of powerful enters the battlefield (ETB) abilities, especially Atraxa and Emrakul.
;Teferi's Response#★★★★☆Allows me to play with lots of non-basic lands with impunity, essentially baiting my opponent to try to destroy them.
Can be cast using 1 colored land plus a Ghost Quarter or Wasteland.
Outstanding disruption and card advantage when it can be cast.
Combos with redirection effects like Reroute.
;Bolt Bend#★★★☆☆(Great only when The Mindskinner or Jace's Phantasm are in play.)
Protects The Mindskinner or even a Jace's Phantasm.
Combos with Wasteland, Ghost Quarter, Teferi's Response, etc.
I can cast another blue spell and redirect and enemy counter spell into it.
;Untimely Malfunction#★★★★☆Can be used to destroy a Chalice of the Void set on 1.
Can perform all of the same interactions as Reroute with 1 less card advantage.
;Dryad Arbor#★★★★☆Can be fetched with a blue-green fetchland
Can be tutored with a creature or land tutor.
A great redirection target for use with Teferi's Response
Can chump block or produce some green mana.
Can tap immediately if used with Lightning Greaves.
;Daze#★★★★☆Strong turn 1 protection for 1 mana permanent or spell.
With wasteland / ghost quarter pressure on enemy mana, there will be many opportunities for Daze to counter enemy spells.
Returns an Island to hand, which can be traded into deck using brainstorm or replayed for a landfall trigger.
Slows Opponent Down. (Also slows me down if I have land in hand.)
;Force of Will#★★☆☆☆Can stop the enemy's turn 1 combo.
Counters most spells my enemy's might want to play at any time, whether I keep my mana open or not.
(Remember that stars here count how many uses a card has. Force of Will has only 1 use, but it is tremendously good at what it doesn't.)
;Surgical Extraction#★★★☆☆I can dismantle my enemy's game plan.
I can remove enemy dual lands of a specific color.
Anti mill cards can be removed from enemy deck.
When used with other mill cards and knowledge of my enemy's hand, it can be card advantage neutral or positive. Otherwise, it loses me a card that could otherwise interact with my enemy.
;Extirpate#★★★☆☆See Surgical Extraction.
;Legolas's Quick Reflexes#★★★★★Could combo with Memory Sluice...
Effectively counters a targeted removal spell aimed at my MindSkinner.
Can't be countered by spells!
Allows me to demolish an enemy creature while attacking with The Mindskinner.
Could allow one of my creatures to block a flying creature.
Could protect Dryad Arbor from a redirected Wasteland attack.
;Dawn's Truce#★★★★★Can outright win the game if enemy has no deck.
Counters wasteland abilities.
Counters spot removal.
Counters board sweepers.
Could be used with a discard spell to reach a card hidden on top of deck with Brainstorm.
Removes all anti-mill effects from stack.
Can be used to avoid sacrifice effects from Berserk or Dress Down.
Can be used as a special counterspell in a pinch.
;Baleful Strix#★★★★☆Pretty much guaranteed to be at least card advantage neutral.
Effective defense against Delver of Secrets, Murktide Regent, and even Emrakul, the Aeon's Torn.
Can be protected by most of the same cards that protect The Mindskinner.
Works with Legolas' Quick Reflexes to destroy an enemy creature. They won't be able to destroy the bird unless they wish to lose a 2nd creature.
Now that I've looked at quite a few cards, I want to build a deck. I'm inspired by olden day "Draw-Go" control decks that do nothing on their own turn and have all of their mana available to spend on reactive spells on their enemy's turn. If they have mana left over, then they can use it to cast proactive spells that advance their game-plan.
My idea is that my deck with have a "Draw-Go" start where it builds up resources and disrupts the enemy plan, then it can transition into beating them with The Mindskinner.
These cards make the disruption cards even better.
Its 12.12.2024 now, nearly a month later. Here is the final decklist that I created in tandom with this blog post. Unfortunately, it never saw play at NA Eternal Weekend 2024 Legacy Championship as it wasn't completed and I withdrew from the tournament, but I want to preserve its construction in this blog post for posterity.