I've never touched blue in EDH before, let alone build UB. But when Lazav was spoiled, I figured it was probably time to learn one of the more powerful color combinations in EDH.
What makes Lazav so special?
I like Voltron personally, my first deck was Molimo, Maro sorcerer and my second deck was Gisela, blade of goldnight. Both builds had a voltron emphasis. So it would seem strange for a guy like me to play Lazav, I thought that too, but with another five or so minutes looking at the card, I knew that Lazav can win like a voltron commander without the equipments or enchantments. Lets look at Lazav; for starters he is a 3/3 for UUBB. Not to shabby, 4 mana isn't a heavy investment for a commander and certainly wouldn't end you if it went back to the command zone. Now lets tack on Hexproof (THE MOST ANNOYING KEYWORD OF ALL TIME), and now we have a solid commander. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE, Lazav's last effect is the most crucial part of this deck and one which sends him over the top. It reads
"Whenever a creature card is put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, you may have Lazav, Dimir Mastermind become a copy of that card except it's name is still Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, it's legendary in addition to it's other types, and it gains hexproof and this ability."
Lets break it down a bit to fully soak in the epicness of this commander. "Whenever a creature is put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere". Anywhere is the eye opener in this first line. This allows the deck to play all of its strengths: Removal, discard, mill, counterspell. Each of those can send creatures to the graveyard and in return, by having Lazav out, you can have him become any of those creatures. The next line of Lazav's effect reads "except it's name is still Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, it's legendary in addition to it's other types, and it gains hexproof and this ability". Lots of stuff to take in but its not too bad. You start out with keeping the name so that you don't actually become the creature and potentially letting the legend rule kill off Lazav, a pretty nice touch to the cloning process. The second part reads, it gains hexproof and this ability. Good game, it maintains the annoying hexproof keyword and the ability to continue becoming different creatures to suit your needs.
Multiplayer?
This is a personal preference, my playgroups likes multiplayer so my decks are tuned with that in mind. Its not surprising that this deck excels in single player though because as it turns out, having one person to control instead of three is easier. (Who knew?). However, single player can also be the greatest weakness for Lazav as the general. Some decks do not require fatties to win and because of that, Lazav becomes relatively useless aside from providing a hexproof body. I'd switch in Wrexial the risen deep for those game. I believe that multiplayer is where Lazav will thrive. More players means the greater chance of another player playing fatty.dec like Mayael the anima or Azusa, lost but seeking. The more creature selection spells a good day for Lazav
Mill?
Reading some of the criticisms of the deck, I've found a perceived constant problem in this deck: Mill. Many of you are wondering why this deck features mill when mill not viable in EDH let alone multiplayer EDH. I'm going to try to explain why mill works in this deck, just not in the way think it does.
I'l admit it, mill certainly isn't the most efficient way to win in EDH. Chances are you, you'll end up either milling the guy who likes having stuff in the GY or you end up pissing off the table and painting a red target on this deck. Either way, you're screwed. However, Lazav certainly puts a different spin on milling.
For instance, take Glimpse the Unthinkable. It reads UB, Target player puts the top ten cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
It looks rather underwhelming in EDH doesn't it? After all, this is EDH where decks are 100 cards and GYs are packed with targets to reanimate. However, with Lazav out, Glimpse the Unthinkable actually reads
UB, Look at the top ten cards of target player's library. You may choose a creature card and have Lazav become that card, put all cards revealed this way into that player's graveyard. For 2 mana, that is a deal I can live with.
To sum it up, yes, mill by itself is still not a viable win condition in EDH. Mill, however, is a powerful way to help Lazav-centric decks win.
Reasons to play this deck
1. You like built in hexproof generals
2. You like copying fat...any creature that hits the GY (yes even the Eldrazis)
3. You like playing control
4. You like having a lot of information
5. You've always wanted to make mill somewhat viable in EDH
Reasons to not play this deck
1. In multiplayer, you can't control everything.
2. You have zero political experience
3. You like ETB effects
In the multiplayer setting, things are going to get hectic. To play Lazav (or at least, this deck) correctly, you need to be familiar with threat assessment, that is what is more dangerous and requires your (and the table's) attention. Bear in mind that Lazav himself can be quite high on other player's threat assessment so you have to keep that in mind when you play him as people will be looking for ways to answer him. Thankfully, the amount of answers are quite limited, mass sweepers and mass tuck effects are the only thing that can touch him as well as targeting player sacrificing cards. Those are high up on your list of things to deal with and its advisable to hold your counters for those, especially the tuck effects because those will set you back the most. Having Lazav destroyed every once in a while is ok because of his relatively cheap mana cost.
On the first couple of turns, your goal is to establish your mana base and perhaps take a peek at your opponent's hand to see what they have. You generally want to target players that have a deck filled with fatties such as Azusa, Mayael, Kaalia, etc. They will provide you the goods that Lazav can copy. Getting out Lazav is the first goal of the deck though, so have him out turn 4, very few things can stop you from there (except hallowed burial). From there, it is a matter of playing control and employing the skill of threat assessment. If you have nothing to copy, equipping a sword to Lazav works just fine.
Instant speed effects are very powerful in this deck. With Lazav out, you can copy creatures any time. It can range as simple as attacking with Lazav, destroy a creature, copy, and swing with the new creature. You can also play defensively by doing the same on your opponent's turn. The instant speed mill effects gives you an extra bit of reach which is nice when people have nothing in their hands or nothing worth copying on the board.
This deck aims to play reactively instead of proactively. While there is nothing wrong with a proactive Lazav EDH deck, this particular deck does not strive to antagonize the table. Instead, it should bide its time countering the key cards and taking out problematic creatures all while keeping an eye on everyone's hand. It is with this style of play that lets you slowly build up your board position and have your opponents wear each other out to the point where you can drop a proactive spell and win.
Not sure how much it would help, but with the milling and counterspells and such would Wrexial be a decent creature to add so as to utilize your opponents spells? I hear casting Time Stretch is fun? Also it could be an alternate Commander for those times you want to see someone else's Lazav deck in action.
Not sure how much it would help, but with the milling and counterspells and such would Wrexial be a decent creature to add so as to utilize your opponents spells? I hear casting Time Stretch is fun? Also it could be an alternate Commander for those times you want to see someone else's Lazav deck in action.
Yeah, i'l definitely consider wrexial. Idk what to take out though
I agree, the 4 cmc counters (except rewind) seem clunky to me. I'l switch them out for the cards you suggested.
Consuming abberation will need testing, i'l probably switch out windfall for whispering madness, and i'm probably good on mana and won't be needing the keyrune
Quite a lot of your cards are very very low-impact, particularly the Mill cards. You'll learn it by playing the deck; I guarantee that most of the time you cast Dream Twist you will be disappointed, and eventually every time you draw it you'll be unhappy.
I would consider cutting some of these low-impact cards in favor of some big monsters and recursion of your own (Sheoldred springs to mind), or some hand disruption like Appetite for Brains, Thoughtseize etc (so you can force them to discard an awesome creature to copy with Lazav).
Quite a lot of your cards are very very low-impact, particularly the Mill cards. You'll learn it by playing the deck; I guarantee that most of the time you cast Dream Twist you will be disappointed, and eventually every time you draw it you'll be unhappy.
I would consider cutting some of these low-impact cards in favor of some big monsters and recursion of your own (Sheoldred springs to mind), or some hand disruption like Appetite for Brains, Thoughtseize etc (so you can force them to discard an awesome creature to copy with Lazav).
Appetite for brains is an exile effect. No synergy with Lazav sadly. Thoughtseize will end up on the wishlist. It is quite expensive after all
Dream twist is fun one of those funny cards that I find in the multiplayer setting to be somewhat useful. Based on my playgroup, there always seems to be that one person who plays fatty.dec like Mayael or Azusa. That one mana (or two for flashback) instant speed dream twist serves as nice little combat trick to both block or attack for a potentially huge chunk of life. But the deck still needs testing so I could be wrong.
I'd put in mesmeric orb as well. And maybe overwhelming forces for the wish list.
If I were you I'd probably put less focus on the less optimal mill cards and equipment and add staples like demonic tutor, vampiric tutor, yawgmoth's will, sensei's top, and maybe a couple things to make him unblockable.
Play tested this deck 1v1, and it's awesome. Will test on multiplayer later Dimir Guildgate makes this deck 101 cards...
EDIT: Won 5/5 games 1v1 haven't tried multiplayer, and I think it's not even worth trying it's definitely good 1v1 deck
Thanks, I knew this deck was a good 1v1 deck simply because you can play it draw go with mill focused on a single person. But multiplayer has so much more options available for Lazav.
I'l take out an extra basic land to make it 100, must've miscounted.
I'd put in mesmeric orb as well. And maybe overwhelming forces for the wish list.
If I were you I'd probably put less focus on the less optimal mill cards and equipment and add staples like demonic tutor, vampiric tutor, yawgmoth's will, sensei's top, and maybe a couple things to make him unblockable.
This could be a good deck.
Mesmeric orb goes both ways. I'm not sure if I like the idea of milling myself and potentially putting answers into the grave with only one way of recurring them. Not sure about overwhelming forces, it doesn't have synergy with Lazav, a bit overcosted and definitely paints a big fat target on this deck.
I'l definitely consider cutting the low impact mill cards for tutors. You can never go wrong with tutors
If you're actually going for the mill route then you should should check out Keening Stone. Double your mill, every turn.
I'l leave keening stone up for consideration but 6 mana is quite the investment. I rather not be all in mill but prefer to have access to quality control cards of all types. I think sands of delirium fulfils keening stone's function without investing lots of mana or painting yourself as the guy to prioritize
I hope we'll see more cards like Lazar, which gives another purpose to milling than just emptying the library.
As for an artifact, I'd rather use Decimator Web than Keening Stone, it's cheaper and you're sure to end the game in 10 turns, just in case you can't mill to death because you hit an eldrazi.
To be honest, I don't even think a Lazav deck needs any focus on milling to work. Creature destruction, discard, and counters should give you plenty of enablers without having to run mediocre cards.
To be honest, I don't even think a Lazav deck needs any focus on milling to work. Creature destruction, discard, and counters should give you plenty of enablers without having to run mediocre cards.
This.
MILLING IS AWFUL IN MP EDH....You almost always set up the reanimator guy for the win.
This isn't standard....the gy is just another hand here in A LOT of decks.
Lose the mill unless you want this to be goofyfun.dec.
If your going for something competitive, I would cut the mill ENTIRELY. You'll have plenty of targets from your destruction and counterspells.
I'd rather run discard effects than mill effect. At least then your not giving people free options for the most part, your screwing up their plans.
To be honest, I don't even think a Lazav deck needs any focus on milling to work. Creature destruction, discard, and counters should give you plenty of enablers without having to run mediocre cards.
Thing is, i'm not focusing on milling. Milling is just another way for me to access cards for Lazav. Same with removal which is for the board. Same with counters and discard is to access the hand. Mill is to access the library
It almost always backfires, and with the Eldrazi around, you might just end up losing all of your targets that you've spent mana, turns, and effort on getting in there when they shuffle their whole gy back into their lib.
Then what? Start over?
Its a waste of time if you want your deck to win IMO.
Thing is, i'm not focusing on milling. Milling is just another way for me to access cards for Lazav. Same with removal which is for the board. Same with counters and discard is to access the hand. Mill is to access the library
I feel like there are better mill options though than the ones I see in your list like Ambassador Laquatus and Nemesis of Reason. If possible, I'd replace them with cards that do stuff besides milling. Geth, Lord of the Vault and Psychic Spiral are two examples I notice from your list. Geth mills but also lets you reanimate stuff in your opponent's Graveyard, Spiral mills but also refreshes your library, etc.
I feel like there are better mill options though than the ones I see in your list like Ambassador Laquatus and Nemesis of Reason. If possible, I'd replace them with cards that do stuff besides milling. Geth, Lord of the Vault and Psychic Spiral are two examples I notice from your list. Geth mills but also lets you reanimate stuff in your opponent's Graveyard, Spiral mills but also refreshes your library, etc.
Hmmm...I need some reliable draw in this deck, got any suggestions to replace the mill cards with?
Just thinking of that, you could also possibly take this deck in a group slug direction. Run stuff like Howling Mine, Font of Mythos, Seizan, Perverter of Truth, etc. to fill your opponents' hands and a force end step discards as another way to feed Lazar delicious creatures?
Just thinking of that, you could also possibly take this deck in a group slug direction. Run stuff like Howling Mine, Font of Mythos, Seizan, Perverter of Truth, etc. to fill your opponents' hands and a force end step discards as another way to feed Lazar delicious creatures?
What makes Lazav so special?
I like Voltron personally, my first deck was Molimo, Maro sorcerer and my second deck was Gisela, blade of goldnight. Both builds had a voltron emphasis. So it would seem strange for a guy like me to play Lazav, I thought that too, but with another five or so minutes looking at the card, I knew that Lazav can win like a voltron commander without the equipments or enchantments. Lets look at Lazav; for starters he is a 3/3 for UUBB. Not to shabby, 4 mana isn't a heavy investment for a commander and certainly wouldn't end you if it went back to the command zone. Now lets tack on Hexproof (THE MOST ANNOYING KEYWORD OF ALL TIME), and now we have a solid commander. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE, Lazav's last effect is the most crucial part of this deck and one which sends him over the top. It reads
"Whenever a creature card is put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere, you may have Lazav, Dimir Mastermind become a copy of that card except it's name is still Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, it's legendary in addition to it's other types, and it gains hexproof and this ability."
Lets break it down a bit to fully soak in the epicness of this commander. "Whenever a creature is put into an opponent's graveyard from anywhere". Anywhere is the eye opener in this first line. This allows the deck to play all of its strengths: Removal, discard, mill, counterspell. Each of those can send creatures to the graveyard and in return, by having Lazav out, you can have him become any of those creatures. The next line of Lazav's effect reads "except it's name is still Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, it's legendary in addition to it's other types, and it gains hexproof and this ability". Lots of stuff to take in but its not too bad. You start out with keeping the name so that you don't actually become the creature and potentially letting the legend rule kill off Lazav, a pretty nice touch to the cloning process. The second part reads, it gains hexproof and this ability. Good game, it maintains the annoying hexproof keyword and the ability to continue becoming different creatures to suit your needs.
Multiplayer?
This is a personal preference, my playgroups likes multiplayer so my decks are tuned with that in mind. Its not surprising that this deck excels in single player though because as it turns out, having one person to control instead of three is easier. (Who knew?). However, single player can also be the greatest weakness for Lazav as the general. Some decks do not require fatties to win and because of that, Lazav becomes relatively useless aside from providing a hexproof body. I'd switch in Wrexial the risen deep for those game. I believe that multiplayer is where Lazav will thrive. More players means the greater chance of another player playing fatty.dec like Mayael the anima or Azusa, lost but seeking. The more creature selection spells a good day for Lazav
Mill?
Reading some of the criticisms of the deck, I've found a perceived constant problem in this deck: Mill. Many of you are wondering why this deck features mill when mill not viable in EDH let alone multiplayer EDH. I'm going to try to explain why mill works in this deck, just not in the way think it does.
I'l admit it, mill certainly isn't the most efficient way to win in EDH. Chances are you, you'll end up either milling the guy who likes having stuff in the GY or you end up pissing off the table and painting a red target on this deck. Either way, you're screwed. However, Lazav certainly puts a different spin on milling.
For instance, take Glimpse the Unthinkable. It reads UB, Target player puts the top ten cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
It looks rather underwhelming in EDH doesn't it? After all, this is EDH where decks are 100 cards and GYs are packed with targets to reanimate. However, with Lazav out, Glimpse the Unthinkable actually reads
UB, Look at the top ten cards of target player's library. You may choose a creature card and have Lazav become that card, put all cards revealed this way into that player's graveyard. For 2 mana, that is a deal I can live with.
To sum it up, yes, mill by itself is still not a viable win condition in EDH. Mill, however, is a powerful way to help Lazav-centric decks win.
1. You like built in hexproof generals
2. You like copying
fat...any creature that hits the GY (yes even the Eldrazis)3. You like playing control
4. You like having a lot of information
5. You've always wanted to make mill somewhat viable in EDH
Reasons to not play this deck
1. In multiplayer, you can't control everything.
2. You have zero political experience
3. You like ETB effects
1 Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Creature (6)
1 Avatar of Woe
1 Consuming Abberation
1 Geth, Lord of the Vault
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Withered Wretch
1 Wrexial, the Risen Deep
Instant (27)
1 Arcane Denial
1 Archive Trap
1 Counterspell
1 Cryptic Command
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Devour in Shadow
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Dimir Charm
1 Dissolve
1 Doom Blade
1 Forbid
1 Geth's Verdict
1 Go for the Throat
1 Hero's Downfall
1 Lim-Dul's Vault
1 Murder
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Peek
1 Pongify
1 Psychic Spiral
1 Rapid Hybridization
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Thoughseize
1 Treacherous Urge
1 Tribute to Hunger
1 Ultimate Price
1 Victim of Night
1 Brainbite
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Coercion
1 Damnation
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Despise
1 Distress
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Glimpse the Unthinkable
1 Mind Funeral
1 Mind Grind
1 Traumatize
1 Whispering Madness
1 Windfall
Enchantment (4)
1 Gravestorm
1 Memory Erosion
1 Propaganda
1 Rhystic Study
Artifact (9)
1 Darksteel Plate
1 Dimir Signet
1 Grinning Totem
1 Isochron Scepter
1 Sol Ring
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Torpor Orb
Planeswalker (1)
1 Jace, Memory Adept
Land (38)
1 Barren Moor
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Command Tower
1 Darkslick Shores
1 Darkwater Catacombs
1 Dimir Aqueduct
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Evolving Wilds
1 Frost Marsh
1 Halimar Depths
1 Jwar Isle Refuge
1 Lonely Sandbar
1 Nephalia Drownyard
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Secluded Glen
8 Snow-Covered Island
6 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Tainted Isle
1 Temple of Deceit
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Underground River
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Watery Grave
Playing the deck
In the multiplayer setting, things are going to get hectic. To play Lazav (or at least, this deck) correctly, you need to be familiar with threat assessment, that is what is more dangerous and requires your (and the table's) attention. Bear in mind that Lazav himself can be quite high on other player's threat assessment so you have to keep that in mind when you play him as people will be looking for ways to answer him. Thankfully, the amount of answers are quite limited, mass sweepers and mass tuck effects are the only thing that can touch him as well as targeting player sacrificing cards. Those are high up on your list of things to deal with and its advisable to hold your counters for those, especially the tuck effects because those will set you back the most. Having Lazav destroyed every once in a while is ok because of his relatively cheap mana cost.
On the first couple of turns, your goal is to establish your mana base and perhaps take a peek at your opponent's hand to see what they have. You generally want to target players that have a deck filled with fatties such as Azusa, Mayael, Kaalia, etc. They will provide you the goods that Lazav can copy. Getting out Lazav is the first goal of the deck though, so have him out turn 4, very few things can stop you from there (except hallowed burial). From there, it is a matter of playing control and employing the skill of threat assessment. If you have nothing to copy, equipping a sword to Lazav works just fine.
Instant speed effects are very powerful in this deck. With Lazav out, you can copy creatures any time. It can range as simple as attacking with Lazav, destroy a creature, copy, and swing with the new creature. You can also play defensively by doing the same on your opponent's turn. The instant speed mill effects gives you an extra bit of reach which is nice when people have nothing in their hands or nothing worth copying on the board.
This deck aims to play reactively instead of proactively. While there is nothing wrong with a proactive Lazav EDH deck, this particular deck does not strive to antagonize the table. Instead, it should bide its time countering the key cards and taking out problematic creatures all while keeping an eye on everyone's hand. It is with this style of play that lets you slowly build up your board position and have your opponents wear each other out to the point where you can drop a proactive spell and win.
1x leyline of anticipation
1x ghost quarter
1x tectonic edge
1x muddle the mixture
1x snuff out
1x Runechanter's pike
1x relic of progenitus
1x pact of negation
1x hinder
1x boseiju, who shelters all
1x chromatic lantern
1x Warped Physique
1x polluted delta (evolving wild)
1x sense's divining top
1x vampiric tutor
1x mana drain
1x treacherous urge
1x avatar of woe
1x consuming abberation
1x wrexial, the risen deep
Changelog
-Barter in blood
-skullclamp
-basilisk collar
-gorgon flail
-curse of bloody tome
+Torpor Orb
+Withered Wretch
+Rhystic Study
+Rogue's Passage
-Salt Marsh
+Command Tower
-Shared trauma
-polymorph
-nemesis of reason
+consumering abberation
+rapid hybridization
+mind grind
-Increasing confusion
+whispering madness
-False Summoning
+Arcane Denial
-Ambassador Laquatus
+Darksteel Plate
-Hero's demise
-exclude
-essence scatter
-psychic barrier
-rewind
-cruel edict
-ostracize
-helm of the ghastlord
-sands of delirium
-visara the dreadful
-rend flesh
-2 Island
-1 Swamp
+1 Isochron Scepter
+1 Sword of Fire and Ice
+1 Propaganda
+1 Gravestorm
+1 Damnation
+1 Thoughtseize
+1 Slaughter Pact
+1 Lim Dul's Vault
+1 Hero's Downfall
+1 Dissolve
+1 Dimir Charm
+1 Cryptic Command
+1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
+1 Cabal Coffers
+1 Temple of Deceit
Blue: teaching Magic players manners since 1995Shops: Teaching blue players manners since 2009
This isn't a primer. Just an idea
Yeah, i'l definitely consider wrexial. Idk what to take out though
Some other cards to consider: windfall, archive trap, and grinning totem.
And from the new set: consuming aberration, whispering madness, and dimir keyrune.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
Consuming abberation will need testing, i'l probably switch out windfall for whispering madness, and i'm probably good on mana and won't be needing the keyrune
I would consider cutting some of these low-impact cards in favor of some big monsters and recursion of your own (Sheoldred springs to mind), or some hand disruption like Appetite for Brains, Thoughtseize etc (so you can force them to discard an awesome creature to copy with Lazav).
Modern:
:symu::symw::symr: UWr Geist :symr::symw::symu:
EDH:
:symb::symb::symr::symr: Rakdos, Lord of Riots :symr::symr::symb::symb:
Appetite for brains is an exile effect. No synergy with Lazav sadly. Thoughtseize will end up on the wishlist. It is quite expensive after all
Dream twist is fun one of those funny cards that I find in the multiplayer setting to be somewhat useful. Based on my playgroup, there always seems to be that one person who plays fatty.dec like Mayael or Azusa. That one mana (or two for flashback) instant speed dream twist serves as nice little combat trick to both block or attack for a potentially huge chunk of life. But the deck still needs testing so I could be wrong.
If I were you I'd probably put less focus on the less optimal mill cards and equipment and add staples like demonic tutor, vampiric tutor, yawgmoth's will, sensei's top, and maybe a couple things to make him unblockable.
This could be a good deck.
My G Yisan, the Bard of Death G deck.
My BUGWR Hermit druid BUGWR deck.
Thanks, I knew this deck was a good 1v1 deck simply because you can play it draw go with mill focused on a single person. But multiplayer has so much more options available for Lazav.
I'l take out an extra basic land to make it 100, must've miscounted.
Mesmeric orb goes both ways. I'm not sure if I like the idea of milling myself and potentially putting answers into the grave with only one way of recurring them. Not sure about overwhelming forces, it doesn't have synergy with Lazav, a bit overcosted and definitely paints a big fat target on this deck.
I'l definitely consider cutting the low impact mill cards for tutors. You can never go wrong with tutors
I'l leave keening stone up for consideration but 6 mana is quite the investment. I rather not be all in mill but prefer to have access to quality control cards of all types. I think sands of delirium fulfils keening stone's function without investing lots of mana or painting yourself as the guy to prioritize
As for an artifact, I'd rather use Decimator Web than Keening Stone, it's cheaper and you're sure to end the game in 10 turns, just in case you can't mill to death because you hit an eldrazi.
This.
MILLING IS AWFUL IN MP EDH....You almost always set up the reanimator guy for the win.
This isn't standard....the gy is just another hand here in A LOT of decks.
Lose the mill unless you want this to be goofyfun.dec.
If your going for something competitive, I would cut the mill ENTIRELY. You'll have plenty of targets from your destruction and counterspells.
I'd rather run discard effects than mill effect. At least then your not giving people free options for the most part, your screwing up their plans.
Thing is, i'm not focusing on milling. Milling is just another way for me to access cards for Lazav. Same with removal which is for the board. Same with counters and discard is to access the hand. Mill is to access the library
It almost always backfires, and with the Eldrazi around, you might just end up losing all of your targets that you've spent mana, turns, and effort on getting in there when they shuffle their whole gy back into their lib.
Then what? Start over?
Its a waste of time if you want your deck to win IMO.
I feel like there are better mill options though than the ones I see in your list like Ambassador Laquatus and Nemesis of Reason. If possible, I'd replace them with cards that do stuff besides milling. Geth, Lord of the Vault and Psychic Spiral are two examples I notice from your list. Geth mills but also lets you reanimate stuff in your opponent's Graveyard, Spiral mills but also refreshes your library, etc.
Hmmm...I need some reliable draw in this deck, got any suggestions to replace the mill cards with?
Off the top of my head...
Just thinking of that, you could also possibly take this deck in a group slug direction. Run stuff like Howling Mine, Font of Mythos, Seizan, Perverter of Truth, etc. to fill your opponents' hands and a force end step discards as another way to feed Lazar delicious creatures?
Isn't that group hug? Group slug is like Necrogen mist, oppression, etc
Well the idea I had in mind was to turn the hug into slug