I'm working on a Blue/Black discard and draw deck. I have so many ideas here I'm not sure where to trim down. I think adding the Sign in Blood would pair nicely with the Underworld Dreams. I probably need to trim a bit (Currently have 5 cards over 60) and add more creatures. How does this look overall?
First, a note about discard: Discard is onlyfrom the hand to the graveyard. Putting cards from the library into the graveyard (aka milling) is not discard, your Quest for the Nihil Stone won't get any quest counters for that.
Since your deck is trying to win by reducing the opponent to 0 or less life, cut all milling cards, they don't achieve anything unless they mill the last card. And you don't have enough steam to go that far.
Your deck needs more lands. 20/65 is way to low a land count. You need about 40% lands, but maybe you can get away with a bit less depedning on how the deck shapes up. This means 23-24 lands in 60 cards! Reaching 8 mana for Lorthos is a far fetched goal even with that amount, and honestly, the card doesn't make much sense in the deck anyway. Incorporate some dual lands (even the cheap budget ones are fine) in order to smooth out your colors. You need triple black and triple blue after all. Actually, cut down on the heavy blue requirements, Amnesia isn't going to hit many cards, because it comes way to late in the game to have any significant impact.
You should run a full playset (4 copies) of all cards that are essential to the deck's strategy in order to have it do what you want it to do. Most of those are cumulative in their effect, like the Quest, Propaganda, Underworld Dreams, etc., so having several is a good thing.
You need some potent removal to keep your opponent's creatures in check. Some mass removal cards should help, but if you are too reluctant to kill your own creatures (which you souldn't be, creatures die that's a harsh truth, don't try to protect them, instead just replace them when they die), 4-8 spot removal cards should suffice to keep you safe.
Edit:
One problem with discard decks is, that the opponent eventually runs out of cards to discard, making discard spells essentially into dead draws in the later game. Luckily, there are some cards, that incorporate discard with drawing cards, so that you get to make them discard even if they don't have any cards in hand. Examples are Wistful Thinking, Probe, and Careful Consideration. Those cards can also be used in a pinch to aim at yourself and dig for a crucial card (like some game saving removal). Another option are modal spells, that not only force discard but have another mode, should discard be useless in that moment, like Consult the Necrosages.
The transmute mechanic from Ravnica: City of Guilds is a very powerful tutor and defense mechanic. Because you can use those cards to search for a key card or play it for defense. Drift of Phantasms is a splendid blocker, but can also be used to fetch Underworld Dreams or Propaganda. Dimir Infiltrator is likewise a nice early blocker (and attacker) and can fetch say Hymn to Tourach. Dimir House Guard may also fit into the deck.
I'm working on a Blue/Black discard and draw deck. I have so many ideas here I'm not sure where to trim down. I think adding the Sign in Blood would pair nicely with the Underworld Dreams. I probably need to trim a bit (Currently have 5 cards over 60) and add more creatures. How does this look overall?
2x Apprentice Necromancer
2x Cabal Interrogator
2x Cathartic Adept
2x Grim Haruspex
1x Lorthos, the Tidemaker
2x Puppeteer
2x Shadowmage Infiltrator
2x Wall of Tears
2x Amnesia
2x Despise
2x Hymn to Tourach
2x Mind Sculpt
2x Ostracize
4x Portent
Enchantment
2x Freed from the Real
2x Mind Whip
2x Propaganda
2x Quest for the Nihil Stone
2x Underworld Dreams
2x Icy Manipulator
2x Puppet Strings
Instant
2x Apostle's Blessing
Lands
10x Island
10x Swamp
Other cards I'm considering
2x Sign in Blood
2x Shadowmage Infiltraitor
Since your deck is trying to win by reducing the opponent to 0 or less life, cut all milling cards, they don't achieve anything unless they mill the last card. And you don't have enough steam to go that far.
Your deck needs more lands. 20/65 is way to low a land count. You need about 40% lands, but maybe you can get away with a bit less depedning on how the deck shapes up. This means 23-24 lands in 60 cards! Reaching 8 mana for Lorthos is a far fetched goal even with that amount, and honestly, the card doesn't make much sense in the deck anyway. Incorporate some dual lands (even the cheap budget ones are fine) in order to smooth out your colors. You need triple black and triple blue after all. Actually, cut down on the heavy blue requirements, Amnesia isn't going to hit many cards, because it comes way to late in the game to have any significant impact.
You should run a full playset (4 copies) of all cards that are essential to the deck's strategy in order to have it do what you want it to do. Most of those are cumulative in their effect, like the Quest, Propaganda, Underworld Dreams, etc., so having several is a good thing.
You need some potent removal to keep your opponent's creatures in check. Some mass removal cards should help, but if you are too reluctant to kill your own creatures (which you souldn't be, creatures die that's a harsh truth, don't try to protect them, instead just replace them when they die), 4-8 spot removal cards should suffice to keep you safe.
Edit:
One problem with discard decks is, that the opponent eventually runs out of cards to discard, making discard spells essentially into dead draws in the later game. Luckily, there are some cards, that incorporate discard with drawing cards, so that you get to make them discard even if they don't have any cards in hand. Examples are Wistful Thinking, Probe, and Careful Consideration. Those cards can also be used in a pinch to aim at yourself and dig for a crucial card (like some game saving removal). Another option are modal spells, that not only force discard but have another mode, should discard be useless in that moment, like Consult the Necrosages.
The transmute mechanic from Ravnica: City of Guilds is a very powerful tutor and defense mechanic. Because you can use those cards to search for a key card or play it for defense. Drift of Phantasms is a splendid blocker, but can also be used to fetch Underworld Dreams or Propaganda. Dimir Infiltrator is likewise a nice early blocker (and attacker) and can fetch say Hymn to Tourach. Dimir House Guard may also fit into the deck.
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