This is the deck I play whenever I hear someone say "Mill isn't good in EDH." This deck can win in a lot of different ways. It's main game plan is to mill itself and then Living Death all the rats back. You can also mill yourself out and go for a Laboratory Maniac win. With a bunch of Rats on the board you can swarm or mill every one out pretty easily. Trickbind and Stifle are there for Eldrazi triggers as is Leyline of the Void
Sphinx of the Chimes can dump rats into the graveyard faster than you can cast them, and draw crazy amounts of cards, while being a decent Mahamoti Djinn besides.
Eater of the Dead can mill a ton of cards quickly with Phenax while clearing out opposing graveyards in advance of Living Death et al.
I would also add more card drawing and a Demonic Tutor in place of some the redundant effects.
oooo, Sphinx of the Chimes. Now that's an interesting one with rats! I'll contemplate it.
I had Eater in there before but it's a training wheels card with Phenax. Same with Thrumming Stone and rats.
Demonic Tutor was cut for Increasing Ambition. I ended up milling it too many times. This is true with the redundant effects. When you're milling 20-30 at time, you end up losing the pieces you need. I would add another Living Death effect if I could.
Thanks! It's a fun one and the first time surprise when people see it is fun.
I'm starting to rethink Thrumming Stone. It's a card I originally wanted to avoid but I've set up the mill/recur engine nicely, I want to make sure I can still dump a swarm of rats and swing.
If you're worried about milling important pieces, Academy Ruins can save artifacts from the graveyard, Volrath's Stronghold can save creatures from the graveyard, and Crucible of Worlds can play lands from the graveyard. So at least with those you can recover artifacts, creatures, and lands. As for any other cards, just use Recall. Recall is a great discard outlet and you can get back any card from your graveyard - regardless of type. If you're looking for something to cut, I'd go with Ink-Eyes. If your exiling graveyards to enhance milling, Ink-Eyes is gonna more often than not be a very expensive dead draw.
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Not down with Helm of the Void but Recall is beautiful!
Ruins is the first land on the list and I could have sworn I had a V's Stronghold in there but I transmuted Tolaria West last night and went looking for it...NOPE not in there. I'll see to getting that fixed.
1 Pack Rat
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Laboratory Maniac
23 Relentless Rats
1 Crypt Ghast
1 Wonder
1 Beguiler of Wills
1 Marrow-Gnawer
1 Ogre Slumlord
1 Phenax, God of Deception
1 Grey Merchant of Asphodel
1 Ink-eyes, servant of Oni
1 Mnemonic Wall
1 Archaeomancer
Instant (8)
1 Cyclonic Rift
1 Dissipate
1 Hinder
1 Spell Crumple
1 Trickbind
1 Stifle
1 Think Twice
1 Increasing Ambition
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 All Hallow's Eve
1 Living Death
1 Patriarch's Bidding
1 Twilight's Call
1 Dread Return
1 Rise of the Dark Realms
1 Damnation
Artifact (6)
1 Sol Ring
1 Lightning Greaves
1 Grimoire of the Dead
1 Thousand-Year Elixir
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Witchbane Orb
Enchantment (4)
1 Intruder Alarm
1 Leyline of the Void
1 Leyline of Anticipation
1 Opposition
1 Academy Ruins
1 Bad River
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Cabal Coffers
1 Drowned Catacomb
1 Underground Sea
12 Island
1 Polluted Delta
15 Swamp
1 Tolaria West
1 Watery Grave
1 Boseiju
1 Urborg, tomb of Yawgmoth
Eater of the Dead can mill a ton of cards quickly with Phenax while clearing out opposing graveyards in advance of Living Death et al.
I would also add more card drawing and a Demonic Tutor in place of some the redundant effects.
I had Eater in there before but it's a training wheels card with Phenax. Same with Thrumming Stone and rats.
Demonic Tutor was cut for Increasing Ambition. I ended up milling it too many times. This is true with the redundant effects. When you're milling 20-30 at time, you end up losing the pieces you need. I would add another Living Death effect if I could.
Made these changes:
-Ratcatcher
-Swiftfoot Boots
-Overwhelming Forces
-In Garruk's Wake
-Homeward Path
-Rogue's Passage
+Mnemonic Wall
+Archaeomancer
+Grey Merchant of Asphodel
+Damnation
+Underground Sea
+Polluted Delta
I think Mortal Combat may be fun in here.
I'm trying to walk a fine line of versatility. I don't want to cram it too full of the self-mill cards (even though Traumatize can be opponent.)
Memorial is one I've been contemplating for awhile. I may trade out Beguiler for it. I also want to add Mogis's Marauder.
+Cephalid Coliseum
-Beguiler of Wills
I need to find a replacement for Gray Merchant.
I'm starting to rethink Thrumming Stone. It's a card I originally wanted to avoid but I've set up the mill/recur engine nicely, I want to make sure I can still dump a swarm of rats and swing.
+Thrumming Stone
-Lightning Greaves
+Akroma's Memorial
Oh! And if you're milling, Helm of Obedience + Leyline of the Void is an instantaneous one-shot kill mill for just 1.
BGU [Primer] Sidisi, Brood Tyrant BGU | BG [Primer] Mazirek, Kraul Death Priest BG | G [Primer] Polukranos, World Eater G
My YouTube Channel:
The Commander Tavern - a channel I just started where I'll post deck techs and gameplays. Please support by checking it out. Maybe you'll like its content and subscribe! Thanks!
Ruins is the first land on the list and I could have sworn I had a V's Stronghold in there but I transmuted Tolaria West last night and went looking for it...NOPE not in there. I'll see to getting that fixed.
+Recall
-1 Relentless Rats
+Living End
-Swamp
+Volrath's Stronghold
eh? I'm having a hard time finding spots for changes.
-Witchbane Orb