Lazav, Dimir Mastermind is the guildmaster of the Dimir Guild and was first seen in Gatecrash, a set which brought a plethora of options to the milling table. In the Magic storyline, he is a master of cunning and deceit, working behind the scenes in the shadows.
On the battlefield however, while he is deceptive and conniving, he is not a backseat driver. He (and the deck supporting him) are in-your-face and may draw some hate (well deserved). More on that shortly.
I plan on making this thread into a detailed analysis of the multiplayer mill/discard archtype and the Lazav deck specifically. This will take time to do, so your patience is appreciated
Hey I'm Brendan from Canada (eh). Mill seems to be something that always attracts new players, myself included. I'm relatively new to Magic (having only begun to play during Innistrad), but UB mill immediately caught my attention. After trying to build a standard zombie deck based on Undead Alchemist and quickly having it get squashed, I put that idea on the back burner for that format. However, I soon transitioned into EDH and loved being able to build decks around interesting mechanics.
As soon as Gatecrash dropped, I began brewing a Lazav mill deck. At first, I thought that it would be like mill in standard, possible if you're lucky, but mostly jank. But after playing it with my play group, I quickly found out that it can be very competitive in multiplayer!
I should point out that I have several other established decks, and I haven't focused all my best cards here. Having said that, I do feel that it's a powerful deck and can be built upon!
Also, I'd like to take a moment to thank Sonik for his primer on Riku of Two Reflections. It has proven an invaluable resource in making my own Riku deck, teaching me about Commander and giving me an example of what I want this primer to do for new players of Lazav!
Before we dive into the deck and deck building options, let's take a look at what makes Lazav so awesome and why I think you should play him:
Let's take a closer look at the main man himself eh?
Mana Cost:UUBB
4 mana is a very good price for a commander, especially one with built in protection. It is not too high, so he can be recast if necessary. The downside is that you need to focus on mana fixing early or you won't be able to drop him T4.
While the deck could take several directions, it's important that he hit the board early. He doesn't provide an immediate impact on the board, but whether you're rocking mill or discard or counter-control, he needs to be in play so that he can steal the life out of other peoples' decks.
Lazav's color identity is going to put us into a control position, but you can tailor how the deck to be more aggressive or more controlling as suits your needs or meta.
Blue gives access to card draw, bounce, control magic effects, extra turn effects, counters, fatties. And most importantly, mill!
Black gives us access to tutor, card draw, hand disruption, removal, fatties. And mill!
Creature Type:Shapeshifter
Cool! Could you make a tribe out of the deck? Sure. You could use all the clone creatures you like, and we will use a couple, but the focus here should probably be hand disruption and mill.
Power/Toughness:3/3
He starts out a little small, but who cares? As we'll see below, his evasion protects him from bolts or removal, and we're probably not going to attack with him until he shapeshifts into something bigger and meaner.
Abilities:"Hexproof" and "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 its name is still Lazav, Dimir Mastermind, it's legendary in addition to its other types, and it gains hexproof and this ability."
This is where he gets good. What's your favorite creature in the game? Wouldn't it be better with hexproof? As long as someone at the table has it, you can have it and it will have hexproof! With the new rule changes, this makes him nearly impossible to kill! So let's figure out how to get those cards out of your opponent's hand/library and onto your battlefield.
Strengths
We have a commander who is nearly impossible to get rid of (between Hexproof and the new Legendary rule), and as long as we have him out, he can tailor himself to your opponent's decks (Playing someone who likes to lay beats? Protect yourself with their biggest body and swing right back). He has a low cost, so we can get him out early and multiple times per game if he does get removed. His ability is passive so we can save our mana for spells and his color identity opens up two of the best colors in Magic!
Weaknesses
His specific mana cost makes him hard to play before T4, meaning the deck is going to have a slow start. He doesn't make an immediate impact on the board, and if you play a disruptive deck, you're probably going to get some hate real quick.
In summary:
This may be the commander for you if you like:
Having a commander that's tough to get rid of
Playing disruptive Magic
Stealing other people's junk
Watching people's reactions as they flip their favorite spells into their graveyard
This may not be the commander for you if you don't like:
Getting negative attention from the table
Relying on other players decks (as well as chance)
Having a commander that doesn't make an immediate impact on the board
You want to play tons of creatures and beat face
Other options?
So we've looked at what makes Lazav awesome, but who else can we play instead? Well, there a a couple dozen UB commanders available, but if you're interested in hand/library disruption you may consider one of the following:
Oona, Queen of the Fae: More expensive to get out and you have to activate her ability. She can be a beast against mono colored decks, but becomes weaker if your opponents are running more colors. She also doesn't really play into our mill strategy as she exiles cards, preventing us from bringing them back. That said, she goes awesome with Bitterblossom, Skullclamp and Training Grounds.
Wrexial, the Risen Deep: Again a bit more expensive than Lazav and does not have built in protection. His effect is awesome for the mill strategy, but he does have to hit in order to be useful. Tutor up an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and you should be good to go!
Szadek, Lord of Secrets: In my opinion, Szadek is too expensive and is too slow to get going. Sure he mills 5, 10, 20, 40 (if he lives), but he's not doing commander damage, still has to hit and only targets a single player. If he does get all those counters, he is going to be a huge target too.
Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker:He has flying, is only slightly more expensive than Lazav (while being easier to cast) and mills when he hits, so like Wrex and Szadek, he loves the swords or Trepanation Blade. He doesn't mill as much as Szadek, but he appears as a smaller threat as well, so draws a bit less attention. I prefer him to Wrexial because he is helping to get cards in the graveyard reliably (as opposed to using the cards from the graveyard). Which is better depends on the build and focus of your deck.
2 Drops Baleful Strix - Card draw, air protection and creature kill for 2 mana? Bounce it for added value, so count me in!
Duskmantle Guildmage - He can be a combo enabler, win condition or simply a solid card for mill strategy. Goes infinite with Mindcrank. Otherwise, Traumatize plus this is usually GG for one player.
Invisible Stalker - Hexproof is crazy powerful, equip him with a sword and the only way your opponent is getting rid of him is a board wipe.
Wight of Precinct Six - Gets bigger and bigger the more you get in your opponent's graveyard. Lack of evasion makes him an easy target though and it only considers creature cards which is a major weakness.
3 Drops Dimir Cutpurse - Solid card advantage, but not as powerful as we was in Standard. If you can put some boots on him, he'll do you good.
Dimir Doppelganger - One downside to Lazav is that he needs to be on the BF as the creatures are being put into the GY, so he doesn't play well with board wipes. This guy however is a peach for stealing creatures in a pinch.
Liliana's Specter - Hits all your opponents so it scales between free for alls and team matches. Repeatable through bouncing. Once its on the BF don't expect it to make much of a difference for you though.
Riddlekeeper - Has a decent sized butt and helps dissuade people from attacking. Not as good as white counterparts like Ghostly Prison
Undercity Informer - If you run token generators like Bitterblossom or my personal favorite Undead Alchemist, this guy becomes pretty powerful. Helps when someone is trying to steal your creatures too!
4 Drops Archaeomancer - When your mill effects hit everyone, you're gonna lose some of your favorite stuff. Run Archaeomancer to bring some of it back.
Notion Thief - Regardless of you game plan, this guy is a beast! Stealing cards from other people is huge. Don't expect him to live long, so save him as a response to someone's Sphinx's Revelation. May favorite play was using this in response to an opponents Jace the Mind Sculptor brainstorm ability - he had to put down two cards and I drew 3. That's what I call card advantage!
Sewer Nemesis - Good for 1v1 or if you are targetting a particular opponent. Considers all card types and helps mill based on their casting, which is good/bad depending on your opponent.
Solemn Simulacrum - Find those lands! Hard not to run it in non-green decks.
Undead Alchemist - I love this guy, but I have always been partial to zombies. YMMV. One beautiful thing is that if him and Lazav are both out, you can stack the triggers so that you copy the creature before exiling it. All profit and it prevents the big scary creatures from getting snuck into play by their owners.
5 Drops Consuming Aberration - Of all the */* in the colors, I like this one the most. Mills all (and only) opponents (as long as you're casting), looks at all opponents' graveyards and considers all card types. For 1 mana more than Sewer Nemesis, I prefer this card.
Nemesis of Reason - It's nice that this creature makes a huge blocker, but it's better to attack. That the ability activates on attack and not damage makes it much more playable.
Geth, Lord of the Vault - Mills your opponent while stealing their stuff. Awesome for 1v1 or as a beater with Intimidate.
7+ Drops Diluvian Primordial - To me, this is a no brainer in multiplayer. We're throwing tons of sorceries and instants into our opponents graveyards, so why not bring them back?
Lord of the Void - Fun with an aggressive beat down style of deck.
Palinchron - The classic combo enabler for infinite mana... if that's how you role.
Sepulchral Primordial - Another fun card for mill in multiplayer. Not as great in my meta, but every table has fatties and this is a great way to capitalize on that.
Expedition Map - Don't make the mistake of thinking that this is ramp. That said, it's prefect for grabbing Coffers, Urborg or the Academy
Relic of Progenitus - Some people want their decks in their GY. Sometimes we don't want that. Relic let's us repeatedly pick off their goodstuff, or blow up their entire GY and draw a new card.
Sensei's Divining Top - Filter your draw, dig for answers. Everyone loves it right? Made a little weaker if we're milling off the top.
Skullclamp - Put it on a fae to draw some cards or equip it to whomever we're saccing to the Informer
Sol Ring - The best ramp you can get in your opening hand. Good whenever you draw it.
Dimir Signet - Prime mana fixing to get out Lazav on time.
Illusionist's Bracers - Depending on your creature choice, this card may be usable. Works well with Geth or Oona, especially in conjunction with Training Grounds.
Lightning Greaves - A lot of people think this is an EDH staple, but it really depends on your build. Lazav and Invisible Stalker don't really need this, but if you're running a lot of other creatures you should at least consider it.
Mesmeric Orb - I love this card for mill, gets the ball rolling quickly and you can set it and forget it. Come prepared to recycle your GY though, because it hits you too.
Mind Stone - A decent ramp card that can be sac'd for a draw later in the came.
Mindcrank - Win con and combo enabler. Goes infinite with an active Bloodchief Ascension or with an activated Duskmantle Guildmage, but is also just good for however you're getting cards into the graveyard.
Swiftfoot Boots - See Greaves above. Consider it depending on your creatures.
3 Drops Chromatic Lantern - Great for ensuring you get Lazav's color fixing, but I usually reserve this for tri-color decks.
Coalition Relic - this is great for mana fixing, similar to Chromatic Lantern; however, this may be better in a dual color deck as you can get 2 extra mana out of it if you plan ahead.
If either of these two combos are on the board, then as soon as an opponent loses life or puts a card into the graveyard from anywhere, they are immediately decked and/or killed (depending on whether they have more cards in their library or more life). The common denominator for this combo is clearly Mindcrank, so if you don't like infinite combos, I would simply take that card out to make this deck more fair. What I do like about both of these is that they give an opportunity to respond (supposing they aren't countered). Ascension takes several turns to get going and the guildmage requires a pretty big mana investment and is a creature with low P/T.
With that out of the way, we can look at some of the finite synergies that make the deck fun.
Undercity Informer with any token generator helps the mill machine. The best one for this purpose is Undead Alchemist. It's not infinite because you need mana to activate the Informer (and I purposely avoided infinite mana combos), but you can expect to get some zombies and mill some cards!
Thoughts about card choices or explanations? Disagree with something I wrote? I'm no guru, I just like to play commander, so if you have ideas sound off in the comments!
I have a relatively large card pool that I can dip into if people think I'm missing important cards.
I really appreciate any suggestions that the hive mind may have for me.
Navigated here from your signature on my Wrexial Primer. Pretty cool list, it's kinda like how my old standard deck went (mill-aggro), and offers a completely different playstyle than mine. One thing I've loved about UB mill is that there is just so many different directions it can take, from aggro, to dedicated mill, to steal, to combo!
One thing I do want to add is that I'd try and consider consolidating your posts. Being stretched across 3+ posts is trying. Consider using {HR}Black{/HR} as a divider (with square brackets of course)
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
or
Play your opponents' toys
A multiplayer mill discussion
"Ask the right questions in the right way and truth is inevitable."
Table of Contents
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind is the guildmaster of the Dimir Guild and was first seen in Gatecrash, a set which brought a plethora of options to the milling table. In the Magic storyline, he is a master of cunning and deceit, working behind the scenes in the shadows.
On the battlefield however, while he is deceptive and conniving, he is not a backseat driver. He (and the deck supporting him) are in-your-face and may draw some hate (well deserved). More on that shortly.
I plan on making this thread into a detailed analysis of the multiplayer mill/discard archtype and the Lazav deck specifically. This will take time to do, so your patience is appreciated
The Deck and I
Before we dive into the deck and deck building options, let's take a look at what makes Lazav so awesome and why I think you should play him:
Why Play Lazav?
Let's take a closer look at the main man himself eh?
Strengths
We have a commander who is nearly impossible to get rid of (between Hexproof and the new Legendary rule), and as long as we have him out, he can tailor himself to your opponent's decks (Playing someone who likes to lay beats? Protect yourself with their biggest body and swing right back). He has a low cost, so we can get him out early and multiple times per game if he does get removed. His ability is passive so we can save our mana for spells and his color identity opens up two of the best colors in Magic!
Weaknesses
His specific mana cost makes him hard to play before T4, meaning the deck is going to have a slow start. He doesn't make an immediate impact on the board, and if you play a disruptive deck, you're probably going to get some hate real quick.
In summary:
This may be the commander for you if you like:
This may not be the commander for you if you don't like:
Other options?
So we've looked at what makes Lazav awesome, but who else can we play instead? Well, there a a couple dozen UB commanders available, but if you're interested in hand/library disruption you may consider one of the following:
Oona, Queen of the Fae: More expensive to get out and you have to activate her ability. She can be a beast against mono colored decks, but becomes weaker if your opponents are running more colors. She also doesn't really play into our mill strategy as she exiles cards, preventing us from bringing them back. That said, she goes awesome with Bitterblossom, Skullclamp and Training Grounds.
Wrexial, the Risen Deep: Again a bit more expensive than Lazav and does not have built in protection. His effect is awesome for the mill strategy, but he does have to hit in order to be useful. Tutor up an Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and you should be good to go!
Szadek, Lord of Secrets: In my opinion, Szadek is too expensive and is too slow to get going. Sure he mills 5, 10, 20, 40 (if he lives), but he's not doing commander damage, still has to hit and only targets a single player. If he does get all those counters, he is going to be a huge target too.
Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker:He has flying, is only slightly more expensive than Lazav (while being easier to cast) and mills when he hits, so like Wrex and Szadek, he loves the swords or Trepanation Blade. He doesn't mill as much as Szadek, but he appears as a smaller threat as well, so draws a bit less attention. I prefer him to Wrexial because he is helping to get cards in the graveyard reliably (as opposed to using the cards from the graveyard). Which is better depends on the build and focus of your deck.
Archtypes, Styles, and Strategy
Check back
Nekusar, the Mindrazer
Creatures
1 Drops
Nothing yet
2 Drops
Baleful Strix - Card draw, air protection and creature kill for 2 mana? Bounce it for added value, so count me in!
Duskmantle Guildmage - He can be a combo enabler, win condition or simply a solid card for mill strategy. Goes infinite with Mindcrank. Otherwise, Traumatize plus this is usually GG for one player.
Invisible Stalker - Hexproof is crazy powerful, equip him with a sword and the only way your opponent is getting rid of him is a board wipe.
Snapcaster Mage - Recur recur recur. Bounce and repeat.
Wight of Precinct Six - Gets bigger and bigger the more you get in your opponent's graveyard. Lack of evasion makes him an easy target though and it only considers creature cards which is a major weakness.
3 Drops
Dimir Cutpurse - Solid card advantage, but not as powerful as we was in Standard. If you can put some boots on him, he'll do you good.
Dimir Doppelganger - One downside to Lazav is that he needs to be on the BF as the creatures are being put into the GY, so he doesn't play well with board wipes. This guy however is a peach for stealing creatures in a pinch.
Liliana's Specter - Hits all your opponents so it scales between free for alls and team matches. Repeatable through bouncing. Once its on the BF don't expect it to make much of a difference for you though.
Riddlekeeper - Has a decent sized butt and helps dissuade people from attacking. Not as good as white counterparts like Ghostly Prison
Trinket Mage - Pure gold. Grab Elixir of Immortality, Expedition Map , Relic of Progenitus, Sensei's Divining Top, Skullclamp, Sol Ring (okay maybe not in that order); whatever you need for the occasion.
Undercity Informer - If you run token generators like Bitterblossom or my personal favorite Undead Alchemist, this guy becomes pretty powerful. Helps when someone is trying to steal your creatures too!
4 Drops
Archaeomancer - When your mill effects hit everyone, you're gonna lose some of your favorite stuff. Run Archaeomancer to bring some of it back.
Dreamborn Muse - Slow but steady mill.
Notion Thief - Regardless of you game plan, this guy is a beast! Stealing cards from other people is huge. Don't expect him to live long, so save him as a response to someone's Sphinx's Revelation. May favorite play was using this in response to an opponents Jace the Mind Sculptor brainstorm ability - he had to put down two cards and I drew 3. That's what I call card advantage!
Sewer Nemesis - Good for 1v1 or if you are targetting a particular opponent. Considers all card types and helps mill based on their casting, which is good/bad depending on your opponent.
Solemn Simulacrum - Find those lands! Hard not to run it in non-green decks.
Undead Alchemist - I love this guy, but I have always been partial to zombies. YMMV. One beautiful thing is that if him and Lazav are both out, you can stack the triggers so that you copy the creature before exiling it. All profit and it prevents the big scary creatures from getting snuck into play by their owners.
5 Drops
Consuming Aberration - Of all the */* in the colors, I like this one the most. Mills all (and only) opponents (as long as you're casting), looks at all opponents' graveyards and considers all card types. For 1 mana more than Sewer Nemesis, I prefer this card.
Nemesis of Reason - It's nice that this creature makes a huge blocker, but it's better to attack. That the ability activates on attack and not damage makes it much more playable.
Peregrine Drake - Enabler for infinite mana with Deadeye Navigator. Cheaper than Palinchron, but you can't return it to your hand in a pinch.
6 Drops
Consecrated Sphinx - Card advantage too good to pass up on.
Deadeye Navigator - Bounce ETB creatures for added value or combo for infinite mana with Palinchron or Peregrine Drake
Geth, Lord of the Vault - Mills your opponent while stealing their stuff. Awesome for 1v1 or as a beater with Intimidate.
7+ Drops
Diluvian Primordial - To me, this is a no brainer in multiplayer. We're throwing tons of sorceries and instants into our opponents graveyards, so why not bring them back?
Lord of the Void - Fun with an aggressive beat down style of deck.
Palinchron - The classic combo enabler for infinite mana... if that's how you role.
Sepulchral Primordial - Another fun card for mill in multiplayer. Not as great in my meta, but every table has fatties and this is a great way to capitalize on that.
Artifacts
1 Drops
Elixir of Immortality - Some of the best mill effects hit our library too, so we need to be prepared. Grab it with Trinket Mage or a tutor if it's in your library or bring it back from beyond the grave with Academy Ruins, Beacon of Unrest, or Yawgmoth's Will (last resort).
Expedition Map - Don't make the mistake of thinking that this is ramp. That said, it's prefect for grabbing Coffers, Urborg or the Academy
Relic of Progenitus - Some people want their decks in their GY. Sometimes we don't want that. Relic let's us repeatedly pick off their goodstuff, or blow up their entire GY and draw a new card.
Sensei's Divining Top - Filter your draw, dig for answers. Everyone loves it right? Made a little weaker if we're milling off the top.
Skullclamp - Put it on a fae to draw some cards or equip it to whomever we're saccing to the Informer
Sol Ring - The best ramp you can get in your opening hand. Good whenever you draw it.
Wayfarer's Bauble - Actual ramp land ramp. I prefer this and Armillary Sphere in decks that run Cabal Coffers and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth.
2 Drops
Armillary Sphere - While it isn't actually ramp, it ensures land drops. Again, pretty key in these colors if I'm running Cabal Coffers and Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth.
Dimir Signet - Prime mana fixing to get out Lazav on time.
Illusionist's Bracers - Depending on your creature choice, this card may be usable. Works well with Geth or Oona, especially in conjunction with Training Grounds.
Lightning Greaves - A lot of people think this is an EDH staple, but it really depends on your build. Lazav and Invisible Stalker don't really need this, but if you're running a lot of other creatures you should at least consider it.
Mesmeric Orb - I love this card for mill, gets the ball rolling quickly and you can set it and forget it. Come prepared to recycle your GY though, because it hits you too.
Mind Stone - A decent ramp card that can be sac'd for a draw later in the came.
Mindcrank - Win con and combo enabler. Goes infinite with an active Bloodchief Ascension or with an activated Duskmantle Guildmage, but is also just good for however you're getting cards into the graveyard.
Swiftfoot Boots - See Greaves above. Consider it depending on your creatures.
3 Drops
Chromatic Lantern - Great for ensuring you get Lazav's color fixing, but I usually reserve this for tri-color decks.
Coalition Relic - this is great for mana fixing, similar to Chromatic Lantern; however, this may be better in a dual color deck as you can get 2 extra mana out of it if you plan ahead.
Sword of Body and Mind -
Sword of Feast and Famine -
Trepanation Blade -
Whispersilk Cloak - This card shines in decks that runs lots of beaters Wrex or Mirko Vosk
4 Drops
Grimoire of the Dead
5 Drops
Conjurer's Closet
Enchantments
1 Drops
Bloodchief Ascension
Training Grounds
2 Drops
Bitterblossom
3 Drops
Memory Erosion
Phyrexian Arena
Rhystic Study
5 Drops
Dire Undercurrents
Instants and Sorceries
Bribery
Glimpse the Unthinkable
Fabricate
Go for the Throat
Increasing Confusion
Reanimate
Demonic Tutor
Mind Grind
Pact of Negation
Psychic Drain
Mind Funeral
Windfall
Yawgmoth's Will
Whispering Madness
Beacon of Unrest
Life's Finale
Telemin Performance
Traumatize
Mystical Tutor
Perplex
Recoil
Fact or Fiction
Memory Plunder
Archive Trap
Planeswalkers
Discard
Liliana Vess
Mill
Jace. Memory Adept
Lands
Island
Swamp
Watery Grave
Darkslick Shores
Drowned Catacomb
Darkwater Catacombs
Sunken Ruins
Nephalia Drownyard
Rogue's Passage
Temple of the False God
Bad River
Barren Moor
Command Tower
Creeping Tar Pit
Dimir Aqueduct
Dreadship Reef
Evolving Wilds
Exotic Orchard
Lonely Sandbar
Tainted Isle
Vesuva
Tolaria West
Strip Mine
Thespian's Stage
Reliquary Tower
High Market
Ghost Quarter
Buried Ruin
Bojuka Bog
Academy Ruins
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Vesuva
Terramorphic Expanse
Underground River
Strip Mine
High Market
Barren Moor
Cabal Coffers
Dreadship Reef
Lonely Sandbar
Something not in the list that you think deserves a mention? Sound off in the comments!
Nekusar, the Mindrazer
4 Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
Creatures (18)
2 Baleful Strix
2 Duskmantle Guildmage
2 Invisible Stalker
3 Dimir Cutpurse
3 Dimir Doppelganger
3 Liliana's Specter
3 Trinket Mage
3 Undercity Informer
4 Archaeomancer
4 Dreamborn Muse
4 Notion Thief
4 Sewer Nemesis
4 Undead Alchemist
5 Consuming Aberration
5 Nemesis of Reason
6 Consecrated Sphinx
7 Diluvian Primordial
7 Sepulchral Primordial
Sorcery (13)
1X Increasing Confusion
1 Reanimate
2 Demonic Tutor
3 Fabricate
3 Mind Funeral
3 Windfall
3 Yawgmoth's Will
4 Whispering Madness
5 Beacon of Unrest
5 Telemin Performance
5 Traumatize
6 Life's Finale
0 Pact of Negation
1 Mystical Tutor
2 Go for the Throat
3 Perplex
3 Recoil
4 Fact or Fiction
4 Memory Plunder
5 Archive Trap
Enchantment (6)
1 Bloodchief Ascension
2 Bitterblossom
3 Memory Erosion
3 Phyrexian Arena
3 Rhystic Study
5 Dire Undercurrents
Artifact (16)
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Expedition Map
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Wayfarer's Bauble
2 Illusionist's Bracers
2 Lightning Greaves
2 Dimir Signet
2 Mesmeric Orb
2 Mindcrank
2 Swiftfoot Boots
3 Sword of Body and Mind
3 Sword of Feast and Famine
3 Trepanation Blade
5 Conjurer's Closet
0 Academy Ruins
0 Bad River
0 Bojuka Bog
0 Buried Ruin
0 Cabal Coffers
0 Command Tower
0 Creeping Tar Pit
0 Darkslick Shores
0 Darkwater Catacombs
0 Drowned Catacomb
0 Evolving Wilds
0 Exotic Orchard
0 Ghost Quarter
8x Island
0 Nephalia Drownyard
0 Reliquary Tower
0 Rogue's Passage
0 Sunken Ruins
5x Swamp
0 Tainted Isle
0 Temple of the False God
0 Terramorphic Expanse
0 Thespian's Stage
0 Tolaria West
0 Underground River
0 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
0 Watery Grave
This deck obviously wants to mill and mill lots. We want to get the opponent's stuff in the graveyard so that we can steal it (Beacon of Unrest, Memory Plunder, Reanimate, Dimir Doppelganger, Sepulchral Primordial or with the big man Lazav himself) or so that the opponent gets milled out of the game.
I generally try to avoid broken infinite combos in my decks; however, there are two that I've included that I should acknowledge:
If either of these two combos are on the board, then as soon as an opponent loses life or puts a card into the graveyard from anywhere, they are immediately decked and/or killed (depending on whether they have more cards in their library or more life). The common denominator for this combo is clearly Mindcrank, so if you don't like infinite combos, I would simply take that card out to make this deck more fair. What I do like about both of these is that they give an opportunity to respond (supposing they aren't countered). Ascension takes several turns to get going and the guildmage requires a pretty big mana investment and is a creature with low P/T.
With that out of the way, we can look at some of the finite synergies that make the deck fun.
Thoughts about card choices or explanations? Disagree with something I wrote? I'm no guru, I just like to play commander, so if you have ideas sound off in the comments!
I have a relatively large card pool that I can dip into if people think I'm missing important cards.
I really appreciate any suggestions that the hive mind may have for me.
Nothing to report yet.
This spoiler can be ignored for the moment
4 Lazav, Dimir Mastermind
The Informants (5)
2 Duskmantle Guildmage
3 Undercity Informer
4 Dreamborn Muse
4 Sewer Nemesis
4 Undead Alchemist
The Surveillance Equipment (11)
0 Nephalia Drownyard
2 Mesmeric Orbs
2 Mindcrank
2X Psychic Drain
3 Memory Erosion
3 Mind Funeral
3 Windfall
4 Whispering Madness
5 Traumatize
2 Invisible Stalker
2 Wight of Precinct Six
5 Consuming Aberration
5 Nemesis of Reason
7 Lord of the Void
Tutors (2)
1 Mystical Tutor
2 Demonic Tutor
Recursion
7 Diluvian Primordial
3 Dimir Doppelganger
6 Geth, Lord of the Vault
7 Sepulchral Primordial
4 Grimoire of the Dead
5 Beacon of Unrest
1 Reanimate
3 Yawgmoth's Will
4 Memory Plunder
Nekusar, the Mindrazer
One thing I do want to add is that I'd try and consider consolidating your posts. Being stretched across 3+ posts is trying. Consider using {HR}Black{/HR} as a divider (with square brackets of course)
UBRSedris, the Necromancer KingUBR