An attempt at a somewhat budget EDH deck with Phenax, God of Deception at the helm. Aim of the game is to win by milling out opponents through a combination of incremental mill effects, large toughness creatures, and Paradox Engine untap effects.
Card By Card
Phenax, God of Deception - A powerful indestructible enchantment at worst, and a lean, mean, milling machine at best.
Altar of the Brood - Set it and forget it mill for every time a permanent enters the battlefield. Great synergy with Undead Alchemist for huge milling potential.
Archive Trap - A free mill spell in a format where tutors reign supreme. Very powerful and great instant speed mill.
Burnished Hart - Ramp in a dimir deck is hard to come by. A pet love card of mine.
Circu, Dimir Lobotomist - Makes all of your spells have the bonus of exiling a card from the top of a library. Powerful if you end up exiling staples like Sol Ring or similar.
Codex Shredder - Mill or Recursion as the situation demands. Can be useful for returning spells such as Traumatize to your hand
Commander's Sphere - Mana fixing and draw in a pinch.
Consuming Aberration - Milling all star, blocker, and huge body for Phenax milling. Very good in this deck.
Countermand - A 2-in-1 which counters and mills. Functions as a not as good, sort-of secondary Induce Paranoia in a pinch.
Crook of Condemnation - Graveyard Hate. Shuts down graveyard strategies and shenanigans such as Karador, Ghost Chieftain and Kess, Dissident Mage.
Darksteel Ingot - Indestructible mana fixing.
Dimir Cluestone - Mana Fixing or Instant Speed Draw if required.
Dimir Keyrune - Mana Fixing or a beater for use in conjunction with Mindcrank if required.
Dimir Signet - Low cost ramp and fixing. EDH staples for a reason.
Dramatic Reversal - Instant speed untap of all creatures. considering adding an Isochron Scepter for shenanigans of that nature.
Dread Summons - A mill spell that makes bodies all in one. Very handy in the mid-game.
Duskmantle Guildmage - Part of an infinite mill combo with Mindcrank or a source of mill in and of itself.
Elixir of Immortality - Emergency graveyard reshuffling.
Endbringer - Included more for his untap clause than anything else, can draw or serve as removal in a pinch however.
Fog Bank - A pet favourite blocker of mine. Neutralises combat threats whilst milling two if needed. Part of the Wall tribal subtheme.
Forced Fruition - A wincon for the deck. Opponents will draw so many cards that they can't hold onto, or even deck themselves out.
Fraying Sanity - An absolute house of a card. Doubles milling potential, and is particularly spicy paired with a well-timed Traumatize.
Geth, Lord of the Vault - Steals milled cards and continues to mill. A useful mana sink.
Ghoulcaller's Bell - Simple mill. Can actually be very powerful with Paradox Engine and Lantern of Insight for library manipulation.
Glacial Wall - A big blocker in the early game and a potent mill source in the late. Very useful.
card:Grinclock - Best used in conjunction with Paradox Engine for maximising adding counters and milling.
Guard Gomazoa - A secondary Fog Bank, blocks and mills effectively.
Havengul Lich - Steal opponents graveyard targets or reanimates our own.
Honden of Night's Reach - A discard on our turn for opponents reduced opponent's threat potential.
Honden of Seeing Winds - Draw on our upkeep, useful part of the Shrine package.
Hover Barrier - Wall subtheme blocker. Can be beefy when needed to mill.
Increasing Ambition - Can tutor for needed cards.
Increasing Confusion - A good mana sink that is best left in the graveyard long enough for opponents to forget about it.
Jace's Erasure - A set-it-and-forget-it mill enchantment.
Jace, Memory Adept - The OG Mill-walker. Mills ten cards a turn, draws, and ultimate can be a win condition. Well worth the inclusion.
Keening Stone - Can mill and opponent out single handed. Particularly potent with Paradox Engine and artifact mana.
King Macar, the Gold-Cursed - Mills cards then exiles an opposing creature during our untap step. Very potent in the right situation.
Knacksaw Clique - Can untap itself with its ability and nets free cards as it does so. Can ramp, steal, and mill.
Laboratory Maniac - An emergency win condition against some decks.
Lantern of Insight - Useful for top of library manipulation. Plan is similar to the Lantern Control archetype found in modern.
Lazav, Dimir Mastermind - A clone that can become anything we mill. Versatile in certain situations.
Manic Scribe - Delirium trigger is not difficult to achieve. Can mill consistently if it is on the field.
Memory Erosion - Another set-it-and-forget-it mill enchantment. Turns every opponents spell into a gradual but powerful mill effect.
Mind Stone - Ramp and draw.
Mind's Dilation - Powerful steal effect. Useful for removing library tops and gaining opponent's resources.
Mindcrank - Infinite win-con with Duskmantle Guildmage or simply an incentive for attacks in multiplayer games.
Nighthowler - Reasonable creature or a powerful enchantment if placed on a creature such as Phenax, God of Deception himself.
Nihil Spellbomb - Graveyard Hate and draw when needed.
Paradox Engine - Untaps nonland permanents every time you cast a spell. A considerable engine in this deck. If it sticks around, the clock of the game is sped up considerably.
Pilfered Plans - Not the greatest or flashiest spell in the deck, but the draw / mill effect can be good in a pinch.
Psychic Spiral - Potentially a powerful mill spell whilst simultaneously shuffling your graveyard back.
Psychic Strike - Counterspell with an additional mill two.
Relic of Progenitus - Exiling graveyard hate and draw in a pinch.
Sadistic Sacrament - Removes pesky Eldrazi and graveyard shufflers when un-kicked, removes most of the enemy threat if resolved kicked.
Sire of Stagnation - A big body for Phenax that also exiles cards and grants draws whenever an opponent plays a land? Where do I sign up?!
Siren of the Silent Song - Inspired trigger can trigger more than once a turn in many situations, and can prove very powerful when it clears an opponents hand.
Sol Ring - Simple artifact-based mana ramp that can get out of control with Paradox Engine.
Sphinx's Tutelage - Yet another set-it-and-forget-it card that can mill out a lot per turn.
Staff of Nin - Upkeep card draw and pinger for small mana dorks.
Thought Vessel - No maximum hand size and artifact based ramp.
Tormod's Crypt - Exiling graveyard hate. Powerful, targeted, and costs nothing.
Traumatize - A powerful mill spell that can become a win condition with Fraying Sanity.
Undead Alchemist - Creates bodies as a result of milling and those bodies mill with Phenax, netting more zombies. Exiling creatures also hoses many strategies such as Alesha, Who Smiles at Death and Karador, Ghost Chieftain.
Wall of Frost - Super taps creatures blocked by it and has a large toughness for Phenax. Wall tribal powerhouse.
Wrexial, the Risen Deep - Big bodied, swampwalking, spell-stealing monster. Useful as it exiles the biggest spells rather than returns them, reducing the danger of aiding a Kess, Dissident Mage or Dralnu, Lich Lord deck.
