Welcome to my casual but quite potent Mill deck. If everything goes round, you usually win arount turn 5 or 6, which i think is quite fast.
One of the most important decisions was not trying to attack both the library and the life, which is the reason why I don't play Jace's Phantasm or Wight of Precinct Six and the like. Nighthowler is kind of an exception but seemed one of the most effective cards for not being stomped over.
The best card in this deck is definitely Mesmeric Orb. On the first sight, one could say that it could be risky by demising your own deck, but as you play mill, you definitely will mill the opponent more than that. (Unless he plays mill too.) It never happened to me, that the opponent had less cards in his library than me and who cares if I win with 40 or 20 cards in my own. Test it and you will like it, usually does something like 15 or 20 cards, absolute removal bait. user:GodofNight says "People think twice about casting that extra creature, or attacking with that creature, or tapping all of that mana. Either they aren't doing things, which is great for me, or they are losing things, which is also great for me."
The Hedron Crab also does alot (usually at least 8 cards for U which is great, plus being a one-time-blocker) and is supported by the Evolving Wilds and Dimir Aqueduct, which i want to add some more of. (Polluted Delta is above my budget, but it would be 6 mill for a land. Imagine having more than one... Oboro, Palace in the Clouds would also be absolutely nice, no more missed land drops)
Be aware that you can play Dimir Aqueduct and return itself to your hand to prevent having too much mana if that should be the case.
The Deck is also a bit thin on CC 4, which I want to fix too.
I'm thinking about adding 1 or two more Startled Awake
or Mind Funeral.
The Spontaneous Mutation relies quite much on the Mesmeric Orb, a recent addition that still needs to be tested.
Everything in here that doesn't mill is probably one of the following "I don't want to die" Cards:
2 Crypt Incursion: Generates a shitload of life (typically at least around 30) with instant speed. Thanks to Mesmeric Orb, you can also use your own graveyard if you have to.
1 Royal Assassin: Makes your Opponent not want to attack
3 Vampire Nighthawk: Same thing plus always generates two or more life.
2 Murder: obvious. Still not sure about the Grizzly Spectacle which needs fat boys on the opponent's side.
2 Mana Leak: should be clear too
1 Agony Warp: both removal + less Damage
1 Infest: Holding back masses if they should come
2 consuming abberation / Nighthowler: Getting big (maybe around 20 or 30) to handle big trampling creatures of the opponent. The abberation | consuming abberation even does some more mill - defenitely a win-con. Also happens from time to time that they swing the opponents life, but that's not intended as I focus on milling cards to win.
I'm also thinking about adding some discard control like Hypnotic Specter, Duress, Whispers of Emrakul or Mind Rot (I'm welcome to other suggestions) to get rid of potential threats in advance. Also added some ideas to the maybeboard.
Maybe adding Delirium cards is also an idea as the Orb shovels your graveyard full of stuff and I easily get lands, instants, sorceries and creatures in the GY.
I'm not playing Mind Grind because of the mana curve being not that high, I usually don't want to have more than 5 mana. Mind Grind only starts to do more than Mind Funeral if X is greater than 4 and actually I'm not even playing a playset of them.
I'm also thinking about Jace Beleren, but he seemed too risky for me, worst case is having him as early as T3, getting him removed T7 with 11 Counters. It was 3 Mana for 4 Cards for me AND THE OPPONENT. Don't think, I can risk that.
I'd really apreciate your ideas :)
Not making the cut because of my budget:
Snapcaster Mage would be huge in here, recasting your spells from the graveyard
Glimpse the Unthinkable Is of course the most efficient mill but also an expensive card, which is above my budget. Still, it's a two mana sorcery that dumps 10 cards from the top of the opponent's library into their graveyard. I'm playing the strictly worse Breaking // Entering instead, which is at least better than Mind Sculpt. I don't want to touch the red Entering side.
Polluted Delta would be 6 mill with Hedron Crab plus fetchie goodie
Oboro, Palace in the Clouds as stated
Ensnaring Bridge could also replace propaganda
