Archive Trap

Instant — Trap

If an opponent searched his or her library this turn, you may pay {{0}} rather than pay Archive Trap's mana cost.

Target opponent puts the top thirteen cards of his or her library into his or her graveyard.

Discussion (45)

VayraTheGatherer on Competitive Dimir Mill

4 days ago

Have you considered Scheming Symmetry ? I run this card in my puoneer mill deck and its a really cool 1 drop, that works with Archive Trap .

Caerwyn on Dimir Mill

1 week ago

Dimir Aqueduct is a bad card and does not belong in any decks. Even on a budget there are vastly better two-colored lands. Same goes with Fetid Pools and every other enters-tapped land. Realistically, you want your mana base to mostly be fetch lands to trigger your crabs.

Which, on that note, you should be running a full contingent of 8 crabs.

Add 4x Archive Trap to punish opponent fetches and 2-3x Field of Ruin to force players to search their library so you can fire off Traps.

Mind Grind is a waste of mana. You are better off using those two slots for another Glimpse the Unthinkable and Fractured Sanity .

Grindclock is another bad card--it takes way too long. Think of Mill like a burn deck where you want to "burn" your opponent's life total as quicky as possible.

You will want something that can bounce permanents in your sideboard--mill is in a lot of trouble if a Leyline of Sanctity effect hits the field. Another option is running more fetches, throwing a few Overgrown Tomb s into the mix, and running a couple copies of Assassin's Trophy to take out those pesky cards that you cannot otherwise deal with.

Ensnaring Bridge is another decent sideboard option.

Mousemke on Fractured Cacophony (hyper mill)

1 week ago

wallisface yeah, my currently built deck is more controley, but i'm trying this. i woud say best case you Scheming Symmetry in to an Archive Trap , worst case you mill away their selection. Either way you can set yourself up for next turn.

wallisface on Fractured Cacophony (hyper mill)

1 week ago

I’d be interested to hear how Scheming Symmetry has gone for you. My own play-testing of that card found that the card-disadvantage it creates just made it not worth it. It also always felt really situational as you needed a draw-card in hand to actually grab the Archive Trap (if you were trying to pull off that combo). Interested in hearing your own take on the card, and whether you’ve found it worthwhile. I play a much more controlly build, it may be that its more practical in racey mill decks??

Mousemke on Competitive Dimir Mill

2 weeks ago

my take on mill

i like Maddening Cacophony , i think i'll up my board to 4, but i still think Glimpse the Unthinkable is a better option

i dont have this in my main yet, but i have been playing with Scheming Symmetry to trigger Archive Trap .

antacidbrn on Modern Mill Deck Help

3 weeks ago

TriusMalarky - I did in fact retire the mill deck prior to ruin crab, so "8 Crab" was not flown. After I failed with Drown in the Loch , I retired the deck.

A lot has changed in Modern but a lot has not. Mill feels like a Burn deck, but rather than deal 20 damage, I now have to "burn" 52 cards. The opponent instantly knows what the plan, and they react accordingly. TBH, the most impactful spell was Archive Trap but even then, it was only 13 cards down.

You have several challenges: answering your opponent's threats, and no combat to speak of, milling their cards, keeping the graveyard empty.

I tried building the deck in many ways:

1. As a control deck with Ensnaring Bridge , Mesmeric Orb , Surgical Extraction , etc.

2. As a hybrid beatdown deck with Jace's Phantasm , Vantress Gargoyle , and Delver of Secrets  ^Flip.

3. As a combo deck, going Esper, to use Winds of Abandon , Scheming Symmetry and Archive Trap .

I learned that the deck loses to Tribal decks such as Goblins, Elves and Spirits.

It loses to Collected Company and Infect decks. At the time, Affinity was a rough matchup, but so was Death's Shadow and Jund threats.

Some decks such as Dredg just got better when they were being milled, so anything which used the grave as a resource was rough.

In conclusion, it was fun to be "the mill player" and you always got a lot of attention as the villain. It was also fun to watch people get killed. But I never won anything more than a few pity packs.

Caerwyn on Modern Mill Deck Help

3 weeks ago

wallisface - One countermeasure against Leyline of Sanctity is splashing for Assassin's Trophy . Since the deck should be full of fetch lands anyway, you only need two copies of Overgrown Tomb or Breeding Pool (which depends on whether you want more blue or black lands) to get Assassin's Trophy online.

Plus, as an additional boon, most players will not search for the land when hit by the Trophy, fearing an Archive Trap . Or, better yet, they will search, and you can blast them with an Archive Trap .

Hardhitta7 on Competitive Dimir Mill

3 weeks ago

Archive Trap is the best mill card in the deck, almost every deck in Modern plays fetchlands, would definitely keep 4 copies. Plus Field of Ruin can make them search.

I would make room for some Drown in the Loch or Fatal Push . Gonna need to kill Monastery Swiftspear , Soul-Scar Mage , and Sprite Dragon early cause they can kill you quick.

I’ve also seen a lot of people run Shelldock Isle . Can get you a free Archive Trap or something later on.