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Phenax's Dutch Mill *PRIMER*

Commander / EDH Bracket 3 Casual Control Mill Multiplayer UB (Dimir)

NV_1980

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Land (36)

Instant (4)

Planeswalker (2)

Creature (25)

Enchantment (8)

Commander (1)

Commander: Phenax, God of Deception

Artifact (13)

Sorcery (11)

Welcome to Phenax’s Dutch Mill

Hi there! Welcome to the primer of this Dimir, mega-mill deck; commanded by Phenax, God of Deception. The Netherlands are a beautiful country filled with pretty canals, meadows and lots of fluffy cattle. What the hell does that have to do with MTG you ask? Absolutely nothing! Which is what your deck is about to become. Say 'hi' to the silent annihilator of decks: Phenax! His Dutch mill is ready for some grinding, for this deck is meant to pulverize the shit out of every other deck on the table, while simultaneously trying to deal some serious damage and give opponents a hard time getting back their stuff from their graveyards. This deck is meant to be played casually. It’s not meant to be used in a competitive fashion, but of course anyone is welcome to try! Feel free to comment on anything you (dis)like throughout this primer; hope you will enjoy it!

Because milling opponents to death can be a surprisingly fun activity and Phenax is one of the best milling enablers. Thanks to him, all of the deck’s creatures can join in on the milling fun! A milling strategy also has many advantages. First off, that moment of dread in players’ faces when you start skimming off their decks is just delicious. You can almost see most of them thinking: “please, don’t let it be anything important!” And with good reason, many opposing strategies based on key cards (or even combos) will suffer severely against a milling strategy. Second, it’s easy. Milling doesn’t require many different cards (at the same time) in order to do it well, it doesn’t necessitate the use of permanents (except for mana sources of course) and a single, relatively cheap-to-cast card can have severe milling impact. Third, milling everyone fills up graveyards, which strengthens a number of creatures and spells. It also provides me with an alternative to obtain value from other places than just my own deck.

The following ten parameters have been used to determine the strength of the deck. For each, a score of 5 (very good), 4 (good), 3 (mediocre), 2 (bad) or 1 (very bad) has been allocated; when totalized this score represents the power rating of the deck (maximum score is 50 points).

  • Mana: indicates the availability of mana sources within the deck.
  • Ramp: indicates the speed at which mana sources within the deck can be made available.
  • Card Advantage: indicates availability of filter- and draw resources represented within the deck.
  • Overall speed: indicates the deck’s potential for pace, based on resource availability and mana curve.
  • Combo: indicates the measure of combo-orientation of the deck.
  • Army: indicates the deck’s creature-army strength.
  • Commander: indicates how much the deck is commander-oriented/dependent (less dependency is better).
  • Interaction: indicates how much this deck can mess with opponents’ board states and turn-phases.
  • Resilience: indicates whether the deck can prevent and take punches.
  • Spellpower: indicates the availability and strength of high-impact spells.

Mana: 3

Dimir colors offer very little in terms of mana-resource options (especially cheap-to-cast ones), so for the most part this deck relies on artifacts for its energy needs. Additional mana can be provided by seven artifact rocks, an instant (black) mana spell and two artifacts that help at cheapening casts.

Ramp: 1

Not sure if this should be considered ramping, but an artifact that can steal lands from opposing graveyards has been included, which works very well in a mill deck!

Card Advantage: 5

No deck featuring blue is complete without copious amounts of card-advantage resources to make use of, so this deck is no different! In all it features sixteen cards that support this particular area. Eight of these are direct draw resources. Second strongest category is comprised of theft cards (five options). The remainder are tutors (two cards) and a repeatable wheel. Let’s face it though, the deck’s real card-advantage resources are its mill-cards, that deprive everyone else of their libraries.

Overall speed: 3

Compared to the average EDH deck, this particular one is considered of medium speed. Its mana resources are mediocre, its card advantage resources are relatively good and it’s average CMC isn’t very high. In order to cast from an early stage, it is really quite dependent on its rocks and cost-reduction enablers. However, when combined with the deck’s excellent CA-options and a low average CMC, it can hit the ground running and expand fast.

Combo: 2

There’s a few ways in which this deck is able to create infinite mill cycles, by damaging opponents per mill-cycle and having the damage itself be a trigger for a new mill-cycle. Other ways to win includes stealing opponents’ stuff and overpowering them with that OR use ways to have opponents mill their entire library in a single move.

Army: 3

Just about all of the twenty-six creatures in this deck, have been added not so much with the thought of strengthening the deck’s combat abilities, but more with the thought in mind that either they enable (more) milling OR they somehow can provide me with benefits caused by milling. About half the deck’s creatures has been chosen for this army because of (in part) their relatively high toughness scores (compared to their power scores).

Commander: 5

Though Phenax is a fantastic mill-enabler, the deck features a lot of very strong mill potential alongside. Thus having him out feels more like an added bonus to an already strong ensemble, instead of a true necessity.

Interaction: 5

If screwing with peoples’ libraries is not considered interaction, I wouldn’t know what is. Twenty-four cards allow for direct milling, while another seven creatures combined with the commander provide strong additional milling opportunities. Aside from milling, the deck has some decent stealing options, as well as some bounce/countering options.

Resilience: 1

In terms of protection, recursion and recovery, this deck scores very little points in its current configuration. It’s focused on offense much more than it is on defense.

Spellpower: 4

When it comes to pure, power-castings, this deck really has a nice number of doozies ready to rock! Ten very strong mill-spells with tremendous impact potential and a number of other very powerful draw and drain enablers.

Total power score: 32

Though the power-score for this deck is listed as relatively average, the easiness with which it influences play for all decks it faces simultaneously makes it more of a high-ender. Its resourcing is good, its speed is average but once it gets momentum it’s going to be very hard to stop by almost any conceivable deck (because practically none can function without too much of their libraries going missing).

Winning by milling everyone around oneself into oblivion; that’s usually how this deck wins. In order to not be fully dependent on this mechanism, some secondary win-mechanisms have been added. These involve applying combat damage OR winning through life-drain. Opponents usually know that milling can be applied very aggressively and more importantly; indiscriminately. Hence, when playing a deck like this, it’s a ticking time-bomb that can potentially vaporize everyone. This paints a huge target on the wielder’s back. In order to not always be singled out as the first player to be ganged up on, it’s been decided to include lots of targeted mill, which allows a more political approach during group games and forge (temporary) alliances with opponents that rather not have their libraries emptied.

At least three cards in the starting hand ought to be lands (or two lands and a cheap-to-cast rock like Arcane Signet, Jet Medallion, Sol Ring or Talisman of Dominance). It is recommended not to start a game without this hand (even if one has to mulligan down to three cards). The ideal hand would also contain some additional ramp and/or low-cost draw options.

The fun part of milling is that it comes in a few different forms, each with its own threat-profile. How much of a threat each form is, depends on the opponents one’s facing. Try to start out by not antagonizing every opponent immediately. This means either focusing all milling efforts against a single opponent OR use a few (low-profile) triggered mill mechanisms on all opponents simultaneously (dependent on what one draws into). Even low-cost mill, costs something though. Therefore, resourcing first. Aside from rocks already mentioned, give priority to cards like Dimir Signet, Fellwar Stone, Sapphire Medallion and Worn Powerstone. If one can get it early, getting Realmbreaker, the Invasion Tree onto the field can make a significant difference, especially during the start-up phase of games.

Cards like Notion Thief, Phyrexian Arena, Ponder, Preordain and Rhystic Study are all excellent enablers of some early card-advantage. Use Dauthi Voidwalker from as early a stage as possible, as through him it’s conceivable to obtain and use a resource that cannot be cast by anyone yet. Of course, cheap-to-cast/use tutors like Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor are especially helpful. During the early game they can find a resource-advantage, while from the mid-game onwards their utility lies more in the finding of combo-pieces.

Once the first mana/card-advantage resources are in place, the first milling cards should appear. It’s preferable to start with cheap permanents as opposed to cheap non-permanents, as the latter often have much more destructive potential when applied in the subsequent game-phases. Ruin Crab, Memory Erosion, Mindcrank and Psychic Corrosion are all excellent as general mill enablers. In case these are not available, low-cost targeted mill can be applied through cards like card:Ashiok, the Nightmare Weaver, Glimpse the Unthinkable, Mind Funeral and Startled Awake  .

When general milling starts, the deck’s game moves into the mid-game phase. From this point on, increase potential for recurrent milling. This is where Phenax comes in, along with some good high-toughness millers. Some favorites include Charix, the Raging Isle, Eater of the Dead, Fleet Swallower and Tree of Perdition. Cards that don’t start with high toughness but have much potential in this regard include options like Clever Impersonator, Consuming Aberration, Mortivore, The Haunt of Hightower and Wight of Precinct Six. If possible, equip these creatures with untap enablers like Freed from the Real or Pemmin's Aura to increase their milling potential per turn. A strong contender alongside all of these, is Bruvac the Grandiloquent who doubles all milling potential.

If recurrent milling through permanents is somehow obstructed, instead try to focus on the most dangerous opponent and target him/her with as much high-powered non-permanent mill spells as possible (usually the one that obstructs permanent milling in the most significant way). This unfortunate individual will find him/herself being targeted by bombs like Fractured Sanity, Maddening Cacophony, Mind Funeral, Singularity Rupture, Traumatize or Jace, Memory Adept’s milling power. If milling through permanents is not obstructed, these sorceries will usually be deployed after some permanent millers have been deployed (against the player(s) who are least likely to be able to counter them).

In the end, abuse the opposing resources that have been milled. Some creatures already mentioned have gained strength because of mills (like Aberration, Mortivore and Wight), but others enable stealing (like card:Breech the Multiverse, card:Lavaz, Dimir Mastermind and Wrexial, the Risen Deep) or draining (with cards like Bloodchief Ascension, Duskmantle Guildmage and Guiltfeeder). Aside from these, combos have been included in the deck that either allow milling everyone’s decks immediately or drain everyone to 0 life through mills.

Reliable sources of mana, and some utility:

The cards used to accelerate mana-availability:

The mechanisms that provide card advantage:

  • Breach the Multiverse: powerful spell that’s very well suited as a game-ender; mill lots of cards and steal the best creatures/planeswalkers from this pile to seal the deal.
  • Captain N'ghathrod: the newest creature-addition to the deck; combined with Phenax he’s a fine miller, but on top of that he also makes horrors even scarier than they already were AND allows the stealing of critters/gizmos from people’s graveyards every turn!
  • Consecrated Sphinx: for every card you get, this deck gets two.
  • Dauthi Voidwalker: with a lot of milling all around, the chances of getting something truly valuable to exchange this wonderful card for are rather good.
  • Demonic Tutor: demons seem to be good at granting boons like this.
  • Jace's Archivist: need a new hand, so let’s force a wheel! Works extremely well when combined with Library of Leng.
  • Library of Leng: discarding usually means losing something permanently. This card though …
  • Notion Thief: that’s not your draw anymore!
  • Ponder/Preordain: drawing cards is always more fun when one first gets to decide which one.
  • Phyrexian Arena: dependable draw at the expense of a little life.
  • Rhystic Study: just about the most perfect draw engine; whenever my deck features blue, this card is in it.
  • Vampiric Tutor: some vampires are worth listening to …
  • Wrexial, the Risen Deep: don’t let it hit you … it will suck-up your non-permanents like you wouldn’t believe!

Cards that kill your library without needing the help of an all-powerful deity:

  • Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver: doesn’t just mill, but exiles! And one gets to steal from its exile pile!
  • Bruvac the Grandiloquent: doubles the milling fun!
  • Consuming Aberration: casting spells means all of you drop those tops into those coffins.
  • Fleet Swallower: it doesn’t have to connect in order to mill HALF someone’s library. Even funnier: it’s not necessarily the defender who loses half their library, so possibility to hit two birds with one stone!
  • Fractured Sanity: mega milling at low cost.
  • Glimpse the Unthinkable: ten cards destroyed, for a next-to-nothing cost!
  • Jace, Memory Adept: it’s a draw engine! No, a mill enablers! No, definitely a draw engine!
  • Maddening Cacophony: an incredibly powerful milling spell, especially when kicked.
  • Memory Erosion: casting your spells costs more than mana now.
  • Mindcrank: losing life just became even more painful.
  • Mind Funeral/Mind Grind: as most EDH decks are 1/3 comprised of lands, a spell like this can easily get rid of a whole bunch of cards.
  • Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker: when this guy connects, lots and lots of milling ensues.
  • Psychic Corrosion: every single card drawn on this end, means you guys lose a few.
  • Ruin Crab: milling upon a landfall trigger. Works well in combination with Realmbreaker, the Invasion Tree; mill with Tree, steal a land, use Crab to mill some more.
  • Singularity Rupture: destroys (almost) everything on the battlefield and mills as many libraries as one wants.
  • Sphinx's Tutelage: the chance at repeated mill against single- and duel-color decks facing this draw-triggered mill is pretty high, so worth the negligible CMC.
  • Traumatize: you’ve just lost half of your library, son!
  • Undead Alchemist: milling means more zombies, more zombies means more milling!

Sometimes milling does require godly help:

  • Charix, the Raging Isle: with a toughness like this, Phenax’s milling power becomes exceptionally strong.
  • Clever Impersonator: potentially super tough, so potentially super good at milling.
  • Eater of the Dead: once this guy gets to milling with Phenax present, there’s the possibility to turn it into an infinite thing (provided one keeps milling creatures).
  • Mortivore/Nighthowler/Sewer Nemesis/Wight of Precinct Six: combined with all the milling that’s going on, these creatures’ power/toughness scores have the potential to explode; which in turn makes them tremendously awesome mill-engines when Phenax is around.
  • The Haunt of Hightower: one of the most powerful vampiric creatures in a deck that forces mills or discards.

Options that make use of full graveyards or provide other flexibility:

  • Bloodchief Ascension: one of the most dangerous drain engines, that requires very little to have milling become extremely dangerous affair.
  • Cyclonic Rift: your hand is not full enough …, please … have some more! *grins evilly*
  • Duskmantle Guildmage: drains opponent’s life-points for each card that’s milled from their library this turn AND it can initiate that milling itself if necessary.
  • Ensnaring Bridge: attacking is not necessary for a win; how about you?
  • Freed from the Real/Pemmin's Aura: helps to untap creatures that were used for milling with, so that one can use them again.
  • Guiltfeeder: this creature feeds upon the emptiness of your brain.
  • Mana Drain: thanks! That pick-me-up was very useful!

Some cards didn’t make the cut, though on occasion they are reconsidered.

  • Altar of the Brood: was in the initial version of the deck, but replaced because the amount of permanents entering the field per turn wasn’t all that great and the deck can’t really flash them either.
  • Counterspell: as opposing players will get very little opportunity to cast what they want to anyway while facing this, the deck could do without spells like these.
  • Fraying Sanity: once attached, it can only be used on the attached opponent, hence it’s less flexible than most other mill resources in this deck.
  • Jace's Erasure: not bad for a milling card, but it’s quite low impact compared to most other milling cards of (almost) similar cost in this deck.
  • Peer into the Abyss: currently doubting on whether to add it (again); it’s a great offensive- and defensive spell in this deck and is killer with draw-triggered milling. The only issue with it is that it really needs to be combined with other cards in order to kill off an opponent. If it doesn’t kill, the threat of it actually enabling victories on the other side is a bit high.
  • Startled Awake  : not bad, but it’s a bit too expensive to use and a lot can go wrong with the skulking creature before it connects.

Appreciate the time you took to read this primer. Hopefully it was entertaining and useful to you. If so, feel free to leave a +1 and/or feedback of any kind in the comments below. Thanks again!

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92% Casual

Competitive

Revision 2 See all

(3 months ago)

-1 Nemesis of Reason main
+1 Singularity Rupture main