10-21-2024

After a month or more away from my local game shop (LGS), I brought my mill deck to legacy Friday Night Magic. It is a work in progress. Here are the contents of my deck on October 10th, 2024:

Bloopers

Right off the bat, I'd like to point out a deck construction blunder. Namely that I that I left in a Marsh Flats from back in the day when I was trying to accommodate Beseech the Mirror in my deck and all fetchlands were geared towards fetching black sources.

Marsh Flats Beseech the Mirror

While playing at my LGS, I tried countering one of my opponent's spell with Daze, but neglected to check whether they had any lands availible. They did in fact have a land. Naturally, they paid 1 mana and I lost a card for no benefit. Hopefully I'll take this lesson to heart and look before leaping with Daze.

Learnings

It is Hard to Resurrect Exiled Creatures

When building, I thought that Proclamation of Rebirth would render my crabs resilient to removal. I thought that my opponent would cast 3 spot removal spells, sending 3 of my crabs to the graveyard, then I would resurrect them with Proclamation of Rebirth netting me +2 card advantage or +0 if they used a sweeper like Wrath of God.

Proclamation of Rebirth Hedron Crab Ruin Crab Fatal Push Wrath of God

What actually happened was that I faced off against a Miracles deck that used cards that removed my cards to places other than the graveyard. Proclamation of Rebirth was a dead card in this match.

Swords to Plowshares 2 Prismatic Ending Terminus

I expect that I'll see plenty of Swords to Plowshares in the Legacy decks I'll face in the future, so I don't want to count on on my creatures going the the graveyard in the future. I could still self mill my own creatures into the graveyard.

Surgical Extraction / Extirpate

Surgical Extraction Extirpate

Mother of Runes

More Threats?

Proactive / Reactive?

Watch out for Sideboard Traps!

My opponent played with only 1 win condition in the first game and no creatures. Accordingly, I sided out all of my creature removal spells. They secretly sided in creatures and proceeded to stomp on my unprotected life total.

Entreat the Angels Swords to Plowshares Triumph of Saint Katherine

Card Research

After the tournament, I visited the online "Gatherer" Magic the Gathering Card Database at gatherer.wizards.com. Here are some of the themes that I searched around:

Exile Graveyards

Counter Spells

Blue Enchantments

White Enchantments

Exile Graveyards

Here are some of my favorite cards that I discovered that exile my opponent's graveyard. I used this search.

;Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver; ;Crypt Incursion; ;Death in Heaven; ;Honor the Fallen; ;Kaya, Geist Hunter; ;Lantern of the lost; ;Mnemonic Betrayal; ;Moratorium Stone; ;Mudhole; ;Once More with Feeling; ;Quash; ;Silent Gravestone; ;The True Scriptures; ;Tombfire; ;Rest in Peace;

Here are some of my favorite ways of exiling cards from graveyards that I remembered from my past.

Tormod's Crypt Extirpate Surgical Extraction Leyline of the Void

Other Pertinent Cards

Here are some other pertinent cards that feel like they might be useful in my deck.

;Humility; ;Grafdigger's Cage; ;Yixlid Jailer; ;Ashiok, Dream Render; ;Test of Talents; ;Crop Rotation; ;Field of Ruin; ;Oboro, Palace in the Clouds; ;Bojuka Bog; ;The Mindskinner#★★★★☆: My cousin brought this new card to my attention. I think it is good enough that I will start testing it out.

Counter Spells

Here are some of the most interesting counter spells that I learned about over this past week. I spent quite a bit of time judging and organizing them. Hopefully, this will pave the way for me rebuilding my mill deck.

Counter Spells - Free, Hard, and General

;Force of Will#★★★★★: Mana-Free. Stops turn 1 combo decks. ;Pact of Negation#★★★★☆:Great at the end of the game. Trigger can be stifled, which makes it sort of like a force of will. ;Thwart#★★★☆☆:Great if returning Islands helps and you can wait for turn 3. ;Flare of Denial#★★★★☆: Great if you can wait for a blue creature.

Counter Spells - Free, Hard, and Narrow

;Mental Misstep#★★★★★: My only regret is that I never got to have fun with this card. It is banned in Legacy. ;Force of Negation#★★★★☆:Like Force of Will, but a bit Narrower. Easier to hard cast though. ;Cerulean Drake#★★★★☆: Strong protection against a burn spell. Blocks Flying Creature. ;Counterbalance##★★★★☆: Generates Consistent Card Advantage in the right deck. The opponent has some ways of playing around it and it can be ineffective at stopping an opponent's game-winning spell. ;Chalice of the Void##★★★★☆: Generates Virtual Advantage in the right deck. Could be useless.

Counter Spells - Free, Soft, and General

;Daze#★★★★★: Free! Returns an Island, which can be reused to trigger landfall! Protects a crab or mother of runes on the first turn! One of the best and most widely played counterspells ever printed! ;Lilting Refrain#★★★★☆: I love how proactive this is. I play it for 2, then it eventually counters a spell later in the game, without me worrying about mana. ;Sunken Field#★★★★☆: I love this card, it essentially denies me and my opponent a land. Weak to Rishadon Port. ;Spiketail Hatchling#★★★☆☆: More expensive than cursecatcher.

Counter Spells - Free, Soft, and Narrow

;Mother of Runes#★★★★★: The Best at what it does! All but gurantees card advantage against spot removal. Also is great for both offensive and defensive combat. ;Spellskite#★★★★☆: Earns Card Advantage against 3 damage burn spells. Great at what it does. Protects, like mother of runes. ;Cursecatcher#★★★★☆: Protects crabs, allows mana to be spent proactively. ;Judge's Familiar#★★★★☆:Proactive. Good colors. I like birds. Protects crabs. Combos with other blue spells as a blue permanant better than daze. ;Unsettled Mariner#★★★☆☆: Slows opponent's spells down. ;Vodalian Hexcatcher#★★☆☆☆: At home in a Merfolk deck.;

Counter Spells - 1 MV, Hard, and General

;Abjure#★★★☆☆: Efficient, Dodges Swords to Plowshares, Can't protect Single permanent. Combos with Painter's Servant. Beautiful Art.; ;Hatching Plans#★★★☆☆: Not a counter-spell, but works well with Abjure.

Counter Spells - 1 MV, Hard, and Narrow

;Blue Elemental Blast#★★★★★: Fantastic sideboard card. Both reactive and proactive, Combo's with Painter's servant, ... ;Consign to Memory#★★★★★: Protection from multiple triggered graveyard shuffle abilities and colorless spells. ;Hydroblast#★★★★★: Even better than Blue Elemental Blast, since it can target any permanent or spell and count for storm or as a prowess trigger. ;Stifle#★★★★★: The best at what it does. ;An Offer You Can't Refuse#★★★★☆: Non-creature counterspell for 1? This is quite powerful, but I'm not sure how bad the drawback is. ;Diplomatic Escort#★★★★☆: Reusable protector of crabs. Takes mana and is slow.; ;Turn Aside#★★★★☆: Protects a crab! ;Rebuff the Wicked#★★★★☆: Protects a crab; ;Intervene#★★★★☆: Rescues a crab on turn 2. ;Invasive Surgery#★★★★☆:Great against show and tell. Better than Envelop ;Minor Misstep#★★★★☆: Hard counter for many spells I'm likely to see in lagacy. Not as great against chalice of the void on 1 decks. ;Stubborn Denial#★★★★☆: Protects the Mindskinner for 1 mana! ;Siren Stormtamer#★★★☆☆: Like its instant brethren, but can also combo as a blue creature on the field. Blocks flying. Worse, since it requires the same mana available but lacks the surprise of a spell in hand; ;Dispel#★★★☆☆: Protects crabs from instants, but not sorceries. Doesn't stop show and tell.; ;Envelop#★★★☆☆: Protects crabs from sorceries, but not instants. Stop show and tell. ;Nix#★★★☆☆: Wins a permission battle. Not great by itself against most threats. Great defense against counter spells. ;Stern Scolding#★★★☆☆: Sideboard against aggresive creature decks such as elves or goblins. ;Strix Serenade#★★★☆☆: Sideboard against proactive decks. Hard counter when I have an appropriate defense. ;Swan Song#★★★☆☆: Sideboard against reactive decks. Hard counter when I have an appropriate defense. ;Spell Snare#★★★☆☆: In legacy, people like to play 1 mana spells over 2 mana spells. ;Annul#★★☆☆☆: Sideboard card at best. ;Avoid Fate#★★☆☆☆:Saves crab from some removal. I wish it were blue. ;Ceremonious Rejection#★★☆☆☆: Could be a good sideboard card against Eldrazi decks, but doesn't counter Emrakul. ;Guttural Response#★★☆☆☆: Sideboard at best. Protects crabs from only blue instants, but not sorceries / swords. Doesn't stop show and tell.; ;Outwit#★★☆☆☆: Doesn't protect crabs. Doesn't stop chalice of the void. Seems rather narrow. Good against burn or a control deck that targets a player for drawing. ;Steel Sabotage#★★☆☆☆: Sideboard or artifact self-bounce. ;Wash Away#★★☆☆☆: Sideboard? Generally worse than counterspell. ;Ertai's Trickery#★☆☆☆☆: Too narrow

Counter Spells - 1 MV, Soft, and Narrow

;Flusterstorm#★★★★☆:Hard to counter. Can protect crabs. Great against storm. ;Spell Pierce#★★★★☆: More effective than Daze on the draw, but isn't free and doesn't stop creatures.; ;Concerted Defense#★★★☆☆: Playable in the right deck.; ;Disrupt#★★★☆☆: Helpful in early game. Card Advantage. Useless in later game, unless I pressure opponent's mana base.

Counter Spells - 2+ MV, Hard, and General

;Mana Drain#★★★★★: Better than counterspell! Banned in legacy. Requires mana. ;Counterspell#★★★☆☆: The standard. General, always works, card advantage neutral. ;Rewind#★★★☆☆: Good in Draw-Go decks and High Tide Decks. ;Deprive#★★★☆☆: Hard counter. Land return could be useful but I'd usually prefer Daze.; ;Fear of Impostors#★★★☆☆: Card Advantage if we can easily defeat 2/2 creatures. ;Rites of Refusal#★★★☆☆: Enables discard. Might be good in reanimator. ;Familiar's Ruse#★★☆☆☆:Might not work, but helpful with creatures with ETB and LTB triggers. ;Voidmage Prodigy#★★☆☆☆: Mana expensive. At home in a wizard deck for maximum payoff. ;Dash Hopes#★☆☆☆☆: Doesn't seem very good...

Counter Spells - 2 MV, Hard, and Narrow

;Hindering Light#★★★★☆: Good defense against spot removal or burn spells. Doesn't stop show and tell or opponent's permanent threats. Card Advantage. ;Keep Safe#★★★★☆: Almost as good as Hindering Light. ;Confound#★★★★☆: Saves crab. Card advantage.; ;Dovin's Veto#★★★★☆:Wins permission battles.; ;Teferi's Response#★★★★☆: Works well protecting Sunken Field. I wonder if I could make my crabs into lands? +2 Card Advantage! ;Test of Talents#★★★★☆: More expensive than Invasive Surgery, but borader and more reliable. Great against show and tell. ;Trickbind#★★★★☆: More expensive than stifle. Shuts down an activated ability for an entire turn. Can't be easily countered. ;Burnout#★★★☆☆: Half of REB + card advantage, might be good in a red deck; ;Defabricate#★★★☆☆:Flexible, but each effect is weaker than alternatives. ;Dimir Charm#★★★☆☆: Flexible, but effects seem narrow; ;Get Out#★★★☆☆: Worse than counterspell, but flexible. ;Grimoire Thief#★★★☆☆: Repeatable Mill 3. Highly situational counter. ;Laquatus's Disdain#★★★☆☆: Side board card. Card Advantage. ;Mindreaver#★★★☆☆: Johnny card. Mills 3 per spell that targets it. Seems hard to get much value out of this card. Mana expensive. Unreliable Counter. Combos with Repplicate spells such as Consign to Memory, Gigadrowse, Mists of Lorien, and Shattering Spree! ;Tale's End#★★★☆☆: More expensive than stifle. Not as good as Trickbind. ;Disrupting Shoal#★★☆☆☆: I'd rather have a force of will, a counter spell, or a counter balance.; ;Drown in the Loch#★★☆☆☆:Worst than counterspell at countering. Doesn't usually defeat a Murktide Regent. ; ;Long River's Pull#★★☆☆☆: A bit worse than counterspell, but could combo into a mill kill; ;Permission Denied#★★☆☆☆: Worse than counterspell. I feel like my opponent would cast all of their instants in response to this and I still need to win the first permission battle. ;Extinguish#★☆☆☆☆: Worse than Envelop. ;False Summoning#★☆☆☆☆:Worse than counterspell; ;Flash Counter#★☆☆☆☆:Worse than Dispel. ;Horribly Awry#★☆☆☆☆: Most protection from blue cards can already be countered by counterspell. I don't see the upside to this one.

Counter Spells - 2+ MV, Soft, and General

;Power Sink#★★★★☆: Great with Choke or back to basics ;Remand#★★★★☆: Great against counterspells. Target my own spell to save it and draw a card. Nostalgia. ;Delay#★★★☆☆:The Johnny in me likes this card.; ;Ertai's Meddling#★★★☆☆: The Johnny in me likes this card. ;Memory Lapse#★★★☆☆: Johnny card. Might be counterspell in a mill deck. ;Broken Ambitions#★★☆☆☆: Counter + mill, but not reliable. ;Censor#★★☆☆☆: I'd rather use Daze, cycling could be useful; ;Ghost-Lit Warder#★★☆☆☆: Mana expensive. Reusable. Might not work. ;Grip of Amnesia#★★☆☆☆: Worse than counterspell. Card Advantage. Choices tend to be weak. ;Busted!#★☆☆☆☆: Not legacy legal, worse than counterspell; ;Condescend#★☆☆☆☆: Seem like it is often worse than counterspell ;Dazzling Denial#★☆☆☆☆: Worse than counterspell. ;Change the Equation#★☆☆☆☆: Worse than counterspell; ;Sink into Stupor#Kind of like Remand. Beautiful Art!;

Counter Spells - 2 MV, Soft, and Narrow

;Malevolent Hermit#★★☆☆☆: Proactive, but mana expensive. Can delay opponent at best. ;Anticognition#★☆☆☆☆: Usually worse than counterspell. ;Second Guess#★☆☆☆☆: Worse than counterspell.

Counter Spells - Other

Other Cards Found by Accident

;Mercurial Spelldancer#★★★★☆: Johnny card. Might combo with The Mindskinner and go well in a spell focused mill deck. ;Helix Pinnacle#★★☆☆☆: Needs deck to be built around it. It would take a while to win with this enchantment. ;Pixie Illusionist#★★☆☆☆: Counter to blood moon?; ;Moonring Island#★☆☆☆☆: This doesn't seem great. I like the art.;

BOUNCE

;Barrin, Tolarian Archmage; ;Aether Channeler; ;Thwart; ;Snap; ;Filter Out; ;Rushing River; ;Riptide Laboratory; ;Dour Port-Mage; ;Mistvein Borderpost; ;Trade Routes; ;Venser, Shaper Savant;

BLUE CARDS

;Ideas Unbound; ;Planar Genesis; ;Flare of Denial; ;Thwart; ;Hullbreaker Horror; ;Kira, Great Glass-Spinner; ;Manipulate Fate; ;Cursecatcher; ;The Reality Chip; ;Dream Halls; ;Unmoored Ego; ;Quicken; ;Diabolic Vision; ;Invasive Surgery; ;Energy Field; ;Halo Forager; ;An offer you can't refuse; ;Dream Salvage; ;Essence Flux; ;Tainted Indulgence; ;Pongify; ;Wonderscape Sage; ;Temporal Trespass; ;Dour Port-Mage; ;Judge's Familiar; ;Demilich; ;Likeness Looter; ;Words of Wind; ;Copy Land; ;Training Grounds; ;Rapid Hybridization; ;Goblin Electromancer; ;Baral, Chief of Compliance; ;Mana Maze; ;Polymorphist's Jest; ;Spy Network; ;Reenact the Crime; ;Orazca Puzzle-Door; ;Rewind; ;Winged Words; ;Web of Inertia; ;Outwit; ;Peer through Depths; ;Thought Erasure; ;Teferi's Ageless Insight; ;Teferi's Realm;