Run of the Mill

The thrill of the mill has been an unattainable goal for Eternal players up until now. With Solitude and Dreamsnatcher it is at least a possibility, if but a slim one. But we control players are always prepared to take one for the team and suffer through another aggrofest for the hope of reaching the sacred place.

What is a milling deck you might ask? It is an archetype which got its name from the Magic card Millstone, which takes cards from the players deck and puts them in their graveyard. A milling deck can also make the opponent overdraw, forcing them to discard excess cards. You win by milling the opponents deck to zero cards left. The typical Magic milling deck plays a lot of milling cards, but Eternal hasn't really had any to speak of until now.

Here these two new miller thrillers have been added to their lonesome buddy Fallen Oni. Mulligan hard for him (trust me) and try to get the Oni resurrection shenanigans going through Shadowlands Guide, Dark Return and eventually Vara, Fate-Touched. Bring fresh Onis into play with Crownwatch Press-Gang, wipe with Harsh Rule and begin anew. Dreamsnatcher buys you time as a good lifegaining blocker that grows through each Oni. Late game he becomes a milling powerhouse and/or mega-lifegainer when you super saiyan him with a 15-card Solitude.

The idea is to slow the opponent down enough by milling away their creatures (and thus impacting their draw) for you to set up Black Iron Manacles and finish with a large Solitude or two. A key thing to remember is to chump with your Onis, or even better Devour them while blocking. You want them in the graveyard so they can be resurrected and mill some more. Also, always target Shadowlands Guide with your Dark Return or Vara if you have Oni in the graveyard.

Is it fun? Lots, if you're into weird durdly stuff. Milling adds a threat axis of its own and makes card draw problematic for your opponent, especially with Manacles out. Fallen Oni can be delightfully annoying when it hits creatures boosted by war cry or those that have been put on top of a deck to be echoed. Once you get the Oni cycle going you can really slow down a lot of decks as well.

Is it any good? Not really. The engine is a bit too clunky still and needs additional supporting cards from future sets. Run of the mill, but that’s how we chill.