Mill
Mill | |
---|---|
Keyword Action | |
Introduced |
Antiquities (mechanic) Core Set 2021 (keyword) |
Last used | Evergreen |
Reminder Text | Mill N cards (Put the top N cards from the library into your/their graveyard.) |
Storm Scale | 1[1] |
Statistics |
408 cards 0.2% 0.5% 37.3% 22.8% 2% 9.1% 0.5% 8.3% 0.2% 3.9% 0.2% 0.7% 2% 10.3% 2% |
Scryfall Search | |
keyword:"Mill" |
Mill is a keyword action used in Magic to describe the action of a player taking cards from the top of their library and putting them into their graveyard. For a player to mill N cards, they put the top N cards from their library into their graveyard. The term alludes to the card Millstone, which was first printed in Antiquities and was the first card to feature this mechanic.
History
The term "mill" originated with the card Millstone, which originally had the text ":Take the top two cards of target player's library and place them in target player's graveyard." As more cards were printed with the "put X cards from a player's library into their graveyard" effect, players began to call it "milling", and the term became accepted informally even by Wizards R&D.[2] The effect was used infrequently until Innistrad block when it saw a noticeable increase. As usage increased, R&D wanted to create an official keyword for this mechanic.[3] Although not officially stated, it is likely they did this for the same reason they have created other standard wording changes and keywords - to save space in the text box. During the development of Shadows over Innistrad, there was a point in which milling played a significant role in the design of the set, and the term “forget” was used for a while during its design.[4]
Ultimately, the term "mill" was chosen both in reference to the original card and because it was already so popular as an informal term—it has permeated into other games and some dictionaries, despite the oblique etymology. It was first introduced as a keyword action on the Mystery Booster test card Truth or Dare (To mill, put the top card of that library into its owner's graveyard), and was officially introduced on tournament-legal cards in Core Set 2021.[5] It was featured soon after as one of the many themes in Jumpstart.
With the release of Core Set 2021, all cards with a milling effect received an Oracle update to use the "mill" keyword. Milling does not include effects that instruct players to look at a card from the top of a library and then possibly move it to a graveyard.[6]
Even before it became a keyword action, milling was and still is essentially an evergreen mechanic, though never formally stated as such, as it appears in almost every set.
Description
Milling is a strategy some decks use which takes advantage of the decking rule.[7][8][9][10] Emptying the opponent's library is one way to ensure a victory, although they do not lose until they actually have to draw a card.
There are two basic types of mill decks. The control deck looks to take over the game through killing the opponent's creatures and countering their spells, using milling as a hard-to-disrupt way to win the game; some actively mill by cards such as Nephalia Drownyard, and some do so passively, most notoriously with Elixir of Immortality like the champion's deck of Pro Tour Magic 2015. The second approach acts like a burn deck by playing primarily mill cards and looks to mill the opponent out as soon as possible.
Cards that cause a player to mill have most often been found in blue (primary) or black (secondary), especially in the Dimir guild of the Ravnica blocks, though most of the earliest milling cards were artifacts. Green (tertiary) usually mills itself caring about what gets milled in some way, but on rare occasion, does that to all players.[11]
Flavor-wise, milling is often portrayed as mental attacks, memory loss, insanity, or drowning.
Related terms
"Self-mill" is the informal term of using mill on yourself in order to fill up your own graveyard or dig through your library. Both blue and black get self-mill both as an effect and a cost.[12]
"Grind" is a variation of milling which puts cards from a player's library into their graveyard until a specified number of land cards are put there.
"Deck", as a verb, is used synonymously with mill, but more specifically when a player has the last cards in their library milled or goes to draw from an empty library. One aims to win through decking by milling, but does not necessarily need to mill in order to deck someone.
Rules
From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- Mill
- To mill a number of cards, a player puts that many cards from the top of their library into their graveyard. See rule 701.13.
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 701.13. Mill
- 701.13a For a player to mill a number of cards, that player puts that many cards from the top of their library into their graveyard.
- 701.13b A player can’t mill a number of cards greater than the number of cards in their library. If given the choice to do so, they can’t choose to take that action. If instructed to do so, they mill as many as possible. Similarly, the player can’t pay a cost that includes milling a number of cards greater than the number of cards in their library.
- 701.13c An effect that refers to a milled card can find that card in the zone it moved to from the library, as long as that zone is a public zone.
- 701.13d If an ability checks information about a single milled card but more than one card was milled, that ability refers to each of the milled cards. If that ability asks for any information about the milled card, such as a characteristic or mana value, it gets multiple answers. If these answers are used to determine the value of a variable, the sum of the answers is used. If that ability performs any actions on “the” card, it performs that action on each milled card. If that ability performs any actions on “a” card, the controller of the ability chooses which card is affected.
From the Comprehensive Rules (June 7, 2024—Modern Horizons 3)
- 104.3c If a player is required to draw more cards than are left in their library, they draw the remaining cards and then lose the game the next time a player would receive priority. (This is a state-based action. See rule 704.)
Rulings
- If a player is instructed to mill more cards than they have in their library, they put all of the cards in their library into their graveyard. On the other hand, if a player is given a choice to mill more cards than they have in their library, they can't choose to do so.
- Once a player's library is empty, that player doesn't lose the game until they try to draw a card and can't.
List of mill instants and sorceries
Instants
- Archive Trap — target opponent (thirteen) - Trap
- Brain Freeze — target player (three) - Storm
- Broken Ambitions — counter target spell unless its controller pays . Clash with an opponent. If you win, that spell's controller (four)
- Countermand — counter target spell. Its controller (four)
- Dampen Thought — target player (four) - Splice onto Arcane
- Deal Gone Bad — target player (three)
- Didn't Say Please — counter target spell. Its controller (three)
- Dig Up the Body — you (two)
- Dimir Charm — look at the top three cards of target player's library, then put one back and mill the rest - tri-modal spell
- Dream Twist — target player (three) - Flashback
- Drown in Dreams — target player (X)
- Glacial Grasp — target creature's controller (two)
- Grisly Spectacle — destroy target nonartifact creature. Its controller mills a number of cards equal to that creature's power.
- Induce Paranoia — counter target spell. If was spent to cast Induce Paranoia, that spell's controller (X), where X is the spell's converted mana cost.
- Lammastide Weave — name a card, then target player (one). If that card is the named card, you gain life equal to its converted mana cost.
- Predict — choose a card name, then target player (one). If that card has the chosen name, draw two cards
- Psychic Spiral — shuffle all cards from your graveyard into your library, then target player (that many cards)
- Psychic Strike — counter target spell. Its controller (two)
- Ray of Erasure — target player (one) - Slowtrip
- Seed of Hope — you (two)
- Tibalt's Trickery — Counter target Spell. Its controller (one, two, or three (at random))
- Thought Collapse — counter target spell. Its controller (three)
- Thought Scour — target player (two) - Cantrip
- Unseal the Necropolis — Each player (two)
- Very Cryptic Command — Target player (X) where X is the total of two dice rolls - quad-modal spell
- Vision Charm — target player (four) - tri-modal spell
- Wasteful Harvest — you (five)
- Winds of Rebuke — Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. Each player (two).
Sorceries
- Atrocious Experiment — target player (two)
- Bond of Insight — each player (4), return up to two instants and/or sorceries from your graveyard to your hand and exiles itself.
- Book Burning — target player (six), unless a player takes 6 damage
- Breach the Multiverse — each player (ten)
- Breaking — target player (eight) - split card w/ fuse
- Can't Wake Up — Target Player (four)
- Chill of Foreboding — each player (five) - Flashback
- Coerced Confession — target player (four)
- Compelling Argument — target player (five)
- Cut Your Losses — target player (half their library, rounded down)
- Demogorgon's Clutches — target opponent (two)
- Dig Deep — you (four)
- Dread Summons — Each player (X)
- Dreadwaters — target player (X), where X is the number of lands you control.
- Druidic Ritual — you (three)
- A-Druidic Ritual — you (three)
- Enter the God Eternals — deals 4 damage to a creature, you gain that much life, target player (4), you amass 4.
- Entropic Decay — you (four)
- Extract from Darkness — Each player (two)
- Fascination — each player draws X cards, or each player (X).
- Fractured Sanity — each opponent (fourteen); when cycled, each opponent (four)
- Glimpse the Unthinkable — target player (ten)
- Horrifying Revelation — target player (one) - also discards a card
- Incarnation Technique — you (five)
- Increasing Confusion — target player (X) - If Increasing Confusion was cast from a graveyard, twice (X) instead. - Flashback
- Maddening Cacophony — Kicker each opponent (eight). If kicked, instead each opponent (half their library, rounded up)
- Memory Sluice — target player (four) - Conspire
- Mind Drain — target opponent (one)
- Mind Sculpt — target opponent (seven)
- Paranoid Delusions — target player (three) - Cipher
- Path of the Seeker — each player (two)
- Pilfered Plans — target player (two)
- Psychic Drain — target player (X) and you gain X life
- Roots of Wisdom — you (three)
- Sanity Grinding — Chroma - Reveal the top ten cards of your library. For each blue mana symbol in the mana costs of the revealed cards, target opponent (one). Then put the cards you revealed this way on the bottom of your library in any order.
- Shared Trauma — Join forces - Starting with you, each player may pay any amount of mana. Each player (X), where X is the total amount of mana paid this way.
- Startled Awake — target opponent (thirteen)
- Stream of Thought — target player (four), you shuffle up to four cards from your graveyard into your library - Replicate
- Summon Undead — you (three)
- Summons of Saruman — you (X, where X is the mana spent on X or exiled cards when Flashbacked)
- Surrounded by Orcs — target player (X, where X is amassed Army's power)
- Sweet Oblivion — target player (four), Escape ; Exile four other cards from your graveyard.
- Tasha’s Hideous Laughter — each opponent exiles (until cards with mana value 20 or more are exiled).
- Thassa's Bounty — target player (three)
- Tome Scour — target player (five)
- Traumatize — target player (half of library, rounded down)
- Truth or Dare — Dare - mill all but the bottom ten of chosen opponent's library (Test card).
- Venture Deeper — Adventure: Target player (four)
- Vicious Rumors — each opponent (one)
- Weight of Memory — target player (three)
- Witherbloom Command — target player (three)
- Zoological Study — you (five)
Creatures which cause mill
- Airlift Chaplain — enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Ambassador Laquatus — : target player (three)
- Angel of Suffering — Whenever you take damage, prevent it and mill twice that many cards instead
- Anowon, the Ruin Thief — For each point of combat damage dealt to a player by a Rogue you control, that player (one).
- Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm — At the beginning of your end step, you (four)
- Aven Heartstabber — when it dies, you (two)
- Belltower Sphinx — Whenever a source deals damage to Belltower Sphinx, that source's controller puts that many cards from the top of their library into their graveyard.
- Blanchwood Prowler — enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Bruvac the Grandiloquent — If an opponent would mill one or more cards, they mill twice that many cards instead.
- Burrowing Razormaw — dies, you (four)
- Captain N'ghathrod — whenever a Horror you control deals combat damage to a player, that player (X, where X is the damage dealt)
- Carrion Grub — enters the battlefield, its controller (four)
- Cathartic Adept — : target player (one)
- Chancellor of the Spires — you may reveal this card from your opening hand. If you do, at the beginning of the first upkeep, each opponent (seven)
- Circle of the Land Druid — enters the battlefield, you may (four)
- A-Circle of the Land Druid — enters the battlefield, you may (four)
- Cloudhoof Kirin — whenever you play a Spirit or Arcane spell, target player (X), where X is that spell's converted mana cost
- Coral Colony — , : target player (X), where X is the number of creatures you control with defender
- Covetous Castaway — dies, you (three)
- Crosstown Courier — whenever Crosstown Courier deals combat damage to a player, that player (that many cards)
- Devoted Grafkeeper — enters the battlefield, you (two)
- A-Devoted Grafkeeper — enters the battlefield, you (two)
- Diligent Excavator — whenever you cast a historic spell, target player (two)
- Doorkeeper — , : target player (X), where X is the number of creatures with defender you control.
- Dreadhound — enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Dreamborn Muse — at the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player (X), where X is the number of cards in their hand.
- Drowner Initiate — whenever a player casts a blue spell, you may pay . If you do, target player (two)
- Drowner of Secrets — tap an untapped Merfolk you control: target player (one)
- Drownyard Amalgam — enters the battlefield, target player (three)
- Duskmantle Guildmage — : target player (two)
- Eccentric Farmer — enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Eerie Soultender — enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Enigma Eidolon — , sacrifice Enigma Eidolon: target player (three)
- Excavated Wall — , : you (one)
- Excavation Mole — enters the battlefield, its controller (three)
- Extractor Demon — when another creature leaves the battlefield, target player (two)
- Eyeblight Cullers — when Eyeblight Cullers dies, its' controller. (three).
- Eye Collector — whenever Eye Collector deals combat damage, each player (one)
- Fallaji Archaeologist — when enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Flayed One — when enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Flint Golem — whenever Flint Golem is blocked, defending player (three)
- Flitting Guerrilla — when dies, each player (two)
- Geralf's Mindcrusher — when Geralf's Mindcrusher enters the battlefield, target player (five) - Undying
- Geth, Lord of the Vault — : put target artifact or creature card with converted mana cost X from an opponent's graveyard onto the battlefield under your control tapped. Then that player (X).
- Gnawing Vermin — enters the battlefield, target player (two)
- Go-Shintai of Lost Wisdom — beginning of your end step, pay , target player (X), where X is the number of Shrines you control.
- Grolnok, the Omnivore — Whenever a Frog you control attacks, you (three)
- Gyruda, Doom of Depths — enters the battlefield, each player (four)
- Hag of Scoured Thoughts — beginning of your upkeep, each opponent (five)
- Halimar Excavator — whenever Halimar Excavator or another Ally enters the battlefield under your control, target player (X), where X is the number of Allies you control.
- Halo-Charged Skaab — enter the battlefield, each player (two)
- Hedron Crab — Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, target player (three).
- Homarid Explorer — - enters the battlefield, target player (four).
- Iceberg Cancrix — whenever another snow permanent enters the battlefield under your control, target player (2)
- Imperious Mindbreaker — when soulbonded and attacks, target player (X, where X is toughness)
- Ink Dissolver — Kinship - at the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Ink Dissolver, you may reveal it. If you do, each opponent (three).
- Jace's Mindseeker — enters the battlefield, target opponent (five).
- Jon Irenicus, the Exile — Beginning of your endstep, each opponent (five).
- Kagha, Shadow Archdruid — when attacks, you (two)
- Kairi, the Swirling Sky — when dies, you (six)
- Koma's Faithful — when dies, each player (three)
- A-Krydle of Baldur's Gate — when deals combat damage, that player (one)
- Krydle of Baldur's Gate — when deals combat damage, that player (one)
- Lich Lord of Unx — : target player loses X life and (X), where X is the number of Zombies you control.
- Lord of the Forsaken — Sacrifice another creature: target player (three)
- Lord Xander, the Collector — When Lord Xander attacks, defending player (half their library, rounded down)
- Manic Scribe — enters the battlefield, each opponent (three). Delirium - each opponent's upkeep, that player (three)
- Merfolk Mesmerist — , : target player (two)
- Merfolk Windrobber — whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player (one)
- Merrow Witsniper — when Merrow Witsniper enters the battlefield, target player (one)
- Millikin — , Add .
- Mindeye Drake — when Mindeye Drake dies, target player (five)
- Mindscour Dragon — whenever Mindscour Dragon deals combat damage, target player (four)
- Mindshrieker — : target player (one); Mindshrieker gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is that card's converted mana cost.
- Mindwrack Harpy — beginning of combat, each player (three)
- Minister of Inquiries — , Pay : target player (three)
- Moldgraf Millipede — Enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Monstrous War-Leech — Enters the battlefield, you (four)
- The Mouth of Sauron — Enters the battlefield, target player (three)
- Necromaster Dragon — whenever Necromaster Dragon deals combat damage, pay . Each opponent (two)
- Necron Deathmark — when enters the battlefield, target player (three)
- Nemesis of Reason — whenever Nemesis of Reason attacks, defending player (ten)
- Nimana Skydancer — enters the battlefield, target opponent (two)
- Nezumi Freewheeler — when enters the battlefield, each player (three)
- Numbing Jellyfish — Target player (X), where X equal result of a die roll
- Nyx Weaver — at the beginning of your upkeep, you (two)
- Old Rutstein — enters the battlefield and at the beginning of your upkeep, you (one)
- Overwhelmed Apprentice — enters the battlefield, each opponent (two)
- Pelargir Survivor — , : target player (three)
- Persistent Petitioners — tap four untapped Advisors you control: target player (twelve); , target player (1).
- Phenax, God of Deception — creatures you control have ": target player (X), where X equals this creature's toughness."
- Raven Guild Master — Whenever Raven Guild Master deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles the top ten cards of their library.
- Reef Pirates — whenever Reef Pirates deals damage to an opponent, that player (one)
- Reito Sentinel — enters the battlefield, target player (three)
- Relic Golem — ,: target player (two)
- Renegade Reaper — enters the battlefield, its' controller (four).
- Returned Centaur — enters the battlefield, target player (four)
- Returned Reveler — dies, each player (three)
- Riddlekeeper — whenever a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control, that creature's controller (two)
- Rotcrown Ghoul — when Rotcrown Ghoul dies, target player (five)
- Ruin Crab — Landfall - Whenever a land enters the battlefield under your control, each opponent (three).
- Sage of Mysteries — Constellation - target player (two)
- Sage's Row Denizen — whenever another blue creature enters the battlefield under your control, target player (two)
- Saruman of Many Colors — Whenever you cast your second spell each turn, each opponent (two)
- Sauron, Lord of the Rings — When you cast this spell, you (five)
- Scalpelexis — Whenever Scalpelexis deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles the top four cards of their library. If two or more of those cards have the same name, repeat this process.
- Screaming Swarm — whenever you attack with one or more creatures, target player (X, where X is attacking creatures)
- Screeching Silcaw — Metalcraft - Whenever Screeching Silcaw deals combat damage to a player, if you control three or more artifacts, that player (four)
- Screeching Sliver — all Slivers have ": target player (one)"
- Seer of the Last Tomorrow — , , Discard a card: target player (three)
- Selhoff Occultist — whenever Selhoff Occultist or another creature dies, target player (one)
- Sewer Nemesis — as Sewer Nemesis enters the battlefield, choose a player. Whenever the chosen player casts a spell, that player (one)
- Shadow Kin — at the beginning of your upkeep, each player (three)
- Shadow Stinger — whenever Shadow Stinger deals combat damage to a player, that player (three)
- Shriekgeist — whenever Shriekgeist deals combat damage to a player, that player (two)
- Sibsig Host — enters the battlefield, each player (three)
- Siren of the Silent Song — Inspired - each opponent (one)
- Sivriss, Nightmare Speaker — , Sacrifice another creature or artifact: for each opponent, you (one)
- Skull Prophet — , you (two)
- Snooping Newsie — enters the battlefield, you (two)
- Soaring Thought-Thief — whenever one or more Rogues you control attack, each opponent (two)
- Soratami Mindsweeper — , return a land you control to its owner's hand: target player (two)
- Sphinx Mindbreaker — enters the battlefield, each opponent (ten).
- Stern Mentor — Soulbond - paired with another creature, each of those creatures has ": target player (two)"
- Stitcher Geralf — , : Each player (three)
- Syndicate Recruiter — Enters the battlefield, you (four)
- Syr Conrad, the Grim — : each player (one)
- Szadek, Lord of Secrets — If Szadek, Lord of Secrets would deal combat damage to a player, instead put that many +1/+1 counters on Szadek and that player (that many)
- Szarekh, the Silent King — when attacks, you (three)
- Tainted Monkey — : target player (one)
- Tawnos, Solemn Survivor — , : you (two)
- Tazri, Stalwart Survivor , : you (five)
- Technomancer — enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Tenured Oilcaster — attacks or blocks, each player (one)
- Terisian Mindbreaker — When attacks, defending player (half their library, rounded up)
- Thassa's Devourer — Constellation - target player (two)
- Thieves' Guild Enforcer — whenever Thieves' Guild Enforcer or another Rogue enters the battlefield under your control, each opponent (two)
- Titania, Nature's Force — Whenever an Elemental you control dies, you (three)
- Tomakul Scrapsmith — enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Towering-Wave Mystic — whenever Towering-Wave Mystic deals combat damage to a player, target player (equal to damage dealt)
- Undead Alchemist — If a Zombie you control would deal combat damage to a player, instead (X) where X is the damage that would have been dealt
- Undead Butler — Enters the battlefield, you (three)
- Vantress Gargoyle — : each player (one)
- Vedalken Entrancer — , : target player (two)
- Vilespawn Spider — At the beginning of your upkeep, you (one)
- Wall of Lost Thoughts — enters the battlefield, target player (four)
- Water Weird — deals combat damage, you (one)
- Zask, Skittering Swarmlord — whenever another Insect you control dies, you (two)
- Zellix, Sanity Flayer — , : target player (three)
- Zulaport Duelist — enters the battlefield, up to one target creature gets -2/-0 until end of turn. Its controller (two)
Planeswalkers which cause mill
- Ashiok, Dream Render — -1: target player (four), then exile each opponent's graveyard
- Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver — +2: Exile the top three cards of target opponent's library; -10: Exile all cards from all opponents' hands and graveyards.
- Ashiok, Sculptor of Fears — +2: Draw a card; each player (two).
- Byode, Inverse Sun — +2: you (three)
- Grist, the Hunger Tide — +1: you (one). If the milled card was an Insect, you (one).
- Jace Beleren — -10: target player (twenty)
- Jace, Memory Adept — +1: Draw a card. Target player (one); 0: target player (ten)
- Jace, Telepath Unbound — -9: You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast a spell, target opponent (five)"
- Jace, the Perfected Mind — -2: Target player (three); -X: target player (three times X)
- Jace, Wielder of Mysteries — +1: target player (two), Draw a card. Also two alternate win conditions through self-mill
- Tyvar, Jubilant Brawler — -2: you (three)
- Vivien on the Hunt — +1: you (five)
- Wrenn and Realmbreaker — -2: you (three)
Enchantments
- The Binding of the Titans — I each player (three).
- Cemetary Tampering — At the beginning of your upkeep, you may (three)
- Chronic Flooding — enchant land; whenever enchanted land becomes tapped, its controller (three)
- Court of Cunning — At beginning of your upkeep, any number of target players (two). If you are the monarch, instead each of those players (ten).
- Crawling Infestation — Beginning of your upkeep, you may (two)
- Curse of the Bloody Tome — enchant player; at the beginning of enchanted player's upkeep, that player (two)
- Death in Heaven — I and II target player (two).
- Death's Oasis — whenever a nontoken creature you control dies, you (two)
- Disturbing Conversion — enters the battlefield, each player (two)
- Drowned Secrets — whenever you cast a blue spell, target player (two).
- Evanescent Intellect — enchant creature; ,: Target player (three)
- Fear of Death — Enters the battlefield, you (two)
- Fleeting Memories — whenever you sacrifice a Clue: target player (three)
- Founding the Third Path — II target player (four).
- Fraying Sanity — enchant player; at the beginning of each end step, (X), where X is the number of cards put into that graveyard from anywhere this turn.
- The Grand Evolution — I you (ten).
- Harald Unites the Elves — you (three).
- A-Harald Unites the Elves — you (five).
- How is This a Par Three?! — whenever you cast a spell, target player (X), where X is the number of words in that spell's name.
- Infernal Genesis — at the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player (one). Then that player puts X 1/1 black Minion creature tokens onto the battlefield, where X is that card's converted mana cost.
- Jace's Erasure — whenever you draw a card, you may have target player (one)
- King Narfi's Betrayal — I each player (four)
- Lorehold Excavation — At the beginning of your endstep, you (one).
- Memory Erosion — whenever an opponent casts a spell, that player (two)
- Mystic Redaction — whenever you discard a card, each opponent (two).
- Navigator's Ruin — Raid - at beginning of your end step, target opponent (four)
- One Ring to Rule Them All I each player (X, where X is your Ring-bearer's power)
- Out of the Tombs — beginning of your upkeep, you (X, where X is the number of eon counters on it)
- Patient Rebuilding — at the beginning of your upkeep, target opponent (three)
- Psychic Corrosion — whenever you draw a card, each opponent (two).
- The Scriptures of Truth { — II each opponent (three).
- Sigil of Myrkul — beginning of your combat, you (one)
- A-Sigil of Myrkul — beginning of your combat, you (one)
- Sphinx's Tutelage — whenever you draw a card, target opponent (two). If they're both nonland cards that share a color, repeat this process.
- Teachings of the Kirin — I you (three)
- Teferi's Tutelage — whenever you draw a card, target opponent (two).
- The Three Seasons — I you (three).
- Vessel of Paramnesia — , sacrifice Vessel of Paramnesia: target player (three)
- The War in Heaven — II you (three).
Artifacts which cause mill
- Altar of Dementia — Sacrifice a creature: target player (creature's power)
- Altar of the Brood — Whenever another permanent enters the battlefield under your control, each opponent (one)
- Heirloom Mirror — , , pay 1 life, you (one)
- Cellar Door — , : target player (one) ((from bottom of library))
- Codex Shredder — : target player (one)
- Convergence of Dominion — , : you (three)
- Decimator Web — , : target opponent loses 2 life, gets a poison counter, then (six)
- Embalmer's Tools — tap an untapped Zombie you control: target player (one)
- Folio of Fancies — : each opponent (number of cards in their hand)
- Font of Progress — , : target player (X), where X is the number of Oil counters on Font of Progress.
- Ghoulcaller's Bell — : each player (one)
- Grindclock — : put a charge counter on Grindclock. : Target player (X), where X is the number of charge counters on Grindclock.
- Grinding Station — , sacrifice an artifact: target player (three)
- Grindstone — ,: Target player (two). If both cards share a color, repeat this process.
- Hair-Strung Koto — tap an untapped creature you control: target player (one)
- Keening Stone — , : target player (X), where X is the number of cards in that player's graveyard.
- Mesmeric Orb — whenever a permanent becomes untapped, that permanent's controller (one)
- Millstone — , : target player (two)
- Mindcrank — whenever an opponent loses life (X), where X is amount of life lost
- Necron Monolith — when attacks, you (three)
- Palantir of Orthanc — At the beginning of your end step, you (X, where X is Influence counters on it)
- Pestilent Cauldron — , : each opponent (X), where X is the amount of life you gained this turn
- Realmbreaker, the Invasion Tree — , : target opponent (three)
- Sands of Delirium — , : target player (X)
- Shriekhorn — Shriekhorn enters the battlefield with three charge counters on it. , remove a charge counter from Shriekhorn: target player (two)
- Screaming Shield — Equipment; equip ; equipped creature gets +0/+3 and has , : target player (3).
- Sword of Body and Mind — Equipment - whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, you put a 2/2 green Wolf creature token onto the battlefield and that player (ten)
- Tower of Murmurs — , : target player (eight)
- Throne of Death — at the beginning of your upkeep, you (one).
- Trash Bin — Visit - you (two)
- Trivia Contest — Visit - opponent (one)
- Whetstone — : each player (two)
- Whetwheel — , : target player (X) - Morph
- Worry Beads — at the beginning of each player's upkeep, that player (one)
Lands which cause mill
- Duskmantle, House of Shadow — , : target player (one)
- Ipnu Rivulet — , , Sacrifice a Desert: target player (four)
- Port of Karfell — , , Sacrifice Port of Karfell: you (four)
- Nephalia Drownyard — , : target player (three)
- Takenuma, Abandoned Mire — Channel — , Discard Takenuma, Abandoned Mire: you (three).
- Tomb Fortress — , , Exile it: you (four)
Battles which cause mill
- Invasion of Amonkhet — each player (three)
Planes which cause mill
- Inys Haen — When planeswalked to and beginning of your upkeep, you (three)
Grind
Grind is an unused keyword and informal term for a variation of the milling mechanic which puts cards from a library into the graveyard until a specified number of land cards are put there.[13][14] It was originally designed as the Dimir mechanic for Gatecrash.[15] The mechanic was used without the keyword on several cards.[16]
List of grind spells
Creatures
- Balustrade Spy — when this enters the battlefield, target player, reveals a land card
- Consuming Aberration — whenever you cast a spell, each opponent, reveals a land card
- Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker — whenever this deals combat damage to a player, target player, reveals four land cards
- Undercity Informer — , sacrifice a creature: target player, reveals a land card
Equipment
- Trepanation Blade — Equip - Whenever equipped creature attacks, defending player, reveals a land card; The creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn for each card revealed.
Sorceries
- Destroy the Evidence — destroy target land. Its controller, reveals a land card.
- Mind Funeral — target opponent, reveals four land cards
- Mind Grind — each opponent, reveals X land cards
Psuedo-Grind
Enchantments
- Curse of Unbinding — enchanted player, reveal a creature.
- Gamekeeper — when Gamekeeper dies, reveal a creature.
- Helm of Obedience — target opponent, mill a creature or X cards
- Oath of Druids — upkeep of player with fewer creatures, reveal a creature.
- Spoils of the Vault — caster, reveal a chosen card name.
- Telemin Performance — target opponent, reveal a creature.
- Thought Dissector — target opponent, reveal an artifact or X cards
- Tunnel Vision — target player, only if they reveal a named card
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (2020-07-03). "Where are bloodrush and mill each on the storm scale". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 5, 2017). "Mechanical Color Pie 2017". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (June 29, 2020). "Odds & Ends: Core Set 2021". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 28, 2018). "Hi mark i believe in the past youve mentioned...". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Eli Shiffrin (June 20, 2020). "Core Set 2021 and Jumpstart Release Notes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Eli Shiffrin (June 23, 2020). "M21 Oracle Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 11, 2010). "Milling, About". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Tom LaPille (January 15, 2010). "Milled Potpourri". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Michael Yichao (August 19, 2015). "Mill Through the Ages". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Gavin Verhey (February 16, 2017). "The Miserable Mill". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 12, 2022). "Is mill primary blue, secondary black, tertiary green?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 18, 2021). "Mechanical Color Pie 2021 Changes". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Gottlieb (December 31, 2012). "Gatecrash Diaries". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 7, 2013). "Gatecrashing the Party, Part 2". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (March 27, 2016). "Can you share anything about Cipher?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 23, 2015). "Do you have any trivia on Consuming Aberration?". Blogatog. Tumblr.