Strategy

[Landkiller]

Here's something that just came to me :

When you Millstone someone, you give them an advantage.

Why?

Because they know their deck.

Now they know two cards they won't draw, and thus, have better information.

It's hard to present an example of when this kind of knowledge kicks in, but, I know that it could.

Generally, Milling someone gives them an advantage, which increases exponentially, until they have no library left.

 

[Chaos Turtle]

You are correct.

That's why the only successful Millstone decks are really control-lock decks.

The Millstone isn't there to deprive you of certain cards, but to run you out of them altogether. Otherwise, using Howling Mine in those decks would utterly defeat the purpose of the Millstone.

 

[Spiderman]

I can see what you guys are saying, but what if your opponent was REALLY needing a card and then saw it Milled into the graveyard? And that's that... now he needs another cards for graveyard manipulation, if he even has it.

 

[Landkiller]

Sure, but odds are just as good that you milled away 2 worthless cards and brought the killer card to the top.

In some situation it hurts the opponent, but in an equal number it aids them.

 

[Gizmo]

Yes, the odds of hitting the Wrath he needs are exactly the same as the odds of hitting two land and putting the Wrath two cards nearer his hand.

The Millstone Fallacy.

Given an infinite number of uses the Millstone generates neither advantage nor disadvantage - if your opponent doesn`t run out of cards (and the 'Stone isn`t screwing his Sooth or Tutor) then the Millstone was wasted.

 

[Zadok001]

Landkiller, your basic premise is slightly flawed... Your opponent isn't the only one who gets to see those cards, you have that advantage as well. You may not know their deck as well, but when that third Disenchant goes away, you can be pretty sure that your Millstone is now safe.

 

[Landkiller]

Sure...unless they also have seal of cleansing...(probably after sideboarding against the Millstone deck)

 

[Apollo]

Landkiller is right; unless you kill them with the Stone, it's beneficial to them, not you. Zadok, you do get to see their cards, but it can also lead to you making false assumptions; take, for instance, Landkiller's example. You Mill their 3rd Disenchant, and assume your stone is safe. So, you tap out to play something else, and they Seal it.

The thing is, the know their deck better than you do, so their advantage is greater than yours. You can guess what they have left in their deck or hand; they are sure of it.

It is slightly helpful in the first game of a 3-game match, cause you can see what they have in their deck and be ready for any surprises. It's still not enough of an advantage to justify playing one in a deck that isn't built to use it.

 

[krichaiushii]

To take this one step farther, is it beneficial to Mill yourself in an emergency?

Actually, if the right library manipulation is used, it could be...

I (and others) have built decks based on the Milling self strategy, with the Oath of Druids deck being (probably) the best known example.

 

[Apollo]

Certainly; Comb-Oath is the most obvious example of milling yourself for an advantage. Again, though, the advantage you get from milling yourself isn't enough to justify including it in a deck.