The best mill cards in Magic: The Gathering

There are a few unique strategies Magic: The Gathering players can use to win games.

While more than 90 percent of players usually try to get their opponent’s life total to 0, there are some alternative options that exist like using the Infect mechanic. 

Perhaps the most popular unconventional game-winning scenario, however, is to get rid of the enemy’s deck. MTG rules state if a player is unable to draw a card during their draw phase, they lose the game.

This has berthed the infamous “mill” strategy that some Black and Blue players use with a combination of disruptive counter spells and other cards meant to take cards from the top of your deck and put them in the graveyard.

While the strategy works to varying degrees depending on what format you’re playing, here are a few of the most powerful cards you might want to use to annoy your opponent and put their entire deck in the graveyard. 

Archive Trap

This card is exactly what it says it is: a trap. Costing five mana, the spell doesn’t seem powerful on the surface because of how much it costs. But if you’re playing in a format like Modern, which is filled with players that use Fetch lands, you’ll be able to play it for free.

If a player uses a Fetch land to search their deck, you’ll be able to make them mill 13 cards for the low low price of zero mana. While you can only put four of these in your deck, if you hypothetically had a fifth, you could technically mill someone out completely at the beginning of the game.

Glimpse the Unthinkable

Costing one Blue and one Black mana, this card is the best value you can get out of a Sorcery-speed mill card without relying on gimmicks like Archive Trap does. Milling 10 cards, this gets rid of one-sixth of your opponent’s deck.

Fraying Sanity

If you can hold your opponent’s advances for a few turns before you start going in deep with your milling strategy, Fraying Sanity is definitely worth having in your deck as the extra kicker.

When played before cards like Glimpse the Unthinkable or Archive Trap, you can double the amount of milling power of every card you play.

Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

This isn’t inherently a “mill” strategy card, and it could be difficult to summon since it costs 10 mana. But with the ability to mill a third of a player’s deck, Ulamog can completely deplete someone’s deck with one attack late in a game.

Jace, Memory Adept

As far as planeswalkers go, this will be the strongest for milling out your opponent. His +0 ability mills your opponent for 10 cards. 

Furthermore, as a planeswalker, he forces your opponent to address him directly, allowing you to potentially sneak some more milling spells in while they’re distracted.

Lastly, this version of Jace can provide you a little bit more draw power with his +1 ability, while also milling your opponent for a card, and his ultimate can deck a player if you can manage to keep him up long enough.

Ruin Crab

It doesn’t seem imposing, but as a card that can be played on turn one, Ruin Crab can mill four of your opponent’s cards every turn you’re able to play a land.

Meanwhile, he provides the added utility as a permanent on the battlefield that your opponent has to either destroy or find a way to attack around by producing a large enough number of threats.