Art by Ryan Barger
Commander deckBU
Phenax, God of Deception
Control the board using counterspells, efficient removal, and board wipes while assembling fast mill combos like Eater of the Dead, Mindcrank with Bloodchief Ascension, or Bruvac with Maddening Cacophony to instantly eliminate opponents.
Asked for“mill, wincons, quick win, control”
Deck anatomy
What this list actually runs on: how cheaply it casts things, and whether it has enough ramp, card draw and interaction to keep up at the table. Each block is one card — hover for its name.
Mana curve · 62 nonland cards
The working parts
Counted from Scryfall’s community card tags, not from the builder’s own labels. A card that does two jobs counts twice, so these add up to more than the deck. The hatched band is a common rule of thumb, not a law — combo decks run leaner, battlecruiser decks heavier.
Colored mana symbols
Commander
1Phenax, God of Deception
3UBLegendary Enchantment Creature — God
Chosen commander for the requested strategy.
Ramp
10
Card Draw
10
Notion Thief
2UBCreature — Human Rogue
locks down enemy draw steps and draws a full grip
Removal
12
Force of Negation
1UUInstant
free defensive countermagic against opposing threats
Threats/Wincons
22
Mindcrank
2Artifact
combos with Duskmantle Guildmage or Bloodchief Ascension for an instant win
Bloodchief Ascension
BEnchantment
deadly drain engine that instantly wins with Mindcrank
Duskmantle Guildmage
UBCreature — Human Wizard
activates infinite mill and life loss combo with Mindcrank
Eater of the Dead
4BCreature — Horror
untaps itself repeatedly with Phenax to instantly mill all opponents
Bruvac the Grandiloquent
2ULegendary Creature — Human Advisor
doubles mill to instantly empty libraries with half-library mill effects
Maddening Cacophony
1USorcery
kicked mode instantly mills entire libraries alongside Bruvac
Terisian Mindbreaker
7Artifact Creature — Juggernaut
mills half of target player's library on attack
Traumatize
3UUSorcery
mills half of an opponent's deck for a quick knockout with Bruvac
Cut Your Losses
4UUSorcery
casualty spell that can mill two opponents out with Bruvac
Tree of Perdition
3BCreature — Plant
massive toughness for Phenax mill and sets opponent life to thirteen
Charix, the Raging Isle
2UULegendary Creature — Leviathan Crab
seventeen toughness creature to mill massive chunks with Phenax
Consuming Aberration
3UBCreature — Horror
grows astronomically from graveyards and mills on every spell cast
Court of Cunning
1UUEnchantment
introduces monarch and mills ten cards per opponent each upkeep
Fraying Sanity
2UEnchantment — Aura Curse
doubles cards put into target graveyard each turn
The Haunt of Hightower
4BBLegendary Creature — Vampire
grows massive from mill and provides lifelink
Nemesis of Reason
3UBCreature — Leviathan Horror
mills ten cards whenever it attacks
Guiltfeeder
3BBCreature — Horror
converts loaded opponent graveyards into fatal unblockable life loss
Sire of Stagnation
4UBCreature — Eldrazi
punishes opponent land drops with exile and card advantage
Zellix, Sanity Flayer
2ULegendary Creature — Horror
creates a steady army of horror tokens off creature mills
Utility
8
Vampiric Tutor
BInstant
instant speed tutor to topdeck required answers or wincons
Mystical Tutor
UInstant
fetches key counterspells or mill sorceries like Maddening Cacophony
Muddle the Mixture
UUInstant
transmutes directly for Mindcrank or Duskmantle Guildmage
Lightning Greaves
2Artifact — Equipment
gives haste and shroud to combo creatures like Eater of the Dead
Swiftfoot Boots
2Artifact — Equipment
protects key combo creatures and grants haste
Thousand-Year Elixir
3Artifact
lets high toughness creatures tap to mill immediately
Propaganda
2UEnchantment
slows down aggressive attacks while setting up the combo
