If there’s one thing I hope this column has shown, it’s that on a budget doesn’t mean “bad.” I also hope it shows there is great variety to be found even with shallow pockets, that putting your own personality into a deck is often better than just building a pile of good cards, and that Commander isn’t just about winning. But mostly, I want to demonstrate an inexpensive deck can stand up at a table and challenge a group of opponents. Today’s Dimir deck will—I hope—do that, but it will also challenge the pilot. Decision trees and difficult choices will resonate through the game.

In my playgroup, Dimir means mill. We have a couple of Phenax, God of Deception decks running around (including my own) and a few other random ones attempting to make mill work. When I asked my group who they thought I should do for Dimir, the resounding answer was, “Not mill.” I countered that I think it’s just our playgroup—I don’t think mill is threatening to take over the format—and if I didn’t do it with U/B, I’d never really be able to do it well in the column. Then, I played a game against that guy up there, and I saw a new way to look at mill. So let’s build a deck that mills a little and makes our enemies wish they’d never put that Blightsteel Colossus in their ninety-nine.

Blue is king of card-draw, and black isn’t far behind, but in Commander, little effects like Divination and Brainstorm just aren’t going to do it. We need big piles of cards or extra spells each turn. So we have some doozies, designed to make sure we’re always ahead of our opponents. Bloodgift Demon is a Phyrexian Arena on a pretty big stick (which happens to fly around), but more than that, we can target who draws. Believe it or not, this can matter—sometimes, an opponent will be at 1 life, and that card will spell his or her doom. Other times, we might be at 1 and could gain some favor by gifting it to another player. Mulldrifter is the weakest option, but still very strong, especially when we have it on a Mimic Vat. Blue Sun's Zenith comes back for more later, Recurring Insight takes advantage of our opponent’s draw, and Mind Unbound is absurd. If you’ve ever played against someone who’s running Rhystic Study, you know how awesome it is (here’s a tip: Always pay the ), and Syphon Mind is, to me, among the very best spells in the format.

I want to make a special comment about Gather Specimens. Anyone who’s played some Commander has come across the player who has to pick an arbitrary number of tokens he or she is creating with some crazy combo. Wait until the player has put all the triggers on the stack, and then respond with this bad boy. Let’s hope the player said seven billion. Do dice go that high?

One of the neatest things about a deck like this is everything works really well together. We have just a few ways to bring sorceries or instants back from our own ’yard—Archaeomancer, Mnemonic Wall, and Pull from the Deep—and a Mimic Vat, which is hilarious both with our Clones and with anything of our opponents. Deadeye Navigator makes an appearance as a more limited Mimic Vat number two.

Mirko Vosk, Mind Drinker ? Commander | Alex Ullman

• Commander (0)

• Creatures (15)
• 1 Archaeomancer
• 1 Avatar of Woe
• 1 Bloodgift Demon
• 1 Body Double
• 1 Chancellor of the Spires
• 1 Deadeye Navigator
• 1 Diluvian Primordial
• 1 Evil Twin
• 1 Kheru Spellsnatcher
• 1 Mnemonic Wall
• 1 Mulldrifter
• 1 Nezumi Graverobber
• 1 Sepulchral Primordial
• 1 Vesuvan Shapeshifter
• 1 Chainer, Dementia Master

• Spells (45)
• 1 Betrayal of Flesh
• 1 Blue Sun's Zenith
• 1 Controvert
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Dissolve
• 1 Fated Return
• 1 Gather Specimens
• 1 Murder
• 1 Murderous Cut
• 1 Nemesis Trap
• 1 Psychic Strike
• 1 Spelljack
• 1 Tragic Slip
• 1 Undermine
• 1 Ashen Powder
• 1 Ashes to Ashes
• 1 Black Sun's Zenith
• 1 Blatant Thievery
• 1 Decree of Pain
• 1 Dregs of Sorrow
• 1 In Garruk's Wake
• 1 Life's Finale
• 1 Pull from the Deep
• 1 Recurring Insight
• 1 Rise of the Dark Realms
• 1 Rite of Replication
• 1 Spiteful Blow
• 1 Stolen Identity
• 1 Syphon Flesh
• 1 Syphon Mind
• 1 Telemin Performance
• 1 Confiscate
• 1 Corrupted Conscience
• 1 Enslave
• 1 Grave Betrayal
• 1 Mind Unbound
• 1 Rhystic Study
• 1 Take Possession
• 1 Volition Reins
• 1 Darksteel Ingot
• 1 Dimir Cluestone
• 1 Dimir Keyrune
• 1 Dimir Signet
• 1 Fellwar Stone
• 1 Mimic Vat

• Lands (38)
• 11 Swamp
• 12 Island
• 1 Bad River
• 1 Dimir Guildgate
• 1 Dismal Backwater
• 1 Dreadship Reef
• 1 Encroaching Wastes
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Jwar Isle Refuge
• 1 Mystifying Maze
• 1 Reliquary Tower
• 1 Rupture Spire
• 1 Salt Marsh
• 1 Tainted Isle
• 1 Terramorphic Expanse
• 1 Transguild Promenade
• 1 Frost Marsh

Buy This Deck

Playing this deck is an exercise in patience and careful thought. It has a high converted mana cost overall (4.75 on average), and we have limited resources because most of our stuff will only work once. A lot of the time, we’re just going to want to draw our card, play a land, and say go. Always wait until the very last possible minute to do everything, and don’t be afraid to let your life total be a resource—and by that, I mean go ahead and take a hit if you think something worse (or better to steal) is still coming. Also, be ready to play some politics (I’ll steal that guy’s dude if you don’t attack me!), and always choose carefully—if you kill the player whose stuff you’ve taken, you’ll lose all those things.

After creating a mana base, I’d take any extra cash I wanted to spend and use it on a few upgrades. Mind's Eye would be fantastic in this build. Sculpting Steel and Vedalken Shackles are always amazing, as is Duplicant. Scion of Darkness is worth thinking about, and Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni is awesome. Dread Cacodemon would be a solid add as well. If I’m honest, this deck wants a Sol Ring—something I think isn’t always true. If you cracked a copy of Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver, definitely jam it. If your group has a lot of annoying activated abilities (that’s anything with a colon), consider Voidmage Husher. Finally, Leyline of Anticipation is so great I almost cut a ton of other cards to slot it in.

Enchantments and artifacts are going to be something of a problem. Time your counterspells well, and always think about the value you can generate from each move you make.

I’m curious about everyone’s thought on board wipes. Do you run them? Does your group? Does this deck need fewer? More?

One of the coolest things about a deck like this is how it plays with 75% deck-building principles—it scales based on your opponents. Whether you wind up against a couple people playing decks they’ve cobbled together out of a couple Drafts or against a group with tight, tuned, and pricey stacks, you’ll be able to grab the best of the best of what’s available.

Total cost: $74.94