wickeddarkman

Okay, it's rather simple. Your goal is to empty your library. And the leveler is okay for that, but you need a backup-plan in case your opponent does some wild stuff.

Mesmeric orb disrupts the strategy of the ordinary deck, so by playing the orb you first of all disrupts their strategy.

Second part of it is, how much does the orb disrupt yourself?

The orb actually lets you get think twice into the grave, meaning that it's an almost free draw (only cost is needed) which gives you cardadvantage. It may also put some rune snags in the grave which will boost any early runesnags you play.

With fabricate, reshape and muddle the mixture you will be able to get 2-3 online very very fast, which will be devastating to most aggro-decks.

Consider the following scenario:
Turn 1 your opponent plays a land, tap and cast a 1/1.
Turn 2 your opponent plays a land, tap two and cast a 2/2. and attacks with 1/1.
you play mesmeric orb.
Turn 3 your opponent untaps 2 lands and a 1/1, MILLS 3. play a land, tap 3 play a 3/3, attack with a 1/1 and 2/2.
Turn 4 your opponent untaps 3 lands, a 1/1 and a 2/2, MILLS 5. play land, tap 4 play 4/4, attack with 1, 2 & 3.
Turn 5 your opponent untaps 4 lands, and 3 crt, MILLS 7, then swings with lethal damage, you are dead.

Now how many cards are milled away?
15 cards with a single orb. That's a third of your opponent's deck.

Turn these facts around.

You will be milling almost the same amount of cards during your own part of the game, and with your spells the game is likely to last a lot longer than 5 turns, so imagine how many cards will be milled by two orbs during a game? (Answer is, almost double, and this game only lasted 5 turns, longer games mill more!)

I hope all this explains why you should play mesmeric orb ;D

No problem.

I know from testing my mana extensively that with 24 lands the maximum amount of taplands preferrable is 2.
So you have too many taplands for your own good.

By the way, if you want to beat your brothers elf-combodeck there are three simple things you can do.
1: Play with mesmeric orb.
2: play with 4 darkblast.
3: Play with 4 surgical extirpate.
If your deck mills fast enough these three changes are likely to win you the victory.

If he changes it's nature towards more aggro add 4 perish :D

Mesmeric orb also disrupts your opponents strategy while working towards one of your gamegoals...

Shelldock isle is not based on mill alone. If they draw enough you wont need mill, so in long games shelldock isle is selfevident. If you've taken a look at the linked deck you can see that I play with 20 lands and 2 shelldock isle. You will be drawing enough to get at least one in hand during a game, and you can play it when you have enough of the other lands. It's a lategame card (In my case I usually activate it at turn 4-5 which is my lategame)

Mesmeric orb is a lock if you have drawengines in place. If your opponent draws cards, they will either have to play them or discard them. Mesmeric orb will make them think twice about casting stuff.
If you fear orbing yourself then play with a single autoreshuffler like emrakul. (remember that if you draw it, you will likely be able to discard it).

Thought so...
Erhm. you are supposed to run 1 edge of autumn in mainboard, and never ever any more than one. It's function is to make your deck a 59 card deck, and it only works with 1. You never cast it, you simply just cycle it because your aim is to kill at turn 1, so you can let your land be eaten to draw one more vital keycard.

For sideboard, why not pyromancer and akroan? both would love to be targeted by all your effects and you could swarm with 1/1 tokens if the deck doesn't kill enough with it's combo...

They do. I play 2 in a 20 land deck.
The difficult part is the walls as most of them are green, which would mean a heavy rebuild if you go there.
Kederekt leviathan is fun when it sees play, but it's tricky to get it there.

I have been thinking on how to improve the "wall" aspect without breaking colors, and the closest thing is to use wall of omens and phyrexian metamorph, which gives you 8 usefull cards that will allow you to turn omniscience into a draw engine. The metamorph may also copy wall of denial, making for an awesome defence. It can also copy the leviathan setting up a loop for you (if you draw into a second metamorph) where you can get to draw a lot of cards each turn.

In general I think there is a lot of cards you can cut away in this deck.

One aspect you might want to consider is to add noxious revival, which goes well with the draw concepts, and can let you reuse whatever it is that you need the most.

Your millpart could take advantage of long games against aggro, so using increasing confusion and dream twist might also be an idea. If you take that approach your sb should be counterheavy against combo.

Yeah, if exiles a creature you can "reanimate" it, if it doesn't aberration might get fed by other mill. win/win.
I thought I had looked if this was modern. Guess I missed one :(

I have had plenty of time messing with mill and 24 lands, so I can recommend that the absolute maximum number of taplands you can play with without having "bad side effects" is exactly 2. so with your manabase you are seriously dragged down. I think I would recommend that the 2 taplands you use are temple of deceit, because you can scry away excessive lands when needed.

With so many one off's, why not try out leyline of singularity ?

My usual mill advertizement:
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/

Add mesmeric orb, and fatestitchers for infi selfmill (add gitaxian probe to activate laboratory maniac)
add shelldock isle for added effect.

You might also want to try out using forbidden orchard + blasphemous act instead of mizzium mortars
(The orchard is fun with mesmeric orb as people generally attack with the tokens out of stupidity).
(blasphemous act is also well supported by pyromancer).

There's one other card which might be fun for you to insert. (Replace with ætherize?)
Leyline of singularity is great against aggro, and combo's well with forbidden orchard
(It does work against the pyromancer though)

Another approach might be arcane laborarory to slow down your opponent.

My usual mill advertizement:
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/

Love the minds aglow. If you add more creatures to the mix you could use song of the damned to get messy.

Use mesmeric orb plus either (fatestitcher + laboratory maniac + gitaxian probe) or (sudden confusion + shelldock isle) instead.

My usual mill advertizement:
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/

add mesmeric orb and shelldock isle.

My usual mill advertizement:
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/

Add mesmeric orb, and shelldock isle.

My usual mill advertizement:
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/

"King of mill" is a bit presumptious :D

The true king of mill (no name mentioned) would not have overlooked:

1: oboro, palace in the clouds. (support them hedron crabs)
2: would use shelldock isle instead of read the bones, and then exploit the open 3 card slot to put in crypt incursion.

My usual mill advertizement:
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/

Add mesmeric orb which punishes aggro a lot.
Also add shelldock isle which is sort of obvious.

My usual mill advertizement:
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/

If you play modern, replace mind grind with mesmeric orb.

Such weird and wondrous decks to be found!

The theme of this deck is one I like a lot, so here's some tips!

1: Replace some walls with walls that draw you a card. When you get omniscience you can play walls, and draw some more cards.
(walls of blossom, mulch and omens or some drawing defenders) (You might want to check out aluren as well)

2: I find that kederekt leviathan can be quite amusing with show and tell, especially against someone playing omni-halls.
(this card will also work well with walls that let you draw a card)

3: If you can find the right "hideaway" land, you might have a nice way to play omniscience without the mana involved.
(If you can get you mill more violent try to use shelldock isle)

My usual mill advertizement:
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/

Here are some options to develope your deck in other directions:

1: More enter the infinite + shelldock isle. Demands that your deck mills a lot more.

2: Mesmeric orb + fatestitchers = mill your deck.

3: leveler. It costs 5 and removes your deck.

My usual mill advertizement:
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/

Add lantern of insight to support mindshrieker or the overall concept. Know when to mill ;D

My usual mill advertizement:
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/

Add mesmeric orb to support the concept.

Link to "ordinary mill":
http://www.mtgvault.com/wickeddarkman/decks/fast-reliable-modern-mill/