Cryptic Studies

This is my version of the Dimir Dredge deck, a self-mill deck. I've emphasized the "learn" mechanic in this iteration, leveraging the sideboard to provide a toolbox for tackling specific challenges that may arise.

The Creatures:

Stitcher's Supplier is our starter, getting things going and serving as a handy blocker.

Narcomoeba is often a free play that sets up our next moves. It's a small flyer that gradually chips away at the opponent's life.

Prized Amalgam is the ever-returning gift. It's a 3/3 creature that keeps coming back whenever we revive another creature from our graveyard, and there are plenty of those in our deck.

Silversmote Ghoul is another persistent creature, not much for defense, but it has a bite and can be sacrificed for card advantage. To bring it back, just gain 3 life, which many of our spells can help with.

Haunted Dead is a great card we want in the graveyard fast. Its ability allows us to discard two cards (which we might want in the graveyard too) to bring it into play, along with a 1/1 flying token. Plus, it's a potential trigger for our Prized Amalgam.

The Spells:

March of Wretched Sorrow is a nifty way to get rid of threats while adding life to our tally, which triggers the Silversmote Ghoul for more action.

Otherworldly Gaze stands out as our go-to spell, thanks to its flashback ability and cost-effectiveness.

Cram Session boosts our life and fetches us an extra card from our sideboard, broadening our choices and activating some graveyard abilities.

Agadeem's Awakening is a useful inclusion, especially with a bunch of low-cost creatures. It provides more options for resurrecting creatures from our graveyard, and at the very least, it gets another land into play.

Creeping Chill is essentially a free burn most of the time, tossing in a life gain bonus. Plus, it helps swarm the field with a few more creatures.

The Other Stuff:

Founding the Third Path brings a lot of flexibility to the deck. This saga allows us to decide where to kick things off. The first chapter lets us play spells from our hand for free, like Otherworldly Gaze or Cram Session, setting up future turns. The second chapter mills a target of 4 cards, targeting ourselves to begin the deluge. The final chapter allows us to exile and replay any spell from our graveyard for a cost, enabling us to reuse our chosen spells.

Jace, the Perfected Mind is a game-changer. Using the -X ability to self-mill can set the deck into overdrive, triggering multiple effects simultaneously. While the other abilities can help stabilize the game in your favor, having a Plan B to mill your opponents out becomes viable if multiple Jaces are available.

The Gameplan:

Milling yourself at every opportunity is crucial; filling your graveyard is the key to success. First-turn enablers, such as Stitcher's Supplier or Otherworldly Gaze, are a must in your opening hand. Don't hesitate to mulligan if necessary; it's less painful in this scenario. Since the deck has a low mana curve, a couple of lands can go a long way. The deck can be unpredictable; it might go off on the first turn, securing an early victory. However, on the downside, there are times when you can mill half your deck and not find what you need to activate. That's why I've diversified the sideboard, creating a "toolbox" of options to make things more interesting and increase your chances of the dominoes falling into place.

Sideboard Choice Cards:

Confront the Past is a great way to retrieve Jace if he ends up in the graveyard.

Environmental Sciences helps acquire a third or fourth mana if the deck stalls.

Expanded Anatomy is somewhat questionable, but putting counters on Narcomoeba or the token created by Haunted Dead might snatch a win if the flyer isn't dealt with.

Necrotic Fumes (x2) provides more targeted removal. The exile drawback can be painful, but sometimes certain creatures just have to go.

Teachings of the Archaics is highly effective, especially since we often have very few cards in hand. This card yields great value, especially when you're forced to mulligan.

Introduction to Annihilation is there just in case you need to get rid of something causing problems.

*It's worth noting that Founding the Third Path can replay all of these spells via Chapter 3.*