Hearthpwn

Here is a deck I am finding somewhat competitively viable, fun, and not druid! It even beats the most dominant decks the meta has right now. The perfect deck in my eyes. You will only lose to respectable players who are experimenting with non-tier 1 decks, or the other type of scum... pirate warrior. Now onto the guide:

Mulligan: Keep Mistress of Mixtures, Backstab, Tar Creeper, Eviscerate, and Doomsayer. Drop anything else, unless it is Sap in the priest match-up

 Basic Play:

Early Turns/ Midgame: Play the minions from your mulligan keeps (above) on turn 1 and 3 respectively. Use you removal to keep the board clear. DO NOT reveal that you are mill until you can't wait any more. This will be after turn 5 at least. The normal case is you start milling around turn 7-8. Save your Vanish until you are at 9+ mana, hopefully with a coldlight and prep. 

Late Game: In match-ups where they create a wide board, you want to Valeera the Hollow to stall, then vanish and mill right after. Usually after Valeera you have three types of turns. Type 1 is the Vanish plus Coldlights. This is a board clear with the bonus of getting you closer to the fatigue step. Type 2 is the emptying of your hand by removing their stuff. Type 3 is just coldlights plus bounces. Type 3 will come after a Doomsayer goes off, or on your final turn. 

Finish Them: Unless they drew a lot, you need to equip Shadowblade to survive and win. You have 7 mana left. The most draw you get is 6 from 3 Coldlight Oracle and 1 Shadowstep. Keep in mind though that this is 7 draws because they will draw one on their turn start. If you get this far, you have already won against everything but warriors with insane armor. 

Good Luck and go wreck some Jade Druid!

Card Choices: Pretty boring, but might be helpful if you are new to mill

• • Backstab: A key card in rogue. This card is included to help you get through your early game. Combo it with Eviscerate most of the time, but it can also be used by itself, or to activate your double Vilespine Slayer with Valeera.
  • Preparation: I almost always use this in combo with 2 Coldlight and vanish. Try and save for after you are Valeera the Hollow.
  • Shadowstep: Bounce those coldlights.
  • Mistress of Mixtures: A much needed heal that helps with early game
  • Bloodmage Thalnos: The card draw seems bad, but actually is fine in most cases (see Shadowblade). It can help you get a coldlight if you can't seem to draw them. 
  • Doomsayer: This can save you health, but most times you want it to go off. Hide behind a taunt if you are under moderate pressure, or play after vanish to delay them even more. 
  • Eviscerate: An removal tool that gets you to the late game, plus a burst option to end the game.
  • Gadgetzan Ferryman: This adds just enough bounce to the deck to make it consistent. Also I believe the 2/3 body is better than a 3/2 and the combo element has never been a problem for me.
  • Sap: This can be an Assassinate for 2 mana because of filling their hand to max. This card destroys Big Ez Priest giving no resurrect value. Extra value with Valeera where it can sub as a mini vanish
  • Coldlight Oracle: This is how you get them to fatigue, and how you kill your opponent.
  • Shadowblade: Coldlights get you to fatigue but you often need one shadowblade to ensure the win when you get there. The other is excellent removal.
  • Tar Creeper: An excellent defensive card that will keep you alive until Valeera. This is one way to win against aggro. Check my matchup write-up to read about that
  • Barnes: This card makes almost no sense in the deck. It was in another mill deck so I tried it out and it saved me in one of my games. The big thing about barnes is that it can pull coldlight if you have bounces but no coldlight. It also will pull taunts often which isn't bad, and has yeti stats. Helps sometimes so I still run it. Credit to Remaybe from which I initially got the idea for Barnes
  • Vilespine Slayer: 2 of these is overkill and sucks against aggro, 0 leaves you without enough removal to survive. 
  • Skulking Geist: Bye Bye Jade! In reality though, one match-up wouldn't make this card worth it (IMO). It works against a lot of other decks to get you ahead in the fatigue war which is one of the reasons mill rogue is able to compete. 
  • Vanish: Wait for Valeera, then usually you can vanish once right after. This returns coldlights to your hand to continue the mill. With prep, coldlight, the Valeera coldlight and vanish, you can get "infinite" coldlights. Make sure you kill off your other minions to ensure getting the coldlights back though.
  • The Curator: Decent taunt that pulls your key card from the deck. Helps you get to the late game.
  • Valeera the Hollow: Two coldlights from one? Double eviscerate for burst, double tar creeper to stay alive, double doomsayer to ensure it goes off, double vilespine removal, double sap removal. This card is insane

Card Reasoning: There are 20 staples in the mill deck this expansion. 2x Backstab, 2x Preparation, 2x Shadowstep, 2x Eviscerate, 2x Gadgetzan Ferryman, 2x Sap, 1x Shadowblade, 2x Vanish, 1x Valeera the Hollow, 2x Coldlight Oracle, 1x Skulking Geist, 1x The Curator.

The rest are up for debate, but I believe I have found the right list and here is why:

• We have our mill components with what I listed before, along with most of our removal cards. We still need delaying cards (like taunts), and some heal. All but one card fits that description. 

  Extra Removal:

  • 1x Bloodmage Thalnos: 
  • 1x Shadowblade (for 2x total): 
  • 1x Vilespine Slayer: 

  Extra Delay: 

  • 2x Doomsayer
  • 2x Tar Creeper

  Extra Heals:

  • Mistress of Mixtures

  Barnes: The possibility of getting a coldlight you can bounce if you draw badly is too important. The suggested replacements for this card all are aggro counters, but I don't they think make enough of a difference. I also think we have enough taunt and heals already.

  Possible Replacements:

  • Youthful Brewmaster: You have enough bounce already, and I have found a 2/3 to be better than this 3/2 body. 
  • Fan of Knives: Is good against aggro, but mill still sucks against aggro. Better to tech for the match-up we can win with Vilespine Slayer
  • Saronite Chain Gang: Admittedly a 4/6 taunt for 4 mana sounds good in mill. Especially one that leaves half of itself behind when you bounce it. The problem is it only delays, it rarely kills. Tar Creeper has the three attack which is just better. I would rather have the Shadowblade removal because the minion won't come back if it is dead (ignore priests response to this). Barnes is the only consideration for a switch. I am not willing to make that switch after testing it, but you can if you want. This is a good aggro defense card, but I care about the control match-up more. 
  • Prince Valanar: I haven't tested this, but in theory I only see it replacing Barnes. It helps against aggro, and has the potential to heal. You don't really need the heal with Mistress of Mixtures, so this feels like a worse Saronite Chain Gang at delay, but better at actually killing minions. I will test it if I pull him from a pack and report here. 

  Read my card descriptions section if you don't agree with what is in this section. If you still don't agree, comment and I will explain in depth. Maybe you are right, and I will change the deck list because of it.

Match-up Guides (Based on what I have played against):

Control: Generally you are favored in these matchups. Play them like the general guide says to play this deck. 

• • Jade Druid: Mill is one of the few decks that can beat Jade. Skulking Geist wins you this match-up. Their many draw sources will kill them easily. In this match-up you need to save your vanishes for the perfect moment or you will lose still. If played right, and as long as your Geist doesn't end up at the bottom of your deck, you will win every time. Geist will be the only reason you lose this. I don't think you keep Geist in the mulligan though, because of the variety of Druids that exist. 
  • Big Druid: Play like any other control match-up. They will draw with their many draw cards and you will win in fatigue.
  • Quest Mage: Mill this deck whenever possible and hope you get their combo pieces. Quest mage has full hands and often can't get rid of much. If you don't mill their combo, you still may mill enough for them to not be able to complete the quest. They will help you with fatigue with Arcane Intellect and Novice Engineer so you don't have to worry about that. 
  • Elemental Mage: This match-up is slow enough for you to win through fatigue every time. Just clear their early game, Sap and Vanish the late game, and finish them with fatigue.
  • Control Paladin: Once this deck figures out what you are, they start whacking you with 5/3 weapons. You will die in that case. Geist has almost no value so you can't accelerate their fatigue. Their threats on board aren't a problem for you, but the weapons are. Be careful and secretive, and you might win. Worst control match-up
  • Big Ez Priest: Also known as a free win for mill rogue. Sap their pulls from Shadow Essence or Barnes and you win. They don't put pressure on fast enough and will die in fatigue. Keep a sap in the mulligan for this match-up.
  • Machine Gun Priest: Haven't faced this deck yet, but I know it exists at some rank. You aren't favored in this match-up but you can win. I believe you have to mill their DK to win, which isn't impossible because they keep a relatively full hand, and play slow until raza and DK are out. You also have a chance if they draw badly.
  • Miracle Rogue: A fun match-up. They will accelerate fatigue, but you have to be ready for the giants. Edwin VanCleef and Questing Adventurer are easy sap targets, but the giants will keep coming back. Try and vanish the giants into a full hand. If you survive their giants, you will win easily in fatigue.
  • DK Warlock: Easy game. The warlock hero power was made for your mill. Play it sort of like Jade Druid, watching for the full boards and vanishing them for big value. 
  • Handlock: Turn 4, 8/8 is unfair really. Luckily it is Warlock, so you win if you survive the Mountain Giant and Faceless Shambler. They will keep coming if you sap them, so you have to kill them. I've faced this deck twice and one was a quick loss, one was a hard fought, but extremely satisfying victory. 
  • DK Warror: Kill their Armorsmith or they will armor up past fatigue range. The key with this match-up is to make sure they don't know you are mill until they have drawn too much. Battle rage is appreciated and the acolyte's are a joy to see. Just watch out for their burst potential with Grommash Hellscream. 
  • Fatigue Warrior: I said paladin was the worst control match-up, then I got here. I was wrong, this is actually your worst match-up, because it is actually impossible to win if the warrior is anywhere near a decent player. They have infinite cards and Geist doesn't work on them. Concede after you see Dead Man's Hand unless you see it as a burned card :) 

Midrange: Every midrange match-up I have faced is winnable. Some are actually really easy wins. Others are going to be hard, but with practice you will be be favored in a few match-ups, and able to win in the others. No match-up here is virtually unwinnable. 

• • Midrange Druid: I have never lost this match-up. They are just slow enough to hold off with your removal, and they will draw themselves to death before they realize what you are.
  • Midrange Hunter: Fortunately, most hunters have no brain and will Deathstalker Rexxar, letting you survive long enough to win. Unless they run a pretty control hunter, you will need them to DK to have a good chance. 
  • Freeze Mage: If they draw Alexstrasza by turn 9, you are likely to die. Try to save Valeera for that point, unless they seem to be extremely unlucky. Their freeze cards are pointless so they will probably have a full hand and you can mill their burn and maybe their Alexstrasza. You have a good chance here. 
  • Token Shaman: Mana Tide Totem is your best friend. They start their draw and you let them go. Try and save at least one vanish for the Doppelgangster evolve. I've won 75% of my match-ups against this deck
  • Evolve Shaman: Same game plan as with token shaman, only you have even more time. Yay!

Aggro: General tip is to play until at least turn 3. If you can get some good clear you have a chance of winning, while an auto concede always means you lose. Winning these is really satisfying and playing them helps to improve your skill with the deck

• • Aggro Druid: Vanishing the Living Mana was an instant concede for me. Other than that miracle, just survive with Tar Creeper, Backstab, and Eviscerate. Vanish on their large board of buffs. Haven't seen much of this deck, more of the midrange version
  • Burn Mage: Probably the worst match-up you can get. Make sure it isn't freeze mage though, because you can beat that deck. If you want to try and beat this deck you have to mill their burn. You will only get one chance though before they realize what you are and empty their hand into your face. 
  • Murloc Paladin: One of the best aggro match-ups you will face. I think I am 50/50 against this deck, and still learning. You have enough clear for their murlocs, and they don't have much burst (if they have no board), so you can often survive against them. Sap the Spikeridged Steed and play it like any other match-up. Harder than control match-ups but not impossible.
  • Zoo Warlock: In theory you should have a chance because of the value of mill against the warlock hero power. Unfortunately you'll probably be dead before they get to fatigue. Only zoo I've faced has has Prince Keleseth on turn two which is an auto concede IMO.
  • Pirate Warrior: You're dead if they draw well. I've only won one of these after perfect draw for clear until Valeera, then dropping "infinite" tar creepers until they conceded. Unfortunately I am starting to face more pirate warriors, so the time for this deck may be coming to an end. 

Others have made Mill lists. Remaybe even got one to the front page! This is just a different take with full explanations and guides. I am not teching for aggro because in an aggro meta you should play something else. This list has what I consider to be the perfect amount of everything.

If you disagree, comment and I will respond quickly. If you like my list and explanations, upvote. I want to find the perfect mill list, so I want feedback. Thanks!