Oh, at some point they adopted general "Mill" as text for the Millstone effect, that's nice
I ran a blue/white (so no black) Turbo Stasis deck once that killed with Chronatog and Howling Mines, Kismet and Stasis
Before that I remember Hypnotic Specter, riffed out of Turn 1 Dark Ritual range in Ice Age as Abyssal Specter, and a BB sorcery, "Howl of the…" something? (Hymn to Tourach, h/t @cyprinodont) that made sure your opponent never kept a hand, so at most he could topdeck, including lands
Oh god, what was that one black enchantment like if you would lose life instead destroy a permanent, if you would gain life instead draw a card? That and that sac-a-land-for-2-life 0-cost artifact was one of the first global cycles, like suddenly wherever in the world you were playing competitive games someone would be fielding those decks, like I think this was even before Sligh and the mana curve
You’re looking for Lich or Nefarious Lich, and Zuran Orb.
It’s still fucked up that it took 3-4 years before people realized “casting a spell every turn is good” and optimizing for that.
The curve seems tuned to put out better stuff earlier now, I think you're underappreciating how everything in the original Sligh deck immediately registered as trash. Like, Ironclaw Orcs? Dwarven Trader? Goblins of the Flarg?
Okay, fair, but I started actually playing in 2011. Pretty much every creature from back then looks like absolute dogshit to me. Well, except for combo pieces like Palinchron, which still see use (or ban list presence) in eternal formats.
Anyway the concept of card advantage was still young then, that’s what the Ice Age “cantrips” were about.