I'm a big fan of playing 4 copies of a card when testing so you actually draw the card and draw and see how it performs when drawn solo or in multiples etc...
I also think there might be a toolbox approach with symmetry. Maybe we only need 1 bridge and 1 crypt incursion main now. We may not need 6-8 surgical effects anymore and can replace those slots with bombs in our bad matchups such as Torpor Orb (humans) or Night of Souls' Betrayal, the new Ashiok or whatever...
Potential hate piece toolbox cards:
Surgical (combo)
Bridge (eldrazi, humans, shadow)
Crypt Incursion (burn)
Plague Engineer/Night of Souls' Betrayl (infect, humans, devoted druid, dredge, affinity, mardu pyromancer, tribal etc...)
Unmoored Ego (nexus of fate and emrakul hate if you play against it a lot)
New Ashiok (scapeshift, dredge, hogaak, graveyard and searching decks)
Narset (phoenix, control)
Torpor Orb (humans)
I'm sure there are more cards but those are a few off the top of my head. Being able to run less copies of each but having more in your deck due to symmetry seems like it could be strong.
The Plague Engineer is by far the most exciting card for me. Night of Souls' Betrayal did absolute work but the 4 mana cost and double black requirement often was a turn too slow or you just never got double black in matchups where you think it would be great like affinity, humans, even infect. Also, infect was boarding in Nature's Claim so it wasn't even a lock. This new guy costs 3 mana and is a creature so even if Thalia is in play you will cast this guy on turn 3. Infect only plays spell Pierce and often no removal so this guy won't get countered in that matchup and he can chump block and trade with glistener elf if you are desperate while killing all Blighted Agents and Noble Hierarchs (both human). Against UW control he can pressure planeswalkers and shut out snapcaster mage and vendillion clique (wizard). Normally UW boards out removal for counterspells and such so this guy is another must kill threat which helps crabs/scribes stay alive if you are on a creature build. Also, having deathtouch is relevant against creatures like Gurmag Angler and big Champions/Lieutenants or Glistener Elf. Either they trade off or don't attack giving us more time to mill them.
I can't stress how often I've lost games with Night of Souls' Betrayal because it cost 4 mana instead of 3. I still play the card because when it sticks it is just that good but at 3 mana this guy feels like an amazing addition to the sideboard.
the forced search on the sorcery path is at least debatable. It is better than fatal push in multiple matchups and triggering a trap that otherwise would have been dead against a deck that doesn't search like humans and affinity could be the difference of winning and losing. You can also get punked by end of turn coco/vial etc... and never get a chance to cast the card OR your opponent plays a card that fatal push can't kill. I think that card at least has a viable claim to be tested whereas a 1 mana mill 4 or 5 mana mill 8... Just play Breaking/Entering.
I don't think mill was even known to be a deck back when this set was designed so you're probably right.
I do think both Force of Despair and Force of Negation could be played in the 75 for the right meta.
Chung actually thinks the new Ashiok is playable in modern but I think what he means is, it is playable as a 1x in the sideboard. I can't imagine cutting Crypt Incursion or Ensnaring Bridge for this 3 mana do nothing.
Bernardo Torres day 2'd the MC with mill and was in position to top 8 until he lost vs GDS and UW Control in back to back rounds. He was playing the Chung list with 4 Darkslick Shores main, which I have been doing myself lately and have liked. He also played a copy of Engineered Explosives in his sideboard instead of a Night of Souls' Betrayl. The rest of the deck looked pretty stock.
As for the 41st place list. I see the Ashiok and Mind Funerals being a concession to BG and UW Control as having a bunch of inquisitions and brutalities just kind of stalls the game but doesn't close it. I was watching Stickballruss's stream (put up the most recent 5-0 list with an old school mill list) and saw a ton of matches of him playing vs UW Control and even BG and how much difference it makes having more threat based cards opposed to answer cards in your deck. However, when watching him stream vs burn he thinks the matchup is unwinnable which it is unless you are playing brutalities and inquisitions to interact on turns 1 and 2. He's a very entertaining streamer though and a pretty good player. I think Chung fell off the grid. Maybe he left the game?
Just let him die and be happy your opponent is playing removal instead of cards that actually kill you. Also, there are decks that don't play removal where he is an engine from Turn 1 and all you have to is be the control deck in the matchup and he will do most of the work for you... And we have no other mill plays for Turn 1. Also, it's not like we're swimming in awesome cards to replace him with. Cutting Crabs for cards like Mind Funeral and Breaking feels awful.
Sounds like an expensive Thoughtscour. That being said the new Jace belongs with a bunch of other planeswalkers like Ashiok that are strong in slow matchups and are just bad cards in aggro matchups. Feels like a SB card specifically against control.
I don't play esper but I'd at least test the 3 mana Teferi to see how he performs in various matchups. Being able to make all your spells uncounterable and be able to play Glimpse at end of opponents turn would feel great. Feels bad against fast decks tho.
I think Counterspell actually helps us because it is strictly worse than Logic Knot against us. Being able to exile your whole graveyard to turn off future visions of beyond or surgical or whatever else is a huge swing in the control matchups.
E Tron is kind of a nightmare too.
I also think there might be a toolbox approach with symmetry. Maybe we only need 1 bridge and 1 crypt incursion main now. We may not need 6-8 surgical effects anymore and can replace those slots with bombs in our bad matchups such as Torpor Orb (humans) or Night of Souls' Betrayal, the new Ashiok or whatever...
Potential hate piece toolbox cards:
Surgical (combo)
Bridge (eldrazi, humans, shadow)
Crypt Incursion (burn)
Plague Engineer/Night of Souls' Betrayl (infect, humans, devoted druid, dredge, affinity, mardu pyromancer, tribal etc...)
Unmoored Ego (nexus of fate and emrakul hate if you play against it a lot)
New Ashiok (scapeshift, dredge, hogaak, graveyard and searching decks)
Narset (phoenix, control)
Torpor Orb (humans)
I'm sure there are more cards but those are a few off the top of my head. Being able to run less copies of each but having more in your deck due to symmetry seems like it could be strong.
I can't stress how often I've lost games with Night of Souls' Betrayal because it cost 4 mana instead of 3. I still play the card because when it sticks it is just that good but at 3 mana this guy feels like an amazing addition to the sideboard.
I don't think mill was even known to be a deck back when this set was designed so you're probably right.
I do think both Force of Despair and Force of Negation could be played in the 75 for the right meta.
Bernardo Torres day 2'd the MC with mill and was in position to top 8 until he lost vs GDS and UW Control in back to back rounds. He was playing the Chung list with 4 Darkslick Shores main, which I have been doing myself lately and have liked. He also played a copy of Engineered Explosives in his sideboard instead of a Night of Souls' Betrayl. The rest of the deck looked pretty stock.
I don't play esper but I'd at least test the 3 mana Teferi to see how he performs in various matchups. Being able to make all your spells uncounterable and be able to play Glimpse at end of opponents turn would feel great. Feels bad against fast decks tho.
I think Counterspell actually helps us because it is strictly worse than Logic Knot against us. Being able to exile your whole graveyard to turn off future visions of beyond or surgical or whatever else is a huge swing in the control matchups.