This example shows how you can alter the phase of a wave by milliseconds using delay~. The object mstosamps~ converts milliseconds to samples which then are smoothed by line~ to avoid clicks. (See MSP Basics Tutorial 2 for an example and explanation of linear interpolation using line~.)
Here are a few behaviors of the cycle~ object worth knowing.
This patch allows you to see how the phase relationship between two sine waves will affect the shape of the waveform when the two are mixed together. Initially, it shows a 4-Hz sinusoid and an 8-Hz sinusoid that are one-half cycle out of phase with each other. If you change the phase offset of one of the oscillators, you can see that the waves interfere differently, thus changing the shape of the waveform. However, as listeners we're not very sensitive to such changes in phase relationships, except in certain cases where waves cancel each other in extreme ways.