Overview:

This mono-black discard deck leverages Tinybones, Bauble Burglar to exploit opponents' discarded cards while draining life through punishing enchantments. The strategy focuses on forced discard triggers, stax elements to restrict opponents' options, and incremental value from exile-play mechanics.

Primer:

Core Strategy: The deck aims to lock opponents out of resources through symmetrical discard (Bottomless Pit, Oppression) while converting discards into damage (Megrim, Liliana's Caress), tokens (Waste Not), and stolen value (Tinybones' exile-play ability). Key phases: Early Disruption: Deploy low-cost discard engines like Burglar Rat and Elderfang Disciple while setting up asymmetric payoffs like Bone Miser. Midgame Lock: Resolve stax pieces like Contamination/Infernal Darkness paired with discard to cripple opponents' mana bases. Use Tergrid, God of Fright to convert discards into permanent theft. Closing Power: Activate Tinybones' 10-life loss ability or drain via Gray Merchant of Asphodel once opponents are hellbent. Leverage stolen cards from exile for unexpected finishers.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands including Cabal Coffers potential
• Prioritize T1-T3 discard outlets (Duress, The Raven Man)
• Avoid hands without early discard triggers or payoff enablers

Key Tips:

• Sequence symmetrical discard after establishing Waste Not/Bone Miser
• Use Anvil of Bogardan to force continuous discards
• Protect Contamination with recursive creatures like Hostile Investigator
• Time Delirium Skeins when opponents have 3+ cards

Avoid Traps:

• Overextending symmetrical discard before establishing payoffs
• Wasting removal on non-threats - preserve for hatebearers
• Keeping slow hands - this deck can't recover from early tempo loss

Weaknesses:

Critical:

• Foldsto graveyard hate (Bojuka Bog neuters Bone Miser/Songs of the Damned)
• No protection for key enchantments (Megrim, Painful Quandary)

Moderate:

• Slow recovery from board wipes
• Limited redundancy for Waste Not effects

Minor:

• Weak to artifact/enchantment recursion strategies

Most Important Cards:

• Waste Not
• Bone Miser
• Tergrid, God of Fright
• Contamination
• Oppression
• Painful Quandary
• Liliana's Caress
• Megrim
• Demonic Tutor
• Cabal Coffers

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Earliest goldfish win ~T7 via Gray Merchant loops
• Requires multiple discard cycles to reach lethal damage

Resilience: 4/10

• Limited protection (only Swiftfoot Boots/Lightning Greaves)
• Recursion focuses on creatures over key enchantments

Consistency: 6/10

• 8+ redundant discard triggers
• Demonic Tutor + Raven Man provide critical searches
• Anvil of Bogardan ensures continuous engine

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Fatal Push, Go for the Throat)
• Stax elements (Torpor Orb, Defense Grid)
• Lacks counterspells/instant-speed answers

Rating Justification:

This deck sits between Optimized Casual (5.0) and High-Power Casual (5.5). While it has cEDH-adjacent stax pieces like Contamination, its win conditions are too slow (T8-10) and fragile compared to true combo decks. The discard strategy struggles against modern card advantage engines, but the inclusion of Demonic Tutor and Cabal Coffers pushes it above precon-level consistency. Matches the "T8-10 via combat, combos, or overwhelming value" benchmark of 5.0 with some 5.5 elements in its stax potential.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5