Overview:

This Grixis (U/B/R) deck leverages Kefka, Court Mage as a discard engine and value generator, transforming into Kefka, Ruler of Ruin for card draw synergy. The primary strategy forces opponents to discard cards through Kefka's ETB/attack triggers, targeted discard spells, and wheel effects like Whispering Madness or Dark Deal. Discards trigger potent payoffs such as Waste Not, Megrim, Raiders' Wake, Feast of Sanity, and Glint-Horn Buccaneer to drain life, create tokens, generate mana, and draw cards. Secondary win conditions include reanimating bombs (Archon of Cruelty, Junji, the Midnight Sky), Laboratory Maniac/draw-mill combos, and combat damage amplified by discard-triggered value engines. Kefka is essential for consistent discard pressure and card advantage but is vulnerable to removal, slowing the deck's core engine.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Play mana rocks (Sol Ring, Talismans), discard enablers (The Raven Man, Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer), or value engines (Rhystic Study, Mystic Remora). Cast Kefka ASAP to force initial discards and refill.
2. Discard Amplification (Turns 4-7): Deploy discard payoffs (Waste Not, Megrim, Raiders' Wake) and wheel opponents (Whispering Madness, Syphon Mind, Mind Rake). Use targeted discard (Tourach, Dread Cantor, Fell Specter) to disrupt opponents while triggering your engines. Reanimate key threats (Archon of Cruelty, Junji) via Reanimate/Dread Return.
3. Win Execution (Turns 6-9):
   • Discard Damage: Overwhelm opponents with cumulative life loss from Megrim/Raiders' Wake/Feast of Sanity triggers and pingers like Glint-Horn Buccaneer.
   • Combo: Draw your deck with Kefka (transformed) + Curiosity/Niv-Mizzet, Parun + damage pinger, then win via Laboratory Maniac or Psychosis Crawler.
   • Value Overload: Overrun with tokens from Waste Not/Aclazotz or stolen permanents via Tergrid, God of Fright.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands (including color fixing), early ramp/discard outlet, and at least one payoff (Waste Not, Kefka, or a wheel).
• Prioritize hands with Kefka + protection (Lightning Greaves, counterspells).
• Avoid hands lacking discard synergy or with only high-CMC cards.

Key Tips:

• Protect Kefka: Equip Greaves immediately. Hold up counters (Counterspell, Swan Song) when casting key pieces.
• Sequence Discards: Cast wheels after establishing payoffs like Waste Not or Megrim. Use Entomb to fetch Archon of Cruelty or combo pieces.
• Leverage Graveyard: Kess, Dissident Mage recasts wheels/discard spells. Living Death resets the board in your favor.
• Manage Opponents' Hands: Save targeted discard for opponents holding interaction. Bojuka Bog/Boggart Trawler exile graveyards to enable Tergrid.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard Hate: Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void cripples reanimation, Tergrid, recursion, and Living Death.
• Enchantment Removal: Losing Waste Not, Megrim, or Curiosity severely disrupts the primary win plan.
• Empty-Handed Opponents: Fails to trigger discard payoffs if opponents have no cards, stalling the engine.

Moderate

• Artifact/Combo Decks: Struggles to disrupt fast non-creature wins pre-boardwipe (limited stack interaction).
• Tax Effects: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben/Sphere of Resistance slow down multi-spell turns and wheel sequencing.
• Life Gain: Opponents stabilizing life totals negates incremental discard damage.

Minor

• Creature Swarms: Limited early blockers make the deck vulnerable to aggressive starts until board wipes (Toxic Deluge) resolve.
• Color Fixing: Manabase has painlands and conditional duals; color screw can occur early.

Most Important Cards:

• Waste Not (Core payoff: generates mana, tokens, and cards from discards)
• Kefka, Court Mage (Primary discard engine and card advantage)
• Tergrid, God of Fright (Steals discarded/sacrificed permanents)
• Whispering Madness (Mass wheel enabling explosive Waste Not turns)
• Niv-Mizzet, Parun (Draw engine, damage source, combo piece)
• Laboratory Maniac (Primary combo win condition)
• Archon of Cruelty (Reanimation target that pressures life/cards/boards)
• Oskar, Rubbish Reclaimer (Enables casting discarded spells)
• Solve the Equation (Tutors key instants/sorceries like wheels or reanimation)
• Rhystic Study (Critical card draw to refuel)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 6/10

• Can threaten wins via discard damage or combos as early as T6-7 with optimal draws (e.g., T3 Kefka → T4 Waste Not + wheel), but relies on opponents having cards to discard.

Resilience: 5/10

• Has recursion (Kess, Malakir Rebirth), counterspells, and redundancy in discard effects, but core engines (Waste Not, Kefka) are fragile to removal and graveyard hate.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong card draw (Rhystic, Syphon Mind), tutors (Solve, Entomb), and multiple discard sources ensure reliable access to the game plan, though dependent on opponent hand sizes.

Interaction: 6/10

• Efficient removal (Terminate, Deadly Rollick, Chaos Warp), counterspells (Counterspell, Swan Song), and board wipes (Toxic Deluge, Cyclonic Rift) cover most threats but lack stack-focused density.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates efficiently within its discard synergy, leveraging tutors and draw to consistently pressure life totals or assemble combos by T7-8. However, its reliance on opponents' hands and vulnerability to graveyard/enchantment hate caps resilience, preventing higher optimization. Speed aligns with Focused tiers, while resilience limitations place it in High-Power Casual.

Power level: 6.0 - 6.5