Overview:

This mono-black deck helmed by Tinybones, Bauble Burglar employs a relentless discard strategy to strip opponents' hands while leveraging their exiled cards. The primary game plan involves deploying numerous forced-discard effects (e.g., Burglar Rat, Bottomless Pit, Hymn to Tourach) to trigger life-loss payoffs like Liliana's Caress and Megrim, while Waste Not generates mana, tokens, and card advantage. Tinybones serves as the engine, enabling stolen card usage and providing repeatable discard activation. Secondary win conditions include big mana spells like Exsanguinate and Torment of Hailfire once hands are depleted.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Disruption (Turns 1-3): Deploy 1-2 mana discard sources (Burglar Rat, Duress, Virus Beetle, Hopeless Nightmare) to disrupt opponents' hands. Prioritize setting up Waste Not or Liliana's Caress. Use Dark Ritual/Jet Medallion for explosive starts.
2. Sustained Pressure (Turns 4-6): Resolve persistent discard engines like Bottomless Pit, Oppression, or Painful Quandary. Activate Tinybones' ability each turn. Deploy value pieces like Geth's Grimoire or Sangromancer. Use Liliana of the Veil for recurring discard.
3. Win Conversion (Turns 7+):
   • Attrition: Amplify discard triggers with Raiders' Wake, Megrim, and Quest for the Nihil Stone to drain opponents.
   • Big Mana: Leverage Crypt Ghast or Bubbling Muck to fuel Torment of Hailfire/Exsanguinate for lethal.
   • Stolen Threats: Cast high-impact cards exiled via Tinybones.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 Swamps and early discard (e.g., Burglar Rat + Duress).
• Prioritize hands containing Waste Not, Liliana's Caress, or a persistent discard engine.
• Avoid hands lacking early plays or discard payoffs.

Key Tips:

• Activation Timing: Use Tinybones' ability after opponents draw but before their main phase to maximize discard impact.
• Protect Engines: Equip Tinybones with Swiftfoot Boots; prioritize removing enchantment hate.
• Stax Synergy: Winter Moon cripples mana bases while discard pressures resources.
• Graveyard Denial: Tinybones exiles discarded cards, negating recursion strategies.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Enchantment Vulnerability: Waste Not, Liliana's Caress, and Oppression are essential but easily removed. Losing 2+ cripples the strategy.
• Hand Replenishment: Opponents with card draw (e.g., Rhystic Study) negate discard efforts, stalling the game plan.
• Commander Reliance: Tinybones is vital for card advantage and stolen spells. Repeated removal makes recasting prohibitive.

Moderate

• Graveyard Strategies: While Tinybones exiles, the deck lacks graveyard interaction for opposing reanimation.
• Artifact Ramp Decks: Fast mana (e.g., Mana Crypt) allows opponents to play around discard.
• Life Gain: Sustained life gain negates incremental damage from discard triggers.

Minor

• Board Wipes: Limited creature presence minimizes vulnerability, but wipes reset Sangromancer/Junji.
• Single-Target Removal: Spot removal on key creatures (e.g., Crypt Ghast) slows but doesn't halt the strategy.

Most Important Cards:

• Waste Not (Mana generation, tokens, and card draw from discards)
• Tinybones, Bauble Burglar (Engine: enables stolen spells and repeatable discard)
• Liliana's Caress (Primary life-loss payoff)
• Oppression (Persistent discard pressure)
• Crypt Ghast (Mana acceleration for big spells)
• Torment of Hailfire (Scalable finisher)
• Painful Quandary (Forces painful choices)
• The Eldest Reborn (Recurrence and targeted discard)
• Tergrid, God of Fright (Steals discarded permanents)
• Dark Ritual (Enables explosive early turns)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 4/10

• Wins typically around T8-10 via incremental life loss or big X-spells. Fast starts can pressure hands early but lack immediate kills.

Resilience: 3/10

• Heavily reliant on fragile enchantments and the commander. Minimal protection/recursion; struggles to recover from targeted disruption.

Consistency: 6/10

• High density of discard effects ensures early pressure, but lacks tutors for key payoffs (e.g., no Demonic Tutor).

Interaction: 5/10

• Efficient targeted removal (Feed the Swarm, Hero's Downfall) but lacks counterspells or board wipes. Discounts stax (Winter Moon).

Rating Justification:

The deck applies consistent early pressure but wins slowly (T8-10) through incremental damage and lacks robust protection for its critical enchantments. While it disrupts opponents effectively, its fragility and reliance on Tinybones anchor it in the Casual/Precon tier, with slight elevation due to focused synergy.

Power level: 4.0 - 4.5