Overview:

This Grixis (UBR) discard/drain deck leverages Kefka, Court Mage to force opponent discards, draw cards, and transform into a repeatable sacrifice engine. The primary strategy revolves around wheel effects (e.g., Wheel of Fortune, Windfall), discard-triggered damage (e.g., Megrim, Liliana's Caress), and life-loss from card draw (e.g., Sheoldred, the Apocalypse, Kederekt Parasite). Kefka is essential as a card advantage engine and late-game control tool, though the deck can function without him using "hidden commanders" like Tergrid, God of Fright and Tinybones, Trinket Thief.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Talismans) and early enablers like Kederekt Parasite or Tinybones, Trinket Thief. Cast Kefka asap to trigger discard/draw.
2. Midgame Punishment (Turns 5-7): Resolve mass discard (wheels) with punishment effects (Waste Not, Sheoldred) to drain life. Use reanimation (Animate Dead, Reanimate) or flicker (Displacer Kitten, Conjurer's Closet) to reuse ETBs.
3. Closing (Turns 7-9): Transform Kefka to force sacrifices. Amplify damage via Psychosis Crawler or The Haunt of Hightower. Finish with a wheel + multiple punishments or Tergrid stealing key permanents.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands, 1-2 ramp pieces (e.g., Talisman, Fellwar Stone), and at least one discard payoff (e.g., Megrim) or wheel.
• Prioritize hands with early interaction (e.g., Counterspell) if facing fast metas.
• Avoid hands lacking ramp or discard synergy.

Key Tips:

• Wheel Timing: Cast wheels only when you have 2+ punishment effects to maximize damage.
• Protect Engines: Use Lightning Greaves or Deflecting Swat to shield Kefka, Tergrid, or Sheoldred.
• Graveyard Control: Bojuka Bog disrupts opponents but preserves your Underworld Breach targets.
• Kefka Transformation: Activate only when opponents are low on resources to maximize sacrifice impact.

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Graveyard hate (e.g., Rest in Peace) cripples Underworld Breach, reanimation, and escape.
• Enchantment removal destroys key payoffs (Waste Not, Megrim, Rhystic Study).
• Empty Hands: Strategy stalls if opponents have no cards to discard/draw.

Moderate

• Artifact hate disrupts ramp and combo pieces (The One Ring, Helm of the Host).
• Creature removal targets critical engines (Tergrid, Sheoldred, Psychosis Crawler).
• Rule of Law effects limit wheel/resource-spam turns.

Minor

• Life gain offsets drain damage.
• Counter-heavy decks can interrupt key wheels or enablers.

Most Important Cards:

• Waste Not (Mana/card/token generation from discards)
• Wheel of Fortune (Mass discard/draw; triggers all payoffs)
• Tergrid, God of Fright (Steals discarded/sacrificed permanents)
• Sheoldred, the Apocalypse (Life drain on draws; offsets self-damage)
• Underworld Breach (Recurs wheels/interaction from graveyard)
• Rhystic Study (Draws into combo pieces)
• The One Ring (Card draw + temporary protection)
• Psychosis Crawler (Scales with hand size; pings on draw)
• Displacer Kitten (Flickers Kefka/Tergrid for ETB value)
• Dark Ritual (Explosive early mana for T3 Kefka/wheels)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 7/10

• Threatens T5-7 wins with ideal wheels + punishments (e.g., T1 Ritual → T3 Kefka + Wheel + Megrim = 14+ damage).

Resilience: 6/10

• Recursion (Breach, reanimation) and protection (counters, Greaves) exist but folds to targeted hate.

Consistency: 6/10

• Strong draw engines (Rhystic, One Ring) but lacks tutors; relies on wheels to refuel.

Interaction: 7/10

• Counters (Counterspell, Negate), removal (Toxic Deluge, Chaos Warp), and Kefka’s sacrifice ability offer solid disruption.

Rating Justification:

The deck consistently threatens T5-7 wins through wheels + punishment synergies, aligning with the "Focused Competitive" tier (T5-6 win/lock). However, vulnerability to graveyard/enchantment hate and reliance on specific combos prevent higher resilience scores, capping its ceiling.

Power level: 6.5 - 7.0