Overview:

This mono-black discard/stax deck helmed by Kyoki, Sanity's Eclipse focuses on hand disruption, resource denial, and incremental life drain. The strategy leverages Kyoki's Spirit/Arcane synergy to force opponent hand exile while amplifying discard triggers through cards like Waste Not, Megrim, and Syr Konrad, the Grim. Secondary win conditions include reanimation of stolen permanents via Tergrid, God of Fright and explosive Peer into the Abyss + Sheoldred, the Apocalypse life swings. Kyoki serves as both an enabler and payoff, though the deck contains multiple "hidden commanders" like Tergrid and Necropotence that drive its engine.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Disruption (Turns 1-4): Deploy mana rocks (Sol Ring, Jet Medallion) and symmetrical discard engines like Necrogen Mists, Bottomless Pit, or Dark Deal. Use early Spirits like Virus Beetle and Nezumi Informant to trigger Kyoki while disrupting hands.
2. Midgame Lock (Turns 5-7): Establish punishing enchantments (Waste Not, Liliana's Caress) and stax pieces (Noetic Scales, Ensnaring Bridge). Use Infernal Kirin and Myojin of Night's Reach for targeted discard. Activate Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth + Cabal Coffers for mana dominance.
3. Endgame Closure: Convert accumulated resources into lethal via Peer into the Abyss (with Sheoldred), Kokusho, the Evening Star death triggers, or Tergrid-stolen permanents. Use Damnation/Toxic Deluge to clear boards while preserving your stax pieces.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands including Urborg/Coffers if possible
• Prioritize early discard outlets (Chain of Smog, Delirium Skeins) or stax pieces
• Look for at least one card draw engine (Necropotence, Geth's Grimoire)
• Avoid hands lacking black mana sources or with only high-CMC cards

Key Tips:

• Use Imp's Mischief to protect key enchantments or redirect removal
• Dauthi Voidwalker disrupts graveyards while providing emergency mana/cast options
• Ensnaring Bridge pairs perfectly with forced discard to lock out combat
• Myojin of Grim Betrayal can steal entire boardstates after a wipe

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Vulnerable to enchantment hate (Austere Command, Cleansing Nova) dismantling key engines
• Struggles against low-hand-size strategies (Madness, Reanimator)
• Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void neuter Tergrid/Syr Konrad

Moderate

• Weak to artifact ramp strategies bypassing discard (The One Ring, Smothering Tithe)
• Limited answers to planeswalkers outside Dismember/March of Wretched Sorrow
• Torpor Orb shuts down ETB discard creatures

Minor

• Slow vs. hyper-aggressive decks before stax pieces deploy
• Test of Endurance/Felidar Sovereign can outpace life drain

Most Important Cards:

• Waste Not (Resource engine from discards)
• Tergrid, God of Fright (Permanent theft engine)
• Necropotence (Card advantage linchpin)
• Peer into the Abyss (Game-ending bomb with Sheoldred)
• Myojin of Night's Reach (Complete hand reset)
• Cabal Coffers (Mana amplification)
• Ensnaring Bridge (Combat lockdown)
• Syr Konrad, the Grim (Passive damage amplifier)
• Dauthi Voidwalker (Graveyard hate + value)
• Demonic Tutor (Key piece fetcher)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can establish soft locks by T5-6 but requires multiple turns to close games. Fastest wins (T7-8) require perfect Peer into the Abyss setups.

Resilience: 6/10

• Multiple redundancies in discard effects and Volrath's Stronghold recursion, but over-reliant on fragile enchantments.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong tutor suite (Demonic Tutor, Insatiable Avarice) and card draw engines ensure access to key pieces.

Interaction: 5/10

• Targeted removal (Deadly Rollick, Toxic Deluge) and hand disruption, but lacks stack interaction beyond Imp's Mischief.

Rating Justification:

This deck operates as a focused stax strategy with T7-9 win potential through incremental drain and combo finishes, but its reliance on vulnerable enchantments and moderate speed place it below optimized tiers. The strong synergy between discard payoffs and robust tutoring justifies a mid-powered casual rating.

Power level: 5.0 - 5.5