Overview:

This mono-black discard/stax deck helmed by Kyoki, Sanity's Eclipse focuses on hand disruption and attrition through Spirit/Arcane synergy. The strategy leverages forced discard effects paired with payoffs like Waste Not, Liliana's Caress, and Syr Konrad, the Grim, while using Kyoki's triggered ability to exile opponents' resources. Secondary win conditions include reanimation of key threats like Kokusho, the Evening Star and Junji, the Midnight Sky, with Tergrid, God of Fright acting as a hidden commander. The deck employs prison elements like Ensnaring Bridge and Noetic Scales to stall while draining opponents.

Primer:

Core Strategy Execution:

1. Early Setup (T1-4): Deploy mana accelerants (Crypt Ghast, Jet Medallion), discard enablers (Bottomless Pit, Necrogen Mists), and key engines like Waste Not. Use targeted discard (Chain of Smog, Tourach, Dread Cantor) to disrupt opponents.
2. Midgame Pressure (T5-7): Cast Kyoki alongside Spirit/Arcane spells to exile opponents' hands. Activate mass discard with Delirium Skeins or Myojin of Night's Reach, triggering Geth's Grimoire and damage effects. Deploy prison pieces to limit combat options.
3. Endgame Closure: Leverage Peer into the Abyss + Syr Konrad for massive damage, reanimate Kokusho for life swings, or use Bloodchief Ascension's activated ability with recurring discard.

Mulligan Priorities:

• Keep hands with 2-3 lands including black sources
• Prioritize early discard engines (Necrogen Mists, Hopeless Nightmare) or ramp (Sol Ring, Cabal Ritual)
• Ensure at least one payoff card (Waste Not, Megrim) or tutor (Demonic Tutor)
• Avoid hands lacking both disruption and mana acceleration

Key Tips:

• Time mass discard spells after opponents refill hands via draw steps
• Use Dauthi Voidwalker to steal exiled cards and offset symmetric discard effects
• Pair Ensnaring Bridge with Anvil of Bogardan to maintain hand size control
• Imp's Mischief protects key pieces or redirects crucial removal
• Volrath's Stronghold recurs Syr Konrad or Kokusho for repeated value

Weaknesses:

Critical

• Struggles against hand-refill strategies and decks that empty hands quickly
• Heavily reliant on 3-4 key enchantments (Waste Not, Necropotence) with limited protection
• Rest in Peace/Leyline of the Void neuter Syr Konrad, reanimation, and Dauthi Voidwalker

Moderate

• Vulnerable to enchantment removal hitting critical mass-discard payoffs
• Limited answers to artifact-based strategies (only Force of Vigor-like effect is The Meathook Massacre)
• Teferi's Puzzle Box and Howling Mine effects undermine discard strategy

Minor

• Moderate creature count makes Toxic Deluge/Damnation risky without recovery
• Some air in the Spirit tribal package (e.g., Will-o'-the-Wisp) lacks immediate impact

Most Important Cards:

• Waste Not (Discard payoff engine - mana generation, tokens, card draw)
• Necropotence (Card advantage engine enabling discard synergies)
• Tergrid, God of Fright (Converts discards/sacrifices into permanent advantage)
• Myojin of Night's Reach (Game-ending mass discard effect)
• Syr Konrad, the Grim (Primary damage engine from graveyard interactions)
• Peer into the Abyss (Win condition enabler with Syr Konrad/life loss)
• Ensnaring Bridge (Prison piece enabling slow grind)
• Dauthi Voidwalker (Disruption + graveyard hate + threat)
• Cabal Coffers (Mana scaling for late-game plays)
• Demonic Tutor (Key consistency tool for finding combo pieces)

Attribute Ratings:

Speed: 5/10

• Can establish soft locks by T5-6 but lacks fast combo kills, typically closing games T8-10 through incremental damage.

Resilience: 6/10

• Multiple recursive threats (Nether Traitor, Myojin) and card advantage engines, but over-reliant on fragile enchantments.

Consistency: 7/10

• Strong tutor density (7+ tutors) and card draw, but requires assembling 2-3 piece interactions for maximum impact.

Interaction: 6/10

• Targeted removal (Dismember, Deadly Rollick), mass sweepers, and stack interaction (Imp's Mischief), but lacks counterspell protection.

Rating Justification:

This deck demonstrates focused discard synergy with strong consistency and mid-range resilience, but its T8-10 win clock and vulnerability to enchantment removal place it below optimized combo decks. The combination of stax elements and incremental damage aligns with high-power casual strategies.

Power level: 5.5 - 6.0