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TINY PUNISHER - Discard/Stax cEDH [MH3 Update]

Commander / EDH Combo Competitive Discard Exile Mono-Black Primer Stax Suicide Black

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Artifact (20)

Creature (8)

Discard - Any Turn (5)

Discard - Instant Speed (5)

Discard - My Turn (17)

Discard - Opponents’ Turn (4)

Draw (13)

Graveyard Hate (5)

Land (28)

Life-Gain (2)

Punisher Protection (3)

Ramp (14)

Removal (9)

Stax (12)

Tutor (7)

Win-Con: Anvil & Chains Lock (2)

Win-Con: Combo Steal (1)

Win-Con: Infinite Life Drain (2)

Win-Con: Infinite Mill/Exile (3)

Win-Con: ShellyStorm (3)

Win-Con: Shelly’s Abyss (2)

Win-Con: The Tergrinator (1)

Commander (1)

Commander: foil Tinybones, Trinket Thief

Sideboard

Discard (1)

Draw (3)

Land (2)

Ramp (2)

Removal (6)

Versatile (1)

Win-Con (1)

Maybeboard

Artifacts (29)

Creatures (26)

Enchantments (15)

Instants (12)

Land (21)

Sorceries (29)

PRIMER OUTDATED AND UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Decklist current as of MH3

Top Rank: #1 on T/O - thanks for reading!

GREETINGS!

Tinybones, Trinket Thief is the TINY PUNISHER, and he never forgives...

OVERVIEW

This is my Mono-Black Discard/Stax Control build featuring my favorite commander Tinybones. I’m trying to make this as competitive as possible at the cEDH level.

The objective is to lockdown my opponents with discard and stax spells, destroy or stall their creatures, develop my mana base, dig for key cards, and when the time is ready...punish them.

My opponents expect me to focus on reanimation and Megrim-type effects. However, this deck runs very few creatures and minimizes graveyard abilities because of the prevalence of Rest in Peace and similar graveyard hate. I exclude Megrim-type effects to focus on discarding, generating card advantage, locking down the board with stax effects, and assembling infinite combos.

STRATEGY AND CARD CHOICES

Opening Hand

The optimal opening is to play the Tiny Punisher by turn 1, then time my discard spells carefully to generate superior card advantage while locking down the board.

I aggressively mulligan unless I begin the game with at least 1-2 discard spells and at least 2 lands and/or mana sources. If my hand is lacking discard spells, I can still keep it if I start with a tutor.

Ramp

To play the Tiny Punisher as early as possible, I want to start the game with one of the following ramp cards: Arcane Signet,Cabal Ritual, Chrome Mox, Dark Ritual, Grim Monolith, Jeweled Lotus, Jet Medallion, Lotus Petal, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault, Mox Amber, Mox Diamond, Mox Opal, or Sol Ring.

Although Waste Not is versatile, I primarily consider it to be a ramp card, since most players run more lands than any other card type, and each time an opponent discards a land I generate 2 black mana.

I’ve streamlined my mana base to focus on triggering Cabal Coffers, which becomes useful during the mid/late game once I have several swamps or Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth on the battlefield.

Jeweled Lotus helps me recast the Tiny Punisher from the command zone, since he is often the target of removal and my own board wipes.

Discard

I have chosen only the most efficient discard spells (cards which discard the most for the least amount of mana). I categorize them based on the turn in which they cause opponents to discard. This is important to consider because the Tiny Punisher lets me draw a card during each player’s end step if an opponent discarded a card during their turn.

The following spells can discard on any turn: Funeral Charm, Geier Reach Sanitarium, Necrogen Spellbomb, Oppression, and Words of Waste.

The following spells can discard only on my turn: Chain of Smog, Dark Deal, Delirium Skeins, Duress, Grief, Hymn to Tourach, Liliana of the Veil, Mind Twist, Raven's Crime, Thoughtseize, Tourach, Dread Cantor, Vicious Rumors, and Wrench Mind.

The following spells can discard on my opponents’ turns: Anvil of Bogardan, Bottomless Pit, Chains of Mephistopheles, and Necrogen Mists.

Graveyard Hate

Dauthi Voidwalker, Leyline of the Void, Planar Void (the ‘Voids’), and Scavenger Grounds ensure that the opponents’ discarded cards are exiled, shutting down most decks utilizing graveyard manipulation.

I used to run Bojuka Bog, but entering the battlefield tapped is a major drawback and can be fatal if drawn during early turns.

Combo Hate

Against combo-heavy decks, I make sure I have a Void on the battlefield, then I target their combo pieces with discard spells to remove those cards forever. I can also steal a player’s most important card with Praetor's Grasp.

A great tool against combo decks (or almost all decks, since most use fetchlands and tutors) is Opposition Agent.

Dauthi Voidwalker is essentially Leyline of the Void with a body. Plus it allows me to use a discarded card against my opponent.

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse is the newest addition to the deck. With the Tiny Punisher and Shelly in play, each time I draw a card I gain 2 life. If I control a discard outlet like Bottomless Pit or Necrogen Mists, I will gain at least 2 life during my turn and 2 life during each other player’s turn, which offsets the life-loss of the Tiny Punisher. Shelly punishes each opponent for drawing a card, which is especially painful with Anvil of Bogardan. She shuts down blue and green combo decks which function by drawing obscene amounts of cards. She also acts as a win-con with Peer into the Abyss and shuts down other players’ PitAs.

Creature Hate and Removal

This build runs very few creatures and punishes opponents with creature-heavy strategies via Ensnaring Bridge, No Mercy, and Noetic Scales. I also run numerous targeted and area removal spells, including Baleful Mastery, Damnation, Deadly Rollick, Dismember, Feed the Swarm, Snuff Out, The Meathook Massacre, and Toxic Deluge.

Blast Zone is a Ratchet Bomb which also generates mana.

It is inexpensive to repeatedly cast the Tiny Punisher from the Command Zone, so I can wipe the board with impunity, especially if the Tiny Punisher is stolen by another player.

Draw

The Tiny Punisher is a draw engine on his own. I strategically time my casting of discard spells to generate card advantage. The best spells to trigger the Tiny Punisher are the spells that affect each player on their own turn, which are Anvil of Bogardan, Bottomless Pit, Chains of Mephistopheles, and Necrogen Mists.

Bolas's Citadel, Castle Locthwain, Necropotence, Peer into the Abyss are each life-intensive spells for drawing numerous cards.

Words of Waste together with Geth's Grimoire (and/or Waste Not) is a powerful draw/discard engine which can trigger during my draw step every turn to reduce an opponent’s hand to 0 cards. If I have a way to draw a card at instant speed like Sensei's Divining Top, I can trigger Words of Waste after an opponent draws during their Draw Phase to force the opponent to discard their only card.

Geier Reach Sanitarium allows me to force each player to draw and discard a card at instant speed. I used to also run Mikokoro, Center of the Sea, but every time I had it in play, I wished it was something else.

Reliquary Tower gives me infinite hand size, so I can draw cards with impunity and abuse Necropotence and Peer into the Abyss.

Tutor

To tutor for specific cards I need (especially combo pieces), I am running Demonic Tutor, Grim Tutor, Imperial Seal, and Vampiric Tutor.

Urza's Saga is helpful because it produces blockers as well as tutoring for mana rocks or Necrogen Spellbomb.

I used to run Inventors' Fair, but it takes too long to set up and has been underwhelming in practice.

The full set of Swamp Fetchlands allow me to thin and randomize the deck, which increases my chances of drawing the cards I need.

Punisher Protection

Imp's Mischief is a versatile card that can redirect a counterspell and save me in a tight spot.

WIN-CONS

Tiny Punisher Solo-Mission

Once each opponent has no cards in hand, I can use the Tiny Punisher’s activated ability to inflict 10 damage to each opponent. With stax pieces in place, mana ramp, and some luck, this hand-lock can be accomplished as early as turns 3-4. Usually each opponent will not be able to recover without playing the card they top-deck, allowing me to continually hit them with 10 damage each turn. However, using the Tiny Punisher is less reliable than using an infinite combo, so I primarily use him to dig through my library to find combo pieces.

Near-Infinite Damage

Aetherflux Reservoir + Bolas's Citadel + Sensei's Divining Top

Aetherflux Reservoir mitigates the continuous life-loss from the Tiny Punisher and other card effects, and is lethal if I can reach 50 life. Bolas's Citadel always allows me to play a card if I have none in hand and can turn my multitude of cheap artifacts and enchantments into timebombs. I can use it with Sensei's Divining Top to continuously dig through my library at the cost of 1 life per card. If I also have Aetherflux Reservoir in play, I can repeatedly cast the Top from the top of my library to generate as much life and draws as I want (the life loss from the Citadel will be offset by the life gain from the Resevoir), then channel the life into the Resevoir to kill every opponent. This combo requires a total of 8 colorless and 3 black mana.

I can substitute Aetherflux Reservoir in this combo for Sheoldred, the Apocalypse to draw my entire deck and gain lots of life. Then I can drop my free mana rocks and choose how I want to kill my opponents.

Infinite Mill/Exile

Dauthi Voidwalker or Leyline of the Void + Helm of Obedience

If I have Dauthi Voidwalker or Leyline of the Void in play, I can cast Helm of Obedience, tap it for X=1, and immediately kill an opponent by milling their library into oblivion. This 2-card combo is even stronger with the release of Dauthi Voidwalker. This combo doesn’t work with Planar Void, since Planar Void is a triggered ability, as opposed to a replacement ability like the Voidwalker and Leyline. This combo requires 5 colorless and 2 black mana with Voidwalker, or 7 colorless and 2 black mana with Leyline.

Near-Infinite Life Gain/Drain

Chain of Smog + Professor Onyx

If I cast Chain of Smog targeting myself with Professor Onyx in play, I can copy Chain of Smog an infinite number of times, then drain infinite life from each player with Prof. Onyx’s Magecraft. This 2-card combo involves no creatures and does not target opponents, (bypassing hexproof), and costs a total of 5 colorless and 3 black mana.

Prof. Onyx is also useful on her own, since each instant or sorcery I cast with her in play will gain me 8 life in a 4-player game. With Bolas's Citadel and Onyx in play, I can abuse Citadel without worrying about life-loss and easily draw into an infinite combo.

Near-Infinite Life Gain/Loss

Sheoldred, the Apocalypse + Peer into the Abyss

If I control Sheoldred, the Apocalypse and cast Peer into the Abyss, I can target another player and deal enough damage to usually kill that player. Or I can target myself and gain lots of life, then find a combo to kill all other players simultaneously.

Anvil and Chains Lock

If I have both Anvil of Bogardan and Chains of Mephistopheles on the board, each player draws and discards two cards to begin each turn, and players will not be able to refill their hands. I save this combo until I have enough available mana so I can then kill each opponent with the Tiny Punisher.

I can go around the Anvil and Chains lock via Bolas's Citadel or Necropotence.

The Tergrinator

Tergrid, God of Fright   is known by her victims as the Tergrinator. Once I have the early game set up, dropping the Tergrinator will allow me to keep each permanent card my opponents’ discard or sacrifice, which gets out of hand very quickly.

If Planar Void is in play, I can choose to keep the discarded card with the Tergrinator before it hits the graveyard, since I can choose the order of triggered abilities on the stack. This does not apply when Dauthi Voidwalker or Leyline of the Void are in play, both of which have a replacement ability and not a triggered ability. Since these Void cards are usually the subject of immediate removal, the Tergrinator provides a great Plan-B to utilize my opponent’s discarded cards.

Outdated Combos

The following is another infinite combo I previously considered, but I realize now that it involves too many moving parts to execute reliably in a cEDH setting:

If I control at least 4 swamps, I can generate infinite mana with Cabal Coffers + Deserted Temple + Rings of Brighthearth (first use the Coffers, then use the untap ability of Deserted Temple to untap the Coffers, then in response to the Temple’s ability, use the Rings to untap the Temple, use the Temple to untap the Coffers, and so on, forever). Once I have infinite mana, I can channel it into Torment of Hailfire, Exsanguinate, or Tinybones, Trinket Thief (if opponents have no cards in hand) to kill all opponents simultaneously. Rings of Brighthearth is also useful for doubling the Tiny Punisher’s damage ability for only two additional mana (pay 8 mana to do 20 damage).

EXCLUSIONS

Rack Spells

This strategy forgoes Rack spells like The Rack and Shrieking Affliction, because those cards do not further the main goal of the deck, which is to reduce opponents to 0 cards and use the Tiny Punisher’s ability. These Rack spells are best suited for other commanders with built-in discard abilities, like Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger or Nath of the Gilt-Leaf.

Discard Spells

I have chosen only the most efficient discard spells relative to mana cost. Other expensive spells like Awaken the Erstwhile, Syphon Mind, etc. didn’t make the cut.

Gibbering Descent is too expensive for its effect, even with the madness cost, and I’m already running other cards which trigger discard on upkeep.

Painful Quandary is also too expensive for its effect, and it doesn’t affect the board fast enough.

Creatures

I have excluded most aggro creatures like The Haunt of Hightower and Rankle, Master of Pranks, as well as mana-generators like Crypt Ghast to focus more on card advantage and control. I have included Tourach, Dread Cantor because it is a 2-for-1 creature providing discard and defense.

Braids, Arisen Nightmare is another creature I am considering for more draw potential.

Dark Confidant hurts more often than he helps. The cumulative life loss from the Tiny Punisher and other cards can be overwhelming.

Mindslicer wipes hands, but I find that other players will try extremely hard to avoid killing it. Slicer will usually stay alive unless I wipe the board, and I am not utilizing creature sacrifice abilities (like Culling the Weak) to ensure consistent sacrificing.

Artifacts

Library of Leng is useful because it allows me to save all the cards I discard with Necropotence, Bottomless Pit, Liliana of the Veil, etc. The Library bypasses Planar Void and the opponents’ graveyard hate as well. However, each time I drew it, I wish I had drawn more mana instead, so I cut it to make room for more ramp artifacts.

I used to run Damping Sphere because it shuts down storm and ramp decks, but every time I drew it I needed something else. Its drawback usually hurts me as much as the opponent, since I am primarily going for a combo win.

I previously ran Relic of Progenitus, but it often hurt more than it helped, so I cut it. I also cut Soul-Guide Lantern to make room for more ramp.

I don’t like Bag of Holding because if it’s destroyed, all the cards I exiled with it are gone forever.

Other Exclusions

The cards listed on the Maybeboard were considered but ultimately didn’t make the cut.

META-SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS

I have been encountering more Planeswalkers lately. If you think Walkers are growing in popularity in your meta, I would suggest swapping in Hero's Downfall and The Elderspell for the cards of your choice (perhaps Dismember or Toxic Deluge). Another good option is Pestilence, which hits Walkers.

This is a work in progress! I would like to make this as competitive as possible. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated!

Suggestions

Updates Add

Major Update — Aug. 7, 2020
Edit

After doing some research, I have significantly revamped the deck to be more competitive. I reduced the number of cards focusing on Swamps and shifted the focus more towards control. There are now additional win-cons and less potential for dead draws.

If anyone has any suggestions, I’d love to hear them! :)

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Casual

91% Competitive

Revision 65 See all

(3 months ago)

-1 Talon Gates of Madara side
Top Ranked
  • Achieved #1 position overall 4 years ago
Date added 4 years
Last updated 3 months
Legality

This deck is not Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)

24 - 1 Mythic Rares

43 - 5 Rares

11 - 7 Uncommons

10 - 3 Commons
Cards 100
Avg. CMC 2.22
Tokens Construct 0/0 C, Orc Army, Zombie 2/2 B
Folders EDH, MTG Tabletop, Decks I love, edh, TO TRY, Interesting Decks, EDH Decks, Cool Commander Decks, Ideas, Tinybones
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