Tinybones, Bauble Burglar Commander Deck Guide

Black mana in Magic: The Gathering is typified by terrifying monsters, demons, vampires, and other eldritch horrors that spawn from the abyss. To put it mildly, black mana is never cute. And then along comes Tinybones and upends the whole concept of what terror can be.

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Tinybones is an adorable little rascal that just wants to pilfer everything. Sure, Tinybones might not have a face, but that just adds to his cutesy mystique. But make no mistake; Tinybones is a menace at the table, and woe betides the opposing player who underestimates those itty-bitty kleptomanic bones. Here’s how to build and play Tinybones, Bauble Burglar in Commander.

The Commander: Tinybones, Bauble Burglar

Tinybones, Bauble Burglar might be cute, but he’s also a thieving monster. Every card an opponent discards gets exiled with a stash counter. On your turn, you can play any of those stashed cards and use black mana to pay for it. On top of that, Tinybones can also tap to make each opponent discard a card.

Tinybones does everything he needs to function on his own. Cast him on turn two, block with him until turn three (thanks to that three toughness), and then start tapping to make everyone discard, providing you with access to everyone else’s spells.

But merely making each opponent discard a single card every turn is slow and inefficient. The best way to play Tinybones is to make everyone discard down to nothing as quickly as possible, limiting their options while providing you with ample opportunities.

There’s just one problem with Tinybones. While he works best in a multiplayer environment, playing a Commander that makes everyone discard is going to make everyone at the table hate you. So be sure to build up defenses as you go on your stealing spree.

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Building Your Tinybones, Bauble Burglar Commander Deck

The first thing you’ll want in a Tinybones, Bauble Burglar deck is a ton of discard effects. With Tinybones around, every discarded card becomes almost like a card in your hand. Better yet, it’s a card your opponent can’t access.

The rest of the deck will be good black spells that help you answer threats while Tinybones goes on a crime spree. You’ll certainly want some cards that could potentially end the game, but odds are you’ll be able to get all the threats you’ll need from your opponents.

Discard, Discard, Discard

There are tons of ways to make your opponents discard just by sticking to black mana. On the creature side of things, Burglar Rat, Nezumi Informant, Virus Beetle, Elderfang Disciple, Liliana’s Specter, Necrogoyf, Rankle, Master of Pranks, and Archon of Cruelty all make your opponents discard. Mindslicer makes everyone discard their hands, and Cunning Lethemancer makes everyone discard equally.

For noncreature spells, you’ve got Vicious Rumors, Dark Deal, Delirium Skeins, Syphon Mind, Arterial Flow, Torment of Hellfire, Tinybones Joins Up, Hopeless Nightmare, and the two big ones, Necrogen Mists and Painful Quandary. Get any of these and watch Tinybones steal the motherlode.

Cards That Like Discard

Your Commander is already reason enough to make people discard, but there are methods of turbocharging your discard plans.

The Raven Man makes tokens whenever anyone discards. Asylum Visitor draw cards when your opponents are eventually reduced to having no cards in hand. Tergrid, God of Fright puts discarded permanents into play faster than Tinybones, and Syr Konrad, the Grim turns discarded creatures into damage.

Let’s not forget Tinybones’ other incarnations. Tinybones, Trinket Thief helps you draw cards as opponents discard, while Tinybones, the Pickpocket can cast cards in an opponent’s graveyard if they manage to avoid Tinybones, Bauble Burglar.

There are also a bunch of enchantments that help out with discard. Liliana’s Caress, Megrim, and Raiders’ Wake all tack on life loss to those discarded cards. Waste Not makes zombies, mana, or draws you cards depending on what your opponent discarded, and Geth’s Grimoire makes every discarded card a card you can draw.

Ramp

Your ability to respond to opponents will depend on having the mana to cast the spells you need to fend them off once Tinybones starts stealing. To get the most out of your Swamps, check out Crypt Ghast, Liliana of the Dark Realms, Dark Ritual, Cabal Ritual, and Bubbling Muck.

On the artifact side, Sol Ring, Arcane Signet, Jet Medallion, Thought Vessel, and Mind Stone are your mana rocks. As for land, Nythose, Shrine to Nyx, Cabal Stronghold, and Cabal Coffers supercharge your mana production. Don’t forget Urborg Tomb of Yawgmoth to make all your unbasic lands into Swamps.

Good Black Stuff

There are black Commander staples for a reason. Gray Merchant of Asphodel is a huge lifeswing. Defile, Deadly Rollick, Feed the Swarm, and Go for the Throat are great removal spells. Consuming Corruption combines both removal and life gain into one tidy package.

Toxic Deluge, Mutilate, and Damnation keep the board clear when things seem stacked against you. Sign in Blood, Night’s Whisper, Read the Bones, and Phyrexian Arena are all great ways to get cards when you need them.

And don’t forget about the flexibility afforded by the dual spell/land cards: Fell the Profane / Fell Mire, Malakir Rebirth / Malakir Mire, and Boggart Trawler / Boggart Bog. They can really come through when you need to choose between a spell for the late game or a land for the early game.

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Tinybones, Bauble Burglar Commander Deck List

With all that in mind, here’s our suggested deck list for Tinybones, Bauble Burglar.

Budget Substitutions

Some of these cards are pretty pricey, so unless you’re also a tiny skeleton that steals jewels, consider these budget replacements.

Tips For Playing Tinybones, Bauble Burglar In Commander

• This cannot be stressed enough: nobody likes to discard cards. Most decks need cards in hand to feel effective, so being told to discard means you’re angering most other players. Prepare to receive the ire of everyone you’re playing with.
• Since you’re almost guaranteed to be on the defensive once Tinybones starts stealing, try to ensure you’ve got enough mana to use the spells that become available once the opponent’s discard.
• Remember: you can only cast spells using Tinybones’s ability on your turn. There are no instant-speed answers with Tinybones, so cast defensive creatures and pre-emptively remove threats before passing your turn.
• Beware of opponents with graveyard recursion strategies. Discard doesn’t work as well when you’re asking opponents to toss cards where they can still play them.

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