Tinybones, Trinket Thief – Jumpstart MTG Review

David
Fanany
Player
since
1995

There’s a fake image floating around the internet suggesting that Tinybones is the new ruler of Theros’ Underworld. Apparently the meme makers haven’t read the lore, because Heliod was the god who fell, not Erebos – and I suspect you’d need more than trinkets to keep control of the dead! Unless, I suppose, Tinybones bribed their way to the throne . . .

They’re clearly intended for a discard-themed deck, but don’t actually forward the main plan; still, such a deck might want an extra card for something it was doing anyway. And when the game goes long enough, that activated ability might just end it on the spot. There’s also some interesting side cases of punishing strategies like madness and some reanimator variants (the ones that set up with looting effects or Zombie Infestation and the like).

Constructed: 2/5
Casual: 3/5
Limited: 3/5
Multiplayer: 3/5
Commander: 3/5

Tinybones is the kind of creature that seems to have a lot of interesting applications. You benefit if opponents discard cards (and note that it’s any turn, not just your turn), and he has a neat little ability to try and end the game (if they don’t have the means to draw cards in response). I can see several uses for Tinybones to do rude things (like discard-themed decks), even if that body is pretty underwhelming otherwise. He comes out early and offers a lot of incremental advantage, and sometimes that’s what you need to eke out a win.

Constructed: 2.25 (not enough mileage for Legacy)
Casual: 3.75
Limited: 3.25
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander: 3.75