On a day when 17 wickets fell at the Emirates Durham ICG, Mark Stoneman passed 50 for the seventh time in his last 10 LV= County Championship innings for Durham.
The left-handed opener rose majestically above a dismal team effort to score 83 out of 127 before he was seventh out. Durham closed on 152 for eight in their second innings, leading Warwickshire by 210.
Play began half an hour late following rain and there was some uneven bounce, but there were not enough gremlins in the pitch to explain the day's two collapses.
Warwickshire went from 59 for one to 116 for seven before a stand of 72 between Jeetan Patel and Keith Barker helped them to 209 all out.
Durham led by 58 on first innings and when Keaton Jennings helped Stoneman put on 49 for the first wicket they were in command.
Yet Patel claimed two wickets to spark their slide and there were two for Rikki Clarke and three for Boyd Rankin, while Ben Stokes was run out when he was sent back by Stoneman and slipped mid-pitch.
Stokes had achieved a season's best with both bat and ball as he followed his first-innings 61 by taking 4-49. He grabbed the last two with balls which skidded through to hit the stumps, including Patel for a run-a-ball 53.
Warwickshire generally went for their shots and several batsmen got out carelessly, starting when Varun Chopra spoilt a good innings of 35 by steering a catch to third slip.
That was the first of three wickets for Chris Rushworth and there were two for Mark Wood on a day when Graham Onions was not at his best.
Warwickshire skipper Jim Troughton was dropped second ball by Paul Collingwood at first slip but, after making 21, he wafted wide of off stump in the last over before lunch and was caught behind to give Stokes his first scalp.
Patel brought about Durham's second-innings slump with his third ball, which left-hander Jennings edged to slip.
The off-spinner also had Will Smith caught off bat and pad as three wickets went down for eight runs.
Even Collingwood could not stop the rot as he padded up to a straight one from Clarke and Phil Mustard cut straight to gully in the same over to bag a pair.
Stoneman completed his 70-ball half-century with a straight drive for his seventh four off Rankin and faced 115 balls before chopping a Rankin delivery into his stumps.
Michael Richardson was unbeaten on 26 at the close, with Wood alongside on two.