Master of Cruelties is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
First strike, deathtouch This creature can only attack alone. Whenever this creature attacks a player and isn't blocked, that player's life total becomes 1. This creature assigns no combat damage this combat.
How it works : Master of Cruelties
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
Master of Cruelties's last ability won't trigger if it attacks a planeswalker or a battle.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
An ability that triggers when something "attacks and isn't blocked" triggers in the declare blockers step after blockers are declared if (1) that creature is attacking and (2) no creatures are declared to block it. It will trigger even if that creature was put onto the battlefield attacking rather than having been declared as an attacker in the declare attackers step.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
Master of Cruelties isn't forced to attack, but if it does, it must do so alone. If you control another creature with an ability that says it must attack if able, that creature must attack and Master of Cruelties won't be able to.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If Master of Cruelties attacks alone, another creature entering the battlefield attacking will have no effect on it. Master of Cruelties continues to be an attacking creature. The other attacking creature will assign combat damage normally, regardless of whether Master of Cruelties's last ability triggers.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #5· Wizards of the Coast
For a player's life total to become 1, what actually happens is that the player loses (or in some rare cases, gains) the appropriate amount of life. For example, if the player's life total is 4 when the last ability resolves, it will cause that player to lose 3 life. Other effects that interact with life loss (or gain) will interact with this effect accordingly.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #6· Wizards of the Coast
Assigning no combat damage isn't the same as preventing that damage. Effects that make damage unpreventable will have no effect if no combat damage can be assigned.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
Kaalia of the Vast + Master of Cruelties
- 1Declare Kaalia of the Vast as an attacker.
- 2Kaalia of the Vast triggers, causing you to put Master of Cruelties from your hand onto the battlefield tapped and attacking.
- 3When Master of Cruelties isn't blocked, it triggers, causing defending player's life total to become 1 and causing Master of Cruelties to deal no combat damage this turn.
- 4Kaalia of the Vast deals lethal combat damage to defending player.
Alesha, Who Smiles at Death + Master of Cruelties
- 1Declare Alesha as attacker.
- 2Alesha triggers, causing you to pay
, returning Master of Cruelties from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped and attacking. - 3Master of Cruelties deals combat damage, causing defending player to change life total to one.
- 4Alesha deals combat damage, killing defending opponent.
Satoru Umezawa + Master of Cruelties
- 1Declare Master of Cruelties as an attacker, attacking an opponent unable to block it.
- 2When Master of Cruelties isn't blocked, its ability triggers.
- 3Holding priority, activate any creature card with power one or greater in your hand's ninjutsu ability by paying
and returning Master of Cruelties from the battlefield to your hand, putting the creature card onto the battlefield tapped and attacking. - 4Resolve the Master of Cruelties trigger, causing the blocking opponent's life total to become one.
- 5Deal combat damage with the attacking creature, causing the opponent's life total to become zero or less.
- 6The opponent loses the game due to having zero or less life.
Adeline, Resplendent Cathar + Esix, Fractal Bloom + Master of Cruelties
- 1Declare the additional creatures as attackers, ensuring each creature is attacking a different opponent.
- 2Adeline triggers, creating a token copy of Master of Cruelties due to Esix that is tapped and attacking each opponent.
- 3When each Master of Cruelties is not blocked, they trigger, setting each opponent life total to one.
- 4Deal combat damage with the additional creatures, causing each opponent to lose the game due to having zero or less life.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Master of Cruelties
No archived Top 8 deck with this card yet.