Master of Arms
Creature — Human Soldier
First strike
: Tap target creature blocking this creature.
- CMC
- 3
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- W
- Rarity
- uncommon
- Set
- The List
- Price
- $0.10
- EDHREC rank
- #30806
Master of Arms taps to untap itself and tap a creature — a repeatable tap-down effect stapled to a 1/1 body for three mana. The mana investment is steep for what amounts to a soft lock on one blocker per turn cycle, and better options exist at every price point.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Master of Arms is legal in Commander, Legacy, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but sees virtually no competitive play in any of them. In Commander, the effect is real — repeatedly neutralizing a blocker or preventing an attack has value — but a 1/1 body for three mana that requires tapping itself means you're trading tempo every turn to lock down a single threat. Legacy and Vintage have far more efficient answers and engines, so Master of Arms never registers there. Oathbreaker follows the same logic as Commander: the card is playable but outclassed by nearly any tap-effect alternative.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.10 bulk tier
At $0.10, Master of Arms is deep bulk — the price reflects the demand accurately. There is no meaningful upside pressure on a card this narrow and this replaceable, so don't expect the floor to move.
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Sources
Mentioned
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.