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Master of Cruelties

Creature — Demon

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.

CMC
5
Mana cost
{3}{B}{R}
Color identity
BR
Rarity
mythic
Set
Secret Lair Drop
Price
$13.16
EDHREC rank
#3291
Buy on TCGplayer
Master of Cruelties card art
Master of Cruelties is a one-card kill condition: connect with it in combat and any opponent drops to 1 life, leaving them one ping away from elimination. The catch is the "can only attack alone" restriction, which means you need a cheat-into-play effect — and Kaalia of the Vast is the cleanest answer, putting Master of Cruelties onto the battlefield attacking so the restriction never applies.

Best Commanders

Commanders with the highest synergy

01
Kaalia of the Vast

Kaalia of the Vast

58.8% of decks · synergy 0.52

Kaalia of the Vast is the reason Master of Cruelties is a staple — Kaalia's triggered ability puts the card into play attacking, which completely bypasses the "can only attack alone" clause and delivers the 1-life reduction the turn Kaalia connects.

02
The Beamtown Bullies

The Beamtown Bullies

42.3% of decks · synergy 0.41

The Beamtown Bullies shoves Master of Cruelties into an opponent's attack step, letting that opponent's combat do the dirty work of getting the ability to trigger while The Beamtown Bullies players sit back and watch someone else take the fall.

04
Raphael, Fiendish Savior

Raphael, Fiendish Savior

19.2% of decks · synergy 0.17

Raphael, Fiendish Savior cares about Demons, and Master of Cruelties is a Demon that demands an answer the turn it arrives — the combination forces opponents to spend removal before the end-of-turn lifegain Raphael provides even matters.

05
Be'lakor, the Dark Master

Be'lakor, the Dark Master

16.8% of decks · synergy 0.16

Be'lakor, the Dark Master draws a card whenever a Demon enters, so Master of Cruelties replaces itself the moment it hits the battlefield and then threatens to end someone's game as early as the following attack step.

Format Analysis

Where it lives, where it can’t

FormatVerdict
commander legal
legacy legal
modern legal
pioneer legal
standard not legal
vintage legal
pauper not legal
oathbreaker legal

Commander is the native habitat for Master of Cruelties — 40 life totals make reducing someone to 1 devastating, and the multiplayer table means you can aim the ability at whoever is most threatening while leaving the finishing blow to a second attacker or a damage spell. In competitive 1v1 formats like Legacy or Modern, the card is legal but barely playable: five mana for a fragile 1/4 that can't attack alongside other creatures is too slow and too easily answered at instant speed before the combat damage step. Pioneer follows the same logic — the effect is powerful but the execution is clunky in a format that punishes do-nothing turns. Vintage has better things to do at every point on the curve. Stick to Commander, specifically under a commander like Kaalia of the Vast or Alesha, Who Smiles at Death that can deploy or recur Master of Cruelties without exposing it to a full turn of open mana.

Key Combos

Combo lines featuring this card

Budget Alternatives

Cheaper options that do most of the same work

There is no true budget replacement for Master of Cruelties because the "reduce to 1 life" effect is unique — the closest analogs are creatures that create similar one-shot pressure, like Phage the Untouchable, but Phage requires even more setup and punishes you harshly for misuse. If the goal is a Demon-typed finisher that demands an answer, Razaketh, the Foulblooded costs more money but does more work; if the goal is simply a combat threat with evasion that closes games, something like Yosei, the Morning Star or Gisela, Blade of Goldnight fills a broadly similar role at a lower price point, though neither replicates the instant-kill ceiling Master of Cruelties brings.

Price Context

Current price

$13.16 mid tier

At $13.16, Master of Cruelties sits in the mid tier — not a casual pickup, but not a budget-breaker either for a card that shows up in nearly 60% of Kaalia of the Vast decks. The price reflects a niche but essentially irreplaceable effect, and it has held steady because nothing else does what it does.

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Sources

Mentioned

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Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.