I don't see him playable w/o notion theif. Then the problem arises when you see one but not the other. This is why I said its a bad card that needs other bad cards to make it good.
Ok...hypothetical situation. Let's say I play this guy turn 3. Let's say you have instant speed removal in hand before he comes down...so I play him..you wait till after he triggers and kill him on my upkeep. Even In that worst case scenario all you accomplished was spending instant speed removal(that may have replaced itself if you happened to draw say an ultimate price) that means AT BEST you traded removal for a flying beatstick. You are now down one removal spell vs. my Desecration Demon or Rakdos, Lord of riots...in the latter case ultimate price is the wrong answer. Worse...because you used 2-3 mana removing fat so you are now playing a defensive game responding to my threats while every turn I play something else you have to deal with...didn't kill Rakdos? That means turn five I can swing for 6 and drop Bearer of the heavens...and that is one dude you will hesitate to kill...but 8 you don't then maybe turn 6 you die or I play rescue from the underworld and wipe the board...returning bearer and the aforementioned dead fatso. No...this is not a bad card anymore than Juzam Djinn was back in the day...the card draw doesn't matter 8 you cast this easrly.
Whatever your turn 3 threat is, I pretty much have to remove it - or wait until I verdict, or play something bigger. That's the nature of control/midrange vs. an aggro matchup.
I've got to remove them all over the course of the game or put down a bigger threat. The only difference with master of the feast is that I get a free card first.
... that means AT BEST you traded removal for a flying beatstick. You are now down one removal spell vs. my Desecration Demon or Rakdos, Lord of riots...
I'm actually not down anything. I drew that card for free off your Demon trigger.
In the right deck, he might be worth playing despite the card disadvantage. But if he dies after I draw a card, its not a trade - its a gift.
The only match up I have found where he is balls the walls busted it G/R Monsters. They have nothing to kill him with and cannot outrace him. It is also a deck that is often constrained on its mana because of all the 3 and 5 drops in the deck. You can give them a lot of cards and it won't matter because they will only be able to cast 1 at a time still.
G/R isn't a deck anymore so doesn't really matter.
Master is bonkers and the card draw doesnt mean much when you only have 2-3 turns to live once he hits the table.
I played a guy today who went turn 1 Duress, turn 2 Brain Maggot, turn 3 Master of the Feast. He, of course, took all my answers and then beat me down. The odds are in his favor that i wont draw anything to deal with it and i do not think this was a particularly good hand for him, just par for the course, that I'm sure he sees all the time.
Depends what you're playing. My white aggro deck will take 10 to the face, exile your demon, and counter with 5 lifelink damage per turn thanks to the extra cards.
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Current Awesome Deck: UWAll-In GiftsWU Consistent, Resiliant, and way overpowered, making multiple 4/4s per turn.
GB Electric Dreams BG Deal 20 in one shot, or discard their hand?
GWUFree Stuff MidrangeUWG Slowly bury the opponent with more threats and answers than they can handle.
The problem some of you don't get is with all of the discard black has you'll have to top deck removal to stop him and by the time you do they will have bestowed him or ready to play another. Thoughtseize, Duress, Brain Maggot, Lifebane Zombie is a wrecking ball of discard. Master Of The Feast is the best suicide black creature in a long time. All we need now is Dark Ritual to be reprinted.
One thing that this card says to me that it intends to only swing once or twice assuming it goes unanswered.
I like the idea of running mono black aggro, however I prefer running a low curve and a higher threat density, while this card does allow for that, it also shares a converted mana cost with my prefered spell: Mogis's Marauder
Now, even though Mogis's Marauder by himself is not that powerful, with a board on the field or even an extra one drop in hand, he represents unblockable damage, furthermore, by himself, he does 4 damage (assuming he went unblocked) by the time master of the feist would do five damage.
Mogis's Marauder makes the rest of your guys better, and I am not sure if I'd like to bank on him yet for a win condition, but I do like him.
I'd rather have 28 low drops, 12 spells and 20 swamps in my black aggro list.
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The red mage lives by the variance and dies by the variance. May the variance be with you, always.
Judging from the SCG coverage of the Knoxville open Master of the Feast is generally useless or even detrimental to your gameplan. I don't think he connected once on camera while I was watching, yet was cast many, many times.
I kinda wanna play with him now to see how he works. Herald of Torment seems better though.
It was obvious most players where dead set on beating black decks that was the reason for all the Red decks. I think black decks will make some changes.
I'm testing out a U/B control shell with him:
4 Master of the Feast
4 Fate Unraveler
4 Dictate of Kruphix
4 Extinguish All Hope
4 Hero's Downfall
4 Negate
2 Notion Thief
2 Erebos
4 Sigiled Starfish
2 Gild
1 King Macar
2 Spring Leaf Drum
4 Temple of Deceit
4 Watery Grave
2 Mana Confluence
10 Swamp
7 Island
This card was an absolute All-Star for me yesterday at game day. I run a B/W Humans build with a Midrange backup. It played against 2 Esper Control decks, a R/W Burn deck and B/G Devotion. The card was incredible in every matchup. Esper was forced to deal with it, and it wasn't easily dealt with by Elspeth(sure, Elspeth can kill it, but that opens up the rest of my deck to do what it wants to do, where Elspeth would be a stone wall otherwise). It digs them one deeper, but I don't really care because no matter what they play I either lose very little(Xathrid Necromancer, Athreos and Ozedat mean Verdict is not very effective), or I just follow up with new threats instantly. Meanwhile, Master of the Feast gives me reach in the late game.
Burn either wastes multiple spells on it or has their clock accelerated by multiple turns.
B/G was faced with a threat comparable to Desecration Demon(with Spear of Heliod out it is the same P/T.
Blocks stormbreath and archangel favorably, is a must answer threat, is in the same colors as discard spells, is a massive threat to most planeswalkers, is a must answer threat. People can speculate all they want but he is a one of in my MBD deck and has done wonderful things.
I'll say it again, mono black aggro wants to win on curve, and Master of the Feast shares a cmc cost with a better card when you have board presence: Mogis's Marauder.
Being able to play twelve one drops is great until they make blockers, and Mogis's Marauder enables you to push in more damage and faster than Master of the Feasts.
Objectively, if you would cast one or the other card on the same turn, the following turn Master of the Feast would deal five damage, and Mogis's Marauder (by himself) would deal four damage, that's only one damage different.
Master of the Feast would give your opponent card advantage, while Mogis's Marauder will often provide much more damage in situations where your opponent has blockers.
As an aggro deck, you want to attack and finish your opponent before he gets to play his strategy, and the fact that Master of the Feast is also a good blocker makes this upside irrelevant because that means you are circumstantially losing, and giving your opponent more cards to get ahead.
You don't need to test a card that on camera doesn't even connect for damage most of the time.
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The red mage lives by the variance and dies by the variance. May the variance be with you, always.
Said I was playing mono-black devotion not mono-black aggro, there are other decks besides your own. Brimaz rarely connects "on camera" but he's still a strong creature that must be answered. You're not even reading the thread guy.
There are decks where Master of the Feast will absolutely do a ton of work.
My deck, for example, wants a big(4/4 or more) evasive threat in the 3 drop place to complement Brimaz. I don't want Desecration Demon because it doesn't threaten Elspeth at all. Obzedat comes down too late, and doesn't win fast enough on its own.
I am not quite a hyper-aggro deck, so having a big threat is exactly what I am looking for. It threatens, but is simultaneously cheap enough that I am perfectly fine with it eating a removal spell of some sort, even if I never connect with it.
Against most creature decks, it is almost always enough to put me over the top if I am stalling out.
Against control, it forces them to use removal, which opens up opportunities for my other threats. It threatens Elspeth, it threatens Archangel of Thune, it threatens a lot of damage... Yes, it draws them into their answers, but Verdict is soft to my deck because of Athreos and Xathrid Necromancer, and I'd rather them use a Detention Sphere on the Master than on any of the other likely targets.
Against burn, it is a huge threat that isn't easily raced and requires multiple spells to kill.
Against Mono Black Devotion, it is kind of weak, but it is an evasive threat. I can lock down Desecration Demon pretty easily between Athreos and Xathrid Necromancer, so that just leaves them with Pack Rats, Gary, and the like. Most of my deck gets stonewalled by Gary, and I fall behind the Pack Rat train pretty quickly as well, so racing over the top with Master is honestly pretty solid most of the time, and is often just enough.
Think outside your little boxes. The card has its niche, and it can do work in the right deck.
It's on the border between midrange and aggro (can actually be built slanted towards either depending in how sideboard and main are slanted) and it's destroying almost anything and everything that's not a control deck pretty regularly.
Yeah, they could draw an answer. But they may not. Not too many decks can deal with a turn three 5/5 flier.
Just make sure they have targets they can take out Turn 1, 2 (Pack Rat, etc) to waste that removal they opened up with.
Modern - Bogle, Infect (hey, i'm new!)
EDH - Prime Speaker Zegana, Reaper King
Standard - MBD, G/b Devotion, Blue Devotion, Boros Burn, BG Dredge, W/G Aggro, Dimir Heroic
ENCHANTMENT AGGRO!
Whatever your turn 3 threat is, I pretty much have to remove it - or wait until I verdict, or play something bigger. That's the nature of control/midrange vs. an aggro matchup.
I've got to remove them all over the course of the game or put down a bigger threat. The only difference with master of the feast is that I get a free card first.
UW Ephara Hatebears [Primer], GB Gitrog Lands, BRU Inalla Combo-Control, URG Maelstrom Wanderer Landfall
I'm actually not down anything. I drew that card for free off your Demon trigger.
In the right deck, he might be worth playing despite the card disadvantage. But if he dies after I draw a card, its not a trade - its a gift.
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Currently playing Knight of the Reliquary - Retreat to Coralhelm Combo
G/R isn't a deck anymore so doesn't really matter.
Pacifism became a 2 of main in my Naya Hexproof.
Modern - Bogle, Infect (hey, i'm new!)
EDH - Prime Speaker Zegana, Reaper King
Standard - MBD, G/b Devotion, Blue Devotion, Boros Burn, BG Dredge, W/G Aggro, Dimir Heroic
ENCHANTMENT AGGRO!
I played a guy today who went turn 1 Duress, turn 2 Brain Maggot, turn 3 Master of the Feast. He, of course, took all my answers and then beat me down. The odds are in his favor that i wont draw anything to deal with it and i do not think this was a particularly good hand for him, just par for the course, that I'm sure he sees all the time.
GB Electric Dreams BG Deal 20 in one shot, or discard their hand?
GWU Free Stuff Midrange UWG Slowly bury the opponent with more threats and answers than they can handle.
My greatest hits:
GURFate Reforged Temur Ascendancy COMBORUG
GUDragons of Tarkir Whisperwood Forever UG
I like the idea of running mono black aggro, however I prefer running a low curve and a higher threat density, while this card does allow for that, it also shares a converted mana cost with my prefered spell: Mogis's Marauder
Now, even though Mogis's Marauder by himself is not that powerful, with a board on the field or even an extra one drop in hand, he represents unblockable damage, furthermore, by himself, he does 4 damage (assuming he went unblocked) by the time master of the feist would do five damage.
Mogis's Marauder makes the rest of your guys better, and I am not sure if I'd like to bank on him yet for a win condition, but I do like him.
I'd rather have 28 low drops, 12 spells and 20 swamps in my black aggro list.
I kinda wanna play with him now to see how he works. Herald of Torment seems better though.
4 Master of the Feast
4 Fate Unraveler
4 Dictate of Kruphix
4 Extinguish All Hope
4 Hero's Downfall
4 Negate
2 Notion Thief
2 Erebos
4 Sigiled Starfish
2 Gild
1 King Macar
2 Spring Leaf Drum
4 Temple of Deceit
4 Watery Grave
2 Mana Confluence
10 Swamp
7 Island
It's still in the testing/experimental stages
Burn either wastes multiple spells on it or has their clock accelerated by multiple turns.
B/G was faced with a threat comparable to Desecration Demon(with Spear of Heliod out it is the same P/T.
Being able to play twelve one drops is great until they make blockers, and Mogis's Marauder enables you to push in more damage and faster than Master of the Feasts.
Objectively, if you would cast one or the other card on the same turn, the following turn Master of the Feast would deal five damage, and Mogis's Marauder (by himself) would deal four damage, that's only one damage different.
Master of the Feast would give your opponent card advantage, while Mogis's Marauder will often provide much more damage in situations where your opponent has blockers.
As an aggro deck, you want to attack and finish your opponent before he gets to play his strategy, and the fact that Master of the Feast is also a good blocker makes this upside irrelevant because that means you are circumstantially losing, and giving your opponent more cards to get ahead.
You don't need to test a card that on camera doesn't even connect for damage most of the time.
My deck, for example, wants a big(4/4 or more) evasive threat in the 3 drop place to complement Brimaz. I don't want Desecration Demon because it doesn't threaten Elspeth at all. Obzedat comes down too late, and doesn't win fast enough on its own.
For reference, here is what I've been running
3 Boros Elite
4 Pain Seer
3 Precinct Captain
3 Xathrid Necromancer
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
3 Master of the Feast
2 Banisher Priest
3 Athreos, God of Passage
2 Obzedat, Ghost Council
2 Orzhov Charm
2 Banishing Light
2 Spear of Heliod
1 Whip of Erebos
3 Mana Confluence
4 Godless Shrine
4 Temple of Silence
3 Swamps
9 Plains
I am not quite a hyper-aggro deck, so having a big threat is exactly what I am looking for. It threatens, but is simultaneously cheap enough that I am perfectly fine with it eating a removal spell of some sort, even if I never connect with it.
Against most creature decks, it is almost always enough to put me over the top if I am stalling out.
Against control, it forces them to use removal, which opens up opportunities for my other threats. It threatens Elspeth, it threatens Archangel of Thune, it threatens a lot of damage... Yes, it draws them into their answers, but Verdict is soft to my deck because of Athreos and Xathrid Necromancer, and I'd rather them use a Detention Sphere on the Master than on any of the other likely targets.
Against burn, it is a huge threat that isn't easily raced and requires multiple spells to kill.
Against Mono Black Devotion, it is kind of weak, but it is an evasive threat. I can lock down Desecration Demon pretty easily between Athreos and Xathrid Necromancer, so that just leaves them with Pack Rats, Gary, and the like. Most of my deck gets stonewalled by Gary, and I fall behind the Pack Rat train pretty quickly as well, so racing over the top with Master is honestly pretty solid most of the time, and is often just enough.
Think outside your little boxes. The card has its niche, and it can do work in the right deck.
I think oppressive rays is pretty much 100% better in hexproof than Pacifism.
On topic,
My meta has a deck that matches Master of the Feast with brain maggot, agent of the fates, whip of erebos, and some cheap targeting spells.
It's on the border between midrange and aggro (can actually be built slanted towards either depending in how sideboard and main are slanted) and it's destroying almost anything and everything that's not a control deck pretty regularly.