Loading commander data
The Master, Mesmerist
Legendary Creature — Time Lord Rogue
{T}: Target creature an opponent controls with power less than or equal to The Master's power gains skulk until end of turn. Goad it. (A creature with skulk can't be blocked by creatures with greater power.) Whenever a creature with skulk deals combat damage to one of your opponents, put a +1/+1 counter on The Master and draw a card.
3 / 3
$0.29Buy on TCGPlayer
We earn a small commission when you buy cards via TCGplayer links — at no extra cost to you.
“Goad opponent creatures into sketchy battles, draw cards, and grow into lethal.”
Midrange
Intermediate
Commander damage, Combat damage
Goad, Counters, Card Draw
Strategy
The Master, Mesmerist is a sneaky commander that turns your opponents' creatures against them while slowly growing into a threat. Your core gameplan is to tap The Master to give opposing creatures skulk and goad them, forcing them to attack and slip through combat unblocked. Every time one of these goaded creatures deals damage, you draw a card and pump The Master with a +1/+1 counter—turning a defensive political tool into a card-drawing engine and eventual win condition.
You'll want a supporting cast of evasion-granting cards, other goad effects, and ways to protect The Master while she scales. The deck naturally encourages opponents to fight each other rather than you, buying time to set up your board. Combine consistent goading with modest +1/+1 counter synergies and card draw, and you'll eventually have a large enough Master to finish games via commander damage, often while your opponents are weakened from their own creatures' attacks.
Strategy generated by Tapped Decks AI. Not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast.
Key Synergies
Budget Build
Skip pricey blue draw staples like Rhystic Study; use Consecrated Sphinx, Fallen Ideal, and cantrips like Ponder instead. Goad effects like Karazikar, the Eye Tyrant are cheaper than Ite (Loose Cannon (EDIT: unavailable), so lean on Mari the Magus and Bullwhip.
Most-Played Cards
Fogwalker
Vampire Cutthroat
Rancid Rats
Ingenious Prodigy
Wharf Infiltrator
Farbog Revenant
Skeleton Key
Ioreth of the Healing House
Furtive Homunculus
Vizier of Tumbling Sands
Sting, the Glinting Dagger
Gollum, Obsessed Stalker
Inclusion = % of The Master, Mesmerist decks running this card. +lift = percentage-point boost over the format average.
Community Decks
No public decks for The Master, Mesmerist yet.
Build a Deck →Be the first to publish one — Commander-tier members can share decks with the community.
Art Variants
Explore More Commanders
Build a deck with The Master, Mesmerist
Our deck builder picks the 99 other cards for you. Two minutes to a complete, balanced list.
Build a Deck with This Commander →Card data via Scryfall