DimirLegendary Creature — Time Lord RogueThe Master, Formed Anew
Mana value2Rank#18,719
The Commander
Body Thief — When you cast this spell, you may exile a creature you control and put a takeover counter on it.
You may have The Master enter as a copy of a creature card in exile with a takeover counter on it.
Guide
Gameplan
Cast The Master cheaply, exiling one of your creatures with a takeover counter, then bring The Master back into play as a copy of that creature whenever you recast it. You build a midrange value engine that turns a 2-mana commander into your best creature on demand, recurring strong ETBs or evasive threats across the game. Win by snowballing card and board advantage, then closing with a big copied body or a copy-based combo.
Strengths
- Extremely cheap, repeatable Clone effect that turns your best creature into a reusable commander.
- Color identity gives access to the best counterspells, removal, tutors, and recursion.
- Dodges removal well—your value engine lives in the command zone and the exiled copy target stays safe under a counter.
- Flexible: can copy whatever creature is most relevant, from ETB value to evasive finishers.
Weaknesses
- Needs a quality creature already in play to exile, so it can be awkward on an empty board.
- Commander tax stacks fast since you'll recast it often to re-copy.
- If your exiled target is your only payoff, you have a single point of failure.
- Lacks built-in evasion or protection until it copies something that has it.
Key Cards
- Sakashima of a Thousand Faces — Lets your copies sidestep the legend rule and keep their copied names, enabling stacked copy value.
- Agent of Treachery — A premium body to exile and copy, stealing a permanent every time The Master re-enters as it.
- Body Double — Adds another flexible clone that copies from graveyards, multiplying your copy package.
- Ghostly Flicker — Blink effects re-trigger powerful ETBs on the creature you intend to copy, doubling its value.
- Gilded Drake — Cheap creature whose steal-a-creature ETB pairs beautifully with copying it via The Master.
- Phantasmal Image — Two-mana clone that supports the copy theme and gives more bodies to exile.
Upgrade Path
Add fast mana (Sol Ring, Mana Crypt, signets) and efficient tutors (Demonic Tutor, Vampiric Tutor) to find your best copy target faster. Tighten the creature suite toward bodies with game-warping ETBs and protection, and include Sakashima plus more blink to maximize re-triggers. Push toward a compact combo finish so the copy engine doesn't rely solely on out-valuing the table.
Core Cards
The most-played cards for this commander, built from aggregated deck data (the Mythic Graph). Build public decks to seed it.
Win Conditions
- ▸Repeatedly copying a powerful ETB creature to grind out the table on resources and board.
- ▸Stealing opponents' best permanents via copied Agent of Treachery / Gilded Drake effects.
- ▸Beating down with a large evasive copied threat backed by counters and removal.
- ▸Assembling a copy-based engine combo (e.g., blink + value creature) for incremental or infinite advantage.
Archetypes
- Clone/Copy Value — The Master is a recastable Clone, so the deck loads up on copy effects and high-impact ETB creatures to mimic.
- Blink — Flicker effects re-trigger ETBs on the creature you plan to copy, multiplying value before and after copying.
- Midrange Control — UB removal and counters protect the engine while you grind incremental advantage.
- Combo — Copying creatures with abusable ETBs or untap triggers can assemble loops for a deterministic kill.
Combos
No combos found for this commander on Commander Spellbook.
Related Commanders
Same color identity (BU), by popularity.
