Faerie Mastermind

Creature — Faerie Rogue

Flash

Flying

Whenever an opponent draws their second card each turn, you draw a card.

{3}{U}: Each player draws a card.

Legality

Format	Legality
1v1 Commander	Legal
Alchemy	Legal
Archenemy	Legal
Arena	Legal
Block Constructed	Legal
Canadian Highlander	Legal
Casual	Legal
Commander / EDH	Legal
Commander: Rule 0	Legal
Custom	Legal
Duel Commander	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Highlander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Historic Brawl	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Leviathan	Legal
Limited	Legal
Modern	Legal
Modern Beyond Horizons	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Planar Constructed	Legal
Planechase	Legal
Pre-release	Legal
Quest Magic	Legal
Standard	Legal
Standard Brawl	Legal
Tiny Leaders	Legal
Vanguard	Legal
Vintage	Legal

Discussion (28)

shadow63 on Would You Like to See …

1 week ago

Magwaff they've had them again for quite a few years now. Faerie Mastermind and Duelist of the Mind are the two most recent ones

Necramus on Oh My Gizzard, It's a Zombie Wizard (Nekusar)

2 months ago

pyrophyte So, it was actually in a test slot. I haven't even gotten to try it yet, but I really like your suggestion of Faerie Mastermind! I think I'm going to swap it out for it.

pyrophyte on Oh My Gizzard, It's a Zombie Wizard (Nekusar)

2 months ago

Glad I was able to help Necramus!

I think we're on the same page, but just to confirm in case you're ever considering Chains again; as you'd mentioned "Chains checks to see if it's the first card being drawn for turn", but that isn't quite right. Chains only cares about the first card drawn in your draw step. A small distinction, but very important when it comes to wheels. For example if you were to resolve a wheel of fortune, everyone would discard their hand, then when they go to draw, chains intervenes and sees that everyone has no cards in hand and would force them to mill instead, leaving everyone with no cards in hand.

While true that you would get the benefits of the initial discard of the wheel, I don't think its worth giving up the damage potential of the draws, or knowing that all future wheels you draw into are dead as long as chains is on the field.

Shifting focus slightly, I was wondering if you've considered Faerie Mastermind for the deck? I'm running it in my list and absolutely love how well it synergizes with Nekusar and some of the other forced draw effects!

Also how is Gixian Puppeteer doing for you? I had previously considered it but could only consistently get it's first ability to trigger once per rotation, so it seemed underwhelming for me in a lot of other scenarios.

Mortlocke on water proof deck (v.3.0)

2 months ago

Felipix,

I can see that you are starting a Primer, in case you don't have them I suggest the following resource: Epochalyptik's Do you want to write a primer? I've found it useful and hope you do as well. So, first things first I have some questions:

1. What decks do you intend to play with using this deck? Do you want to play in a High Powered pod with degenerate spells like Mana Drain, Force of Will, Winter Orb and the like? Or is this a pod with lower power?

2. What's the budget with this deck? Is it to be in the same mold as an upgraded precon?

3. How do you want to win?

I saw your comments on the Advertise your deck forum, and I can see that you wish to add more draw and more control. In regards to draw I can see that Rhystic Study was suggested before and you have budgetary concerns - there is always the option to proxy. If your playgroup allows it of course.

Possible subthemes/Wincons to consider outside of Voltron: - A flicker (exile a permanent then return it to the battlefield end of turn) subtheme may be an interesting direction to go with this deck. There are numerous options to go with in blue and including creatures such as Thassa, Deep-Dwelling, Scourge of Fleets, Archaeomancer, Spark Double, and Spellseeker to use and abuse their enter the battlefield effects.

• You could try slotting in Pili-Pala and Grand Architect for infinite mana or run Tunnel Vision and then win using Laboratory Maniac/Thassa's Oracle.

Honorable Mentions for fun Control/Card Advantage effects:

• Aven Courier - this guy helps your commander do more of what it likes to do. You should try and slot him in.
• Stormtide Leviathan - this guy can stop combat damage from reaching you for a time
• Faerie Mastermind - fun little taxing effects like this are great because it guarantees card advantage
• Wavebreak Hippocamp - given your deck has a lot of interaction it's likely you could keep up your tempo with this guy out

DemonDragonJ on Which is More Important: Total …

3 months ago

Kazierts, I agree that both Faerie Mastermind and Spectral Sailor are excellent creatures, but why do you not believe that Triskaidekaphile is a good creature? It provides four benefits in one card: unlimited hand size, a mana sink, repeatable card advantage, and an alternate win condition, all for a mere 2 mana, so how is that not a staple for every blue deck?

TheOfficialCreator, I have noticed that, in most cases, except that Shared Summons is not as efficient as is Eladamri's Call, and I also would prefer Opportunity over Overflowing Insight, because the former card is an instant, while the latter card is a sorcery, and that difference can be crucial in a desperate situation.

Kazierts on Which is More Important: Total …

3 months ago

The answer is pretty simple, it always depends on context. Magic is a very complex game and situations matter a lot. A lot of examples you gave already mentions different contexts and cannot be judged the same way as other examples.

Of the cards with activated abilities you mentioned, only Spectral Sailor and Faerie Mastermind are any good because they are useful aside from their card draw ability. A lot of times you don't even need to activate them since that's just tge cherry on top. Unless you have a very specific combo with Mystic Archaeologist, it's a horrible card because the only thing you can with it is pay a lot of mana to draw only 2 cards. For 5 mana, Mulldrifter is miles better. However, maybe you're making a weird Wizard EDH with Zirda as a companion and Mystic Archaeologist happens to fit perfectly.

Even the example with Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers and Vernadi Shieldmate is relative. The Cavaliers is an Elf Knight while the Shieldmate is a Human soldier, which means, as more "efficient" as one is over the other, some decks might completely one of them.

Usually, cheaper cards are better, but synergies, strategies and redundancy also influence card choice. Is Searing Spear better than Shock? Maybe, but maybe some people prefer to have only {R} burn spells in their deck. Maybe there's a format where Lightning Bolt doesn't exist and both Shock and Searing Spear (or Lightning Strike since it's the more modern version) go in the same deck.

Very few things are so black and white in MTG.

DemonDragonJ on Which is More Important: Total …

3 months ago

I often wonder which is more important for a card: its overall cost or its cost-to-effect ratio (i.e., its mana efficiency); for example, there is no question that Lightning Bolt is superior to both Shock and Searing Spear, but, between the other two cards, I would choose Shock over Searing Spear in the majority of situations, because Shock has a ratio of 2 damage for 1 mana, whereas Searing Spear has a ratio of 1.5 damage for 1 mana.

For a slightly more complicated example, compare Eladamri's Call to Shared Summons; the former card can find a creature for a mere 2 mana, which is very efficient, but it simply replaces one card in its controller's hand with another, whereas the latter card can search for two creatures, which leaves its caster with an additional card in hand, compared to before it is cast, but it is less efficient, costing 2.5 mana per creature found, so it is not as clear which card is superior, there.

Opportunity is literally a double version of Quick Study, as they both have the same ratio of cost to effect, but which is the superior card? Is it really better to spend six mana to draw four cards, as doing that would leave the caster with less mana to cast the spells that they draw? Also, Quick Study is strictly better than is Inspiration, as it costs 1 less mana to cast, but, between Concentrate and Tidings, I am not certain which is superior, since they both allow a player to draw one less card than their mana values.

On the subject of card drawing, in the realm of repeatable card drawing, Arcane Encyclopedia is strictly better than is Jayemdae Tome, as it costs only 3 mana to draw a single card, compared to 4, but Tower of Fortunes can draw four cards for 8 mana, which is a ratio of 2 mana per card, but that ability costs 8 mana, overall, so the question is if it is worth 8 mana to draw four cards.

Continuing that theme, there are numerous creatures (and one enchantment) that allow a player to repeatedly draw cards, such as Azure Mage, Spectral Sailor, Faerie Mastermind, Triskaidekaphile, or Treasure Trove, a ratio of 4 mana for one card, but Mystic Archaeologist can draw 2 two cards for 5 mana, a ratio of 2.5 mana per card, which is definitely far superior, in my mind.

Hedron Archive is literally two Mind Stones put together, and Dreamstone Hedron is literally a triple Mind Stone, so they all have the same cost-to-effect ratio, but I prefer the original Mind Stone, since the existence of Thran Dynamo and Gilded Lotus makes it difficult to justify using the other mana rocks, at least, for me.

To use the example of Skyward Eye Prophets, a 1/1 creature for 2 mana is perfectly acceptable, a 2/2 creature for 4 mana is slightly expensive, but nothing outrageous, but a 3/3 creature for 6 mana is simply too much, although, as a side note, I have a copy of that creature, in one of my decks, because I really like its ability.

For a further example, I would choose Mantis Rider over Lightning Angel in the majority of situations, since it provides a better rate than does the angel, and, similarly, I would choose Wilt-Leaf Cavaliers over Vernadi Shieldmate, since the former creature is more efficient for its cost.

I believe that I have provided a sufficient number of examples, for this discussion, so which trait do you believe is more important: overall mana cost or cost-to-effect ratio/mana efficiency? I certainly am interested to hear your thoughts on this matter.

wallisface on How to deal with [[The One Ring]]

5 months ago

Xica Faerie Masterminds effect isn’t broad at-all… if your opponent isn’t drawing it does nothing. Meanwhile it presents almost no pressure, and dies horribly to Orcish Bowmasters (which, is a much more broadly useful card and actually does things).

You seem to think Consign to Memory is a narrow card, but this only illustrates to me that you haven’t grasped its power. Even outside of eldrazi and one-ring decks, this card is constantly boarded-in against a very wide variety pf matchups. Its application is broad-enough that it’s not uncommon to see decks playing a copy mainboard. There’s practically no meta-deck this doesn’t do something powerful against!!