Master of Waves

Master of Waves Reprint

M20 has an elemental theme, was Master of Waves considered as a reprint for TBH?

I don’t believe it was.

Core Set 2020 Elemental Master of Waves Reprints

Master of Waves Trivia

Mark! It's my birthday, and one of my favorite blocks was the original Theros block, so I'd love to know some trivia about Master of Waves and the process behind 1/0 tokens. I recently started following your blog, and I really enjoy reading all your responses to the various things people ask. Hope you have a great day :)

I believe the counter were +1/+0 with the +1/+1 boost to allow us to have 2/1 waves that went away when Master of Waves did.Happy Birthday!

Birthday Master of Waves Theros Tokens

Red Sweepers' Strength

I'd argue that Red's board sweepers aren't nearly as strong as Master of Waves or a good fairy.

I think you need to look at the history of high level tournament play before just writing off Red board sweepers.

Master of Waves Red

Red’s Control Tools

Here's an old argument from a different angle: Why is it that blue gets to play hyper aggressively with some frequency (Master of Waves, Fairies), but red never gets to wear the control pants?

Red gets control tools. For example, board sweepers aren’t for aggro.

Blue Master of Waves Red

Boogie Boarding Nickname

Master of Waves

What did they call you back in your boogie boarding days?

Master of Waves

Perception vs Power

You have mentioned numerous times that some mechanics were not received very well, like Radiance, Provoke, Chroma, Fateful Hour. I see a contradiction in this claim, since none of those mechanics really have any good cards attached to them. The opposite thing is happening at the moment where you said that both devotion and Constellation were received well, but card like Master of Waves and Doomwake Giant were/are a must to play in tournaments because they are so good. Do you have a take on it?

Having powerful cards obviously helps public perception, but we have numerous metrics we can look at that tell us whether or not a mechanic was popular despite overall power level.

Chroma Constellation Doomwake Giant Fateful hour Giant Master of Waves Mechanics Power Level Provoke Radiance The Moment

Master of Waves Tokens

Do you think that a Master of Waves that made 1/1 tokens instead of 2/1 tokens (and was costed appropriately to the change) would have been more accepted?

I think the current version was very accepted. Note, by the way, that Master of Waves had a vulnerability that most token makers don’t - killing him also kills all the tokens.

Master of Waves Tokens

Pie-Breaking Justification

Why do you excuse Master of Waves for "being fragile" but hornet queen is "6 flying power" when it's a 2/2 and a bunch of 1/1s? Is Precursor Golem (three 3/3s and "when a spell targets only a golem copy it to each other golem") counted as "a gamble on your opponent getting free value" or "9 power for five mana?" Also, do you feel this pie-breaking infraction is more serious than an accidental combo (splinter twin) or wrong evaluation on a card's format impact (thragtusk) ? All seem serious.

Blue is allowed to make tokens. That is well within blue’s part of the color pie. It’s not a weakness. Flying is supposed to be a green weakness. Green has all sorts of answer to flying because it’s not supposed to get good fliers. Combos will happen but they are much harder to see or catch. Making a card which unto and by itself breaks the color pie, especially when it weakens color vulnerabilities, is something we should have the self-control not to do.

Blue Color Pie Colors Flying Golem Green Hornet Hornet Queen Mana Master of Waves Precursor Golem Splinter Splinter Twin Thragtusk Tokens

Master of Waves Query

"Everything [Master of Waves] can do is allowable in blue." But as you've pointed out before, that doesn't mean the card as a whole is. Spin into Myth is a good example. Both of the card's effects are blue, but the total effect of the card — unconditional creature removal — is most definitely not acceptable in blue. I think there's a good argument for Master of Waves not being something which should be in blue, despite each individual effect being acceptable.

Every part is mechanically allowable in blue. The overall flavor is very flavorfully blue. The tokens are even 0 toughness to make them more vulnerable and go away when the Master of Waves goes away.

Blue Creatures Flavor Master of Waves Spin into Myth Tokens

Master of Waves Analysis

Do you think Master of Waves is a blue card? It produces a large amount of small tokens, has protection from red (I read somewhere that blue was supposed to have protection from sources instead of colors), and has an anthem attached. It screams white to me, and I think it's probably one of the biggest recent violations of the color pie.

All colors get to make tokens, all are allowed to have protection from the color of their enemy and all get limited creature buffing (think lords). Everything that card can do is allowable in blue.

Blue Color Pie Colors Creatures Limited Master of Waves Protection Red Tokens White

Master of Waves Query

How is Master of Waves blue?

All the colors are allowed to make tokens. Your issue might be more with power level (why push this in blue) than color pie.

Blue Color Pie Colors Master of Waves Power Level Tokens

Blue Power Level

What was the last Magic set that HAD a blue overpowered card in it?

Theros. Thassa and Master of Waves.

Blue Master of Waves Theros

Color Pie Integrity

Why is it such a sin to warp the color pie for Chaos Warp when white and blue essentially get the best of all worlds pretty consistently? I've only been playing for six years, but blue and white having a hand in (or being) every archetype while other colors are inconsistently played or very narrow in playability makes it hard to read your red-bashing for a single card. Tell us how awfully off-color master of waves is please.

Blue is allowed to make tokens within color pie and they’re 1/0 tokens at that which all die when you kill Master of Waves. It’s not something we should do all the time, but as an occasional thing at a high rarity with perfect flavor, it doesn’t break any rules.

Blue Chaos Warp Color Pie Colors Flavor Master of Waves Rarity Red Rules Tokens White Your Hand

Master of Waves Logic

I think the best argument for Master of Waves is that 1/0 tokens (that die without the Master) feel very illusion-y. If it was green or white, they wouldn't have 0 toughness.

That too.

Green Illusion Master of Waves Tokens White

Color Pie Flexibility

Re: Master of Waves "It’s a top-down card of a wizard animating waves (aka making small Water Elemental). That top-down flavor is very blue. All five colors have some access to token making, Blue is fifth but it is allowed to do it." Does this mean that it's ok to stretch or break the color pie when it's a top-down design e.g. giving direct damage to green?

No, please read what I said. Blue has access to token making. It might be fifth in it, but it gets to do it. Green doesn’t get direct damage to creature (well, except flyers) so it doesn’t get it no matter what the flavor.

Blue Color Pie Colors Creatures Elemental Flavor Green Master of Waves Tokens Top Down Water Elemental

Master of Waves Logic

Why is Master of Waves a blue card? Making a large amount of creature tokens and being an anthem for those tokens seems very green and has been green historically on cards like Verdeloth the Ancient and Deranged Hermit.

It’s a top-down card of a wizard animating waves (aka making small water elementals). That top-down flavor is very blue. All five colors have some access to token making, Blue is fifth but it is allowed to do it.

Blue Colors Creatures Deranged Hermit Elemental Flavor Green Master of Waves Tokens Top Down Verdeloth the Ancient

Master of Waves Query

In the midst of all this enchantment debate I'm here to cut to the real questions that need answered... How can the Master of Waves be disrupted by a Whelming Wave? I believe this is the true failure of the block.

(head hung low)

Enchantments Master of Waves Whelming Wave

Theros Protection Traits

In Theros, Master of Waves gets protection from red, Mistcutter Hydra gets protection from blue, and Stormbreath Dragon gets protection from white. Why weren't there any creatures that get protection from green or black?

Because it wasn’t actually a cycle.

Black Blue Creatures Cycles Dragon Green Hydra Master of Waves Mistcutter Hydra Protection Red Stormbreath Dragon Theros White

Devotion's Standard Impact

After most block mechanics getting no more than two or three Standard relevant cards for a long time now, devotion appears to be making a stronger mark on the format, between the gods, Master of Waves, Gray Merchant of Asphodel and Fanatic of Mogis. How do you like this change from the usual and whose idea was it to make devotion a bigger player in Standard than block mechanics usually are?

Devotion has this quality that once one is good in your deck it increases the chances the other devotion cards of the same color are as well.

Colors Fanatic of Mogis God Gray Merchant of Asphodel Master of Waves Mechanics Standard

Master of Waves Tokens

Hey Mark! I'm feeling a little slow rn,I don't understand something about Master of Waves that everyone else seems to. When he dies, his tokens also die? Did it say so on the card or is that a side effect of tokens generated by creatures? Or is it because they're elementals?

His tokens are 1/0. The only reason they don’t die is he pumps them up with his effect. When he dies, the effect goes away and they have 0 toughness again which makes the game destroy them.

Creatures Destroy Elemental Master of Waves Tokens