Master of Cruelties

Magic the Gathering mana symbolMagic the Gathering mana symbolMagic the Gathering mana symbol
Creature — Demon

First strike, deathtouch

This creature can only attack alone.

Whenever this creature attacks a player and isn't blocked, that player's life total becomes 1. This creature assigns no combat damage this combat.

qChase Stone
standard
Not Legal
alchemy
Not Legal
pioneer
Legal
explorer
Not Legal
modern
Legal
historic
Not Legal
standard brawl
Not Legal
historic brawl
Not Legal
timeless
Not Legal

Rulings

Master of Cruelties's last ability won't trigger if it attacks a planeswalker or a battle.
(wotc2024-01-12)
If Master of Cruelties attacks alone, another creature entering the battlefield attacking will have no effect on it. Master of Cruelties continues to be an attacking creature. The other attacking creature will assign combat damage normally, regardless of whether Master of Cruelties's last ability triggers.
(wotc2013-04-15)
For a player's life total to become 1, what actually happens is that the player loses (or in some rare cases, gains) the appropriate amount of life. For example, if the player's life total is 4 when the last ability resolves, it will cause that player to lose 3 life. Other effects that interact with life loss (or gain) will interact with this effect accordingly.
(wotc2013-04-15)
Assigning no combat damage isn't the same as preventing that damage. Effects that make damage unpreventable will have no effect if no combat damage can be assigned.
(wotc2013-04-15)
Master of Cruelties isn't forced to attack, but if it does, it must do so alone. If you control another creature with an ability that says it must attack if able, that creature must attack and Master of Cruelties won't be able to.
(wotc2013-04-15)
An ability that triggers when something "attacks and isn't blocked" triggers in the declare blockers step after blockers are declared if (1) that creature is attacking and (2) no creatures are declared to block it. It will trigger even if that creature was put onto the battlefield attacking rather than having been declared as an attacker in the declare attackers step.
(wotc2013-04-15)
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