: 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.
Tap The Master each turn to grant a smaller opposing creature skulk and goad it, forcing it to attack another opponent where it likely connects unblocked—triggering your draw and a +1/+1 counter. You turn the table's own creatures into your engine, snowballing card advantage and a steadily growing commander while staying behind the politics. Win by burying opponents in cards and finishing with The Master itself or a combat/value payoff.
Repeatable card draw every combat without spending your own resources
Goad keeps you out of the crossfire while opponents fight each other
The Master grows itself, eventually able to target larger creatures
Excellent in multiplayer politics—you profit from others' boards
Cheap four-mana value commander that's hard to ignore but rarely the target
Reliant on opponents having attackable creatures; weak vs control/spellslinger decks
Skulk only matters if the goaded creature actually connects—stax/fog disrupts it
Commander removal shuts off the entire engine
Slow against fast combo decks that ignore the board
No built-in protection; dies to spot removal easily
Stacks extra draw whenever a triggered creature hits an opponent.
Add more mass-goad and forced-combat effects (Disrupt Decorum, Grand Melee, Marisi-style triggers) to maximize triggers, plus protection like Lightning Greaves and Whispersilk Cloak. Lean into the card-advantage with extra combat-damage draw payoffs and convert your hand into a win via a big X-draw or a control lock; faster lists prioritize cheap interaction, ramp, and tutors to assemble that engine sooner.