Herald of Torment vs. Master of the Feast
Standard forum
Posted on Nov. 23, 2014, 11:16 p.m. by ThoughtShift
Herald of Torment vs. Master of the FeastWhich one is the better card? Both of these are solid and are very similar but which is better in the current standard meta? Let me know your opinions and why!
It depends on the deck.
Master, while a good card and a favorite if mine, also gives the opponent cards which is not usually a good thing. He can end a game quickly if they dont have removal.
Herald, which is also aggressive, has more versatility with the Bestow ability and less of a downside with the life loss. if bestowed he can make for a 2 for 1 against the opponent.
In this meta, I would say that Herald is the better card eventhough he dies to Lightning Strike
November 23, 2014 11:27 p.m.
IAmKingTony says... #4
Master is cool in decks that can not care about the card advantage he's giving your opponent but overall Herald is more versatile.
November 23, 2014 11:31 p.m.
I run a mono-black aggro deck that does very well in the current meta at my LGS. I started with 4 Herald of Torment and 2 Master of the Feast. Herald can be aggressive on T3 and avoids Drown in Sorrow while also getting "under" Elspeth's -3. His bestow has won me countless games and is a great way to obtain reach in an aggro deck. However, he still is dead to Anger of the Gods - the worse card for the deck to face. he also pairs poorly against Wingmate Roc, Stormbreath Dragon and other fliers like Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker. Master, however, began to prove much more good in those situations.
I just recently found myself acquire and mainboarding a playset of Master of the Feast as well. Master is great against anything Jeskai as it dodges all their burn and matches greatly against their fliers. It's great vs abzan as it pairs great against a rhino or roc and against aggro it can help me race against them much easier than herald since 5 mana is much more devious of a resource to acquire. I have won many games on the back of Master of the Feast since adding more of them. In my list, I fully agree on running a playset of both right now for this metagame. (for more info, my list is on my page).
Which deck do you plan on running them in?
November 23, 2014 11:47 p.m.
JexInfinite says... #6
Both have their downsides against Jeskai and Abzan, respectively.
Master doesn't die to creatures, but gives them cards. Abzan can draw into hard removal, and Jeskai can draw into a Jeskai Charm.
Herald dies to spells and creatures, but can be bestowed on a dude to make him super good, and doesn't give them card advantage.
November 24, 2014 12:25 a.m.
ThoughtShift says... #7
Thank you all for your advice and input thus far.
@ Spootyone This is the deck that I'm running at the moment.
BG Constellations Playtest
Standard
SCORE: 0 | 7 COMMENTS | 131 VIEWSSuggestions on that would be appreciated if you decide to take a look.
November 24, 2014 1:37 a.m.
I prefer Herald but that has to do with the deck I play it in. I run Junk aggro so Herald is the better choice because my win relies on racing my opponent and hoping he runs out of gas before me. Master is counterproductive here because he undoes to some degree what Thoughtseize is here to help me do.
I also like the bestow. A 7/8 flying Siege Rhino just seems better than a 5/5. The loss of life negligible since the deck also has the ability to gain huge amounts back from Rhinos and Sorin, Solemn Visitor.
In control...I may be more likely to lean toward Master. 5/5 early or for so little mana can turn a game around and leave counter mana open after turn 3.
November 24, 2014 8:25 a.m.
obesechicken13 says... #9
I used to think Master was junk, but after playtesting it against a monoblack aggro, I think it's the best card in the deck. Often times I lose just to the Master.
The little cards can be dealt with. You play a 1/3, and you can prevent all the 2/1s from attacking.The clock that master puts you on is so short, and if you're playing against a B/W or B/G deck, they can run protection from the master, so yeah, you'll draw a card trying to kill it with an instant on their turn, but they'll have mana to protect it.With Herald, I can at least race. 2 damage a turn is something I can deal with, and I can often just kill it with Bile Blight, Ulcerate, or Lightning Strike efficiently. I can't always do that with the master.
There's probably no creatures that come out early enough to control the master in standard. Arbor Colossus is a good card and it can trade with the Master. But it's 5 mana. If your opponent gets to swing even once before the Master dies, it'll trade 1 card for 5 damage. That's a pretty good trade for aggressive decks.
That said, Oppressive Rays, Encrust, and Singing Bell Strike wreck the master's day. These aren't too popular. Other ways around it include cards like whip of erebos.
Bestow can be an upside or a downside. There's a lot of Theros hate in standard right now. This is something WotC always does, hating on the previous block. Cards like End Hostilities, Back to Nature, Silence the Believers, Erase, Deicide, and Hubris really punish you for playing a bestow. Some of them more than if you'd just played Master.
November 27, 2014 6:45 a.m.
obesechicken13 says... #10
I guess bestow can't really be a downside, but it can be punished.
There's also a few black enchantments that are good against master of the feast.
November 27, 2014 6:48 a.m.
Fairecloak says... #11
I lkke master better , but play mileage with it has not been strong enough to take it to the house in every deck pre and post rotation I have tried to build with it. It's a clock but one that hasn't quite worked for me. Your build may vary.
December 6, 2014 10:11 p.m.
ThoughtShift says... #12
In all of my builds I've found through playtesting and practice that Herald is significantly better.
RCMetalhead says... #2
Depends on what deck you're using, but usually people prefer Herald of Torment over Master of the Feast because most people don't like the idea of giving your opponent card advantage.
November 23, 2014 11:25 p.m.