How does Doctor Octopus, Master Planner refill your hand?

At the beginning of your end step, if you have fewer than eight cards in hand, you draw up to eight — a raised maximum hand size plus an automatic top-up, which is a real card advantage engine on a body that's already anthem-ing a Villain tribal deck.

What deck wants Doctor Octopus, Master Planner?

A Dimir Villain tribal deck built around the creature type — the +2/+2 anthem to every other Villain is a real payoff for going wide with that type, and the end-step draw keeps the deck's hand full while it does.

Is Doctor Octopus, Master Planner too slow at seven mana?

It's a top-end payoff rather than an early play, so yes, it wants a deck built to survive to the mid-to-late game — but once it lands, the ongoing card advantage and the anthem effect on an established board can close a game out quickly.

Doctor Octopus, Master Planner — Card Spotlight

See Doctor Octopus, Master Planner's full stats and printings →

Strategies it goes well with

Villain tribal. Every other Villain on the battlefield gets +2/+2, which rewards a deck built specifically around the creature type rather than a generic value pile.
Card-advantage control shells. An automatic hand refill every end step is a strong engine for a control deck that's already spending its hand on interaction each turn.
Go-wide black-blue decks. A board of smaller Villain creatures becomes a real threat once this anthem hits, turning a defensive board into a lethal one.

How it does in Commander

As the commander

As the commander it anchors a Dimir Villain tribal build directly — every copy-effect or token-making Villain in the 99 gets bigger, and the guaranteed access to the anthem from the command zone is exactly what a tribal payoff wants.

In the 99

A strong late-game drop even outside a dedicated tribal shell, since the card draw alone is worth the seven mana in a control deck that's already going long.

Formats it's strong in

Villain tribal decks. The anthem effect is a direct payoff for the creature type, rewarding a deck built specifically to go wide with Villains.
Grindy control decks. An automatic end-step hand refill is exactly the kind of resource engine a long, attrition-based game wants.

Formats it's weak in

Fast, low-curve decks. Seven mana is a lot to ask of a deck trying to close the game out before turn six.
Decks with few or no Villains. Without the tribal payoff, it's a card-draw engine alone, which is good but not the reason to build the deck.

Synergistic cards

Baron Helmut Zemo — A three-mana Villain that benefits directly from the anthem and fits the same Dimir tribal shell.
Arnim Zola, Bio-Fanatic — Another Villain payoff that stacks its own value with the size boost from Doctor Octopus.
Sign in Blood — A cheap card-draw spell that fills the same role early, before the seven-mana engine is online.
Any token-making Villain — Doubling as an anthem, the card rewards any effect that puts multiple Villain bodies onto the battlefield at once.

Is it worth the price?

As a recent chase mythic from the set, Doctor Octopus carries a real price tag — worth it specifically for a dedicated Villain tribal build, and a costly luxury otherwise.

Current printings and prices →

Doctor Octopus, Master Planner