Card
Doctor Octopus, Master Planner
Mana cost {5}{U}{B}
Legendary Creature — Human Scientist Villain 4/8
Other Villains you control get +2/+2. Your maximum hand size is eight. At the beginning of your end step, if you have fewer than eight cards in hand, draw cards equal to the difference.
No bracket restriction: playable from bracket 1. Part of 13 known combos. 3 official rulings.
- Commander
- Legal
- Printing
- Mythic · SPM · #128
- Cheapest printing
- €3.11
- EDHREC salt
- 0.46
- Color identity
- Black, Blue
Bracket
- B1 Exhibition — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
- B2 Core — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
- B3 Upgraded — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
- B4 Optimized — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list
- B5 cEDH — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list
Why
- No Game Changer, mass land denial, extra turn, tutor or two-card combo
How Lotus Vault estimates a bracket
Bracket: Lotus Vault analysis, with Commander Spellbook flags
Combos
13 known combos.
- Doctor Octopus, Master Planner + Lyla, Holographic Assistant + Sage of Hours + Skirge Familiar
Produces: Near-infinite turns, Lock
View on Commander Spellbook - Doctor Octopus, Master Planner + Lyla, Holographic Assistant + Sage of Hours + Psychic Frog
Produces: Near-infinite turns, Lock
View on Commander Spellbook - Doctor Octopus, Master Planner + Lyla, Holographic Assistant + Sage of Hours + Ghostly Pilferer
Produces: Near-infinite turns, Lock
View on Commander Spellbook
Combos: Commander Spellbook
Rulings
- 2025-09-19 · Wizards of the Coast
If multiple effects modify your hand size, apply them in timestamp order. For example, if you put Spellbook (an artifact that says you have no maximum hand size) onto the battlefield and then put Doctor Octopus, Master Planner onto the battlefield, your maximum hand size will be eight. However, if those permanents entered in the opposite order, you would have no maximum hand size. - 2025-09-19 · Wizards of the Coast
The number of cards you ultimately draw may be affected by replacement effects. For example, if you have six cards in hand as Doctor Octopus's last ability resolves, and you also control Thought Reflection (an enchantment that says "If you would draw a card, draw two cards instead"), you'll end up drawing four cards. - 2025-09-19 · Wizards of the Coast
Your maximum hand size is checked only during the cleanup step of your turn. At any other time, you may have any number of cards in hand.
Rulings: Scryfall · Wizards of the Coast