Archive for the ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Category
This week in Magic: Prepping for the prerelease
Friday, September 25th, 2015
It’s that time again. Time for another edition of This week in Magic. Well, if you couldn’t tell by all the hype in the air, the Battle For Zendikar prerelease is finally upon us. This is typically the time when players who have been away from the game or who are new come out and play with everyone else. So, if you’re one of those people then you’re in luck. This week’s article is dedicated to you. We’re going to go over things you should bring with you, items you may want to purchase when you get to the event, and the new mulligan rule that will go into affect this weekend for all formats.
What should you bring?
Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you played a slightly competitive game of Magic: The Gathering? If you can’t remember or you’ve never played a competitive game, then this is the best section for you to start with. Otherwise, feel free to jump around.
One of the first things you may need is a bag. This seems obvious, but sometimes people don’t think of it because of how trivial it can be. However, you never really know what kinds of goodies you may pick up while you’re there. It’ll be nice to have everything all compartmentalized in one bag. Just remember to keep that bag close to you at all times. It’s an unfortunate piece of advice I have to give out, but one that seems to be necessary today.
Pen and paper is another great item to bring with you. Whether it be for notes, keeping your life score, or writing down someone’s phone number, having pen and paper has become essential. What about dice, you ask? Well, keeping your life total on dice is fine, but dice can be knocked over and easily turned. You’ll want to keep track of your life and your opponent’s. If you plan on becoming a more competitive player, then this will be excellent practice for future events. Get in the habit of writing things down. Even keeping notes of how damage was dealt can prove to be important.
Speaking of dice, bring some! There is nothing worse than someone going to a gaming store and not bringing dice. C’mon man! There is no excuse for this. Well, maybe, if you’re coming from somewhere and you didn’t have any on you to begin with. However, I carry dice on myself at all times just because. Also, you’re at a gaming store. If you don’t have any, then you could always buy some. That’s for another section, though. If you have dice, bring them.
Well, that’s it for this section. If you’ve been away from the game long enough, then you may not have the dice anymore, but pen, paper, and a bag you should have already.
Items you may want to buy
Here’s a small list of items you may want to get while you’re at the store. The first thing on this list has to be sleeves. Now, some people don’t like playing with sleeves and some people play with “penny” sleeves. Thanks to the “expeditions” that have been randomly inserted into packs, there is the potential to open a very pricey card. Even if you don’t open one of these cards, you still may want to consider protecting you cards. Think of it more like an investment. You’re paying good money for these pieces of cardboard and the last thing you want is to ruin them because you didn’t want to spend the few extra dollars to protect them.
Another item you may want to get is a small box to keep your cards in. I would recommend an 800-count box. These are very cheap to buy and completely worth it. You’ll thank me especially if you play in more than one prerelease event in a day. Plus it makes for a great storage unit to keep everything separated from your different events.
Speaking of a small box, how about a deck box? I know the items are adding up, but these are only suggestions thus far. A deck box will run you about $4-$5. So that’s not bad. This way you can keep your deck apart from other cards you may have collected that day from either trading or playing in other prerelease events.
Other items to consider, but are not prioritized as high as the other items I previously mentioned are a playmat and some dice (if you don’t have any).
The new mulligan rule
So, you may have been hearing about this new mulligan rule, but what exactly is it? Well here it is, straight from DailyMTG’s website.
“103.4. Each player draws a number of cards equal to his or her starting hand size, which is normally seven. (Some effects can modify a player’s starting hand size.) A player who is dissatisfied with his or her initial hand may take a mulligan. First, the starting player declares whether or not he or she will take a mulligan. Then each other player in turn order does the same. Once each player has made a declaration, all players who decided to take mulligans do so at the same time. To take a mulligan, a player shuffles his or her hand back into his or her library, then draws a new hand of one fewer cards than he or she had before. If a player kept his or her hand of cards, those cards become the player’s opening hand, and that player may not take any further mulligans. This process is then repeated until no player takes a mulligan. (Note that if a player’s hand size reaches zero cards, that player must keep that hand.) Then, beginning with the starting player and proceeding in turn order, any player whose opening hand has fewer cards than his or her starting hand size may scry 1.”
Did you get all that? So once both you and your opponent have finished taking your mulligans, starting with the first player, you can scry one card. If you have any questions regarding the new rule, there should be someone on hand to answer any concerns you may have.
Well, that’s it for this week. Hope you enjoyed this week’s article. If you think I missed something or have something to say, then sound off in the comment section below.
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
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Tags: Battle for Zendikar, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Prerelease
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This week in Magic: Top 5 Battle for Zendikar spoilers
Friday, September 18th, 2015
It’s that time again. Time for another edition of “This week in Magic.” If you hadn’t seen it already, the mother ship has spoiled the rest of the Battle for Zendikar set, and let’s just say that the future looks rather underwhelming. However, let’s not dwell on that. Instead, let’s try to make the best of things with another top 5 list. This week, we’re going to cover five cards with the most potential in Standard.
5. Spell Shrivel
If you follow us on Facebook then you may have noticed that I shared an image of this card. Spells like Dissipate, Dissolve, and Cancel have showed us that three is the magic number for Standard counters. Now Spell Shrivel can join that club. However, there is something that I really like about this card. I think the fact that the cost for this spell is 2 colorless mana and one blue rather than the two blue mana and one colorless mana required for the others. While it may not be a hard counter, it’s a decent compromise for the easier casting cost.
One of the best parts of the spell is that fact that it exiles the spell rather than having it end up in the graveyard. Thanks to other spells like Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy and Deathmist Raptor, even the graveyard isn’t a safe place. Still, thanks to the new mechanics of BFZ, the exile area might not be a safe zone either.
4. The Man-Lands
The return of man-lands is finally upon us. The last time we saw them was in original Zendikar block. That’s when we had lands like Stirring Wildwood and Celestial Colonnade. Now we have Lumbering Falls and Shambling Vent. Out of the two, I think Shambling Vent may be the better. Although, it may still be too early to tell. Shambling Vent enters as the favorite mostly due to it’s color scheme.
Thanks to Shambling Vent, something like Esper Control can go completely creatureless and just rely on the vent to do the dirty work. Of course, that may have to wait until post rotation because how can you ignore the fact that you still have powerful dragons like Ojutai roaming the format.
3. Omnath, Locus of Rage
This version of Omnath was one of the first cards spoiled in Battle for Zendikar. I was sitting in the Twitch chatroom when the announcement and I remember a lot of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” scrolling on the screen. One of the first things that came to mind was that the big Red/Green machine isn’t dead yet. Thanks to this Omnath it will still be something to reckon with.
Sitting at 5/5 for six mana doesn’t look impressive, but the fact that this thing makes babies due to it’s landfall ability in a format where bringing land into play is easy as pie scares me a lot. Imagine this very real scenario, with an Omnath in play, you opponent plays one fetch lands and triggers Omnath’s landfall ability. Then they sac the land and bring another land into play. That triggers the landfall ability again. That’s two 5/5’s with one land. Eesh.
2. Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
What list would be complete without an Ulamog? At some point or another, there will definitely be a debate or which version of Ulamog is better. For now, I like this one. You can probably call me a little bit biased, but this is another one of those cards that I can see fitting well in a control deck like Blue/Black. Remember how I said something like Esper Control can go creatureless? Well, maybe we can make an exception for this one creature.
Ulamog’s new ability to mill your opponent makes this creature a serious threat. There have even been talks about it being one of the best creatures in Limited. Keep in mind, though, we’re here to talk about Standard. One of the biggest strengths of this new Ulamog has to be that it only needs to attack to mill your opponent. That means they can chump block it all day long; the attack will still trigger Ulamog’s ability.
1. Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
Coming in at number one is the newest version of Gideon. When Gideon first made his way into Magic, he was quite the planeswalker. This version may be his best face to date. In this game, one can usually expect some of these cards to have some kind of downside to them. However, with Gideon, there doesn’t seem to be one. As soon as he hits the battlefield, he has the ability to make a sudden impact by being able to make an emblem that will make all your creature stronger and tougher.
If need be, he can even create a defense by making a 2/2 ally. Even more so, because the the token is an ally, it can trigger the ability of all other allies you control on the battlefield. Finally, his final form as a 5/5 indestructible creature makes him, possibly, the best card in Battle for Zendikar.
Well, that’s it for this week. I know I’m not perfect, and this list isn’t perfect. If you think I’ve left something off of the list or have something in the wrong spot, let me know. I’d love to hear what you have to say. Sound off in the comment section below!
See you all next week.
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Battle for Zendikar, BFZ, Magic the Gathering, MTG
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This week in Magic: Getting ready for another tournament weekend
Friday, September 11th, 2015
Welcome to another edition of “This week in Magic.” This weekend, the SCG Open will be taking place in Worcester. The question is how many of you have prepared thus far? I know I have, but I won’t be making an appearance this weekend, unfortunately. If I did though, there are a couple of decks I’d consider playing. For this week’s topic, we’ll cover those decks and why I think they give you the best shot of doing well this weekend.
Abzan Aggro
The first deck of choice has to be Abzan Aggro. I’ve been playing this deck for such a long time. I’ve also gone through quite a number of versions that I’ve lost count. However, this latest version may be the best one yet. It seems to find a nice balance between aggro and control. I guess that would make it somewhat midrange. Here’s a quick look at what my list looks like:
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Siege Rhino
4 Den Protector
4 Fleecemane Lion
3 Abzan Charm
3 Dromoka’s Command
2 Wingmate Roc
2 Hero’s Downfall
2 Ultimate Price
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
3 Temple of Malady
3 Temple of Silence
4 Windswept Heath
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Llanowar Wastes
2 Forest
2 Plains
1 Temple of Plenty
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Side Board
1 Ultimate Price
3 Tragic Arrogance
2 Self-Inflicted Wound
3 Thoughtseize
2 Herald of Torment
2 Duress
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
This will most likely be one of the most popular decks at the tournament this weekend. The older versions of this deck used to pack four copies of Ultimate Price due to the overabundance of GR Dragons, GW, and Mono Green. However, if GP Prague was any indication, Ultimate Price is a bad choice right now. That’s why you’re seeing it cut down to two and the re-introduction of Hero’s Downfall.
While playtesting, I found Den Protector to be a great addition to the deck, but there where times where I found myself having to dedicate a lot of mana to this card. Still, it’s ability to bring back a spell like Dromoka’s Command or Heroic Downfall or even Thoughtseize from the sideboard can be critical and really hurt your opponent. If you’re not in the mood to face potential mirror matches all day, you may want to consider playing the next deck.
Jesakai Control
The next deck we’re going to go over is Jeskai Control. Here is the list that Mike Sigrist played at the World Championships this year:
4 Lightning Strike
4 Mantis Rider
4 Soulfire Grand Master
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
3 Dig Through Time
3 Valorous Stance
2 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Stoke the Flames
2 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Ojutai’s Command
2 Wild Slash
1 Roast
1 Jeskai Charm
1 Magma Spray
4 Mystic Monastery
4 Flooded Strand
3 Temple of Triumph
3 Temple of Epiphany
3 Shivan Reef
3 Battlefield Forge
2 Island
2 Plains
1 Mountain
Side Board
1 Valorous Stance
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
3 Arashin Cleric
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Tragic Arrogance
1 Negate
2 Mastery of the Unseen
1 Glare of Heresy
1 End Hostilities
I played tested against this deck with UR Thopters and Abzan Aggro. I had a hard time with both decks. However, I’m sure my opponent was cheating in some way (I’m kidding of course). Needless to say, it just seemed like he had an answer for everything I played.
The keys to this deck are Jace and Mantis Rider. Jace is something that you must remove as soon as it hits the battlefield. Why is it so good? Well, it can easily dig for an answer if needed. It’s a cheap and efficient blocker. If timed well, it can block and then flip into a planeswalker. Once it’s turned into it’s better half, the game can really take a turn for the worse if you’re on the wrong side of things. It’s +1 ability to give a creature -2/-0 doesn’t look that great on paper, but put to the test, and it’s really annoying for someone trying to kill it or it’s controller.
Snapcaster Mage is an amazing card, so you can only guess how good that ability on Jace makes it. I died numerous times to being hit with a lightning strike twice in one turn, and, even worse, dying by Stoke the Flames twice in one turn. To add insult to injury, a Soulfire Grand Master gains them not just three life, but six and not just four life, but eight.
Well, that’s it for this week. Remember to take time tonight to prepare for tomorrow. Make sure to get plenty of rest. Don’t forget to bring a pen and some paper. If you need any cards, make sure you get there early. Things tend to sell out quickly especially if they’re in popular decks. My guess is that Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy and Hangerback Walkers may be on low supply.
Whatever deck you choose, good luck!
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
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This week in Magic: Pro Tour vs. other events
Friday, September 4th, 2015
Welcome back to another “This week in Magic.” A couple of weeks ago we sparked some controversy with our Jace vs. Jace list. I’m not saying you have to agree with me. In fact, I’m glad those of you who didn’t agree told me. More than anything, I want people to engage in conversation here. With that being said, I’m not writing things for the sake of arguing. The Jace vs. Jace list was something that I truly believe in.
For this week’s topic we’re going to go over Pro Tour tournament results vs. SCG Open Series results.
As someone who plays Magic at a competitive level, I like to see what other people are playing nowadays. Some of the best resources around the net to find this kind of information are MTGTop8.com, TCGPlayer, StarCityGames, or directly from DailyMTG.com. Usually a couple of days after the tournament, these sites will post the Top 8 results. On StarCity’s site, they typically have it the same day since they’re the one’s hosting some of the events.
Personally, I like to look at the results of events like the StarCity Open Series more than the Pro Tour. Sometimes I like looking up the results of local tournaments such as 1Ks or 5Ks. These events tend to draw up to several hundred people, and, in some occasions, high level players and even pros show up if it’s close enough to them.
Playing the numbers game
So I’m sure you’re wondering right now why I prefer these “local” tournaments over the Pro Tour. The biggest reason why is that the Pro Tour is sometimes made up of different formats. For example, Pro Tour Origins was both Standard and Origins Limited. So while someone like Shahar Shenhar may win the Pro Tour, he may have done so by having an amazing Limited record while limping with a sub-par Standard record.
At an event like a TCG5K, players have to go through upwards of nine rounds of Standard Swiss (or whatever format is defined for the tournament) and then a Top 8. That’s clearly more than the three or four rounds that pro players endure at a Pro Tour. So what an event like a TCG5K shows is how much a deck can endure.
A pro is still a pro
Admittedly, a pro player is still a pro player. They are a pro for a reason, and that reason is because they’re good, they know how to win, and did I mention that they’re good? At an SCG event, any Joe Schmoe can win that event. No offense to anyone named Joe or with the last name Schmoe, but I’m mainly referring to someone like me; of my caliber. Keep in mind, you have to earn your way onto a Pro Tour. You can’t just show up, pay the $50 at the door (ugh) and play. Players on the Pro Tour have earned their way by either having been there already, or qualifying.
To qualify for a Pro Tour today seems a lot more tedious than it has in the past. With PPTQs, local stores can rejoice and be happy that they get to host such prestigious events, but it just means more work for the local player. In the past, you would show up to a single qualifier. At that point, you either win it or you don’t. Those events could, sometimes, yield upwards to a hundred players. A local PPTQ can actually come close, but averages somewhere between 30-50 players.
Experience is still better than showing up
If there were ever an argument to change my mind it would have to be that a pro player is playing a certain deck at the pro tour because of reasons that I am not experienced enough to initially see. I guess you could say that this all goes back to how “a pro is still a pro.”
I think it’s safe to say that all Magic players want to win. They don’t want to just scrape by enough to make it, they want it all. So, to say that a pro player would ever be satisfied with “just making it” at a pro tour with a sub-par performance is like an insult to them. If they could, they’d like to replicated something similar to Seth Mansfield’s run at World’s last week. He would end up being crowned champion with an amazing 13-1 record overall.
To do this at the game’s highest stage is one of the best things you could do in this game. For Seth, it was clear how much it meant to win. I was telling others that if I had won, I would have had the worst case of “ugly face” due to all the crying I would have done.
I’d really like to know your thoughts on this matter. This is especially for those of you who have taken up the oath to never “netdeck” a list. How do you, as a player, conduct your research to prepare for the current meta, whether it’s an FNM or a major local event? Let us know in the comment section below.
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Magic the Gathering, MTG, Simeon Cortezano
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This week in Magic: Battle for Zendikar
Friday, August 28th, 2015
Welcome back for another edition of This “This week in Magic.” For this week’s topic, we’re going to cover some of the cards that have already been spoiled for the upcoming Battle for Zendikar expansion which is set for release this September. In fact, this is a big weekend for Magic because PAX Prime is currently underway. At the convention, there will be a Magic panel where we’ll learn more about the set and many cards are poised to be spoiled. For now, let’s talk about what we already know about.
Guardian of Tazeem
This is a really solid card at first glance. Five mana is a little hefty, but it’s made up in the card’s other abilities. As a flying 4/5 I can almost completely forgive the card for costing so much. Ideally, the only place for this card is in a control deck. Playing it in a UB Control list would make the most sense. However, with the dragons still being in play, this probably won’t happen until post rotation.
“Old school” players wlill be happy to see the return of Landfall to Standard. This is particularly exciting because we’ll still have the fetchlands in the format making Landfall that much more powerful. In a control deck, the ability to tap down creatures is a great advantage. The added ability to keep the tapped if you played an island (in an already heavy island deck) seems like icing on the cake.
At this point, it seems like Battle for Zendikar is already shaping up. Remember, though, we’re only on our first card!
Oblivion Sower
Our first look into what the Eldrazi have been up to and it’s a doozy. In typical Eldrazi form, it’s an awkward 5/8 for six mana. Still, standing tall at 5/8 means it hits hard and is hard to kill. Even better, it’s it takes six colorless mana to cast. Due to this, Modern players perked up and asked, “can this go into Tron decks?” However, the real question is, “can this replace Wurmcoil Engine?” In my opinion, I don’t think so. I would definitely consider it as a sideboard option, but it would depend on whether or not Battle for Zendikar will change the shape of Modern.
In Standard, Oblivion Sower may see play. Thanks to it being colorless means it could fit in almost any deck. In the past, the Eldrazi were found in, typically, Mono Green and Mono White. I know I keep going back to it, but I could even see Eldrazi making an appearance in UB Control. The reason I keep going back to that deck is because the deck usually aims for the late game, is mana hungry, and tends to play larger spells because of it’s heavy control aspect.
One way or another, when Oblivion Sower ever hits the board, whoever is facing is going to have a rough time if it ever makes contact with them. Why? Have you seen what it does. First of all, it exiles the top four cards of your opponent’s deck. To add insult to injury, if any of those cards are lands, you get to put them into play under your control. Combined with the Landfall mechanic, this is positioned to be a major player in the game.
Casual player or not, you may want to consider pre-ordering a playset of these guys just in case.
Dominator Drone
Keeping in line with the colorless theme, Dominator Drone introduces a new mechanic to the game. One that is not entirely surprising. Devoid is the new mechanic that causes a card to have no color even if there is a colored mana symbol in its casting cost. So, why does this matter? For instance, this will make card like Surge of Righteousness less effective since it requires, specifically, a red or black creature.
Dominator Drone also introduces the Ingest mechanic. Ingest says that “whenever [the] creature deals combat damage to a player, that player exiles the top card of his or her library.” This looks like a really annoying mechanic to face. By annoying, I mean if you’re the one facing it. Otherwise, this looks like a lot of fun. Given enough creatures with Ingest, I wonder if it will be possible to create an Ingest themed deck.
My prediction is that there will be a spell that gives all your creatures Ingest until the end of the turn. Can you imagine a fleet of tokens attacking you and each one has Ingest. Ugh…
Sheer Drop
The last card we’re going to look at today is Sheer Drop. Off the bat, this card looks like a glorified draft card. So there is little chance it will ever seen constructed play. It doesn’t do anything special, but it does introduce another new mechanic known as Awaken. The mechanic allows you, for an alternate casting cost, to cast a spell and place a certain number of counter on a land turning it into a creature that is still a land with a power and toughness equal to the number of counters placed on it.
Essentially, if you case the a spell for it’s Awaken cost, you’re getting a two-for-one. Depending on the cost, Awaken could be a very interesting mechanic in Standard. In Limited, though, it may prove to be a serious mechanic since spells do not come at a premium.
Well that’s it for this week. What are you looking forward to in Battle for Zendikar? Is there anything you hope makes an appearance in the set? Let me know in the comments below! Until next week…
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
The Extra Life 2015 campaign is underway. Donate today!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Battle for Zendikar, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Simeon Cortezano, zendikar
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This week in Magic: Jace vs. Jace
Friday, August 21st, 2015
Welcome to another “This week in Magic.” Let’s take a break from discussing decks. Today we’re going to rank all of the Jaces in order from worst Jace to the best Jace.
I recently had a discussion regarding which Jace, over the years, was the best one. While we knew which Jace was not the top choice, we knew which ones to argue about. First, let me remind you of the different Jaces (in no particular order):
Jace Beleren
Jace, The Mind Sculptor
Jace, Memory Adept
Jace, Architect of Thought
Jace, The Living Guildpact
Jace, Telepath Unbound
6. Jace, The Living Guildpact
At the bottom of the list has to be The Living Guildpact. The key to a solid version of Jace is the ability to take care of himself. At +1 loyalty, this version of Jace manipulates the top of your deck and your graveyard. At -3 loyalty, Jace bounced another nonland permanent back to it’s owner’s hand. While the possibility of bouncing a threat may prolong Jace’s life for a little bit, the fact that he leaves himself with only two loyalty means that even 1/1 tokens pose a threat. Finally, his ultimate ability just didn’t have the power that the other Jace’s have. In the end, for his lack of ability, The Living Guildpact earns the bottom slot on our list of Jace’s.
5. Jace, Memory Adept
While he’s only one place higher than the bottom, this version of Jace is leaps and bounds above The Living Guildpact. At five mana, this was the most expensive Jace to play. However, his abilities did a lot of the talking. The Memory Adept was key in a lot of control mirror matches. Whoever was able to play their Jace first usually won, and may the Magic gods have mercy on your soul if you didn’t have a copy in your sideboard. The funny thing about this Jace is that most players only cared about one ability. That ability was the zero loyalty ability. If this version of Jace hit the board, those facing him were on a three or four turn clock after that. Due to his ability to end the game quickly is why we can forget that this Jace cannot defend himself from harm and why he ranks better than last.
4. Jace, Architect of Thought
I guess when you have a small cast of characters, one should not be surprised by how low some of them may look on the totem pole. Don’t be fooled by the Architect of Thought’s placement at number 4. One of the biggest mistakes made with this Jace was being compared to The Mind Sculptor when he was first spoiled. Many thought he was trying too hard to be like his big brother. He took a while, but the Architect of Thought eventually made a name for himself. In fact, he’s even seeing play in Modern. This Jace had the whole package. He could defend himself, he gave you card advantage, and his ultimate actually mattered in some matches. Out of all the Jaces, this is the most balanced.
3. Jace Beleren
Also known as “baby Jace,” Jace Beleren is the original. If this were a popularity contest, Jace Beleren would win the crown. Unfortunately, this isn’t. This is about power. Imagine being there the first time baby Jace was introduced to the world. Blue mages all over the world rejoiced. However, once they had their taste of power, they wanted more and so didn’t R&D. Even if you got just one card out of Jace, the fact that it only cost three mana to play was very important. Not only was this Jace cheap, but it gave you card advantage. To top things off, giving him a mill ability was his ultimate was icing on the cake. Baby Jace made Turbo Fog decks what they were in the past. Without him, who knows where the state of Planeswalkers would be today.
2. Jace, the Mind Sculptor
I’m pretty sure that 95% of you are screaming at me right now. How can I rank something that is broken as number two? Easy, I think the remaining Jace is better. The Mind Sculptor will go down in history as one of the most powerful version of Jace to exist; so powerful that it was indirectly declared a mistake to have made this card.
I don’t think there was one bad thing about this card. At +2 loyalty, you had the ability to soft lock your opponent by knowing every card they were going to draw, even manipulating what they were going to draw. At 0, you had a Brainstorm-on-a-stick. At -1 loyalty, you could bounce any problems back to their owner’s hand or a solution back to your own. Finally, at -12 loyalty, The Mind Sculptor’s ultimate ability meant the end of most games. The card was too good to be true, and I doubt there will ever be anything like him again.
1. Jace, Telepath Unbound
This is the Architect of Thought all over again. Like its predecessor, many people didn’t think much of this Jace when it was first spoiled. However, over time almost everyone who has played him has been surprised and versatile by how he responds to most situations. I guess the real question is why is the Telepath Unbound number one in my book?
First of all, he is the cheapest Jace to play. Although he does not first make an appearance as a Planeswalker, it doesn’t take much to ignite his “spark” and flip him into one. So, before we get the benefits of his Planeswalker abilities, we get treated by his creature abilities as a looter. One of the best uses for this Jace is to use him as a blocker and then turn him sideways to flip him into a Planeswalker (barring you have enough cards in the graveyard to do so). Once flipped, use him as you see fit.
At +1 loyalty he can protect himself or you. At -3 loyalty, he becomes reminiscent of one of the most powerful mages in the multiverse. Lastly, at -9 loyalty, you get an emblem that could ruin almost any player’s day.
The fact of the matter is that the Telepath Unbound is number in my book because of how versatile it can be. I understand that some of you will disagree. How can the Mind Sculptor (with his four abilities) be less versatile than the Telepath Unbound (with only his three abilities)? The new version of Jace edges out the Mind Sculptor by just an inch and that inch is it’s ability to go from creature to Planeswalker.
That’s it for this week. What did you think? Agree? Disagree? I would love to hear your opinion. Feel free to leave a comment below letting us know what you think. Until next time…
About the author
Simeon is now the Community Manager for Battleground Games & Hobbies. If you have any questions or inquiries, then you can reach him at Sims@battlegroundgames.com. He is also an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
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Tags: jace, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Simeon Cortezano
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