Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Planeswalker — Jace

+2: Look at the top card of target player's library. You may put that card on the bottom of that player's library.

0: Draw three cards, then put two cards from your hand on top of your library in any order.

-1: Return target creature to its owner's hand.

-12: Exile all cards from target player's library, then that player shuffles his or her hand into his or her library.

Discussion (48)

plakjekaas on Strixhaven color "balancing"

3 weeks ago

Magic is a game of resource management, and Planeswalkers are by far the card type that upset the balance in resources between two players the most. Short of a counterspell, a planeswalker will always have an impact, because after resolving you can activate an ability before your opponent gets priority and a chance to response, even if your opponent has the Hero's Downfall in hand to deal with it. And your opponent has to deal with them, or they run away with the game, at least the ones who see constructed play. Creature decks have to waste attacks on them, effectively gaining their controllers a lot of life and tempo. It's like you're inviting a third player into the game, who will do nothing to oppose you, and nothing to help your opponent. It's not hard to see how that feels unfair, especially to the aggro deck that now needs to kill two players with just the resources available to kill one.

A planeswalker gains you life, casts you a spell every turn, at least once, even if it gets immediately removed. They have to be answered or they win the game on their own, even if it doesn't immediately looks like it. There's no other card type that so reliably has such a big impact on a game of magic. Having played aggro in Standard regularly during Teferi summer (when both Teferi, Hero of Dominaria and Teferi, Time Raveler were legal), I understand exactly what people mean when they say they don't like planeswalkers.

However, that's exactly how they were designed. Planeswalkers are the main characters of the story, they are the gifted, supernaturally powered, magical eyes through which we view the in-game world. Planeswalkers create the magic story just by existing in a place they shouldn't, and exploring the conflicts that arise by upsetting the natural balances. No wonder they treat games of magic the same way. They are the rarest card type, it feels great to pull one from a booster pack. They bring a lot of positives to the magic franchise, even though they can feel unfair if they oppose you ingame. They have been a mainstay ever since their introduction in Lorwyn, opposing their existence feels like wasted energy at this point. But I do believe we need to keep the power level discussion going forever, because Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Oko, Thief of Crowns happen if we don't.

So focus on individual cards; you can point at bans, but there have been plenty of planeswalkers that haven't been broken or upsetting their format, just like every other card type.

Daveslab2022 on Strixhaven color "balancing"

3 weeks ago

I’m very late to the party but I’m gonna throw out my two cents anyways.

ShiltonCDXX

In an early comment you stated that you dislike planeswalkers because you feel they have become the central focus of the games balancing. You cited Teferi, Time Raveler and Jace, the Mind Sculptor being banned as your examples.

However, there are plenty of other card types that have been banned in their respective formats. I think planeswalkers are actually the least represented card type in this regard. Yes, planeswalkers are powerful. But they inhabit an entirely different design space than every other card type, allowing for more design, whether they are ridiculously overpowered like Ancient Den with affinity cards, or stupidly underpowered like Squee, Goblin Nabob

You complained that it’s not just you being a player who cast spells anymore. That it doesn’t feel like you’re not the one in control. But why not? Because you can summon another, equally powerful, friend from the friggin’ AEther to help smash your enemies face in? From an “I’m a wizard and this is my spell book” perspective, I think that is dope.

Obviously this is all subjective and there are going to be people who like the “original.” There are still people who prefer the original 151 Pokémon even though we have over 800 little dudes to collect now.

Erza420 on Strixhaven color "balancing"

3 weeks ago

ShiltonCDXX: yes the game would get stale without new cards. its not comparable to poker or chess. comparing planeswalkers to modal cards and double faced cards is not apples to oranges in the slightest. both are not original cards. my example is not ridiculous. your statement "no one would be able to play it for the cmc" is simply not true. the cmc would be exactly the same. so yes people would still be able to play it.

saying that "every" effect from "every" planeswalker can be found on other cards simply is not true, and planeswalkers can also be "dealt with in their own way".

the simple fact of the matter is that planeswalkers as they are now, are indisputably weaker than if their exact same effects had been placed on enchantments or artifacts. a 2uu enchantment with Jace, the Mind Sculptor abilities would be stronger than the actual planeswalker, simply for the fact that it couldn't be attacked.

in conclusion, hating a card based on type just is not valid. are some overpowered? yes, but that can be said of any card type. theres also plenty of planeswalkers that are unplayable. there is quite literally absolutely no relevance whatsoever between the typing of a permanent and it's power level. absolutely none. the only instance of a card becoming "more powerful" due to a change in typing, is if a sorcery became an instant. with permanents, it's the effect that matters and not the typing. Black Lotus would still be just as powerful if it were an enchantment.

Happymaster19 on My Bestest Friends (UV Walker Control)

3 weeks ago

Went up against what I assume was a Time Vault / Manifold Key combo. I can’t recall my opening hand perfectly but my opponent lead with Underground Sea and Mox Jet into Ponder and Imperial Seal . I could have countered something but my general rule of thumb is to counter what is tutored rather than the tutor. Land, go. They mana rock into Timetwister which I assume is what they tutored as it would shuffle away anything else. I hit that with a Force of Negation and took the turn. Land, go. From there it was much slower. I got out Teferi, Time Raveler on turn 3 and Dovin, Hand of Control the following turn. Countered a Demonic Tutor and responded with Dack Fayden . Dack pulled us into a follow up Jace, the Mind Sculptor . At that point, they were low enough that we could ride Jace’s to deck management, maintaining our counters until Narset, Parter of Veils and Kasmina, Enigma Sage . We continued to keep our opponents top deck and our own managed, eventually completing the crew with Oko, Thief of Crowns coming down for an additional Fractal. Our opponent managed to pull a Tinker while we took the turn off but we had plenty of counters ready at that point and was able to stave off and go in the lethal offensive.

It was only one game but I would definitely have brought in Ashiok, Dream Render having seen Imperial Seal , Demonic Tutor , Tinker , and Tezzeret the Seeker .

Happymaster19 on A Quest for Power: Unrestricting …

4 weeks ago

I don’t want to make a post for every set as a UV review but I would like to mention when I see cards that could insert themselves into the fold.

So I saw the new Kasmina. It isn’t a standalone powerhouse but goes extremely well with planeswalkers of the format like Jace, the Mind Sculptor , Oko, Thief of Crowns , Teferi, Time Raveler , Narset, Parter of Veils , and Ashiok, Dream Render . I’m not gonna say Kasmina is immediately viable in UV but Kasmina loves friends and these are strong company to keep. SynergyBuild was one of the first I ran into to use planeswalkers in a midrange approach. I’m not sold one way or the other but I definitely think there’s potential to warrant experimentation.

New ‘Liliana’ is intriguing as a Tendrils of Agony that circumvents Leyline of Sanctity and comes attached to all the utility of a solid walker. Whether she can break into UV will largely be dependent on implementing her Tendrils effect. A lot of the utility of Tendrils is lost in UV as most decks don’t really care to set up Tendrils before comboing off. Really at her cost, you’re looking to set her mid combo. But part of the issue there that Tendrils gets around is counters. ‘Liliana’s’ magecraft isn’t online until she resolves and so she may get around the Leyline but folds to the counter. I don’t really see her seeing play in UV but as a Tendrils lookalike, I’ll have an eye out.

Thoughts?

sylvannos on Temur Tempo Tarmo no Twin

1 month ago

@Icbrgr: To be honest, I haven't played this deck in forever. Jace, Architect of Thought was sideboard tech against aggro. AEtherize or Jace, the Mind Sculptor are probably better options in today's meta.

ShiltonCDXX on Really looking forward to Ugin …

1 month ago

Yeah walkers in general can go for all I care lol, "back in my day we didn't have these fancy planewlswalkers" lol. It was a shock when I came back during avacyn restored and started playing against them, glad I had missed out on the Jace, the Mind Sculptor days.

Shadowdragonlink on Rashmi Is Taking Some Turns

1 month ago

yes will do mate it looks like it can hold its own against most decks to me are you making it budget or is any suggestion ok. coz there are some cards that iv fond class in Taking Turns. Snapcaster Mage and iv not played with is but Jace, the Mind Sculptor would be class to and as an extra win con Part the Waterveil is good iv won most me games with that one and the art looks so good always a + ^^