Between the new Empower Jace mechanic and the printing of numerous new Planeswalkers, Reality Fracture is the perfect set for Superfriends enthusiasts. As this fan-favorite archetype gains more attention, it’s only natural that some older Planeswalkers see demand rise. Now, it appears that Jace, Arcane Strategist is the next in line to spike in price as a result.
MTG Jace, Arcane Strategist
Like most Planeswalker deck printings, Jace, Arcane Strategist doesn’t exactly jump off the page. After all, it only has two loyalty abilities, both of which are awful for a six-mana investment. The same is true of Jace’s passive ability, which, while good, isn’t impressive at this rate.
With this in mind, it’s not surprising that this Planeswalker sees play in under 10,000 decks, according to EDHREC. Some
Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus
Tekuthal, Inquiry Dominus
Flying
If you would proliferate, proliferate twice instead.
{1}{U/P}{U/P}, Remove three counters from among other artifacts, creatures, and planeswalkers you control: Put an indestructible counter on Tekuthal. ({U/P} can be paid with either {U} or 2 life.)
and
Minn, Wily Illusionist
Minn, Wily Illusionist
Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create a 1/1 blue Illusion creature token with "This token gets +1/+0 for each other Illusion you control."
Whenever an Illusion you control dies, you may put a permanent card with mana value less than or equal to that creature's power from your hand onto the battlefield.
decks will take advantage of the consistent card draw and +1/+1 counter distribution Jace provides, but these are few and far between.
Since the printing of Reality Fracture, however, the “Jace Typal” archetype has gained a lot of extra appeal. Getting access to both Empower Jace tools like
Theorist’s Sanctum
Theorist’s Sanctum
({T}: Add {U}.)
As this land enters, you may behold a Jace. If you don't, this land enters tapped. (To behold a Jace, choose a Jace you control or reveal a Jace card from your hand.)
{2}{U}, {T}: Empower Jace 2.
and the new powerhouse
The Theorist, Jace Beleren
The Theorist, Jace Beleren
At the beginning of each opponent's draw step, you draw a card.
+1: Create a 1/1 blue Illusion creature token.
−2: For each opponent, return up to one target artifact or creature that player controls to its owner's hand.
−6: Draw three cards. Then put X +1/+1 counters on each creature you control, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
increases your likelihood of controlling Jaces at all times. From there,
Jace’s Machinations
Jace’s Machinations
Until end of turn, you may activate loyalty abilities of Jace planeswalkers you control on any player's turn any time you could cast an instant.
Empower Jace 8. (Put eight loyalty counters on a Jace token you control. If you don't control one, first create a blue Jace planeswalker token with "[−1]: Surveil 1" and "[−3]: Draw a card.")
rewards you heavily for having a critical mass of Jace Planeswalkers.
On top of that, the Jace Typal strategy received a powerful new Commander in
Jace, Multiverse Architect
Jace, Multiverse Architect
At the beginning of combat on each opponent's turn, they may pay {2}. If they don't, creatures they control can't attack Jaces you control this turn.
+1: Draw two cards, then put a card from your hand on the bottom of your library.
−3: Exile another target planeswalker or creature you control. Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature or planeswalker card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order.
Jace, Multiverse Architect can be your commander.
. While
Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
{T}: Draw a card, then discard a card. If there are five or more cards in your graveyard, exile Jace, then return him to the battlefield transformed under his owner's control.
has long been the go-to leader for Jace Typal, Jace, Multiverse Architect’s ability to protect your Jace army is a big deal. With Jace, Arcane Strategist appearing in over 500 Jace, Multiverse Architect decks already, its demand is rising, despite the card performing rather poorly.
The Spike
Since the start of Reality Fracture spoiler season and the reveal of the Empower Jace mechanic, demand for Jace, Arcane Strategist has risen noticeably. 42 near-mint War of the Spark copies have sold since September 7th, while 82 Jumpstart 22 copies sold during this stretch.
While these numbers may not seem high, given the scarcity of Planeswalker deck and Jumpstart products, this was enough to drastically limit Jace’s supply. Only eight War of the Spark near-mint listings are available on TCGplayer, starting at $6.06 including shipping. This represents a 422% spike over the last month.
For those hoping to get a better deal, Jumpstart 2022 near-mint copies start a bit lower at $3.29. Still, with only nine listings for this variant, these prices may be short-lived. Even in lower conditions, no copies are available for under $2.99.
Moving Forward
While Jace, Arcane Strategist is seeing rising demand thanks to new Jace Typal tools, we would be surprised if this card’s spike continued long-term. Frankly, even within a Jace Typal deck, this card is just awful, providing way too little value for six mana. Thanks to this, once this limited demand disappears, it’s farily likely that no one will be interested in this card.
Heck, while unlikely, Jace, Arcane Strategiest could even see a reprint in the future. Since scarcity is a significant reason for this card’s spike, that would dump the card’s value entirely.
If that weren’t enough, set-specific Commander hype rarely lasts too long. MTG’s next set, Star Trek, is just over a month away from releasing, and players will inevitably turn their attention away from Reality Fracture. Given how little play Jace sees outside dedicated Superfriends decks, there’s little reason to think demand won’t eventually plummet.
Like always, though, perfectly predicting the future of price spikes is nearly impossible. Jace Typal could become an extremely popular archetype to build, raising the demand for Jace, Arcane Strategist over the long-term. With this in mind, only time will tell what happens to this MTG Planeswalker.
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