As soon as Reality Fracture’s new Empower Jace mechanic was revealed, players immediately rushed to try to break it. Creating a Planeswalker token and putting counters on it, Empower Jace explores a mechanical space that’s entirely new to the game. While the Planeswalker token itself is not that powerful, this new design space can completely break some old cards, which is exactly what happened with Kasmina, Enigma Sage.
MTG Jace’s Machinations and Kasmina, Enigma Sage
Until now,
Kasmina, Enigma Sage
Kasmina, Enigma Sage
Each other planeswalker you control has the loyalty abilities of Kasmina.
+2: Scry 1.
−X: Create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token. Put X +1/+1 counters on it.
−8: Search your library for an instant or sorcery card that shares a color with this planeswalker, exile that card, then shuffle. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost.
has seen virtually no play at all since her release in Strixhaven: School of Mages. While the Planeswalker’s Ultimate is extremely powerful, her other abilities are relatively useless. Because of this, it’s easy to forget about Kasmina’s static ability, which shares her Loyalty abilities with other Planeswalkers. Naturally, this includes the tokens created by Empower Jace, which is where the problem starts.
On top of letting you activate Loyalty abilities at instant speed for a turn, the new Reality Fracture rare Jace’s Machinations also Empowers Jace for 8. With Kasmina in play, this allows your Jace token to use her ultimate immediately, casting any blue instant or sorcery in your library for free.
Enter the Infinite
Enter the Infinite
Draw cards equal to the number of cards in your library, then put a card from your hand on top of your library. You have no maximum hand size until your next turn.
is the easiest way to win with this, letting you draw your entire library except one card. From there, just use two free mana sources, like
Mox Amber
Mox Amber
{T}: Add one mana of any color among legendary creatures and planeswalkers you control.
or
Lotus Petal
Lotus Petal
{T}, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.
, and cast
Thassa’s Oracle
Thassa’s Oracle
When this creature enters, look at the top X cards of your library, where X is your devotion to blue. Put up to one of them on top of your library and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. If X is greater than or equal to the number of cards in your library, you win the game. (Each {U} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to blue.)
to win on the spot.
Because Jace’s Machinations lets you activate Loyalty abilities at instant speed, you can even do this at the end of your opponent’s turn to play around potential shenanigans. Removing
Thassa’s Oracle
Thassa’s Oracle
When this creature enters, look at the top X cards of your library, where X is your devotion to blue. Put up to one of them on top of your library and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. If X is greater than or equal to the number of cards in your library, you win the game. (Each {U} in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to blue.)
won’t work, either, since Kasmina’s Devotion to Blue should account for the last card in your library. You can even set up a
Cavern of Souls
Cavern of Souls
As this land enters, choose a creature type.
{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add one mana of any color. Spend this mana only to cast a creature spell of the chosen type, and that spell can't be countered.
to make your Oracle uncounterable, but realistically, your opponents should be countering Jace’s Machinations anyway.
Warping Multiple Formats?
Since this combo was discovered, MTG players have quickly started tuning it for Pioneer, the least powerful constructed format where both cards are legal. Considering that, with a
Llanowar Elves
Llanowar Elves
{T}: Add {G}.
start, you can pull this off as early as turn three, this combo seems extremely viable in that format.
Outside of Pioneer, Oathbreaker fans may have something serious to worry about. Since Kasmina, as an Oathbreaker, can run Jace’s Machinations as her signature spell, you’ll get the entire combo in the Command Zone. In a focused strategy, a turn three combo attempt will be absurdly consistent and may be difficult to stop with free interaction backing it. With this in mind, a future ban could be in the cards.
Players are also looking toward Modern, but this combo seems like a tougher sell there. With
Orcish Bowmasters
Orcish Bowmasters
Flash
When this creature enters and whenever an opponent draws a card except the first one they draw in each of their draw steps, this creature deals 1 damage to any target. Then amass Orcs 1.
and
Clarion Conqueror
Clarion Conqueror
Flying
Activated abilities of artifacts, creatures, and planeswalkers can't be activated.
as common metagame occupants that shut this combo down, making this work might be difficult.
Even if Modern is hostile towards this new combo right now, Kasmina is undeniably powerful with the new Empower Jace cards. With that in mind, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kasmina’s price rise in the coming days. For now, however, we’ll just have to wait and see if this new Empower Jace combo has an impact.
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