Tel-Jilad Justice MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Abilities	Scry
Released	2004-06-04
Set symbol
Set name	Fifth Dawn
Set code	5DN
Number	95
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Alex Horley-Orlandelli

Key Takeaways

Tel-Jilad Justice offers control by managing artifacts and impacting the board during any turn with instant speed.
Its green mana cost and additional card discard can limit versatility in multi-color decks or tight situations.
Despite higher mana costs, its selective, instant artifact destruction makes it a meta-relevant sideboard choice.

Text of card

Destroy target artifact. Scry 2 (Look at the top two cards of your library. Put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)

Card Pros

Card Advantage: One notable strength of Tel-Jilad Justice is its ability to potentially handle multiple threats at once. As you destroy an artifact, the card also opens the door to other advantageous board state interactions, effectively tipping the balance in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly accelerating resources, the ability to remove key artifacts from the game can indirectly boost your resource economy by depriving opponents of their asset, which could be central to their mana strategy or combo set-ups. This disruption can give you a de facto acceleration by slowing them down.

Instant Speed: The real power of this card lies in its instant speed. It allows for reactive play, giving you the flexibility to wait and see if a more threatening artifact comes into play or to respond unexpectedly to an opponent’s move, thus maximizing your strategic options during the game.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One notable drawback of Tel-Jilad Justice is that it necessitates discarding a card in addition to its casting cost. This condition can be particularly taxing when your hand is nearly depleted, potentially forcing you to let go of crucial spells or lands that could be vital for your game strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: Tel-Jilad Justice carries a mana cost that is exclusively green. This requirement can be restrictive as it demands a dedicated green mana base. Consequently, the card’s integration into multicolored decks is constrained, as it may not always align with the deck’s mana curve or color distribution.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Tel-Jilad Justice offers a targeted artifact destruction ability, its mana cost is on the higher side when benchmarked against other artifact interaction options available in the game. For decks that prioritize tempo and efficiency, there are alternatives that can accomplish similar outcomes without the same degree of mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Tel-Jilad Justice offers flexibility in deck construction. It’s a useful addition to artifact-heavy builds, providing protection with its ability to destroy enchantments that threaten your board state.

Combo Potential: Its particular ability to deal with enchantments can be synergistic in environments where crucial combos or deck strategies are enchantment-based, disrupting opponents while advancing your game plan.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta dominated by decks utilizing powerful enchantments, Tel-Jilad Justice becomes a relevant sideboard card, potentially swinging games in your favor by dismantling key pieces of your opponent’s strategy.

How to beat

Tel-Jilad Justice presents a unique challenge on the battlefield. This artifact-heavy card demands a specific approach to overcome its resilience in Magic: The Gathering. Unlike other removal spells, Tel-Jilad Justice requires creatures with protection or those that can’t be targeted by abilities as it specifically targets artifacts. Hence, bringing in non-artifact threats is key to tipping the scales in your favor.

Considering the card’s affinity for artifact creatures, one might look to utilize enchantment-based removals or board wipes that do not discriminate between artifact and non-artifact creatures, such as Wrath of God or Damnation. Moreover, leveraging instant-speed spells that dismantle an opponent’s strategy, such as Krosan Grip or Naturalize, to remove key artifacts before Tel-Jilad Justice can be activated, proves effective. Similarly, taking advantage of exile effects that bypass the indestructible trait, like Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, helps in removing problematic creatures buffed by Tel-Jilad Justice’s green affinity.

Ultimately, adapting your strategy to include diverse threats and answers ensures you stay one step ahead of artifact-centric opponents utilizing Tel-Jilad Justice and maintains your momentum in the game.

Cards like Tel-Jilad Justice

Tel-Jilad Justice is a unique entry into the realm of artifact control within MTG. Its close kin in the genre is Oxidda Scrapmelter, sharing the single purpose of destroying artifacts. While Oxidda Scrapmelter offers a body on the battlefield along with its artifact removal ability, Tel-Jilad Justice offers the flexibility of being an instant, allowing for reactive plays during an opponent’s turn.

Another similar card worth mentioning is Creeping Corrosion. This card doesn’t just target single artifacts; it sweeps the board of all artifacts, which can be a game-changer under the right circumstances. However, Tel-Jilad Justice provides an added layer of selection by giving its controller the choice of removing a single problematic artifact instantly. Then there’s Viridian Revel, which doesn’t remove artifacts but rather capitalizes on when they’re destroyed to draw you cards. Each of these alternatives serves a different strategic purpose while revolving around the central theme of artifact interaction.

To summarize, Tel-Jilad Justice holds its ground amidst a diverse cast of artifact-centric cards. Its instant-speed nature and tactical adaptability make it a formidable tool in any player’s arsenal engaged in the strategic dance of MTG’s complex gameplay.

Cards similar to Tel-Jilad Justice by color, type and mana cost

Might of the Nephilim - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Tel-Jilad Justice MTG card by a specific set like Fifth Dawn, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Tel-Jilad Justice and other MTG cards: