Gideon Jura MTG Card

Gideon Jura offers board control, directing attacks away from players and preserving resources. His loyalty abilities and indestructible form make him a strategic asset in many decks. Countering Gideon’s presence requires direct removal, evasion, or effective counterspells.
Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost5
RarityMythic
TypeLegendary Planeswalker — Gideon
Loyalty 6

Text of card

+2: During target opponent's next turn, creatures that player controls attack Gideon Jura if able. -2: Destroy target tapped creature. 0: Until end of turn, Gideon Jura becomes a 6/6 Human Soldier creature that's still a planeswalker. Prevent all damage that would be dealt to him this turn.

Cards like Gideon Jura

Gideon Jura is a standout planeswalker in the realm of Magic: The Gathering. He aligns with cards such as Elspeth, Sun’s Champion, both depicting strength through their ability to create creature tokens. Elspeth showcases similarity in escalating the creature count, but Gideon Jura has the unique twist of being able to become an indestructible creature himself.

Another card worthy of comparison is Ajani Goldmane. This leonine planeswalker enhances your creature’s performance, much like Gideon bolsters battlefield presence with his loyalty abilities. Though Ajani predominantly focuses on buffing creatures, Gideon’s versatility allows him to confront opposing threats directly as well.

Examining Gideon’s capacity to redirect damage from your other planeswalkers, one can draw parallels to cards like the Leyline of Sanctity, which provides a protective hedge albeit in enchantment form. While Leyline shields the player across the board, Gideon’s tactic is more targeted and personally sacrificial. Given these dynamics, Gideon Jura presents himself as a formidable choice among planeswalkers in Magic: The Gathering, blending defensive maneuvers with proactive combat strategies.

Elspeth, Sun's Champion - MTG Card versions
Ajani Goldmane - MTG Card versions
Leyline of Sanctity - MTG Card versions
Elspeth, Sun's Champion - MTG Card versions
Ajani Goldmane - MTG Card versions
Leyline of Sanctity - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Gideon Jura. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
BantBant Free formSet Roulette Feburary 2024
AzoriusAzorius Free formSet Roulette Feburary 2024
TronTron ModernTronModern Preliminary 2024-01-31
Abzan PlaneswalkersAbzan Planeswalkers LegacyMO82#CS
Orzhov ControlOrzhov Control LegacyMO78#CS
Azorius ControlAzorius Control LegacyMO78#CS

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Gideon Jura brings undeniable board presence, effectively shifting the tide of a match by redirecting attention from your life total to him. His ability to become an indestructible attacking creature helps retain card advantage by preservering your other creatures and life total.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly a tool for speeding up your resources, Gideon’s presence means that opponents must deal with him first, thereby indirectly preserving your mana and resources for further strategic plays or creature deployment.

Instant Speed: Although Gideon Jura operates at sorcery speed, his powerful control abilities can be seen as a form of instant speed interaction. His ability to force opponents’ creatures to attack him next turn disrupts their strategy and forces moves that can be capitalized upon during your turn.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: For some versions of Gideon Jura’s abilities, there can be a compulsory sacrifice, resembling a discard, which may leave you at a disadvantage if your board presence is already weak.

Specific Mana Cost: Gideon’s casting cost demands white mana, potentially limiting his integration into multi-colored or colorless decks and making it challenging for those lacking white mana sources to play him at the ideal moment.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a typically high mana cost to bring Gideon Jura into play, strategizing your game plan around him can be cumbersome, especially when other planeswalkers or creatures might provide similar utility for less investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Gideon Jura offers a wide range of abilities that can defend your life total, disrupt opponent’s strategies, and become an attacking threat. This makes him a valuable asset in control and midrange decks alike.

Combo Potential: The formidable planeswalker has synergy with cards that benefit from loyalty counters or can capitalize on his ability to become an indestructible creature, which is ideal for combo-centric playstyles.

Meta-Relevance: Given his ability to control the battlefield and serve as a resilient finisher, Gideon Jura remains relevant in various competitive formats where the ability to dictate the pace of the game is crucial.

How to beat

Gideon Jura is a formidable planeswalker in MTG, known for his ability to thwart attacks and control the battlefield. Tackling Gideon requires a strategy that can bypass his protective abilities. Removal spells that can target planeswalkers directly, such as Dreadbore or Hero’s Downfall, are essential tools in this endeavor. These spells eliminate Gideon without having to engage in combat, which is often protected by his +2 loyalty ability.

Another effective approach is using creatures with the “can’t be blocked” trait or ones that can deal damage to players or planeswalkers directly, bypassing Gideon’s redirection of attacks. Cards like Questing Beast, which can damage a planeswalker even when dealing combat damage to a player, work wonders against him. Counterspells also play a pivotal role, especially when Gideon is on the stack before he can activate any of his abilities.

In essence, overcoming Gideon Jura requires a balanced mix of direct removal, evasion techniques, and timely counterspells. Players must be proactive and adaptive, carefully navigating around his abilities to maintain control of the game and ultimately, claim victory over this powerful adversary on the battlefield.

BurnMana Recommendations

Exploring the capabilities of Gideon Jura can significantly impact your MTG gameplay, offering a blend of offensive and defensive strategies. His versatility as a planeswalker makes him a compelling choice for both newcomers and seasoned players aiming to fortify their decks. If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of deck building, card synergy, and tactics to outsmart your opponents, or seeking to enhance your collection with a plainswalker who can pivot the course of a match, Gideon Jura is an excellent addition. Dive into our comprehensive guides to leverage his full potential and stand victorious in your MTG encounters.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Gideon Jura MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Magic Online Promos, 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 Gideon Jura and other MTG cards:

TCGPlayerBUY NOW
BurnMana is an official partner of TCGPlayer
Continue exploring other sealed products in Amazon
See MTG Products

Printings

The Gideon Jura Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2010-04-23 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 779472015NormalBlackAleksi Briclot
22002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 650032015NormalBlackChris Rahn
32010-04-23Rise of the EldraziROE 212003NormalBlackAleksi Briclot
42011-07-15Magic 2012M12 162003NormalBlackAleksi Briclot
52017-06-16Archenemy: Nicol BolasE01 102015NormalBlackChris Rahn
62019-06-28Signature Spellbook: GideonSS2 12015NormalBlackAleksi Briclot
72019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 1182015NormalBlackChris Rahn
82020-09-26The ListPLST E01-102015NormalBlackChris Rahn
92023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 8222015NormalBlackAleksi Briclot

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Gideon Jura has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Gideon Jura card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2010-06-15 Gideon Jura’s first ability applies during each combat phase of the affected player’s next turn (as opposed to applying during the affected player’s next combat phase). The distinction is relevant if there are no combat phases during that turn (due to Fatespinner’s effect, for example) or there are multiples (due to World at War, for example).
2010-06-15 Gideon Jura’s first ability causes creatures to attack him if able. If, during the affected player’s declare attackers step, a creature they control is tapped, is affected by a spell or ability that says it can’t attack, or is affected by “summoning sickness,” then that creature doesn’t attack. If there’s a cost associated with having a creature attack, the player isn’t forced to pay that cost, so the creature doesn’t have to attack in that case either.
2010-06-15 Gideon Jura’s first ability doesn’t lock in what it applies to. That’s because the effect states a true thing about a set of creatures, but doesn’t actually change the characteristics of those creatures. As a result, whatever creatures the targeted opponent controls during the declare attackers step of their next turn must attack Gideon Jura if able. This includes creatures that come under that player’s control after the ability has resolved and creatures that have lost all abilities.
2010-06-15 Gideon Jura’s third ability causes him to become a creature with the creature types Human Soldier. He remains a planeswalker with the planeswalker type Gideon. (He also retains any other card types or subtypes he may have had.) Each subtype is correlated to the proper card type: Gideon is just a planeswalker type (not a creature type), and Human and Soldier are just creature types (not planeswalker types).
2010-06-15 If Gideon Jura becomes a creature due to his third ability, that doesn’t count as having a creature enter the battlefield. Gideon Jura was already on the battlefield; he only changed his types. Abilities that trigger whenever a creature enters the battlefield won’t trigger.
2010-06-15 If Gideon Jura becomes a creature, he may be affected by “summoning sickness.” You can’t attack with him or use any of his abilities (if he gains any) unless he began your most recent turn on the battlefield under your control. Note that summoning sickness cares about when Gideon Jura came under your control, not when he became a creature.
2010-06-15 If a creature controlled by the affected player can’t attack Gideon Jura (because he’s no longer on the battlefield, for example), that player may have it attack you, another one of your planeswalkers, or nothing at all.
2010-06-15 If you activate Gideon Jura’s third ability and then unpreventable damage is dealt to him (due to Unstable Footing, for example), that damage has all applicable results: specifically, the damage is marked on Gideon Jura (since he’s a creature) and that damage causes that many loyalty counters to be removed from him (since he’s a planeswalker). If the total amount of damage marked on Gideon Jura is lethal damage, he’s destroyed as a state-based action. If Gideon Jura has no loyalty counters on him, he’s put into his owner’s graveyard as a state-based action.
2010-06-15 Say you activate Gideon Jura’s third ability, then an opponent gains control of him before combat. You may have any of your creatures attack Gideon Jura (since he’s still a planeswalker). Then Gideon Jura may block (since he’s a creature). He may block any eligible attacking creature, including one that’s attacking him! During combat, he behaves as an attacked planeswalker and/or a blocking creature, as appropriate. For example, he deals combat damage to any creatures he’s blocking, but he doesn’t deal combat damage to any unblocked creatures that are attacking him.
2011-01-22 The first ability only affects the declaration of attackers. If a creature is put onto the battlefield attacking (thanks to Hero of Bladehold, Preeminent Captain, or the Ninjutsu ability, for example), that creature’s controller may choose the defending player or planeswalker that it will be attacking in the normal way.