Jester's Mask MTG Card

Ice Age (ICE)
1995-06-03 - Number 325

Jester's Mask - Masters Edition II (ME2)

Masters Edition II (ME2)
2008-09-22 - Number 211

Card sets	Released in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Artifact

Key Takeaways

Jester’s Mask offers deck manipulation, presenting a subtly powerful form of card advantage.
Requires discarding and specific mana, potentially restricting its use in diverse decks.
Despite its high cost, it can wield strategic influence over multiple game turns.

Text of card

Comes into play tapped. o1,oc T: Sacrifice Jester's Mask to look through target opponent's hand and library. Give that player a new hand of as many cards as he or she had before. Reshuffle the remaining cards afterwards.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Jester’s Mask provides a unique form of card advantage by disrupting your opponent’s strategy. It allows you to select cards from their deck, rearranging their next draws which can seriously impair their game plan while indirectly enhancing your position.

Resource Acceleration: Although not directly related to accelerating your resources, Jester’s Mask can delay your opponent’s resource development by strategically placing non-essential or situational cards on top of their library. This may indirectly lead to faster progression of your own game state.

Instant Speed: Jester’s Mask is not an instant itself; however, it synergizes well with cards that operate at instant speed. By preemptively altering your adversary’s upcoming draws, you can more confidently pass the turn and utilize your instant-speed interactions with better foresight of what your opponent is likely to play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Jester’s Mask necessitates a sizeable discard sacrifice to commence its effect. This can potentially leave players at a resource deficit, especially if their hand is already running thin. Shedding valuable cards from your grip could set you back when trying to maintain board presence or respond to an opponent’s threats.

Specific Mana Cost: With its exacting demand for two islands to tap, Jester’s Mask locks into a blue mana specific cost. This requirement can be restrictive for multicolored decks that might struggle with mana availability or decks that orbit around other mana types. Such specificity can limit the card’s versatility across diverse deck builds.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at a total of five mana to cast, Jester’s Mask comes with a comparatively hefty price tag. For the same mana investment, players might find alternative strategies or cards that provide more immediate impact or value. This places Jester’s Mask at a competitive disadvantage when deck building requires efficient mana utilization.

Reasons to Include Jester’s Mask in Your Collection

Versatility: Jester’s Mask offers a unique ability to manipulate your opponent’s next turns, adapting to various situations and proving useful in control or combo decks across diverse play styles.

Combo Potential: Its ability to curate an opponent’s hand makes it an exciting piece in combinations that aim to disrupt the opponent’s strategy or set up conditions for winning through other intricate card interactions.

Meta-Relevance: With changing meta-games that often reward strategic foresight, Jester’s Mask can serve as a valuable tool for anticipating and neutralizing opponents’ pivotal moves, keeping your deck competitive regardless of the prevailing trends.

How to beat

Jester’s Mask is an intriguing artifact in Magic: The Gathering that can set an opponent back by disrupting their strategy. To effectively counter this card, one must consider its ability to reorder the top cards of an opponent’s library. A straightforward method is to remove it from play before its ability can be activated. This could be achieved through artifact destruction spells or abilities that target and dismantle an opponent’s tools.

Alternatively, having cards in your deck that shuffle your library can negate the control Jester’s Mask attempts to establish. When it comes to dealing with this card, adapting your gameplay to include instant-speed library shuffling or draw manipulation ensures that even if Jester’s Mask is utilized, its impact is significantly lessened. Cards with shuffle effects such as fetch lands or effects that draw multiple cards to refresh your hand are beneficial against Jester’s Mask.

Moreover, countering the spell that attempts to bring Jester’s Mask into play can also serve as an effective measure. By including a mix of counterspells and flexible interaction spells, one can keep the artifact from influencing the game’s outcome, maintaining control of the match and rendering Jester’s Mask a non-threat.

Cards like Jester's Mask

Within the depths of strategic artifacts in Magic: The Gathering, Jester’s Mask stands out for its unique deck manipulation capabilities. It echoes the disruptive nature of cards like Jace, Architect of Thought, which also allows a peek into an opponent’s deck, although Jace selectively deprives opponents of their options indirectly through its +1 ability. Jester’s Mask, in contrast, grants direct control over an opponent’s next few draws, potentially orchestrating their defeat through their own deck.

Another relational gem is Praetor’s Grasp, which shares the invasive quality of Jester’s Mask but with an added benefit of being able to cast the exiled card. It’s surgical precision versus Jester’s Mask’s broad strategy impact. Moreover, Mindslaver while significantly more expensive mana-wise, offers a powerful one-time ability allowing complete control over an opponent’s turn. Jester’s Mask doesn’t dominate an entire turn but can strategically mold multiple turns through careful card selection.

Although not as direct, Head Games is another card that tinkers with an opponent’s hand, similar to a reverse Jester’s Mask. Instead of drawing from the library, it reconfigures the opponent’s hand entirely, offering an entirely different avenue of control. Jester’s Mask shares the intricate dance of mind games MTG is known for, yet its persistent effect on forthcoming draws presents a different tactical advantage.

Jace, Architect of Thought - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Jester's Mask by color, type and mana cost

The Deck of Many Things - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Jester's Mask MTG card by a specific set like Ice Age and Masters Edition II, 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 Jester's Mask and other MTG cards: