Umbral Juke MTG Card

Umbral Juke - Strixhaven: School of Mages

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	3
Rarity	Uncommon
Type	Instant
Released	2021-04-23
Set symbol
Set name	Strixhaven: School of Mages
Set code	STX
Number	89
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Bram Sels

Key Takeaways

Entwining Umbral Juke balances resource pressure on the opponent with a life-giving Pest token for you.
Instant speed grants the agility to disrupt threats or optimize mana use during an opponent’s turn.
Precise mana demands may limit Umbral Juke’s fit in multi-color decks due to mana accessibility.

Text of card

Choose one — • Target player sacrifices a creature or planeswalker. • Create a 2/1 white and black Inkling creature token with flying.

The sport of Mage Tower was conceived as a playful testing ground for young spellcasters.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: The versatility of Umbral Juke provides a significant edge by forcing your opponent to either sacrifice a creature or a planeswalker, thus impacting their board presence and potentially disrupting their strategy. This dual-mode choice can lead to card advantage as you might remove a key component of their game plan.

Resource Acceleration: When you opt to pay the additional cost and entwine Umbral Juke, it not only pressures your opponent’s resources but also boosts yours by creating a 1/1 black and green Pest creature token that, when it dies, grants you a life. This subtle gain in resources can help pivot the game in your favor over several turns.

Instant Speed: As an instant, Umbral Juke offers the strategic advantage of flexibility, allowing you to react to your opponent’s actions during their turn. Whether it’s disrupting a major threat they play or creating a Pest at the end of their turn if no threat appears, instant speed ensures that your mana is utilized efficiently and keeps your opponents guessing.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Umbral Juke demands that you commit a card from your hand even before it impacts the battlefield. This can be less than ideal in the late game where maintaining card advantage becomes pivotal to securing victory.

Specific Mana Cost: Juggling mana resources can be tricky, as Umbral Juke requires a precise combination of one black and two generic mana. This can limit its utility in a multicolor deck that might struggle with consistent access to black mana sources.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: When you’re investing three mana, expectations are high for a substantial shift in game trajectory. However, with other cards offering similar or greater effects for the same or lower costs, Umbral Juke might not always represent the best value for your mana investment.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Umbral Juke offers strategic flexibility, whether you need to create a flying creature or force an opponent to sacrifice a nonland permanent, it slides seamlessly into a variety of black-centric decks.

Combo Potential: The sacrifice element of Umbral Juke can be leveraged in decks that thrive on graveyard synergy or those that capitalize on opponents’ loss of creatures, making it an intriguing choice for various combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a game where board presence and creature control are paramount, Umbral Juke shines by fitting into the current environment that prioritizes interactive gameplay and disruption.

How to beat Umbral Juke

Umbral Juke stands out in MTG due to its versatility, offering players a crucial choice — force an opponent to sacrifice a creature, or create a 2/1 black and white Inkling creature token with flying. This option to either weaken an opponent’s board presence or bolster your own makes it a unique threat.

Overcoming Umbral Juke hinges on understanding and predicting your opponent’s strategy. If you maintain a board with multiple expendable creatures, the sacrifice effect loses potency. Similarly, countering Umbral Juke with an instant that generates tokens or featuring cards with death-triggered abilities can turn the tide in your favor. By keeping token generation or versatile responses in your deck, you can effectively neutralize the strategic advantage Umbral Juke presents.

Being proactive is the key. Manage your resources wisely and always have a fallback plan for when Umbral Juke comes into play. Deck resilience and strategic foresight make the difference, allowing you to maintain control and ultimately outmaneuver opponents who rely on the dual-threat of Umbral Juke. Properly mitigating its impact is vital to securing victory in your MTG matches.

Cards like Umbral Juke

Umbral Juke presents a dynamic choice within Magic: The Gathering’s array of modal spells. Similar to the versatility found in cards like Choose Your Weapon, Umbral Juke offers two distinct options – forcing an opponent to sacrifice a creature or creating a flying token. Choose Your Weapon, while flexible, doesn’t affect the opponent’s field directly as Umbral Juke does, instead offering creature buffs or direct damage.

Next to Consider the Price of Loyalty, which specifically targets and takes control of an opponent’s creature, Umbral Juke stands out by being less restrictive and providing a more constant board impact. On the flip side, Flunk also serves as a removal tool, but unlike Umbral Juke, which offers a sacrific

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Umbral Juke MTG card by a specific set like Strixhaven: School of Mages, 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 Umbral Juke and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Umbral Juke has restrictions

Format	Legality
Historicbrawl	Legal
Commander	Legal
Historic	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Explorer	Legal
Gladiator	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Timeless	Legal