Jace's Projection MTG Card


Jace's Projection - War of the Spark
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Wizard Illusion
Released2019-05-03
Set symbol
Set nameWar of the Spark
Set codeWAR
Power 2
Toughness 2
Number272
Frame2015
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byDarek Zabrocki

Key Takeaways

  1. Jace’s Projection shines in card advantage, providing consistent draw/scry opportunities each turn.
  2. Boosts Planeswalker loyalty swiftly, granting quicker access to high-impact abilities.
  3. Instants boost Projection’s power in a flash, allowing strategic growth and blocks.

Text of card

Whenever you draw a card, put a +1/+1 counter on Jace's Projection. : Put a loyalty counter on target Jace planeswalker.

"Pardon me if I seem distracted. Part of me is reconnoitering the Tenth District."


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Jace’s Projection excels at ensuring you stay ahead in terms of cards in hand. Its ability to draw and potentially scry each turn when you cast a blue spell boosts your chances of finding the right tools at the right time.

Resource Acceleration: This card can serve as a form of resource acceleration by boosting the loyalty counters of your Planeswalkers. Increasing the speed at which you can activate powerful loyalty abilities can be pivotal in outpacing your opponent.

Instant Speed: While Jace’s Projection itself isn’t an instant, its synergistic abilities with instant-speed spells can amplify its effectiveness. Being able to grow the Projection at instant speed when playing blue instants allows for unexpected power boosts and strategic blocks.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Playing Jace’s Projection can be a tricky move especially when it demands a card to be discarded. This could set you back in the game if your hand is already running thin on cards and you are in need of maintaining options for your strategy.

Specific Mana Cost: This Planeswalker-centric card comes with a specific mana cost that necessitates both blue mana and generic mana. This can sometimes be restrictive, limiting the card’s integration to decks that can consistently provide the required mana types.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost that is in the mid-range, Jace’s Projection’s abilities may not justify its mana expenditure when compared to other cards with similar or lower costs that provide immediate impact or more robust passive abilities on the battlefield.


Reasons to Include Jace’s Projection in Your Collection

Versatility: Jace’s Projection offers a unique benefit to those running planeswalker-centered decks. This card can both bolster your loyalty counters and serve as a gauge of your planeswalkers’ strengths, making it a flexible addition to various blue-based strategies.

Combo Potential: This card can work wonders in synergy with other planeswalkers, specifically those that carry the Jace mantel. By capitalizing on the loyalty abilities of such planeswalkers, you can enhance the power of Jace’s Projection rapidly, turning it into both an offensive threat and a strategic asset.

Meta-Relevance: In the evolving landscape of the metagame where planeswalkers often play a pivotal role, having Jace’s Projection can be instrumental. It thrives in an environment where incremental advantages count and can be a key piece in decks designed to outlast and outmaneuver opponents through superior card interactions and board presence.


How to beat

Jace’s Projection is a unique creature card that strengthens as you bolster your strategy around Jace planeswalkers. With this card’s ability to gain counters each time you draw or a Jace planeswalker’s loyalty increases, it can quickly become a formidable threat on the board. However, there are efficient strategies to dismantle the potency of Jace’s Projection.

Consider using removal spells that bypass the increasing counters, such as Fatal Push or Path to Exile, which can target and exile Jace’s Projection regardless of its size. It’s also beneficial to put pressure on Jace planeswalkers; cards like Dreadbore or Hero’s Downfall can eliminate them directly, thus stunting the Projection’s growth. Moreover, controlling the pace of card draw through hand disruption, like Thoughtseize or Inquisition of Kozilek, disrupts not only the consistency of your opponent’s plays but also hampers the synergy with Jace’s Projection.

Ultimately, maintaining control over the game by managing both the planeswalkers and the card draw engine inhibits Jace’s Projection from becoming an unchecked threat, ensuring you hold the upper hand in the duel.


Cards like Jace's Projection

Jace’s Projection adds an intriguing dynamic to the suite of Magic: The Gathering creature cards based around planeswalkers. It stands alongside counterparts such as Jace’s Phantasm, which also revolves around the strategy and lore of Jace, a prominent planeswalker. Jace’s Projection, however, excels by not only counting loyalty counters on Jace planeswalkers but by also having the ability to gain those counters itself, enhancing its power and toughness.

Comparable also is Mirror Image, a card able to copy any creature you control, including those with synergies with planeswalkers. Although it does not grow over time like Jace’s Projection, it immediately reflects the full strength of the copied creature. Another similar option is Callous Dismissal, which while not a creature itself, is a sorcery that embodies Jace’s control magic, allowing you to return a nonland permanent to its owner’s hand while simultaneously amassing your board with token creatures.

Evaluating these alternatives showcases how Jace’s Projection offers a unique combination of loyalty counter interactions and a scaling threat on the battlefield, marking its special position in Magic: The Gathering’s diverse array of planeswalker-adjacent cards.

Jace's Phantasm - MTG Card versions
Mirror Image - MTG Card versions
Callous Dismissal - MTG Card versions
Jace's Phantasm - Magic 2013 (M13)
Mirror Image - Core Set 2019 (M19)
Callous Dismissal - War of the Spark (WAR)

Cards similar to Jace's Projection by color, type and mana cost

Phantasmal Forces - MTG Card versions
Phantom Monster - MTG Card versions
Wall of Vapor - MTG Card versions
Tradewind Rider - MTG Card versions
Archivist - MTG Card versions
Thieving Magpie - MTG Card versions
Inga Rune-Eyes - MTG Card versions
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - MTG Card versions
Laboratory Drudge - MTG Card versions
Johnny, Combo Player - MTG Card versions
Dream Prowler - MTG Card versions
Clone - MTG Card versions
Cytoplast Manipulator - MTG Card versions
Crookclaw Transmuter - MTG Card versions
Dreamborn Muse - MTG Card versions
Turtleshell Changeling - MTG Card versions
Glen Elendra Archmage - MTG Card versions
Fatestitcher - MTG Card versions
Argent Sphinx - MTG Card versions
Lumengrid Drake - MTG Card versions
Phantasmal Forces - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Phantom Monster - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Wall of Vapor - Chronicles (CHR)
Tradewind Rider - World Championship Decks 1998 (WC98)
Archivist - Urza's Legacy (ULG)
Thieving Magpie - Seventh Edition (7ED)
Inga Rune-Eyes - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Sakashima of a Thousand Faces - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Laboratory Drudge - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Johnny, Combo Player - Unhinged (UNH)
Dream Prowler - Tempest Remastered (TPR)
Clone - Ninth Edition (9ED)
Cytoplast Manipulator - Dissension (DIS)
Crookclaw Transmuter - Time Spiral (TSP)
Dreamborn Muse - Tenth Edition (10E)
Turtleshell Changeling - Lorwyn (LRW)
Glen Elendra Archmage - Eventide (EVE)
Fatestitcher - Shards of Alara (ALA)
Argent Sphinx - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)
Lumengrid Drake - Scars of Mirrodin (SOM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Jace's Projection MTG card by a specific set like War of the Spark, 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 Jace's Projection and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Jace's Projection has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2019-05-03 If a spell or ability causes you to put cards into your hand without specifically using the word “draw,” the triggered ability of Jace’s Projection won’t trigger.
2019-05-03 If an effect instructs you to draw multiple cards, the triggered ability of Jace’s Projection triggers that many times.
2019-05-03 Putting a loyalty counter on a Jace planeswalker doesn’t cause any of its activated abilities to become activated.

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