Jester's Scepter MTG Card


Jester's Scepter - Coldsnap
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityRare
TypeArtifact
Released2006-07-21
Set symbol
Set nameColdsnap
Set codeCSP
Number137
Frame2003
Layoutnormal
Borderblack
Illustred byMatt Cavotta

Key Takeaways

  1. It creates control by exiling cards, potentially shifting the game in your favor.
  2. Its mana specificity and cost can limit deck integration and immediate impact.
  3. Prevalent in combos and metas where disrupting opponent strategies is crucial.

Text of card

When Jester's Scepter comes into play, remove the top five cards of target player's library from the game face down. You may look at those cards as long as they remain removed from the game. , , Put a card removed from the game with Jester's Scepter into its owner's graveyard: Counter target spell if it has the same name as that card.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Jester’s Scepter offers a tactical edge by allowing you to exile cards from your opponent’s library. By targeting key cards, you diminish the chances of your adversary drawing their game-changing spells, tipping the card advantage in your favor.

Resource Acceleration: Though it doesn’t directly accelerate resources, Jester’s Scepter’s potential to disrupt an opponent’s strategy could indirectly speed up your own game plan by setting them back.

Instant Speed: While the scepter itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, its ability to exile cards can be activated whenever you cast an instant, maximizing its utility and allowing you to adapt to threats at a moment’s notice.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One significant hindrance of Jester’s Scepter comes from the need to discard cards. This act of removing a card from your hand can deplete your in-game resources, leaving you at a disadvantaged position, especially in tight situations where every card counts.

Specific Mana Cost: Jester’s Scepter requires a precise combination of mana to cast — three generic and two blue. This specificity means that the card might not fit smoothly into every deck, especially those that are not primarily blue or those striving for a diverse mana base capable of supporting multi-colored cards.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a total cost of five mana to deploy, Jester’s Scepter is on the costlier side for its effect. This can be restrictive as it demands a considerable amount of resources that could potentially be directed towards other spells or creatures with a more impactful presence on the game board or with abilities that provide immediate advantage.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Jester’s Scepter is a unique artifact that can slide into a myriad of decks. Its ability to potentially exile key cards from your opponent’s deck enables it to act as both a control piece and a strategic disruptor.

Combo Potential: This card holds the ability to create game-winning combos in conjunction with cards that allow you to view the opponent’s deck or manipulate their draw. It pairs well with effects that reorder libraries, letting you choose optimal cards to exile.

Meta-Relevance: In environments where specific spells define the competitive landscape, Jester’s Scepter can serve as a powerful tool to remove those spells from the equation. Its relevance grows in formats with smaller deck sizes or where certain combos rely on specific cards to succeed.


How to beat

Jester’s Scepter is a unique card in the world of Magic: The Gathering that presents a certain level of challenge when facing it across the table. This artifact offers a combination of disruption and knowledge about the opponent’s deck once it enters the battlefield. Unlike traditional disruption instruments in MTG, such as discard spells or counterspells, Jester’s Scepter directly removes potential threats or key spells from an opponent’s deck while giving you insight into their strategy.

To effectively counteract the Scepter’s power, consider strategies that minimize the importance of any single card in your deck. Running a deck with a high degree of redundancy, such as those that operate on similar spells or creatures, diminishes the impact of losing specific cards. Additionally, graveyard recovery options can also help mitigate the card loss, allowing you to reclaim what the Scepter has exiled. Decks with flexible strategies that can adapt and shift gears easily will find it simpler to circumvent the temporary setback Jester’s Scepter can cause. Ensuring a resilient and diversified game plan is key when playing against this tricky artifact.


Cards like Jester's Scepter

Jester’s Scepter is a unique inclusion in the arsenal of control tools that Magic: The Gathering players have at their disposal. Its ability to remove specific cards from the game parallels cards like Sadistic Sacrament. While Sadistic Sacrament allows for targeted exile of cards directly from an opponent’s library, Jester’s Scepter adds the twist of also being able to counter spells later on, utilizing those exiled cards.

Other parallels can be drawn to Cranial Extraction, which also targets an opponent’s deck, removing any cards with the chosen name. The Scepter, however, provides ongoing benefits during the match. Denying resources is a key strategy in the game, and Jester’s Scepter excels in this role, disrupting opponents by meticulously sculpting their upcoming draws. Similarly, Extirpate and Surgical Extraction offer instant-speed interactions to surgically remove cards from an opponent’s game, but lack the ongoing threat and potential for spell countering that Jester’s Scepter provides.

By considering competing cards and their individual advantages, Jester’s Scepter emerges as a strong tactical option for players who want to thwart their adversaries’ plans while setting the stage for their own victory in Magic: The Gathering.

Sadistic Sacrament - MTG Card versions
Cranial Extraction - MTG Card versions
Extirpate - MTG Card versions
Surgical Extraction - MTG Card versions
Sadistic Sacrament - Zendikar (ZEN)
Cranial Extraction - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Extirpate - Planar Chaos (PLC)
Surgical Extraction - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)

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

Celestial Prism - MTG Card versions
Runed Arch - MTG Card versions
Clay Pigeon - MTG Card versions
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Captain's Hook - MTG Card versions
Spellweaver Helix - MTG Card versions
Scale of Chiss-Goria - MTG Card versions
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Guardians of Meletis - MTG Card versions
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Herald's Horn - MTG Card versions
Manalith - MTG Card versions
Celestial Prism - Unlimited Edition (2ED)
Runed Arch - Ice Age (ICE)
Clay Pigeon - Unglued (UGL)
Ashnod's Altar - The Brothers' War Retro Artifacts (BRR)
Jalum Tome - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Patchwork Gnomes - Odyssey (ODY)
The Stasis Coffin - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Captain's Hook - Rivals of Ixalan Promos (PRIX)
Spellweaver Helix - Mirrodin (MRD)
Scale of Chiss-Goria - Mirrodin (MRD)
Lightning Coils - Mirrodin (MRD)
Loxodon Warhammer - Commander Legends (CMR)
Sword of Feast and Famine - Judge Gift Cards 2014 (J14)
Training Drone - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)
Pristine Talisman - New Phyrexia Promos (PNPH)
Alloy Myr - Jumpstart (JMP)
Guardians of Meletis - Magic Origins (ORI)
Vedalken Shackles - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Herald's Horn - Treasure Chest (PZ2)
Manalith - Hour of Devastation (HOU)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Jester's Scepter MTG card by a specific set like Coldsnap, 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 Scepter and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Jester's Scepter has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2006-07-15 Because the cards that are exiled are not hidden to you, you can choose which one to put into its owner’s graveyard when you activate the second ability.
2006-07-15 If half of a split card is cast (for example, Hit), and you put one of those split cards into its owner’s graveyard with Jester’s Scepter (for example, Hit/Run), the spell is countered.
2006-07-15 When Jester’s Scepter’s second ability is activated, any of the exiled cards may be put into its owner’s graveyard, and any spell may be targeted, whether or not the card and the spell have the same name. If they don’t have the same name, the effect does nothing. The spell’s controller and the owner of the card put into a graveyard this way may be different.
2006-07-15 You can see the cards that are exiled with Jester’s Scepter, but no one else can.

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