Akroan Jailer MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	1
Rarity	Common
Type	Creature — Human Soldier
Released	2015-07-17
Set symbol
Set name	Magic Origins
Set code	ORI
Power	1
Toughness	1
Number	1
Frame	2015
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Anastasia Ovchinnikova

Key Takeaways

Affordable and strategic, Akroan Jailer enables control without depleting your hand, crucial for dominating the board.
Instant-speed activation offers strategic depth, turning the battlefield to your favor at critical moments.
Limited by mana and deck compatibility, Akroan Jailer works best within white or multicolored strategies.

Text of card

, : Tap target creature.

He ensures escape attempts are just that—attempts.

Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Akroan Jailer may not draw you extra cards directly, its ability to tap target creature helps maintain board presence by neutralizing threats without having to use additional cards from your hand.

Resource Acceleration: Akroan Jailer is a low-cost creature that requires minimal investment, making it a budget-friendly option that allows you to allocate resources elsewhere on your battlefield without sacrificing control of the game.

Instant Speed: The jailer’s ability can be activated at instant speed, which offers flexibility and strategic depth to your game. This versatility allows you to wait until the most opportune moment to act, potentially disrupting your opponent’s combat strategies or other key plays.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Even though Akroan Jailer doesn’t directly ask you to discard cards, having to activate its ability each turn can deplete your hand, making you in a way discard the potential of playing other cards.

Specific Mana Cost: The Jailer’s costing of one white mana makes it a niche pick, effectively slotting only into white or multicolored decks and limiting its universal appeal.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: To repeatedly utilize the Jailer’s ability, a substantial mana investment is required each turn. Considering its limited effect, players might find it less efficient compared to other control options with lower recurring costs.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Akroan Jailer may not appear flashy, but it is a useful tool in decks that require tactical control over opponents’ creatures. With the ability to tap target creatures, it can adapt to various situations on the battlefield.

Combo Potential: This card’s tapping ability pairs well with mechanics that capitalize on tapped creatures, such as convoke or inspired, allowing for intricate and potentially game-winning combos.

Meta-Relevance: In a meta where creatures play a dominant role, the Akroan Jailer can be an unsung hero, lightly disrupting your opponent’s combat strategies and providing crucial tempo advantages.

How to beat

The Akroan Jailer, while not the mightiest of threats in Magic: The Gathering, certainly has its place in the tactical plays of limited formats, such as draft or sealed. This modest card primarily serves to keep opponent’s creatures at bay by tapping them down, preventing them from attacking or blocking. Overcoming the Jailer’s ability can be a puzzle, especially if your strategy relies on a key creature.

To effectively bypass the control that Akroan Jailer can impose, players should consider broadening their removal options. Having instant-speed removal spells that can eliminate the Jailer before it activates its ability is crucial. Spells with a low mana cost will serve you best here, as they allow for a swift answer to the Jailer’s influence on the battlefield. Alternatively, incorporating creatures with haste or abilities that negate tapping can dilute the impact the Jailer has, ensuring that your creatures remain free to fulfill their roles.

Enduring the occasional hindrance of an Akroan Jailer means adapting your gameplay to anticipate and counter such control moves. Bringing the right tools to the table enhances your resilience against it, allowing your MTG strategy to unfold unimpeded by these temporary locks.

Cards like Akroan Jailer

Akroan Jailer may not be the flashiest of creatures in the MTG realm, but it holds its place in the pantheon of control cards. Resembling cards like Gideon’s Lawkeeper, the Jailer allows players to tap a target creature for three mana. While both cards possess similar tap abilities, the Jailer requires one white mana to summon, a crucial factor for early board control in white-based decks.

Comparatively, Blinding Mage from the Magic 2010 set follows closely in functionality, offering a similar tapping ability at a cost of only two mana. The Mage, however, requires two mana for the tap activation, shifting the advantage back to the Jailer in terms of economic mana expenditure. Mana efficiency plays a vital role in pacing and can determine the outcome of battles, making Akroan Jailer a card worth considering for players who value strategic creature containment.

Ultimately, while it may not be at the forefront of power rankings, Akroan Jailer competes within its niche for those strategizing within a tight mana curve, providing subtle yet impactful control options for white-aligned decks in MTG.

Cards similar to Akroan Jailer by color, type and mana cost

Faerie Guidemother // Gift of the Fae - MTG Card versions

Yoshimaru, Ever Faithful - MTG Card versions

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Akroan Jailer MTG card by a specific set like Magic Origins, 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 Akroan Jailer and other MTG cards: