Jinxed Choker MTG Card
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 3 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact |
| Released | 2003-10-02 |
| Set symbol | |
| Set name | Mirrodin |
| Set code | MRD |
| Number | 189 |
| Frame | 2003 |
| Layout | Normal |
| Border | Black |
| Illustred by | Mike Dringenberg |
Key Takeaways
- Manipulates card advantage and game tempo, sometimes turning games in your favor through strategic discards.
- Demands precise mana and resource management to avoid self-inflicted damage, imposing a strategic challenge.
- Serves as a wild card in your collection, offering unique combo potential and strong meta-relevance.
Text of card
At the end of your turn, target opponent gains control of Jinxed Choker and puts a charge counter on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, Jinxed Choker deals damage to you equal to the number of charge counters on it. : Put a charge counter on Jinxed Choker or remove one from it.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: The continual draw or discard ability of Jinxed Choker can disrupt your opponent’s hand while potentially offering you additional resources. This unpredictable aspect can sometimes turn the tide in your favor during the later stages of the game, as it manipulates the flow of cards.
Resource Acceleration: Jinxed Choker doesn’t directly provide mana acceleration in the traditional sense. However, the threat of accumulating damage counters can pressure opponents into using resources inefficiently to avoid the inevitable damage, indirectly accelerating your resource advantage.
Instant Speed: While Jinxed Choker itself does not operate at instant speed, the ability it grants allows you to adjust the charge counters during your or your opponent’s end step. This flexibility ensures you can adapt your strategy at a moment’s notice, keeping opponents guessing and on edge.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Jinxed Choker requires constant attention to keep its potentially harmful buildup at bay, potentially forcing you to allocate resources or play actions each turn to mitigate its effect.
Specific Mana Cost: Its activation cost is specific, needing one generic and one red mana, which could be restrictive for multi-color decks not heavily invested in red resources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: For a three-mana artifact, the potential risk it poses to its controller could be considered too costly when alternatives might provide safer means of pressure or damage without the drawback.
Reasons to Include Jinxed Choker in Your Collection
Versatility: Jinxed Choker offers an adaptable dynamic to an array of decks, particularly appealing to those seeking unconventional avenues of damage infliction. Its ability to adapt to various game states makes it a unique tool for altering the pace of gameplay.
Combo Potential: With the capability to add or remove charge counters, the Jinxed Choker can be integral to numerous combo avenues. Players can manipulate their strategies to either accelerate the damage it deals or control its impact based on the battlefield’s ever-changing conditions.
Meta-Relevance: In environments flooded with creature-heavy tactics or where life totals are a constant juggling act, Jinxed Choker can shine. Its presence can pressure opponents who rely on maintaining a high life total or deter strategies that gain incremental advantages over time.
How to beat
Jinxed Choker is a unique artifact in the realm of Magic: The Gathering, presenting both a threat and an opportunity on the battlefield. To neutralize its potential damage, effective artifact removal spells are key. Consider running options like Naturalize or Disenchant, which can deal with the choker efficiently. Playing these at the right time can prevent the life loss from escalating.
Alternatively, controlling the flow of counters on Jinxed Choker is crucial. Since it gains counters during your upkeep, having a strategy to manipulate or redistribute counters can turn the tables. Utilize cards like Power Conduit or Hex Parasite which allow you to manage and remove counters when necessary. They can mitigate the damage potential and even leverage the counters for your advantage.
In essence, maintaining control over the board state and being proactive about managing the choker’s counters is integral. With the right set of spells and tactics, you can ensure Jinxed Choker becomes an asset instead of a liability, tipping the scales in your favor during a duel.
Cards like Jinxed Choker
Jinxed Choker is an intriguing artifact in Magic: The Gathering that presents a unique risk-reward dynamic. It bears similarity to other cards that fluctuate in power based on conditions, such as the Cursed Scroll. Cursed Scroll also offers the potential for repetitive damage but requires the player to have a copy of the named card in hand, making it a bit more predictable than the erratic Choker.
Another card with a similar damaging concept is Pyrostatic Pillar, which can consistently deal damage to the player casting spells with low mana value. The Pillar’s effect is more controlled, targeting only noncreature spells, while Jinxed Choker affects all players and can escalate in power over time. Lastly, comparing it to Furnace of Rath, the Choker has a buildable damage output that can potentially surpass Furnace’s consistent damage doubling effect, but without the immediate and guaranteed impact Furnace of Rath offers.
Assessing these artifacts and enchantments highlights Jinxed Choker’s place as a card with a mutable threat level. Its uncontrollable nature is a double-edged sword, potentially turning the tide of the game or leading to one’s own downfall. Therefore, it holds a precarious yet powerful position amongst damage-dealing cards in the MTG arena.
Cards similar to Jinxed Choker by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Jinxed Choker MTG card by a specific set like Mirrodin, 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 Jinxed Choker and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Jinxed Choker has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Jinxed Choker card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-12-01 | If you activate Jinxed Choker’s activated ability, you choose to either add or remove a counter when the ability resolves. |
| 2004-12-01 | “You” is always Jinxed Choker’s current controller. |
