Jace's Scrutiny MTG Card
2016-04-08 - Number 70
2022-12-02 - Number 311
2023-03-21 - Number 78
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 2 |
| Rarity | Common |
| Type | Instant |
| Abilities | Investigate |
Key Takeaways
- Jace’s Scrutiny provides card advantage and can be flexibly used at instant speed to disrupt opponents.
- Its Investigate trigger relies on targeting, which can be restrictive, and its mana cost is color-specific.
- Despite its limitations, it offers versatility, combo potential, and relevance in control-centric metas.
Text of card
Target creature gets -4/-0 until end of turn. Investigate. (Put a colorless Clue artifact token onto the battlefield with ", Sacrifice this artifact: Draw a card.")
"Just a collage of images: cryptoliths, the sea, a tangle of shipwrecks."
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Jace’s Scrutiny provides a slight edge by allowing you to investigate once, netting you an additional card when you sacrifice the Clue token. This factor is crucial in games where maintaining card flow can determine the winner.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly providing mana, the Clue token generated can be cashed in at any point for that critical card draw. This flexibility helps ensure you’re not falling behind in resources throughout the match.
Instant Speed: The ability to cast Jace’s Scrutiny at instant speed gives players the upper hand during combat. It could disrupt your opponent’s strategy by weakening a creature just before it deals damage or potentially before an important block, and all the while without telegraphing your plans too soon.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Jace’s Scrutiny necessitates that a spell or an ability targets a creature you control for its Investigate ability to trigger. This can lead to strategic disadvantages where you’re forced to wait for an opponent’s move or use your own spells suboptimally to get the card’s full benefit.
Specific Mana Cost: The card requires a single blue mana, which ties it explicitly to blue-centric or blue-inclusive decks. This can be restrictive for players running multicolor decks that may not have easy access to blue mana or prioritize other colors.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing two mana for a temporary effect that gives only a -4/-0 until the end of the turn, Jace’s Scrutiny may not always provide the best value, especially when alternative cards could permanently remove a creature or provide a more significant stat reduction for a similar cost.
Reasons to Include Jace’s Scrutiny in Your Collection
Versatility: Jace’s Scrutiny offers a boost to any deck that aims to control the board by limiting opponents’ creatures. It can be a vital tool in both early and late game scenarios, fitting smoothly into different game stages.
Combo Potential: This card can be an essential piece in strategies centered around prowess or spell-triggered abilities. It opens up the possibility for synergy with cards that thrive on casting instants and gives you an edge by drawing a card in the process.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where efficient creature-based strategies are prevalent, Jace’s Scrutiny can disrupt your opponent’s tempo. This can be particularly pertinent in matchups where every point of damage or block counts, making it a tactical asset in your Magic toolkit.
How to beat
Jace’s Scrutiny is a card known for temporarily weakening creatures and providing a peek into the future with its Investigate ability. To outmaneuver this card, it’s critical to have a solid strategy. One approach is to play creatures with hexproof or shroud abilities, making them impervious to Jace’s Scrutiny’s effect. Another tactic is to utilize instant-speed removals or spells that give your creatures indestructible until the end of the turn, ensuring they survive the debuff.
Counterspells also offer protection by preventing Jace’s Scrutiny and similar spells from resolving. It’s imperative to carefully time your creatures’ deployment and protect them with spells like Blossoming Defense, which gives a much-needed boost and hexproof for a turn. By doing so, you not only shield your creatures from targeting spells but also preserve them for crucial combat phases or game-turning plays.
Ultimately, beating Jace’s Scrutiny requires a blend of foresight and quick response. Keeping mana open for protective spells or playing creatures out of the targeted card’s reach can effectively neutralize its temporary advantage and safeguard your board presence in Magic: The Gathering.
Cards like Jace's Scrutiny
Jace’s Scrutiny is an interesting utility spell within Magic: The Gathering’s array of cards designed to leverage control during combat. It not only reduces an opponent’s creature’s power but also offers the Investigate mechanic, handing the controller a clue token for potential card draw. In comparison, we have cards like Clutch of Currents which also provides a means to stave off opposing threats; although it doesn’t lower creature power, it instead returns a target to its owner’s hand and has the upside of being a potential creature itself if awakened.
Peering into the realm of cantrip effects, we find Pressure Point. This spell taps a target creature and draws a card at the same speed as Jace’s Scrutiny, but without affecting the power or toughness of the creature. Another relative is Unsubstantiate, slightly different in action as it bounces a spell or creature to hand, yet it doesn’t provide the card advantage on its own. Both serve as temporary solutions unlike Jace’s Scrutiny that leaves behind a clue token for long-term resource gain.
While each of these cards suits different strategies, the nifty combination of immediate board impact and future card advantage makes Jace’s Scrutiny a card worth considering in decks that thrive on maintaining control and leveraging card economy.
Cards similar to Jace's Scrutiny by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Jace's Scrutiny MTG card by a specific set like Shadows over Innistrad and Jumpstart 2022, 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 Scrutiny 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 Magic products
Printings
The Jace's Scrutiny Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 2016-04-08 and 2023-03-21. Illustrated by Slawomir Maniak.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016-04-08 | Shadows over Innistrad | SOI | 70 | 2015 | normal | black | Slawomir Maniak | |
| 2 | 2022-12-02 | Jumpstart 2022 | J22 | 311 | 2015 | normal | black | Slawomir Maniak | |
| 3 | 2023-03-21 | Shadows over Innistrad Remastered | SIR | 78 | 2015 | normal | black | Slawomir Maniak |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Jace's Scrutiny has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Historicbrawl | Legal |
| Historic | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Gladiator | Legal |
| Pioneer | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Modern | Legal |
| Pauper | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Explorer | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
| Timeless | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Jace's Scrutiny card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2016-04-08 | If you sacrifice a Clue for another card’s cost or effect, such as that of Angelic Purge or Tamiyo’s Journal, you can’t also pay and sacrifice it to draw a card. |
| 2016-04-08 | The token is named Clue and has the artifact subtype Clue. Clue isn’t a creature type. |
| 2016-04-08 | The tokens are normal artifacts. For example, they can be sacrificed to cast Angelic Purge or targeted by Root Out. |
| 2016-04-08 | You can’t cast a spell without choosing legal targets. If all of those targets become illegal, the spell doesn’t resolve and you won’t investigate. |
