Jace Beleren is back in MTG, but the former Magic poster boy is taking a darker turn in Outlaws of Thunder Junction.
While MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction features all the twists and turns inherent to a villainous crime caper, few could have predicted its bombshell Planeswalker reveal. That’s right, Jace Beleren has finally returned to Magic: The Gathering!
The one-time face of the franchise has been AWOL following his corruption by the forces of Phyrexia, but is back in spectacular, dramatic fashion.
Jace Reawakened is a Planeswalker card dropping in the new Outlaws of Thunder Junction set. This card only costs UU (two blue mana) to cast and is replete with powerful abilities.
Boasting draw power, additional spellcasting, and copying, this card is sure to find its way into dozens of blue mana decks when Outlaws of Thunder Junction launches on April 19.
The only thing holding back this Planeswalker’s power is that it can’t be played on its controller’s first three turns. However, that hasn’t stopped devious MTG players from immediately cooking up ways around this limitation.
As pointed out by Reddit user Sinrus in response to Jace Reawakened’s reveal:
“If you have Leyline of Anticipation, you could cast Jace on your opponent’s second turn.”
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Leyline of Anticipation allows players to cast all of their spells – including Planeswalkers – as if they had flash. Additionally, if you start the game with the Leyline in your opening hand, you can play it immediately for free. With players working out this combo with Jace Reawakened right away, it looks like Jace isn’t the only Magic genius around these parts.
While this character return may come as a shock for many players, it isn’t entirely out of nowhere. Eagle-eyed and intuitive MTG fans may have spotted signs of Jace lurking around the margins of Magic’s story, subtly prompting detective Alquist Proft during Murders at Karlov Manor. But Jace Reawakened is a much more direct and impactful reveal.
While some fans may feel that Jace and Vraska got off easy, reverting their Phyrexian Compleation off-screen, the Outlaws of Thunder Junction story has made it clear that things aren’t quite so simple for the master of illusions.
As noted by Annie Flash during the climax of Thunder Junction’s story, even after dispelling his disguise as the nightmare Planeswalker Ashiok, Jace is still hiding his true appearance. Utilizing his illusion powers, Jace is covering up the after-effects of Compleation, including scars and unsettling-sounding ‘plugs’.
Given that Jace and Vraska’s actions in this arc can easily be interpreted as less than heroic, MTG looks to be setting up a more morally grey, if not outright villainous role for Jace in the story moving forward. This is a welcome departure from previous arcs and is poised to hook lapsed Magic fans back into its ongoing plot.
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