I'm thinking this is probably a stupid question, but I like the idea of playing Grixis. Like every deck that can produce double blue in standard, it's running 3+ Jace, The Mind Jerkface.

Money's not the issue- I could easily fork out $300+ for a set of Jace's but I really can't justify the spending that much money on 3 or 4 cards. When I last played, no cards were over $15- nothing apart from the power 9. So I've come back to M:TG to find decks costing about $1000 if you want to play competitively. $80 cards in standard? wtf. Standard used to be the cheap option.

So the question is, how can one play blue (or Grixis actually) competitively without Jace?

You can't, I assume. Jace wins games. The amount of times I've simply been (censored) by Jace almost makes me want to fork out the cash.

So, enough bitching about the price of standard; let's analyze the Grixis build Mike Flores posted on his blog 10/5.

4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
2 Malakir Bloodwitch

2 Divination
3 Jace, The Mind Sculptor
4 Spreading Seas

4 Blightning
2 Countersquall
4 Cruel Ultimatum
4 Sedraxis Specter
1 Terminate

4 Lightning Bolt

4 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Crumbling Necropolis
1 Dragonskull Summit
2 Drowned Catacombs
4 Island
4 Lavaclaw Reaches
2 Mountain
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Swamp

...

Jace provides deck manipulation, the ability to mess with an opponent's draw, the ability to unsummon, an "I win" condition and probablt the most important function- he's an answer to an opponent's Jace.

That land base is crazy. 12 lands that come into play tapped.

What could you possibly play to occupy Jace's role?

Or, what's the best way to acquire him?

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"The Dragon feeds on our wars. Every dead soldier is another weapon in the hands of our enemy. While we weaken, Cryx grows stronger."
- King Leto Raelthorne.

Use Jace Beleren to kill opposing Jace's

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@NyxJBM

What?

Different versions of the same Planeswalker wipe them out?

I didn't know that lol

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"The Dragon feeds on our wars. Every dead soldier is another weapon in the hands of our enemy. While we weaken, Cryx grows stronger."
- King Leto Raelthorne.

Yep. As long as they have the same subtype

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From Russia With Love

I believe that's one of the reasons people still use Jace Beleren, he's cheaper and he kills the evil Jace

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@NyxJBM

But boy is he so much suckier than the mind-r#$@r. It's kinda "let's draw a card on one hand" and "I control the game!" on the other...

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From Russia With Love

Jace is nice in that deck because you can bounce your gatekeeper and play it for BBB again! While he's good in that other deck you gave us (R/G/U) because of card advantage + working with oracle... helps my mythic deck bounce or fix hand... Even screw your opponent more if he's land stuck. He's too good! You can lend Jace from people if you do not wanna buy it.

I know $80 for a card is not funny. I would not even play standard if my cousin didn't lend me his old mythic deck (I love drafting more altho I'm not good). There's even trolls going around another popular forum(no adv here?) saying, 'Bring a crap deck to a tourney and when you have a chance 'grab' a deck and there is a huge chance its 1000$ (UW/r, Mythic, etc)' sad thing is he's right and nobody flamed him.

No point to go on because half mtg players are angry. I think a solution for this is either (1) let us kill PW easier or wizards limit the PW on battlefield to 1 or 2 (if their trying to make more 'balanced' planeswalkers that would not need to be killed to win / not reprinting the better PW's / etc.). I gave up giving wizards feedback when they didnt credit me and my cousin about legend rule (I help him playtest for his tourney in torment) when I mailed them and ask staff IRL about casting 'ledgendary' to kill both (this was 5~6 mths before wizard's "invented" the rule because there was a big competition... I think one guy had Akroma in field and the other had 2~3 Akroma in his hand and lost)<- we actually had a similar thing and we made our own rule that both should die (Our only proof is owning 14 entomb since they were about $6 last time... $40 now). D;~ not angry I doubt we were the first anyhow since this was a problem in urza's block too.

X.X That's also why i first picked Issamaru W for 2/2 in my first cube... interesting legendary card.

lol couldnt resist! every 3~4 boxes should give u 2~3 jace... How many did they crack ~~

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