JudgeCast #379 – Reality Fracture Release Notes

All right, so with each new set, we have new mechanics.

Does someone want to kick us off with the new mechanics for this set?

So our, honestly, I'm going to call it our real only main new mechanic in this set is Empower Jace.

Empower Jace, as exemplified by a card, Academic Ascent.

For one and a white, it's an instant that says target creature gets plus two plus two and gains flying until end of turn.

And then it says Empower Jace two.

And in parentheses, it tells you to put two loyalty counters on a Jace token you control.

If you don't control one, first create a blue Jace Planeswalker token with minus one, surveil one, and minus three, draw a card.

So we are getting a mass for planeswalkers named Jace.

It's really cool.

This makes me feel very much like we're in the War of the Sparks set because now every single game you're going to see planeswalkers in it.

And that's super fun and super entertaining and super cool.

To look into the exact rules for Empower Jace, we're actually going to pull up, we now have exact rule citations.

So 701.71a says, to Empower Jace N means if you don't control a Jace Planeswalker token, create a blue Jace Planeswalker token with loyalty zero and the abilities minus one surveil one and minus three draw a card.

You then choose a Jace Planeswalker token you control.

And then put N loyalty counters on it, equal to the number that is next to Empower Jace.

If you already have a Jace token, you're just adding loyalty counters to it through some other means by resolving these spells and abilities.

If you don't have the token, you create one.

You're always going to have a Jace around, it looks like, in this format.

Now, this does mean, notice it says, choose a Jace Planeswalker token you control.

Depending on the format you're playing in, there are other Jaces that do make token copies of themselves.

Or if you have a token doubler, like a doubling season out, you can potentially have multiple Jace Planeswalker tokens that you can choose from.

So just like a mass, when you are empowering Jace, you're going to choose one of your Jace Planeswalker tokens, put the counters on that one there, and then carry on with your day.

And most importantly, you do not put the loyalty counters on a non-token Jace.

So these don't all suddenly make your Jace the Mind Sculptors that much better.