Capture of Jingzhou is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.

Official card text

Take an extra turn after this one.

Complete guide

Capture of Jingzhou is a powerful blue sorcery that grants you the most precious resource in Magic: The Gathering—time. By manipulating the flow of the game, this card allows you to untap your permanents and attack again before your opponent can even react.

Seizing the Initiative

The effect of Capture of Jingzhou is straightforward: you gain an additional turn immediately following the current one. During this extra turn, you proceed through all normal phases, including the untap, upkeep, and draw steps. If multiple extra turns are created in a single turn, they are added one by one, with the most recently created extra turn occurring first.

Resolution Breakdown

When you cast Capture of Jingzhou, it goes onto the stack like any other sorcery. Upon resolution, it creates a delayed turn trigger in the game structure. Once your current turn concludes and the cleanup step finishes, instead of the turn passing to the next player in the turn order, you begin your extra turn. The spell then moves to the graveyard unless otherwise exiled.

Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is forgetting that Capture of Jingzhou is a sorcery, meaning it usually cannot be cast during an opponent's turn or in response to an attack. Additionally, taking an extra turn does not count as a 'new game'; any effects that last 'until end of turn' from your previous turn will have expired before your extra turn begins.

When to Strike

The best time to cast this spell is when you have a dominant board state or need one more turn to find a winning combo. Since it costs five mana, you should ensure you have enough resources left to protect your lead or utilize the extra draw step and combat phase effectively.

Interaction examples

Double the Recruits

Distant Melody

You cast Capture of Jingzhou to secure an extra turn. On that extra turn, you untap all your lands and cast Distant Melody, naming a creature type like Human. Because you had an extra turn to build your board or simply have your mana available again, you can draw a massive number of cards without your opponent having a chance to discard your hand or wipe your board.

Clearing the Path

Raise the Palisade

During your extra turn granted by Capture of Jingzhou, you cast Raise the Palisade naming Elves. Since all non-Elf creatures are returned to their owners' hands, you can now use your extra combat phase to attack an undefended opponent while they are tapped out from their previous turn.

Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.