Jace 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
−1: Surveil 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card into your graveyard.) −3: Draw a card.
Complete guide
The Jace token is a specialized blue planeswalker that emerges through the 'Empower Jace' mechanic found on various spells and permanents. While it lacks a loyalty-adding ability of its own, it provides valuable card selection and raw card advantage to support your strategy. This token represents a fragment of the mind mage's power, ready to be fueled by your other cards.
Understanding the Jace Token
The Jace token is a nonlegendary blue planeswalker with two activated loyalty abilities: '−1: Surveil 1' and '−3: Draw a card.' Because it does not have a plus ability, you must rely on the 'Empower Jace' keyword or other external effects to add loyalty counters to it. If the token reaches 0 loyalty, it is put into its owner's graveyard as a state-based action unless an effect like Sanctum Lurker is present.
The Empower Jace Mechanic
When you are instructed to Empower Jace X, you first check if you control a Jace token. If you do not, you create a new blue Jace planeswalker token with the Surveil and Draw abilities. Then, you put X loyalty counters on a Jace token you control. If you already controlled a Jace token when the effect resolved, you simply add the counters to the existing one rather than creating a new one.
Strategic Implementation
To maximize your Jace tokens, you should pair them with cards that grant additional loyalty abilities. Since the base token can only subtract loyalty, cards that provide [+1] or [+2] abilities are essential for its longevity. Additionally, because the token is not legendary, you can control multiple Jace tokens simultaneously if you have multiple sources creating them, though Empower Jace typically asks you to buff an existing one if available.
Interaction examples
When Way of the Pyromancer enters the battlefield, you create a Jace token and put two loyalty counters on it. With Sanctum Lurker on the battlefield, your Jace token gains a new '[+2]: This planeswalker deals 1 damage to each opponent and you gain 1 life' ability. You can now use this new plus ability to build loyalty, ensuring you have enough counters to later use the Jace token's native '-3: Draw a card' ability without the token being destroyed.
Theorist's ProxyIf you cast Theorist's Proxy, its triggered ability creates a Jace token with 3 loyalty. Later, if you cast Jace's Machinations, you add 8 loyalty counters to that token (bringing it to 11). For the rest of that turn, Jace's Machinations allows you to activate one of the Jace token's loyalty abilities at instant speed, such as using '-1: Surveil 1' during an opponent's end step to set up your next draw.
Avatar of Burgeoning EchoesWith Avatar of Burgeoning Echoes on the battlefield, playing a land triggers Landfall to Empower Jace 2. If you don't have a Jace token, one is created with 2 loyalty. You can then tap Theorist's Sanctum and pay mana to Empower Jace 2 again. Because the Avatar grants all your planeswalkers a '[-10]' ability, you can repeatedly play lands and activate the land's ability to build the Jace token's loyalty high enough to eventually trigger the Avatar's powerful finishing move.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Jace
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
No additional ruling has been published for this card.
Interactions with other cards
These cards' text mentions Jace.
{T}: Draw a card, then discard a card. If there are five or more cards in your graveyard, exile Jace, then return him to the battlefield transformed under his owner's control. +1: Up to one target creature gets -2/-0 until your next turn. −3: You may cast target instant or sorcery card from your graveyard this turn. If that spell would be put into your graveyard, exile it instead. −9: You get an emblem with "Whenever you cast a spell, target opponent mills five cards."
Kicker {2} When Jace enters, if Jace was kicked, create a token that's a copy of Jace, except it's not legendary and its starting loyalty is 1. +1: Scry 2. 0: Draw a card and reveal it. Remove a number of loyalty counters equal to that card's mana value from Jace.
You can't cast Jace Reawakened during your first, second, or third turns of the game. +1: Draw a card, then discard a card. +1: You may exile a nonland card with mana value 3 or less from your hand. If you do, it becomes plotted. −6: Until end of turn, whenever you cast a spell, copy it. You may choose new targets for the copy.
At the beginning of combat on each opponent's turn, they may pay {2}. If they don't, creatures they control can't attack Jaces you control this turn. +1: Draw two cards, then put a card from your hand on the bottom of your library. −3: Exile another target planeswalker or creature you control. Reveal cards from the top of your library until you reveal a creature or planeswalker card. Put that card onto the battlefield and the rest on the bottom of your library in a random order. Jace, Multiverse Architect can be your commander.
When this creature enters, empower Jace 1. Planeswalkers you control aren't put into their owners' graveyards for having 0 loyalty. Planeswalkers you control have "[+2]: This planeswalker deals 1 damage to each opponent and you gain 1 life."
When Oath of Jace enters, draw three cards, then discard two cards. At the beginning of your upkeep, scry X, where X is the number of planeswalkers you control.
Choose one — • Draw a card. Empower Jace 2. • Return target spell or creature to its owner's hand. • Creatures you control get +1/+2 until end of turn.
When Way of the Pyromancer enters, empower Jace 2. (Put two loyalty counters on a Jace token you control. If you don't control one, first create a blue Jace planeswalker token with "[−1]: Surveil 1" and "[−3]: Draw a card.") Planeswalkers you control have "[+1]: Add {R}."
+1: Empower Jace X, where X is the number of Islands you control. −3: Until your next turn, whenever a creature attacks you or a planeswalker you control, it gets -5/-0 until end of turn. 0: Exile all but the bottom card of each opponent's library. Activate only if there are twenty-five or more loyalty counters among Jaces you control.
+1: Whenever one or more creatures you control deal combat damage to a player this turn, draw a card, then discard a card. −2: Create a 2/2 blue Illusion creature token with "When this token becomes the target of a spell, sacrifice it." −5: Create two tokens that are copies of Jace, except they're not legendary.
({T}: Add {U}.) As this land enters, you may behold a Jace. If you don't, this land enters tapped. (To behold a Jace, choose a Jace you control or reveal a Jace card from your hand.) {2}{U}, {T}: Empower Jace 2.
Until end of turn, you may activate loyalty abilities of Jace planeswalkers you control on any player's turn any time you could cast an instant. Empower Jace 8. (Put eight loyalty counters on a Jace token you control. If you don't control one, first create a blue Jace planeswalker token with "[−1]: Surveil 1" and "[−3]: Draw a card.")
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Meta decks with Jace
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