Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage 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: Draw a card. +1: Untap all creatures you control. −9: Gain control of up to three target creatures.
Complete guide
Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage is a powerhouse of utility, offering card advantage, tactical flexibility, and a game-ending ultimate. As a six-mana planeswalker, he commands the board by manipulating your resources and eventually turning your opponents' creatures against them. Whether you are refilling your hand or preparing a surprise defense, Jace provides the mental edge needed to secure victory.
Mental Versatility
Jace features two different +1 loyalty abilities, allowing him to grow in power while either providing raw card draw or untapping your army. The untap ability is particularly potent in decks with activated abilities or for players who want to attack aggressively and still have blockers ready for the opponent's turn. His ultimate, at -9 loyalty, allows you to permanently seize control of three target creatures, often stripping an opponent of their entire board presence.
Resolving the Mind-Mage
When you activate Jace's ultimate, you choose up to three target creatures. Upon resolution, you gain control of those creatures indefinitely. Unlike many temporary control effects, this does not end at the end of the turn. The control change lasts as long as those creatures remain on the battlefield, even if Jace leaves the battlefield or is destroyed later. In multiplayer games, however, if you lose the game, the control effect ends and the creatures return to their previous controllers or leave the game if you owned them.
Common Strategic Errors
A frequent mistake is forgetting that Jace's untap ability affects ALL creatures you control, not just one. Use this to your advantage after an all-out attack. Another common error involves the ultimate: players sometimes think the control effect is tied to Jace's presence on the board. Official rulings clarify that the effect is independent of Jace once it resolves. Note that you must still target the creatures, so creatures with Hexproof or Shroud cannot be chosen for the -9 ability.
When to Deploy Jace
Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage is best played when you can protect him for a few turns to reach his ultimate. Using his +1 to untap creatures ensures you have defenders available. If you are behind on cards, his other +1 provides the necessary fuel to find answers. He is a high-priority target for opponents, so timing his arrival when you have a stable board state is crucial.
Interaction examples
Grasping CurrentIf Jace is in your graveyard or library, you can cast Grasping Current to bounce two problematic creatures your opponent controls. As part of the resolution, you search for Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage and put him into your hand. This allows you to remove threats and set up your planeswalker win condition in a single turn.
Ugin, the IneffableIf an opponent controls Ugin, the Ineffable, they might use his -3 ability to destroy Jace, since Jace is a blue permanent. However, if you manage to reach Jace's -9 ability first, you can take control of up to three creatures your opponent might be using to protect Ugin, leaving the enemy planeswalker vulnerable to an attack from his own former allies.
Ugin, Eye of the StormsWhen Ugin, Eye of the Storms is cast, its triggered ability can exile Jace because Jace is a colored permanent. To avoid this, you can use Jace's +1 ability to draw into countermagic or use his untap ability to keep mana-producing creatures ready to respond to the threat of a high-cost colorless spell.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
The control-change effect of Jace’s last ability lasts indefinitely. It doesn’t wear off during the cleanup step or when you lose control of Jace.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
In a multiplayer game, if a player leaves the game, all cards that player owns leave as well, and any effects that give the player control of permanents immediately end.
No other card is named in this ruling.
Popular combos
Real combos played by the community, sorted by popularity.
The Sixth Doctor + Romana II + Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage
- 1Cast Jace by paying
. - 2The Sixth Doctor triggers, copying the Jace spell, with the copy being nonlegendary.
- 3Resolve both Jace spells.
- 4Activate a mana-producing creature by tapping it, adding at least
. - 5Activate Romana II by paying and tapping it, creating a copy of the Jace token.
- 6Activate a Jace token's second loyalty ability by putting a loyalty counter on it, untapping all creatures you control.
- 7Repeat from step 4.
The Chain Veil + Jace, Ingenious Mind-Mage + March of the Machines
- 1Activate all mana-producing creatures you control by tapping them, adding at least
. - 2Activate The Chain Veil by paying and tapping it, allowing an extra activation of your planeswalkers' abilities this turn.
- 3Activate Jace's second loyalty ability by putting a loyalty counter on it, untapping all creatures you control.
- 4Repeat.
Interactions with other cards
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