Many have wondered if Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy is playable in Eternal formats, and this might be your answer. Snapcaster Mage already sees a decent amount of play, and there’s a clear comparison there, but ultimately Jace does seem like a worse Snapcaster Mage. However, it’s important to look at what the cards do differently and what you can do in order to actually make Jace better than Snapcaster Mage.
Counterspells don’t work with Jace, Telepath Unbound on your opponent’s turn, but you can use it proactively to force through a spell. It’s worth noting that you cast cards out of the graveyard with Jace, not flashback them, so the alternate casting cost on Force of Will is fair game. Jace is also better if you’re operating off of a low base since you don’t have to spend that two mana casting Snapcaster Mage up front each time.
If we want a proactive deck that operates from a low base, Reanimator seems like the obvious place to try Jace, especially since having a looter is something you’re already interested in. Good luck trying to counter all of the Reanimates when they can all be cast twice!
The second Reanimator list has some cool stuff going on too. Dack Fayden makes an appearance as a draw engine and Izzet Charm does the same. The one card that really caught my eye was Archetype of Endurance! Sometimes something as simple as Karakas can mess you up, but the Archepig cares not!
I’m really looking forward to the Season Three Invitational to see if Reanimator can win thanks to this new spice.
Creatures (10)
- 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
- 1 Grave Titan
- 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
- 3 Griselbrand
- 1 Ashen Rider
- 3 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
Lands (17)
Spells (33)
Creatures (11)
- 4 Hapless Researcher
- 1 Tidespout Tyrant
- 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
- 1 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
- 3 Griselbrand
- 1 Archetype of Endurance
Planeswalkers (1)
Lands (17)
Spells (31)