We are reaching the point where it becomes difficult to write introductory texts, since I have done so many of the Planeswalker Decks by the time this article comes out. And honestly, this deck features Jace so it is definitely on the blander side; at least when it comes to characters. Granted, Planeswalker Deck “Jace, Arcane Strategist” tries to be a bit more interesting by going in a Blue-Green direction and trying to make the most out of counters in combination with proliferate, so there is more than the usual mono-Blue monotony that I expect from Jace. So, without further ado, let us see what this deck brings to the table. Here is the decklist for the Planeswalker Deck “Jace, Arcane Strategist”: Creatures (22): 3x Pollenbright Druid (1G) 2x Merfolk Skydiver (UG) 4x Guildpact Informant (2U) 1x Spark Double (3U) 3x Bloom Hulk (3G) 3x Jace’s Projection (2UU) 2x Wardscale Crocodile (4G) 1x Bioessence Hydra (3UG) 2x Kiora’s Dambreaker (5U) 1x Primordial Wurm (4GG) Spells (13): 1x Jace’s Triumph (2U) 2x Stealth Mission (2U) 2x Band Together (2G) 2x Courage in Crisis (2G) 2x New Horizons (2G) 1x Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner (2 U/G) 2x Jace’s Ruse (3UU) 1x Jace, Arcane Strategist (4UU) Lands (25): 4x Simic Guildgate 10x Island 11x Forest We skip turn one creature-wise in Planeswalker Deck “Jace, Arcane Strategist”, which does not necessarily need to be a problem since Blue-Green is a powerful ramping color combination. Turn two has some creatures to provide some blockers, although you will see that they definitely exist with a bigger purpose in mind. “Pollenbright Druid” is a 1/1 for two mana, and either place a +1/+1 counter on one target creature or proliferate if you have multiple permanents with counters on the field to work with. The creature is alright on curve since you simply get a 2/2, but there is the potential of making everything else on your board bigger and better later in the game which means that it is not a waste to draw into it. Another option for two mana is “Merfolk Skydiver“, a 1/1 with Flying that also gets to place a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control; which effectively means that you just get a 2/2 with Flying, which is pretty good for a Preconstructed Deck. It also can proliferate for five mana for something to do during the later stages of the game. As you can see, things in Planeswalker Deck “Jace, Arcane Strategist” are counter-heavy; which is why there is a playset of “Guildpact Informant” in it, which are 1/1 Flying creatures for three mana that also allow you to proliferate when dealing combat damage. So far, everything works with +1/+1 counters, which is certainly a strategy but needs some able-bodied creatures to make the most out of. “Spark Double” certainly helps, being a four mana creature that can either copy a creature or a planeswalker and enters the battlefield with one additional +1/+1 counter or one loyalty counter depending on what it copied. “Bloom Hulk” is simply a 4/4 body for four mana, but proliferates upon entering the battlefield and therefore helps the forces on your board to grow. “Jace’s Projection” is pretty interesting, since it also provides counters to work with. It starts as a 2/2 for four mana, but gains a +1/+1 counter whenever you draw a card while also being able to place a loyalty counter on a Jace planeswalker for four mana. “Wardscale Crocodile” is a 5/3 with Hexproof and therefore has no in-built synergy with the rest of the deck; although a big body that cannot be targeted can be scary. Making the most out of counters is “Bioessence Hydra“, a 4/4 with Trample that gains +1/+1 counters equal to the loyalty counters on planeswalkers you control upon entry while also growing alongside them when they recieve loyalty counters in any way. Other than that, there is “Kiora’s Dambreaker” as a 5/6 for six that proliferates upon entering the battlefield, while “Primordial Wurm” is a 7/6 vanilla and best switched for something with Trample as quickly as possible. Just like in the Planeswalker Deck “Gideon, the Oathsworn”, this deck has two planeswalkers to work with. We have an entry for the early stages of the game in form of “Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner“, who costs three mana and enters the battlefield with seven loyalty counters. This planeswalker option simply allows you to draw a card whenever a creature with four or more power enters the battlefield under your control, while being able to untap any target permanent for one loyalty counter. This version of “Kiora” works surprisingly well with the poster boy in form of “Jace, Arcane Strategist“, which costs six mana and enters the battlefield with four loyalty counters. “Jace, Arcane Strategist” only has two effects regarding loyalty counters, but passively allows you to place a +1/+1 counter on each of your creatures whenever you draw the second card each turn. He can trigger this effect himself with his +1 effect simply stating “Draw a card.”, while the -7 loyalty effect makes all your creatures unblockable for the turn. This is great for various reasons: Not only do you boost your creatures building towards that effect by simply drawing cards, but working with stacking +1/+1 counters on your creatures obviously means that they will be pretty deadly by the time they can run into the opposing face unimpeded. The spell section is … something, as you are about to see. There are no non-creature spells for one or two mana, which means that you normally have to commit your resources to either playing a spell or a creature. “Jace’s Triumph” costs three mana and lets you draw two cards, unless you control a Jace planeswalker which ups the draw to three cards instead. “Stealth Mission” is pretty nasty in Planeswalker Deck “Jace, Arcane Strategist” seeing as you not only permanently boost your creatures in the addition to the counters it provides anyway, but also get the potential to do massive damage by making one of your creatures unblockable. “Band Together” is a version of the Green removal idea of making one of your creature fight an opposing creature, albeit in this example you pay a total of three mana to use two of your creatures to deal damage with instead; which in my opinion is overkill since you could just use a cheaper version of the card with one of your boosted creatures instead. “Courage in Crisis” is the spell version of placing a +1/+1 counter and then using proliferate that is seen so much on the creatures of the deck and might actually be overkill. “New Horizons” is interesting since it is the closest the deck comes to having something to ramp with, all while getting to provide another +1/+1 counter for one of your creatures. And lastly, we have “Jace’s Ruse“, which is not only searching “Jace, Arcane Strategist” for five mana but also happens to be your go-to removal since it bounces two target creatures. Look, there are tons of better decks available than “make creature big, go face”; but I like the idea. There is certainly potential in the Planeswalker Deck “Jace, Arcane Strategist” and although it would need some work to form this deck into something that I would call good it provides a skeleton that is nice to work with. Get some ramp, even something like “Fertile Ground” can do the job. The deck needs much more card draw, not only to get more options into your hand but also because you have synergy with the card draw with “Jace’s Projection” and “Jace, Arcane Strategist” himself. Get some artifact support in this pile, since there are some pretty solid options in grey that can proliferate and then switch some of the vanillas with proliferate against something with more impact and you should have a fun deck to work with. And due to the power level being rather low, the price for the deck is not even that high: Starting at 13€, easily available for under 20€, which makes it worth recommending in my book.