Superfriends has long been a fan-favorite Commander archetype, and Reality Fracture only strengthened the strategy. With powerful new Planeswalkers adding extra support, this deck style has drawn more attention.
That said, Jace, in particular, got the most support of all thanks to the new Empower Jace mechanic. As a result, all kinds of different Jace Walkers, like Jace Reawakened, are now spiking in price.
MTG Jace Reawakened
When Jace Reawakened first dropped in Outlaws of Thunder Junction, it got a ton of praise. Despite the heavy timing restriction, Plotting Valki, God of Lies, to cast the Tibalt half for free was extremely exciting.
Unfortunately, Jace never really lived up to the hype, rarely appearing in Constructed since its printing. As it turns out, the card proved too weak as a turn four play, especially in games where you failed to draw Valki alongside it.
Even in Commander, Jace Reawakened only appears in decks like Kellan, the Kid and Fblthp, Lost on the Range that maximize the Plot mechanic. As such, it isn’t too shocking that Jace barely eclipses the 20,000 Commander deck mark, according to EDHREC.
Thanks to Reality Fracture, however, Jace Typal Commander decks have received a ton of support. Beyond receiving an entire mechanic and powerful support cards like Jace’s Machinations, Jace Typal also has a new Commander: Jace, Multiverse Architect
Jace, Multiverse ArchitectAt 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.. The Legend’s passive is fantastic at protecting all your Jace Planeswalkers, and its -3 can easily repurpose weaker Jaces.
Jace Reawakened has since found a home in 1,100 Jace, Multiverse Architect decks, and that number continues to increase. Naturally, this new utility has helped the card rise in demand, and its price tag rose soon after.
The Spike
Since the reveal of the Empower Jace mechanic, demand for Jace Reawakened has risen steadily. 258 near-mint, non-foil Outlaws of Thunder Junction copies have sold since September 6th, driving Jace’s price up. Now, the cheapest copy of Jace Reawakened sits at $2.16, more than triple its previous price of $0.69.
Unfortunately, other variants have only gotten more expensive, meaning that there are no deals to be had. Near-mint, non-foil promo pack copies start at $2.49, while the borderless version sits at $4.57. The Japanese Exclusive promo and Store Championship versions are worth much more, too, starting at $30.30 and $ 98.99, including shipping, respectively.
May Not Last
While demand hasn’t exactly shown any signs of halting yet, Jace Reawakened’s price spike is unlikely to last long-term. All things considered, Jace simply isn’t a good card. Most of its current appeal stems directly from Jace Typal strategies, and even there, the card is far from a premium Planeswalker inclusion.
As is typical for spikes caused by new Commander cards, demand for Reality Fracture’s Jace support should be temporary. Once new Commander cards release, trends caused by EDH cards from the previous set tend to fade. As a result, cards that spiked because of them, like Jace Reawakened, drop.
Obviously, this could take time since Reality Fracture is the new hotness that dropped just over a week ago, but MTG Star Trek’s release is looming large.
Nonetheless, as is the case with any price spike, predicting exactly how Jace’s value will shift is nearly impossible. After all, if Wizards prints more Jace or Superfriends support cards, demand for this card could stay high longer than expected. Ultimately, as always, we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
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