On March 14th the newest version of the Duel Decks series, Duel Decks: Jace vs. Vraska, will be available for Magic: the Gathering. The Duel Decks series is set to help introduce players to the game by offering theme decks modeled after different strategies. In this case it happens to be two different Planeswalkers. In this edition we have Jace, a powerful mind mage, and Vraska, a gorgon with the power of reanimation.
The deck lists are now live, and Wizards of the Coast is allowing us to take a look at some of the brand new art that’s releasing with the cards. For now, take a look at the lists for each deck:
Jace
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Main Deck 60 cards |
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| 1 Dread Statuary 2 Halimar Depths 21 Island 24 lands 1 Aeon Chronicler 20 creatures |
1 Agoraphobia 1 Claustrophobia 1 Control Magic 1 Future Sight 1 Griptide 1 Into the Roil 1 Jace’s Ingenuity 1 Memory Lapse 1 Prohibit 1 Ray of Command 1 Remand 1 Spelltwine 1 Summoner’s Bane 2 Thought Scour 15 other spells 1 Jace, Architect of Thought 1 planeswalker |
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Vraska
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Main Deck 60 cards |
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| 9 Forest 1 Golgari Guildgate 1 Rogue’s Passage 11 Swamp 2 Tainted Wood 24 lands 1 Acidic Slime 24 creatures |
1 Consume Strength 1 Grisly Spectacle 1 Hypnotic Cloud 1 Last Kiss 1 Marsh Casualties 1 Night’s Whisper 1 Stab Wound 2 Tragic Slip 1 Treasured Find 1 Underworld Connections 11 other spells 1 Vraska the Unseen 1 planeswalker |
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Jace’s deck comes packed with tons of control spells that will make things quite difficult for your opponent. Draw through your cards to get the spells you need all while countering your opponent’s spells to slow them down. A classic mono-blue deck, Jace’s combinations bring a lot of utility to the board.
Vraska, on the other hand, focuses on destruction and reanimation. She has a lot of cards that will send your opponent’s creatures to the graveyard while she brings her own back. Some of her cards will bleed your opponent, forcing them to lose the game at a slow pace. Played correctly, Vraska’s deck could easily starve your opponent all while gaining strength on its own.
Both decks look like a lot of fun to play. I’m not too happy with the new art on the Planeswalkers, though. Of course it’s just personal preference, but I feel like the art isn’t sharp enough. Others may love it though, which is a big reason to pick the deck up in the first place. After seeing the deck lists, which one will you play?