Palace Jailer MTG Card


Palace Jailer provides card advantage and board control by exiling creatures and establishing monarchy. As a four-cost creature, it’s a significant investment that demands a white-heavy mana base. It stays relevant against creature-focused strategies and adds depth to monarch mechanics.
Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityUncommon
TypeCreature — Human Soldier
Power 2
Toughness 2

Text of card

When Palace Jailer enters the battlefield, you become the monarch. When Palace Jailer enters the battlefield, exile target creature an opponent controls until an opponent becomes the monarch. (That creature returns under its owner's control.)


Cards like Palace Jailer

Palace Jailer shines as a unique inclusion in the roster of creature control cards in Magic: The Gathering. Its capacity to exile an opponent’s creature until you lose the monarchy makes it a potent tool. Cards like Banisher Priest have a similar mechanic of temporarily removing creatures from the battlefield, yet Palace Jailer also bestows the coveted monarchy status, providing recurring card advantage. While Banisher Priest offers a swift, mana-efficient solution, it lacks the additional benefit of card draw.

Fiend Hunter is another comparable card, offering creature exile as long as it remains on the field. Much like Palace Jailer, Fiend Hunter can disrupt opponents’ strategies, but again, it misses out on providing the consistent card advantage of being the monarch. Oblivion Ring, though being an enchantment, offers the versatility of exiling nonland permanents, however, it does so without the perk of affecting the game’s political dynamic by introducing the monarchy.

Ultimately, when evaluating the tactical advantages these cards provide, Palace Jailer not only removes key threats but also incentivizes players to engage in combat, aiming to claim or protect the monarchy. This makes Palace Jailer a multifaceted asset in any deck capable of sustaining the crown.

Banisher Priest - MTG Card versions
Fiend Hunter - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions
Banisher Priest - MTG Card versions
Fiend Hunter - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Palace Jailer. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
MaverickMaverick LegacyMaverickLegacy League 2024-03-25
Death and Taxes (Yorion)Death and Taxes (Yorion) LegacyDeath and Taxes*HALF PRICE FRIDAY* $1K - Legacy - SCG CON Atlanta - Friday - 1:30 pm
Esper VialEsper Vial Free formNoble Spring Quarterly
Mono White Stompy TaxesMono White Stompy Taxes Free formNoble Spring Quarterly
Esper StonebladeEsper Stoneblade LegacyEsper StonebladeLegacy League 2024-04-05
Abzan MaverickAbzan Maverick LegacyMaverick3^ tappa | 8^ INVILegacy MTG King's Cross
WBWB LegacyLegacy Preliminary 2024-03-28

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Palace Jailer offers a unique way to gain card advantage by exiling an opponent’s creature and becoming the monarch. This not only disrupts the opponent’s board presence but also grants you an additional card draw at the end of your turn, ensuring a continual flow of resources.

Resource Acceleration: Gaining the monarch status with Palace Jailer can lead to resource acceleration. The ability to draw an extra card each turn enables faster access to more cards in your deck, potentially unlocking powerful combinations and plays ahead of your opponent.

Instant Speed: While Palace Jailer is not an instant, it has an immediate impact on the game state with its enter the battlefield ability. This allows you to effectively plan the timing of its deployment, using it to disrupt crucial plays or remove key creatures from your opponent’s side when they’re least expecting it.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Palace Jailer doesn’t have a literal discard prerequisite, it introduces a condition where card advantage can swing unfavorably. If an opponent manages to become the monarch, the card they draw could be the turning point, especially if your hand is depleted from maintaining your board presence.

Specific Mana Cost: Palace Jailer’s casting cost demands two white mana, which can be restrictive for multicolored decks. This requirement may sometimes hinder the card’s playability in more diverse mana bases, favoring it for mono-white or decks with heavy white influence.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Costing four mana, two of which are color-specific, Palace Jailer can be seen as a substantial investment, particularly in formats where speed is essential. In cases where tempo is crucial, dedicating a full turn to play the Jailer could potentially leave you vulnerable to faster, more aggressive strategies.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Palace Jailer provides a dual function of board control and card advantage, making it a flexible addition to any deck that aims for a controlling strategy or wishes to stabilize against more aggressive opponents.

Combo Potential: The ability to remove a key creature from the game while becoming the monarch opens up opportunities for synergies with cards that benefit from drawing additional cards or interacting with the exile zone.

Meta-Relevance: In a game with ever-shifting metagames, Palace Jailer remains relevant, countering decks that rely on key creatures and enabling a monarch mechanic that forces opponents to shift their plans to regain card advantages.


How to beat Palace Jailer

Palace Jailer can be a challenging card to face in MTG due to its ability to exile opposing creatures and its monarch mechanic, which allows the player to draw an extra card each turn. To effectively combat Palace Jailer, consider using instant-speed removal or bounce spells to disrupt the timing and reclaim the monarchy. Cards like Lightning Bolt or Murder can quickly remove Palace Jailer, thereby returning the exiled creature and halting the card advantage provided by the monarchy. In addition, adding creatures with flash, like Vendilion Clique, allows you to surprise your opponent, potentially taking back the monarchy during their turn.

Another strategy is to include enchantment removal or counterspells in your deck to handle the Jailer before its effect takes place. Naturalize or Negate can serve as excellent protection against Palace Jailer’s entrance. Furthermore, having your own threats that must be answered can divert your opponent’s resources away from the use of their Palace Jailer. In the end, a well-prepared deck with the right mix of removal, counterspells, and flash creatures can undermine Palace Jailer’s effectiveness and help maintain your position as monarch.


BurnMana Recommendations

Understanding the nuances of MTG is a continuous quest for improvement and strategic depth. Palace Jailer serves as a prime example of how a card can shift the tide of a match by altering board state and resource flow. Whether you are refining a control deck or exploring the monarch mechanic, Palace Jailer can be a game-changer. Utilizing the right mixture of cards and the appropriate strategies can make all the difference. For those ready to delve deeper into the tactics and applications of such a versatile card and more, join us on BurnMana to enhance your wisdom of the game and triumph over the competition.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Palace Jailer MTG card by a specific set like Conspiracy: Take the Crown and Treasure Chest, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Palace Jailer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Palace Jailer Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2016-08-26 and 2023-08-04. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-08-26Conspiracy: Take the CrownCN2 182015NormalBlackDavid Palumbo
22016-11-16Treasure ChestPZ2 42015NormalBlackDavid Palumbo
32019-11-07Mystery BoosterMB1 1922015NormalBlackDavid Palumbo
42020-09-26The ListPLST CN2-182015NormalBlackDavid Palumbo
52021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 2981997NormalBlackDavid Palumbo
62023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 1742015NormalBlackBrian Valeza
72023-08-04Commander MastersCMM 472015NormalBlackDavid Palumbo

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Palace Jailer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Palace Jailer card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date Text
2021-03-19 Auras attached to the exiled creature will be put into their owners' graveyards. Equipment attached to the exiled creature will become unattached and remain on the battlefield. Counters on the exiled creature will cease to exist.
2021-03-19 Being the monarch carries two inherent triggered abilities. "At the beginning of the monarch's end step, that player draws a card" and "Whenever a creature deals combat damage to the monarch, its controller becomes the monarch."
2021-03-19 If a creature token is exiled, it ceases to exist. It won't return to the battlefield.
2021-03-19 If you're not the monarch as Palace Jailer's second ability resolves, the creature will be exiled until there's a new monarch and that player is one of your opponents. The creature won't immediately return just because an opponent is the monarch.
2021-03-19 In a multiplayer game, if the monarch leaves the game, the player whose turn it is immediately becomes the monarch. If the player whose turn it is has left the game, instead the next player in turn order becomes the monarch.
2021-03-19 Palace Jailer leaving the battlefield won't cause the exiled creature to return. The game will continue to watch for the next time an opponent becomes the monarch.
2021-03-19 The game starts with no monarch. Once an effect makes one player the monarch, the game will have exactly one monarch from that point forward.
2021-03-19 The opponent that controlled the exiled card doesn't have to be the same opponent that becomes the monarch in order to cause that card to return to the battlefield. Any opponent becoming the monarch will cause the card to return.