Yixlid Jailer MTG Card


Yixlid Jailer excels at stifling graveyard strategies, giving players a distinct card advantage. The card acts as an indirect accelerator, keeping you ahead by hindering opponent’s resource exploitation. It’s essential in decks as a sideboard option to counter prevalent graveyard mechanics.
Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost2
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Zombie Wizard
Power 2
Toughness 1

Text of card

Cards in graveyards lose all abilities.

He holds the keys to a tombful of incarcerated secrets.


Cards like Yixlid Jailer

Yixlid Jailer is a unique piece in the MTG arsenal, similar in its graveyard-nullifying theme to cards like Grafdigger’s Cage. While Yixlid Jailer specifically targets abilities of cards in graveyards, preventing them from being triggered, Grafdigger’s Cage has a broader reach, prohibiting cards from entering the battlefield from graveyards or libraries. However, Yixlid Jailer allows for the physical presence of those cards to be utilized, such as with delve or as fodder for Tarmogoyf’s power.

Another card with a related concept is Leyline of the Void. While this card doesn’t stop abilities, it exiles cards that go to the graveyard, a more permanent solution. Leyline of the Void is a preemptive answer, often starting on the battlefield at the game’s onset. Unlike Yixlid Jailer, it can stop strategies reliant on graveyard interaction before they start, but it doesn’t offer the same creature advantage that Yixlid Jailer can provide on the board.

In contrast to these options, Yixlid Jailer’s utility as a creature that fits into creature strategies while disabling graveyards makes it a compelling choice for decks seeking to hinder graveyard-based tactics without relying solely on static or triggered graveyard hate.

Grafdigger's Cage - MTG Card versions
Leyline of the Void - MTG Card versions
Grafdigger's Cage - MTG Card versions
Leyline of the Void - MTG Card versions

Cards similar to Yixlid Jailer by color, type and mana cost

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Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - MTG Card versions
Drudge Skeletons - MTG Card versions
Erg Raiders - MTG Card versions
Cuombajj Witches - MTG Card versions
Order of the Ebon Hand - MTG Card versions
Bog Imp - MTG Card versions
Wall of Corpses - MTG Card versions
Blighted Shaman - MTG Card versions
Rabid Rats - MTG Card versions
Dakmor Bat - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Rats - MTG Card versions
Flesh Reaver - MTG Card versions
Bloodcurdler - MTG Card versions
Nantuko Shade - MTG Card versions
Piper of the Swarm - MTG Card versions
Undead Augur - MTG Card versions
Shepherd of Rot - MTG Card versions
Swarm of Rats - MTG Card versions
Skullsnatcher - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Cutthroat - MTG Card versions
Nezumi Graverobber // Nighteyes the Desecrator - MTG Card versions

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Yixlid Jailer disrupts strategies that rely on graveyard interactions, thwarting opposing plays and effectively negating the potential for them to gain card advantage from their graveyard.

Resource Acceleration: While not directly accelerating resources, Yixlid Jailer can be seen as an indirect form of acceleration by preventing opponents from exploiting their graveyard for additional resources, thus keeping you ahead on in-game resources.

Instant Speed: Even though Yixlid Jailer itself doesn’t operate at instant speed, it fortifies your strategy against instant speed graveyard plays and surprise combos, thereby preserving your board state and maintaining control.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Yixlid Jailer doesn’t require discarding as an activation cost. However, its ability to shut down graveyard strategies might inadvertently hamper your own discard outlets, limiting the use of cards that benefit from a stocked graveyard.

Specific Mana Cost: The jailer’s casting cost includes one black mana, which may not align with all deck types. Decks without black mana sources will find this card incompatible with their strategies.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: While a two-mana casting cost isn’t exorbitant, in fast-paced or highly competitive environments, every mana expenditure counts. In some instances, players might prefer spells that affect the board immediately or disrupt opponents in more versatile ways.


Reasons to Include Yixlid Jailer in Your Collection

Versatility: Yixlid Jailer isn’t limited to a single deck archetype. It serves as a valuable sideboard card across various strategies that contend with graveyard-based mechanics. Its ability to shut down opponent’s graveyard tactics makes it a useful tool in many matchups.

Combo Potential: While it doesn’t directly enable combos, Yixlid Jailer disrupts numerous graveyard synergies, effectively hindering your opponent’s combo potentials. This can often give you the upper hand in games where graveyard interaction is key to your opponent’s strategy.

Meta-Relevance: With graveyard strategies frequently appearing in various MTG formats, the necessity for graveyard hate is consistent. The presence of Yixlid Jailer in your collection means you’re prepared to face popular archetypes that rely on graveyard recursion, making it a meta-relevant inclusion to any player’s arsenal.


How to beat

Yixlid Jailer stands out in the pantheon of niche utility creatures in MTG. This card’s ability to nullify graveyard-based strategies makes it a formidable foe against decks that rely on such mechanics. Unlike other graveyard hate cards, Yixlid Jailer doesn’t remove the cards from the graveyard but simply renders their abilities irrelevant. This has a profound impact on popular mechanics like Dredge, Flashback, and Unearth.

To overcome Yixlid Jailer, consider using creature removal spells that can deal with it directly, such as Path to Exile or Fatal Push, which are staples in many MTG decks. Alternatively, board wipe effects like Wrath of God can clear the Jailer along with other creatures. It’s essential to have these answers ready, especially if your deck hinges on the synergies from the graveyard.

It’s crucial to recognize that while Yixlid Jailer is a roadblock, it’s not insurmountable. By adapting your strategy to include direct answers or changing your deck’s composition to rely less on graveyard interactions, you can diminish the effectiveness of this pesky jailer. This adaptability is key to thriving in the constantly evolving environment of MTG.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Yixlid Jailer MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and DCI Promos, 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 Yixlid Jailer and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Yixlid Jailer Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 2006-01-02 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 360682003NormalBlackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
22006-01-02DCI PromosPDCI 72003NormalBlackAlex Horley-Orlandelli
32007-05-04Future SightFUT 93futureNormalBlackMatt Cavotta
42021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 1492015NormalBlackMatt Cavotta

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Yixlid Jailer has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Yixlid 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 If a card in a graveyard has an ability that defines a * in its power or toughness, that * is 0. For example, Tarmogoyf is a 0/1 creature card in your graveyard while you control Yixlid Jailer.
2021-03-19 If a card with changeling is in a graveyard, it still has all creature types.
2021-03-19 If a spell or ability allows you to cast a spell from your graveyard, the first step in doing so is to move it to the stack. That spell’s additional and alternative costs may be applied. However, if a card’s own ability allows you to cast it from your graveyard (such as a flashback ability) Yixlid Jailer stops that ability.
2021-03-19 If an ability triggers when the object that has it is put into a graveyard from anywhere other than the battlefield, such as Krosan Tusker or Narcomoeba, that ability triggers from the graveyard. Yixlid Jailer stops those abilities from triggering at all. This includes abilities that trigger when a card is put into a graveyard “from anywhere,” even if that card was on the battlefield.
2021-03-19 If an ability triggers when the object that has it is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, that ability triggers from the battlefield and isn’t affected by Yixlid Jailer.
2021-03-19 Some cards have abilities that apply “as
-his card] enters the battlefield” or state that “
-his card] enters the battlefield with” counters. Although these cards won’t have these abilities in the graveyard, they will be applied if the cards are put onto the battlefield from the graveyard (due to Zombify, perhaps). What matters is that these cards will have these abilities on the battlefield.
2021-03-19 Some replacement effects cause a card to be put somewhere else instead of being put into a graveyard (such as that of Darksteel Colossus). These effects mean the card is never actually put into the graveyard, so Yixlid Jailer doesn’t affect that ability.