Brain in a Jar
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Magic: The Gathering
Mana cost
Shadows over Innistrad PromosPSOI · #252s
- Card type
- Artifact
- Rarity
- Rare
- Indicative price
- ★ 1.08 € · ★ 1.36 $
- Mana value
- 2
- Colour
- Colourless
Card text
, : Put a charge counter on this artifact, then you may cast an instant or sorcery spell with mana value equal to the number of charge counters on this artifact from your hand without paying its mana cost. , , Remove X charge counters from this artifact: Scry X.
Format legality
- BrawlLegal
- CommanderLegal
- CompetitivebrawlLegal
- DuelLegal
- GladiatorLegal
- HistoricLegal
- LegacyLegal
- ModernLegal
- OathbreakerLegal
- PennyLegal
- PioneerLegal
- TimelessLegal
- VintageLegal
Legalities follow the imported catalogue; check format rules before a tournament.
Data imported on 2026-10-06 (UTC).
Indicative Scryfall prices, updated daily. ★: foil; ★ E: etched foil. EUR and USD represent different markets.
Printing information
- Illustrator
- Daniel Ljunggren
- Card language
- English
- Release date
- 2016-04-08
Rulings
If Brain in a Jar leaves the battlefield before its first ability resolves, use the number of counters on it at the moment it left to determine what spell you may cast. That number won’t change because you can’t put a new counter on Brain in a Jar.
If the card has in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X.
If you cast a card “without paying its mana cost,” you can’t choose to cast it for any alternative costs, such as awaken costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, such as that of Lightning Axe, you must pay those to cast the card.
When resolving the first ability of Brain in a Jar, the newly-placed charge counter will be counted when determining what spells you may cast. No player may take any action between you placing the counter and choosing which spell to cast.
