Image courtesy of Scryfall.com
Color-Pair Mana Fixing for Juggle the Performance
When you reach for a BR burst of chaos in Alchemy: Murders at Karlov Manor, the spell Juggle the Performance presents a deliciously wild puzzle: how do you navigate a mana curve that starts with {1}{B}{R} and ends with a cascade of duplicated possibilities? This is one of those cards that rewards not just raw power but deliberate mana engineering. The set name itself hints at the kind of misdirection and mystique that players crave in red-black design—loud, a little chaotic, and absolutely memorable 🧙♂️🔥💎.
At its core, the spell asks every player to discard their hand and then conjure a duplicate of seven random cards from the right-hand neighbor’s library into that neighbor’s hand. The kicker? Those duplicates permanently gain “Mana of any type can be spent to cast this spell.” That means your mana base doesn’t just support the initial casting—it also lets you spend any color you need to deploy the repeatable, conjured duplicates you end up holding. It’s a spell that rewards flexible mana and careful sequencing, a combination that BR players love to chase. The interplay between hand disruption, random copy generation, and universal mana flexibility makes it a prime candidate for a dedicated mana-fixing plan 🧠🎯.
Why BR needs fixing when casting this spell
BR already leans on efficiency and disruption, but Juggle the Performance stretches your mana options in unexpected directions. You’ll often want enough black and red mana to pay the spell’s original cost, plus enough flexible mana to cast the duplicates and any spells those duplicates enable. Because the duplicates can spend mana of any type, you aren’t locked into a single color identity for the rest of the turn—this is a rare gift in a two-color pair that makes the surrounding deck design all the more intriguing. The real beauty is that fixing can be accomplished not just with traditional land drops, but with rocks and effects that let you pivot on the fly. And yes, with a wink to the lore, the more you embrace the chaos, the more the mana flows in your favor 🪄⚔️.
Strategic ways to fix mana for this color pair
- Color-fixing rocks and accelerants — Consider mana rocks like Rakdos Signet or similar artifacts that produce two colors for three mana. They’re approachable, reliable, and help smooth the curve into BR’s midgame turns where Juggle the Performance tends to shine. These tools don’t constrain you to a single color, which is essential when the duplicates grant you free-form mana options.
- Allied duals and fetch synergy — In formats where you have access to dual lands or fetch-enabled setups, you can shore up early black or red mana while opening paths to the other color when the spell’s needs pivot midgame. While not every environment supports every dual land, the philosophy remains: keep your mana bases elastic so you can pivot toward the unpredictable cost of the conjured copies.
- Chromatic and flexible payoffs — Cards that give you colorless or universal mana, then convert it into a targeted color payoff, are ideal here. Think of effects that let you convert mana sources into any color, which syncs beautifully with the spell’s “mana of any type” clause on the duplicates. It’s a small lever that yields outs late in the game when multiple duplicates pile up in hand.
- Card draw and hand manipulation — Juggle the Performance pushes you toward a paradox: you discard, then see a new set of cards (and duplicates) enter your orbit. Having reliable draw that also filters or reshuffles your options helps you keep a clean mana plan. The more you know what’s potentially coming from the right neighbor’s deck, the more you can tailor your mana sources to the expected needs of the turn.
- Tempo-aware sequencing — Don’t overcommit early to a linear plan. The card’s power lies in the late-game tempo swings created by the duplicates. Build a mana base that lets you flicker in and out of paying costs for multiple plays in a turn, while still threatening to disrupt opponents with your own copy-generation engine 🧲.
“Sometimes you don’t cast a spell so much as you cast a map for chaos—and the map smells faintly of roasted coffee and roasted disappointments in the best possible way.” 🧙♂️
Lore, art, and the buzz around the card
Juggle the Performance is a mythic from the Alchemy: Murders at Karlov Manor line, illustrated by Domenico Cava. The set’s flavor leans into tangled experiments and the eerie refinement of Karlov Manor’s alchemy labs, a theme that rings true in the card’s flavor text and mechanical identity. The conjure-and-copy motif fits the “what you think you see isn’t necessarily what you get” vibe that fans adore when a BR spell bends order as deftly as this one does. If you enjoy the quiet thrill of watching a game spiral into a suite of parallel possibilities, this is your card. The rarity and digital-only framing also nod to a newer era of MTG design that rewards experimentation and deckbuilding curiosity 🎨⚔️.
From a gameplay perspective, the card’s text invites the kind of planning that makes your local metas sing or sigh with delight. With seven random copies entering a neighbor’s hand, you’re not just setting up for a one-off play; you’re potentially shaping future draws, future turns, and future mana considerations for multiple players at the table. It’s a social trick as much as it is a spell, and the art fosters a sense of theatrical mischief that the BR color pair has long enjoyed in the lore of Magic: The Gathering 🧙♂️🎲.
Practical playtips for your table
- Track who’s across from you and who’s likely to be holding the most dangerous cards. Juggle the Performance can tilt a game fast if you can predict or influence what’s duplicated into your opponents’ hands.
- Leverage mana-flexibility on turns when you anticipate big plays from your own duplicates. If you can set up a scenario where you can cast the duplicates with final-mlick combinations, you’ll maximize value on every pass.
- Pair this with draw-disruption and board-control elements to maintain pressure while you assemble the right mana-fixing stack. The more consistent your color availability, the more often you can push through the seven-card bombardment from the neighbor’s library.
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