Jace, Mirror Mage
Jace, Mirror Mage
Kicker
When Jace, Mirror Mage enters the battlefield, if Jace was kicked, create a token that's a copy of Jace, Mirror Mage, except it's not legendary and its starting loyalty is 1.
+1: Scry 2.
0: Draw a card and reveal it. Remove a number of loyalty counters equal to that card's converted mana cost from Jace, Mirror Mage.
illus. Tyler Jacobson # 63/280
Oracle Text
Kicker
When Jace, Mirror Mage enters the battlefield, if Jace was kicked, create a token that's a copy of Jace, Mirror Mage, except it's not legendary and its starting loyalty is 1.
+1: Scry 2.
0: Draw a card and reveal it. Remove a number of loyalty counters equal to that card's converted mana cost from Jace, Mirror Mage.
It doesn't do anything to protect itself except that there may be 2 of them to kill.
And it doesn't do anything spectacular.
All this before making use of his Kicker ability which is quite well designed. At the very least, you can use the Copy's (0) to get a card draw, which is the absolute standard of 2 = draw a card. Alternatively, you can stack scry's and draws between the two Jaces scry closer to answers or just manage loyalty for draws so Jace sticks around.
Personally, this card seems like a slam dunk for control decks. 4-of, easy. Legend ruling Narsets on (1), often felt kind of bad. If you can amass numerous Copy's by kicking multiple Jaces to replace to legend rule or lost to its card draw, you can have massive amounts of topdeck control through multiple scrys or card draw, all while putting multiple bodies on the field that the opponent will have to consider attacking or ignoring.
As such, the cards will always be considered creature cards with CMC equal to the cost printed in the top right corner of the card, unless cast as an Adventure. It does have quite a bit of relevance even in standard, for example:
If Keruga, the Macrosage is your companion, you may play Brazen Borrower and Bonecrusher Giant as well as their Adventure spells, but not Faerie Guidemother.
Shark Typhoon's triggered ability will see a cast Granted for CMC of 4, not 2 or 6, and create a 4/4 Shark token.
Discarding a Bonecrusher Giant to Narset of the Ancient Way
's (-2) will deal 3 damage, not 2 or 5. But as you acknowledge, discarding Warrant // Warden would deal 7.