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Jumpstart
Jumpstart
Set Information
Set symbol
Design Doug Beyer (lead)
Sam Stoddard
Yoni Skolnik
Mark Gottlieb
Annie Sardelis
Development Doug Beyer (lead)
Yoni Skolnik
Adam Prosak
Jadine Klomparens
Reggie Valk
Michael Hinderaker
Art direction Cynthia Sheppard
Release date July 17, 2020
Plane Various
Themes and mechanics 46 different themes in 121 packs
Keywords/​ability words Various
Set size 78 cards
(11 commons, 7 uncommons, 14 rares, 6 mythic rares, 40 basic lands)
+417 reprints
(186 commons, 147 uncommons, 73 rares, 11 mythic rares)
+169 M21 cards
(79 commons, 48 uncommons, 20 rares, 7 mythic rares, 15 basic lands)
Expansion code JMP[2]
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
[[Core Set 2021]] Jumpstart [[Double Masters]]
For the keyword ability, see Jump-start.
Jumpstart Booster

Jumpstart Booster pack

Jumpstart is a supplemental Magic booster set with mostly reprints and some new cards. It was intended to be released on June 26, 2020, but this was pushed back to July 17.[3][4][5][6][7] The set is closely tied to Core Set 2021 but is a stand-alone product. It melds an easy way of deckbuilding with the “shuffle up and play” speed of constructed. In this, it is similar to the Smash Up game of the Alderac Entertainment Group and Richard Garfield's KeyForge.

Set details

Jumpstart expansion symbol

Expansion symbol

“  Mix, Match, Mayhem  ”

Jumpstart is a new way to play Magic that mashes together themes from throughout the history of the game and lets you skip the deckbuilding part. Grab two boosters, shuffle them into a 40-card deck, and start playing. The set contains almost 500 reprints but also introduces 37 new cards that were designed to help fill out some of the themes. These are not going to be Standard-, Pioneer-, or Modern-legal cards, but are legal in Eternal formats (Legacy, Vintage, Pauper and Commander). There are no foil cards in the set. 150 cards are from Core Set 2021[8], and more than 400 reprints are from sets before Core Set 2021. Cards from M21 have the M21 expansion symbol, while new cards and other reprints will have the Jumpstart symbol. Reprints have a Post-M15 card frame. The new cards and cards with new art are numbered #1/78 to #78/78 (11 commons, 7 uncommons, 14 rares, 6 mythic rares, 40 basic lands). The other reprints with the Jumpstart expansion symbol are numbered #79-495 (186 commons, 147 uncommons, 73 rares, 11 mythic rares).

The set was designed as a two-player game, but you can also play multiplayer with it.[9]

Jumpstart will be added to MTG Arena on July 16, 2020[7]. Jumpstart cards on MTG Arena are legal in Historic. The way you play Jumpstart in MTG Arena is expected to be a little different from the paper release.

Marketing

Jumpstart is sold in 20-card boosters, and booster boxes contain 24 boosters.[10] All 20 cards in a booster fit a theme, and most themes are mono-color and have multiple variations of cards included in the pack, totaling 121 different possible pack contents. Special "Mythic Rare" packs don't have variations at all, but just one possible card list and can feature multiple colors. What theme each booster contains is randomized. Most packs are singletons, but there are some instances of having two copies of a card in the pack. All boosters contain at least one rare, and one in three boosters includes an extra rare. Of the 20 cards in a pack, seven or eight are lands. One basic land (or in the case of Rainbow, Terramorphic Expanse) features art that matches the pack's theme. The planeswalker themed packs use the respective Showcase lands from M21, but the other packs use brand-new themed land art created for the set. The booster pack is wrapped like a regular pack, but the set of cards is packed in an additional plastic wrap, with a face card (the "Pack Summary card") that indicates the theme and the color of the half-deck.

Jumpstart is also available in the Jumpstart Multipack, which includes four 20-card booster packs.[11]

The set doesn't have a limited print run and the availability of themes won't change. The set is available in English only.

Events

  • Prerelease: July 17-19, 2020
    • Prereleases ran all day. Each player received two Jumpstart boosters to create a deck. When they played enough matches, they earned a promo card.

Promo

Online

Jumpstart will be released on MTG Arena on July 16th. Jumpstart cards on MTG Arena will be legal in Historic. There will be slight differences with the physical version.[13] The official physical way to play is to open four packs, and then choose how to pair them and then play with two decks. That process will play and work a little differently on MTG Arena. The card pool will be slightly different, too, since some cards don’t work so well on computers because of the way they ask the player to constantly confirm decisions, because of concerns for the Historic format, or due to technical constraints. In total, twenty cards printed in Jumpstart boosters are excluded from the MTG Arena. [14]

In Magic Online, Jumpstart cards will become available in Treasure Chests.

Themes and mechanics

There are 46 themes that range from the familiar to the curious. Common themes are each represented four times in different variations among the 121 packs, rare themes twice, and mythic themes are represented only once. The rarity of a given pack should not be taken as an indication of power level; but rather how replayable the theme is.[15] The variant decklists of a given theme always have the same general flavor, mana curve, and game plan.[16] In addition to the Rainbow deck, each color features two mythic themes, three rare themes and four common themes.

Name Color Rarity Theme Rares Mythics
Basri {W} Mythic Basri Ket, +1/+1 counters Basri's Lieutenant Basri Ket
Unicorns {W} Mythic Unicorns Blessed Sanctuary* Emiel the Blessed*
Teferi {U} Mythic Teferi, card draw Teferi's Ageless Insight Teferi, Master of Time
Mill {U} Mythic Milling Bruvac the Grandiloquent*
Liliana {B} Mythic Liliana Vess, Zombies Liliana's Standard Bearer Liliana, Waker of the Dead
Phyrexian {B} Mythic Phyrexians Sheoldred, Whispering One
Chandra {R} Mythic Chandra Nalaar, direct damage Chandra's Incinerator Chandra, Heart of Fire
Seismic {R} Mythic Elementals, direct damage[15] Grim Lavamancer, Magmaquake
Garruk {G} Mythic Garruk Wildspeaker, "ferocious" Garruk's Harbinger Garruk, Unleashed
Walls {G} Mythic Walls, defender[15] Assault Formation Towering Titan*
Rainbow {M} Mythic Multicolored cards, mana fixing[17] Chamber Sentry Maelstrom Archangel
Angels {W} Rare Angels Angelic Arbiter Baneslayer Angel, Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Dogs {W} Rare Dogs, white weenies Isamaru, Hound of Konda, Pack Leader
Enchanted {W} Rare Auras Ajani's Chosen, Celestial Mantle, Kor Spiritdancer
Pirates {U} Rare Pirates Corsair Captain*
Spirits {U} Rare Spirits Rattlechains, Shacklegeist
Under the Sea {U} Rare Big aquatic creatures Pursued Whale, Whelming Wave
Discarding {B} Rare Discard Liliana's Reaver, Nyxathid Tinybones, Trinket Thief*
Rogues {B} Rare Rogues Gonti, Lord of Luxury, Thieves' Guild Enforcer
Witchcraft {B} Rare Sacrificing creatures for lifegain, Food Bogbrew Witch, Witch of the Moors*
Dragons {R} Rare Dragons Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge, Lathliss, Dragon Queen Terror of the Peaks
Lightning {R} Rare Aggro, cards with "lightning" in their names Ball Lightning, Lightning Phoenix*
Minotaurs {R} Rare Minotaurs Rageblood Shaman, Sethron, Hurloon General*
Cats {G} Rare Cats Feline Sovereign, Lurking Predators
Elves {G} Rare Elves, ramp Elvish Archdruid Allosaurus Shepherd*, Craterhoof Behemoth
Lands {G} Rare Landfall, lands as creatures Oracle of Mul Daya Ulvenwald Hydra
Doctor {W} Common Lifegain Cradle of Vitality, Path of Bravery, Rhox Faithmender, Speaker of the Heavens
Feathered Friends {W} Common Birds and other winged creatures Angel of the Dire Hour, Archon of Justice, Archon of Redemption, Steel-Plume Marshal*
Heavily Armored {W} Common +1/+1 counters and go wide Cathars' Crusade, Duelist's Heritage, High Sentinels of Arashin Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Legion {W} Common Go wide tokens Blessed Sanctuary*, Glorious Anthem, Mentor of the Meek, Lena, Selfless Champion
Above the Clouds {U} Common Flying creatures Inniaz, the Gale Force*, Kira, Great Glass-Spinner, Serendib Efreet, Windreader Sphinx
Archaeology {U} Common Artifact recursion, Scarecrows Scarecrone, Scholar of the Lost Trove*, Sharding Sphinx, Vedalken Archmage
Well-Read {U} Common Card draw Mystic Archaeologist, Ormos, Archive Keeper*, Read the Runes, Rhystic Study
Wizards {U} Common Wizards, control Barrin, Tolarian Archmage, Talrand, Sky Summoner, Riptide Laboratory
Minions {B} Common Sacrificing creatures, graveyard recursion[17] Kels, Fight Fixer*, Phyrexian Tower Ghoulcaller Gisa
Reanimated {B} Common Reanimation Gravewaker, Reanimate, Scourge of Nel Toth Rise of the Dark Realms
Spooky {B} Common Morbid Black Market, Harvester of Souls, Languish, Ogre Slumlord
Vampires {B} Common Vampires, lifegain Exquisite Blood, Sangromancer, Vito, Thorn of the Dusk Rose Drana, Liberator of Malakir
Devilish {R} Common Devils, creature sacrifice Brash Taunter, Hellrider, Sin Prodder, Zurzoth, Chaos Rider*
Goblins {R} Common Goblins Goblin Chieftain, Goblin Goon, Krenko, Mob Boss, Muxus, Goblin Grandee*
Smashing {R} Common "Ferocious" Etali, Primal Storm, Hamletback Goliath, Sarkhan's Unsealing, Volcanic Salvo
Spellcasting {R} Common Instants and sorceries, prowess Charmbreaker Devils, Double Vision, Dualcaster Mage Immolating Gyre*
Dinosaurs {G} Common Dinosaurs Ghalta, Primal Hunger, Primal Might, Rampaging Brontodon Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
Plus One {G} Common +1/+1 counters and go tall Branching Evolution*, Champion of Lambholt, Rishkar, Peema Renegade Primeval Bounty
Predatory {G} Common Death triggers on creatures, lure and fight effects[16] Momentous Fall, Neyith of the Dire Hunt*, Ravenous Baloth, Thragtusk
Tree-Hugging {G} Common Treefolk, drawing two cards in a turn Jolrael, Mwonvuli Recluse, Primordial Sage, Soul of the Harvest, Verdant Embrace

^* New card.

Tokens

Jumpstart comes with neither tokens nor emblems: that said, a number of cards in the set generate tokens, so a list is provided below for reference. (A list of tokens and emblems for cards printed in Core 2021 can be found here.)

^† These tokens do not have paper printings as of time of release.

The following tokens are produced by cards exclusive to the digital release of Jumpstart on Arena.

Cycles

Jumpstart contains two cycles of new cards.

Cycle name {W} {U} {B} {R} {G}
Hybrid legends Emiel the Blessed ({G/W}) Inniaz, the Gale Force ({W/U}) Kels, Fight Fixer ({U/B}) Sethron, Hurloon General ({B/R}) Neyith of the Dire Hunt ({R/G})
Five rare or mythic rare legendary creatures, each of which has an ability requiring allied color hybrid mana.
Thriving lands Thriving Heath Thriving Isle Thriving Moor Thriving Bluff Thriving Grove
Five common taplands. Each one taps for a given color or a color chosen when it enters the battlefield.

Notable cards

New cards

New art lands

Other cards with new art

Paper and digital exclusives

Twenty cards are excluded from the MTG Arena release as a result of either their perceived power level being too high for Historic or their implementation requiring more time than was available.[14] These 20 paper exclusive cards were replaced with 20 alternative cards when Jumpstart was released on Arena, several of which were new to Arena.[18][19]

Color Paper variant Online variant Packs affected
{W} Ajani's Chosen Archon of Sun's Grace Enchanted
{W} Angelic Arbiter Serra's Guardian Angels
{W} Path to Exile Banishing Light Legion
{U} Read the Runes Gadwick, the Wizened Well-Read
{U} Rhystic Study Teferi's Ageless Insight Well-Read
{U} Thought Scour Weight of Memory Mill
{B} Exhume Bond of Revival Reanimated
{B} Mausoleum Turnkey Audacious Thief Rogues
{B} Reanimate Doomed Necromancer Reanimated
{B} Scourge of Nel Toth Woe Strider Reanimated
{B} Sheoldred, Whispering One Carnifex Demon Phyrexian
{R} Ball Lightning Lightning Serpent Lightning
{R} Chain Lightning Lightning Strike Lightning
{R} Draconic Roar Scorching Dragonfire Dragons
{R} Flametongue Kavu Fanatic of Mogis Smashing
{R} Goblin Lore Goblin Oriflamme Goblins
{R} Lightning Bolt Lightning Strike Lightning
{G} Fa'adiyah Seer Dryad Greenseeker Lands
{G} Scrounging Bandar Pollenbright Druid Plus One
{G} Time to Feed Prey Upon Predatory

^‡ New to Historic.

Misprints

There were several quality issues reported for Jumpstart packs. The most notable was the appearance of cards with two different card faces layered over each other. These "fused" cards resulted for basic lands in accidental dual lands that garnered high prices on the secondary market.[20][21]

Changes in rarity

Shifted from the last non-precon set (mentioned in parentheses).

Common to uncommon

Common to rare

Rare to uncommon

Uncommon to common

These cards are all new to Pauper.

Pack Summary cards

References

  1. Printed on the cards
  2. [1]
  3. Weekly MTG: Jumpstart!. Twitch.tv/magic (February 20, 2020).
  4. Wizards of the Coast (February 20, 2020). "Introducing Jumpstart: A New Way To Play Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. David McCoy (February 21, 2020). "Jumpstart is a New Sealed/Preconstructed Hybrid Product, Releases July 3, 2020". Hipsters of the Coast.
  6. WPN. "Jumpstart Product page". Wizards Play Network.
  7. a b Wizards of The Coast (April 2, 2020). "Jumpstart Release Shifts to July 17". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. Mark Rosewater (June 8, 2020). "Need I Say Core". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. Mark Rosewater (February 27, 2020). "Is jumpstart more focused on 1v1 or is it also geared towards multiplayer?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  10. Mark Rosewater (February 26, 2020). "how many packs in a booster box of Jumpstart?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  11. Jumpstart. Amazon.com.
  12. WPN (June 18, 2020). "Sneak Peek: Marketing Kits for M21, Jumpstart, More". Wizards Play Network.
  13. Alex Wiltshire (June 16, 2020). "You might finally have time for Magic: The Gathering thanks to Jumpstart". Rockpapershotgun.com.
  14. a b Wizards of the Coast (June 17, 2020). "Jumpstart Cards Being Replaced in MTG Arena". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. a b c Mark Heggen (June 18, 2020). "Stay Safe and Throw Lava". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. a b Doug Beyer (June 17, 2020). "Behind the Scenes of Designing Jumpstart". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. a b Alex Wiltshire (June 17, 2020). "Magic: The Gathering Jumpstart packs revealed: Minions and Rainbow". Rockpapershotgun.
  18. Wizards of the Coast (June 23, 2020). "MTG Arena: State of the Game -June 2020". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. Wizards of the Coast (July 15, 2020). "Jump into Jumpstart on MTG Arena". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. MTG_OG_VA (July 18, 2020). "Opened a Jumpstart booster and got 7 Volcanic Islands in it!". Reddit.
  21. lupulinaddiction (July 12, 2020). "Anyone else open misprints from Jumpstart?". Reddit.
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