Although the Magic: The Gathering sets for 2020 were announced months ago, that doesn't mean Wizards of the Coast has revealed all of its Magic the Gathering secrets for the year. This week brought the surprise announcement of a brand new product called Jumpstart that aims to provide fast and exciting thematic battles without hours of deckbuilding.
Deckbuilding is obviously a big part of the fun for many Magic: The Gathering players, but that's not the case for everyone. Jumpstart aims to offer a new way to quickly build decks by smashing two thematic boosters together. This varies from the usual pre-constructed deck products because there is a ton of room for variation and customization thanks to the different themes included in each booster.
As always, anytime there is a new product available consumers are going to have a lot of questions. WotC actually released a ton of details about how Jumpstart will impact Magic and Magic Arena during its reveal, so many of the most common questions already have answers revealed...
What is Jumpstart?
The idea of Jumpstart is fairly simple. Players are meant to purchase two Jumpstart booster packs and shuffle them together to make a mash-up deck. One booster pack may be Pirate themed and another may be Goblin themed, so combining the two will give players a ready to use Goblin Pirates deck. It's an interesting idea that aims to capitalize on the game space that exists somewhere between Limited and Constructed play. It will likely be a very casual format that isn't designed for highly competitive tournaments.
"Goblins and Walls. Cats and Phyrexians. Pirates and Unicorns. All together at last, thanks to Jumpstart.
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. If you can't wait to have Pirates head into battle with Unicorns, smash two boosters together and ride on. If you absolutely must merge the greatest evils in the multiverse together, Cats and Phyrexian packs are waiting for you.
Jumpstart takes the best parts of Limited and Constructed Magic and fuses them into a dynamic, innovative play experience."
What is in a Jumpstart booster?
Each Jumpstart booster includes 20 cards. All 20 cards fit a theme, and most themes have multiple variations—enough to make 121 possible 20-card lists inside any given pack.
Themes range from the familiar ("Garruk") to the curious ("Doctor"), and two themes sometimes come together to form an unlikely mishmash ("Doctor Garruk"). If you've ever wanted to make a Cat Pirate deck well, meow is the time. There are even special "Mythic Rare" packs that don't have variations at all—just the one card list—because there is only one true Unicorn deck.
Each booster contains 20 cards centered on a theme. What theme each booster contains is randomized, but each themed 20 cards will be sealed inside the pack and labled.
One in three boosters includes an extra rare.
Are Jumpstart boosters new cards or reprints?
Both! The majority of Jumpstart cards will be reprints, but there are 37 brand-new cards coming to MtG thanks to Jumpstart.
When Does Jumpstart Release?
Jumpstart products officially release on July 3, 2020. That said, there will be pre-release events that put these packs out into the wild a bit early.
When is the Jumpstart Pre-Release Event?
Jumpstart pre-releases will be taking place on June 20 and June 21. Be sure to check with your local game store for details and availability. At this point, it does not sound like the Magic Arena Jumpstart pre-release will be taking place at the same time as the in-person events.
"Jumpstart Prereleases will be run all day. Each player will get two Jumpstart boosters to create a deck and then they just—play. Play enough matches, get a promo card. And if you want to jump back in? Hey, go right ahead. You may even earn another promo."
What Format are Jumpstart cards legal in?
This is where things get interesting for competitive Constructed players. Although Jumpstarts boosters will not add any new cards to the Standard, Pioneer, or Modern formats, the 37 new cards will be legal in Eternal formats. That means that any high-powered cards from Jumpstart boosters could make appearances in future Legacy, Vintage, and Commander decks. We'll know more about how realistic that is once we start seeing some spoilers.
Will Jumpstart be on Magic Arena?
The short answer is yes, but the longer answer is a bit more complicated. The initial press release for Jumpstart doesn't specific an exact release date for Jumpstart on Magic Arena, but does confirm that it will come to the game sometime this year.
"We also plan to bring this fun play experience to MTG Arena sometime this year! Jumpstart cards on MTG Arena will be legal in Historic."
Recent products have been releasing on Magic Arena right around the same time as in paper, but the wording here does suggest that might not be the case. This likely isn't as big of a deal for most players since Jumpstart doesn't impact Standard play, but it will be interesting to see exactly when the products arrive digitally.
Be sure to check back in the near future for more Magic: The Gathering strategy guides, news, and updates. Until then, draw well, planeswalkers!
Magic: The Gathering's Jumpstart products release July 3, 2020. Magic Arena is available now in select regions on Android and iOS devices. The Magic: The Gathering Theros: Beyond Death expansion set is available now.