As a digital platform, unfortunately, MTG Arena doesn’t always get the same treatment as paper MTG. With assets like animations to create, mastery pass’ to devise, and programming to do, digital development certainly isn’t easy. As a result, occasionally, MTG Arena will miss out on the latest and greatest sets that are released on paper. For instance, the supplemental compilation set, Double Masters 2022, was a recent set not to be ported to MTG Arena. Thankfully, sets that feature a large number of new cards, such as Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate, have seen an Arena release in some capacity. While 2023’s The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth set is expected to receive similar treatment, not all sets are so lucky. Jumpstart 2022, for instance, appears to be baffling missing from the MTG Arena release calendar.
Jumpstart 2022
Despite launching in less than a month, on December 2nd, surprisingly little is known about Jumpstart 2022. Similarly to the Jumpstart sets before it, we know that Jumpstart 2022 is going to be comprised of 46 different themed booster packs. Unfortunately, and somewhat remarkably, that small details is near enough for all we know about Jumpstart 2022. A tiny handful of cards have been revealed, and eight of the 46 themes have been announced, but that’s it. While it’s important to note that the Jumpstart 2022 spoiler season hasn’t started yet, players are still confused about why so many details are missing. Specifically, players have recently been wondering; is Jumpstart 2022 coming to MTG Arena?
Remarkably, with Jumpstart 2022’s release so soon, MTG players aren’t even asking for a definitive yes anymore. Instead, players are asking for literally any communication from Wizards at all. Posting on Reddit, u/Unit_00, for instance, stated, “the community has been asking for weeks and has gotten radio silence. Just a clear official yes or no if it’s coming to Arena or not would be great.” Similarly, u/Disastrous-Donut-534 reiterated this utterly bemused statement. “Please why is this so hard? yes or no? Normally you would assume that no answer means they have something planned, otherwise why not just say no. Why keep us in suspense? Tell us.”
Unfortunately for MTG Arena players who’re looking forward to Jumpstart 2022, Wizards of the Coast has recently confirmed that the set will not be launching on MTG Arena. This was confirmed by Blake Rasmussen during the recent WeeklyMTG livestream. During the stream, Rasmussen flatly stated “Jumpstart 2022 will not be available on MTG Arena. Will not be coming to Arena” While this is disappointing news, upon seeing new spoilers for the set, which include the tremendously powerful Urzatron lands, it’s not at all surprising.
What Is Jumpstart 2022?
If you’ve not heard of it before, Jumpstart 2022 is a somewhat unique addition to the MTG calendar that’s designed to introduce new players to the game. Unlike traditional premier sets which are Drafted, Jumpstart 2022 packs are used primarily for their own format, aptly named Jumpstart. In this format, players open two Jumpstart packs, shuffle the contents together, and then play an opponent.
Since each Jumpstart 2022 pack contains one of 46 unique themes, the resulting deck promises to be a unique experience. Using Jumpstart 2022 packs alone, there are 121 different variations for decks that players can open across their two packs. Jumpstart 2022 is also compatible with past Jumpstart releases. This means players can mix and match a Jumpstart 2022 Booster with any other set’s Jumpstart Booster, such as the ones released alongside Dominaria United.
Currently, only eight of the 46 Jumpstart 2022 booster themes have been spoiled. These themes are Eldrazi, Multi-headed creatures (Hydras), Detective, Goblins, Law, Cats, Snow, and Speedy (Haste creatures). Alongside these themes, only a handful of cards have currently been spoiled for Jumpstart 2022. The most exciting cards so far are Marit Lage’s Slumber, Isu the Abominable, Ardoz, Cobbler of War, Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker, Kibo, Uktabi Prince, and Coldsteel Heart.
To go along with the reprints and new cards that Jumpstart 2022 will introduce, the set also features Booster Fun cards for the first time. These Booster Fun (alternative art) cards will be in an anime-inspired style for Jumpstart 2022. One of these Booster Fun cards can be found in every Jumpstart 2022 pack alongside one brand-new card.
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