Before any cards were even revealed, Jumpstart 2022 was seen as a bit of an oddity. Releasing two weeks after The Brothers’ War, many players felt Jumpstart 2022 was simply tacked onto the end of 2022. Other players, however, forgot the set existed entirely, which isn’t too surprising considering the Phyrexian Arc completely overshadows its release. Even once cards started to be revealed in October, it was difficult to pay attention since The Brothers’ War’s release loomed in the distance.
Thankfully, now that The Brothers’ War has come and gone, Jumpstart 2022 can finally have its time in the spotlight. Despite getting off to a rocky start, Jumpstart 2022’s spoiler season has made it clear the set was worth looking forward to all along. With new cards, prized reprints, and some value here and there, Jumpstart 2022 is a dream set for tribal players. But is that who the set is even for?
Tribal Delights
By its very nature, Jumpstart 2022 is set up to be exceptionally interesting for EDH players. Just like a tribal deck in Commander of Brawl, each Jumpstart 2022 pack is built around a singular theme. With 46 different themes in the supplemental set, it’s safe to say that Jumpstart 2022 covers a lot of ground. Thankfully, to make the set more compelling for enfranchised players, these niche themes are expanded upon with new cards. Rat tribal, for instance, is getting a new incredibly synergistic legendary creature;
Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm
Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm
Whenever Ashcoat attacks or blocks, other Rats you control get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of Rats you control.
At the beginning of your end step, you may mill four cards. If you do, return up to two Rat creature cards from your graveyard to your hand. (To mill a card, put the top card of your library into your graveyard.)
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Alongside this new powerful rat, which can make a stack of
Relentless Rats
Relentless Rats
This creature gets +1/+1 for each other creature on the battlefield named Relentless Rats.
A deck can have any number of cards named Relentless Rats.
even scarier, Jumpstart 2022 features plenty more interesting Rares and Mythics.
Alandra, Sky Dreamer
Alandra, Sky Dreamer
Whenever you draw your second card each turn, create a 2/2 blue Drake creature token with flying.
Whenever you draw your fifth card each turn, Alandra and Drakes you control each get +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
and
Kenessos, Priest of Thassa
Kenessos, Priest of Thassa
If you would scry a number of cards, scry that many cards plus one instead.
{3}{G/U}: Look at the top card of your library. If it's a Kraken, Leviathan, Octopus, or Serpent creature card, you may put it onto the battlefield. If you don't put the card onto the battlefield, you may put it on the bottom of your library.
, for instance, are both Merfolk who enable what I like to call seafood tribal. Additionally,
Zask, Skittering Swarmlord
Zask, Skittering Swarmlord
You may play lands and cast Insect spells from your graveyard.
Whenever another Insect you control dies, put it on the bottom of its owner's library, then mill two cards. (Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.)
{1}{B/G}: Target Insect gets +1/+0 and gains deathtouch until end of turn. ({B/G} can be paid with either {B} or {G}.)
is a powerful, albeit expensive, new card that supports both land and insect-themed decks. There’s even a new cat to directly appease my Catmander playing heart:
Runadi, Behemoth Caller
Runadi, Behemoth Caller
Whenever you cast a creature spell with mana value 5 or greater, that creature enters with X additional +1/+1 counters on it, where X is its mana value minus 4.
Creatures you control with three or more +1/+1 counters on them have haste.
{T}: Add {G}.
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Admittedly, while interesting, many of the new cards, including the demonic
Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence
Auntie Blyte, Bad Influence
Flying
Whenever a source you control deals damage to you, put that many +1/+1 counters on Auntie Blyte.
{1}{R}, {T}, Remove X +1/+1 counters from Auntie Blyte: It deals X damage to any target.
, aren’t destined to be format-warping Commanders. Instead, they’re merely fun new options for tribal-loving players to experiment with. Further achieving this goal, Jumpstart 2022 also has a handful of new common and uncommon cards to better support tribes.
Ingenious Leonin
Ingenious Leonin
{3}{W}: Put a +1/+1 counter on another target attacking creature you control. If that creature is a Cat, it gains first strike until end of turn. (It deals combat damage before creatures without first strike.)
, for instance, is another option for cat tribal, and
Distinguished Conjurer
Distinguished Conjurer
Whenever another creature you control enters, you gain 1 life.
{4}{W}, {T}: Exile another target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner's control.
is a new compelling choice for flicker-themed decks. Alongside these already-established themes, Jumpstart 2022 graciously fleshes out some underrepresented tribes. Primates, for instance, are finally getting their due with a brand-new banana-loving commander
Kibo, Uktabi Prince
Kibo, Uktabi Prince
{T}: Each player creates a colorless artifact token named Banana with "{T}, Sacrifice this token: Add {R} or {G}. You gain 2 life."
Whenever an artifact an opponent controls is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control that's an Ape or a Monkey.
Whenever Kibo attacks, defending player sacrifices an artifact of their choice.
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Adored Additions
Despite Jumpstart 2022’s new cards not being destined to be format-breaking staples, MTG players are no less enthused by them. From the moment new cards are revealed, players have been quick to jump on them with praise and deckbuilding suggestions. Auntie Blythe, Bad Influence, for instance, delighted the MTG community on Reddit, who couldn’t wait to injure themselves. Leading in with jokes, players like u/ubermence commented that there’s “finally a reason to play
Mana Crypt
Mana Crypt
At the beginning of your upkeep, flip a coin. If you lose the flip, this artifact deals 3 damage to you.
{T}: Add {C}{C}.
. Being slightly more sensible, u/TechnomagusPrime noted, “this is quite silly with Painlands and the Odyssey Threshold Lands. Shame
Fastbond
Fastbond
You may play any number of lands on each of your turns.
Whenever you play a land, if it wasn't the first land you played this turn, this enchantment deals 1 damage to you.
is banned in most formats.”
With the ability to spread the effects of abilities to your entire board,
Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier
Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier
Vigilance
Whenever Agrus Kos becomes the target of an ability that targets only it, you may pay {1}{R/W}. If you do, copy that ability for each other creature you control that ability could target. Each copy targets a different one of those creatures. ({R/W} can be paid with either {R} or {W}.)
similarly inspired the community to get creative. Redditor u/Peelz4Dead, for instance, highlighted “Duelist Heritage [is a] easy way to give the team Double Strike.” Meanwhile, u/Xyronian pointed out that “
Brash Taunter
Brash Taunter
Indestructible
Whenever this creature is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to target opponent.
{2}{R}, {T}: This creature fights another target creature.
lets you dome your opponents with your entire field.” Additionally, u/Xyronian noted that while “maybe not a new idea,” blink and flicker spells can become exceptionally powerful. Alongside these actual deckbuilding suggestions, u/Bosk12 joked that “for only two mana, you can have your Mom (
Mother of Runes
Mother of Runes
{T}: Target creature you control gains protection from the color of your choice until end of turn.
) service an entire legion.
Similarly capturing the attention of the MTG community,
Zask, Skittering Swarmlord
Zask, Skittering Swarmlord
You may play lands and cast Insect spells from your graveyard.
Whenever another Insect you control dies, put it on the bottom of its owner's library, then mill two cards. (Put the top two cards of your library into your graveyard.)
{1}{B/G}: Target Insect gets +1/+0 and gains deathtouch until end of turn. ({B/G} can be paid with either {B} or {G}.)
was precisely what some players wanted. “Land AND Insect synergies?! Never would have guessed that my two passions of playing lands matter in Magic and entomology would fit into one deck,” u/Maulymon commented. Furthering this eager enthusiasm, u/QuantimAwesome stated, “yes!!! I’ve been waiting almost four years for this exact card to be made! When I first started playing Magic, I wanted to make an insect tribal deck.”
But Who Is Jumpstart 2022 Really For
Despite having interesting and thought-provoking cards for Commander players, Jumpstart 2022 has a bit of an identity problem. At its core, Jumpstart 2022 is, as you might expect, a Jumpstart set, which implies it’s designed for new players. The Jumpstart format is, after all, designed to be one of the most approachable ways to get into Magic. The contents of Jumpstart 2022 Boosters, however, aren’t exactly the most welcoming. The Urza’s packet, for instance, features a condensed version of Tron, an archetype that still sees play in Modern. On one hand, playing with these powerful cards is a lot of fun and may entice players into the game. On the other hand, however, playing Tron isn’t without its complexities, and it’ll also be mixed with another half-deck for added difficulty.
Alongside the presence of Tron, Jumpstart 2022 also features anime-inspired Booster Fun card frames to further stretch the set’s style. Picking up on this point, u/photoyoyo stated “Jumpstart is generally marketed as an introductory product. Nothing says welcome to our hobby quite like Stax waifus and Tron. What a weird design space they’ve gone for this time around.”
Nevertheless, while some of the pack archetypes might be a bit much for new players, they do appear to be a lot of fun. Subsequently, Jumpstart 2022 should be an enjoyable experience for MTG players regardless of their skill level. More so than attracting new players toward MTG, fun appears to be the main selling point of Jumpstart 2022. It’s just unclear who exactly is going to be buying boxes for the prospect of fun alone, as there’s not a huge amount of value to be had just yet. That said, it’s too early to tell how this product will look to the community. It could be a huge success!
Read More: Wizards Reveals new ‘Mythic’ Jumpstart 2022 Packets!