Jumpstart, in its original and 2022 incarnations at least, has proven one of the most popularMagic: The Gatheringproducts in recent memory. Offering a unique mix-and-match approach to deck construction, wherein players combine two randomly themed boosters into one functional 40-card deck, Jumpstart simplified deckbuilding and maximized fun, making it a hit with new and experienced players alike.
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The well-curated list of pack themes was a big contributing factor to Jumpstart’s success. Ranging from type-based themes like Zombies or Merfolk, to more flavourful entries like Witchcraft and Archaeology, each was unique and interesting in its own way. Here are themes we want Jumpstart to tackle as it develops further in the future.
10Burning Sands
This theme would offer a flavourful fusion of the well-established Burn archetype with the sweltering sands of Magic’s Desert land type. Based primarily in red, packs would feature the red-aligned Desert cards Ramunap Ruins and Desert of the Fervent, alongside colorless classics like Dunes of the Dead, Sunscorched Desert, and original recipe Desert.
These would be mixed in with red Desert-matters creatures like Sand Strangler and Gilded Ceradon, providing some ground support for asuite of Burn spells. As a final touch, Desert-themed removal options Scouring Sands and Desert Sandstorm would round out the theme, providing a powerful and flavorful option for players.
9Modular
There’s a striking lack of colorless Jumpstart themes to date, so a theme based on Mirrodin’s iconic modular mechanic would fill that void beautifully. A series of artifact creatures that can redistribute their starting stats to another artifact creature upon death, modular was mostly known for the staggering impact Arcbound Ravager had in the Standard of the time.
The Ravager could head up the theme as the rare (or mythic) in the pack, supported by a range of low-cost modular buddies like Arcbound Worker and Arcbound Stinger. The mana base here would largely be made up of Wastes, but could also include on-theme support lands like Ruins of Oran-Rief. If the reprint gods are feeling generous, eternal staple Urza’s Saga could even make an appearance.
8Midnight Ritual
A theme built around the fan-favorite Shadowborn Apostle, Midnight Ritual would be focused onpowering out a huge Demonby sacrificing six Apostles at once. This feat would be achieved by including as many Apostles as possible in the deck, as well as low-power black tutors like Increasing Ambition and Diabolic Tutor to search them up.
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Of course, a powerful Demon or two would need to be included as well, making this theme a great opportunity to reprint the ever-popular Griselbrand at mythic, and possibly a couple of less-devastating-but-still-impactful Demons as backup too, such as Dreadhound and Feaster of Fools.
7Superfriends
Every Jumpstart set has chase themes, and what could be more chase than a pack filled with planeswalkers in a format where they’re usually incredibly rare? The Superfriends theme could encompass all five colors, blending multicolored lands with a full spectrum of planeswalkers largely pulled from planeswalker decks or War of the Spark so as to avoid completely unbalancing the draft experience.
This would give many of the underpowered planeswalkers of the past a chance to finally shine, while still providing an exciting experience for anyone lucky enough to open the theme in their packs. Toss in a Call the Gatewatch to grab the ‘walker you need on demand, and you have a recipe for sweet thematic success.
6Squirrels
Simple creature type-based themes have done well for Jumpstart in the past, and a theme based around green’s often-overlooked Squirrel type could carry on this proud tradition. While mostly seen in older sets or parody products like Unfinity, Squirrels actually have a surprising amount of representation in the game, making a dedicated theme more than possible.
This could be headed up by Squirrel lords like Squirrel Sovereign and Squirrel Mob, and supported by Squirrel token generators like Deep Forest Hermit and Chatter of the Squirrel. Throw in a Squirrel Nest for your furry friends to kick back in, and you have a thematic home run that brings a lesser-known type into the Jumpstart fray.
5Death And Taxes
While Jumpstart is intended as a distinct format from the rest of Magic, self-contained and immune to the kind of archetype fatigue that plagues many eternal formats, including some established archetypes could help to raise the product’s appeal while bringing in more experienced players. Death and Taxes is a great candidate for this, a white-based archetype that focuses on limiting your opponent’s actions through mana ‘tax’ effects such as the one seen on Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.
Multiple creatures like this could be included, as well as a suite of white extort cards, to really hammer home the ‘Taxes’ part of the theme. The result would be a grind-y white theme that can slow down your opponent, and give you a taste of high-level eternal gameplay as well.
4Beach Trip
A truly top-down theme design, Beach Trip would emulate a sunny family day out through a combination of surprisingly synergistic elements. The creatures here would be classic beach-dwellers like Ruin Crab and Homarid Explorer, hand-picked tolean into a mill theme. The spells would support this long-term strategy by tapping down your opponent’s creatures, reinforcing the holiday theme by including cards like Sleep in the roster.
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Beyond this, flavorful inclusions like Lonely Sandbar and Sigiled Starfish can round things out. The end result will be a thematically rich journey to the sandy shores of the Multiverse, and a serviceable Mill deck in one tight package.
3From The Ashes
A type-based theme with a spell support twist, From the Ashes will put Magic’s most resilient creature type, the Phoenix, under a fiery spotlight for all to see. Naturally, the theme will include multiple Phoenix creatures, focusing primarily on those that interact with instants and sorceries, such as Arclight Phoenix and Chandra’s Phoenix.
These blazing birds will then be supported by a series of cheap spells, including looting effects like Faithless Looting and Cathartic Reunion, as well as red removal options like Annihilating Fire. Altogether, From the Ashes will provide a solid theme that showcases the lesser-seen grind-y side of red as a color.
2Tropical
A mono-green theme that focuses on generating all five colors of mana, Tropical is a cardboard contradiction that will serve as solid support for whichever theme it’s paired with. Kicking things off with mana dorks like Birds of Paradise and Beastcaller Savant, the theme will also include enchantments like Abundant Growth and Fertile Ground.
These tools will allow Tropical to easily access whatever combination of mana it needs, thus enabling its big finishers Bringer of the Green Dawn and Golos, Tireless Pilgrim to work their multicolored magic. It’s a solid support theme that also has a game plan of its own, making it a great addition to Jumpstart as a whole.
1Forbidden Secrets
A theme that taps into the dark side of blue’s instant and sorcery obsession, Forbidden Secrets focuses on casting spells from beyond the grave through spooky self-mill schemes.From flashback spellslike Dream Twist and Otherworldly Gaze, to recursion creatures like Archaeomancer, your graveyard becomes a second hand with this theme.
In that hand, you can hold blue’s usual assortment of instant and sorcery shenanigans, including removal and countermagic, thus ensuring you have answers for your opponents’ plays at all times. A fun subversion of the color’s typical identity, Forbidden Secrets will prove that blue doesn’t need a splash of black to indulge in the sinister side of things.
