Jumpstart: Historic Horizons

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons
Set Information
Set symbol
Symbol description	Two half decks in an ellipse
Release date	August 26, 2021
Plane	Multiversal
Set size	787
Expansion code	J21[1]
MTG Arena series
Kaladesh Remastered Jumpstart: Historic Horizons Alchemy: Innistrad
Magic: The Gathering Chronology
Secret Lair Drop Series: Out of Time Superdrop Jumpstart: Historic Horizons Innistrad: Midnight Hunt

For other uses, see Jumpstart (disambiguation).

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons is an MTG Arena-exclusive card set released on August 26, 2021. Similar to the original 2020 Jumpstart release, it melds an easy way of deckbuilding with the speed of constructed. The release was two weeks delayed from the original announced release date (August 12), due to a major overhaul of the MTG Arena backend systems.^[2]

Description[ | ]

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons contains 787 cards (398 commons, 286 uncommons, 85 rares, 13 mythic rares, 5 basic lands) from Modern Horizons, Modern Horizons 2, and more. Of these, 372 were new to Arena (180 commons, 123 uncommons, 56 rares, 13 mythic rares), and therefore were introduced to its Historic format by this set, including 31 designed-for-digital cards brand new to Magic.^[3][4] These were the first collectible Arena-exclusive cards,^[a] and the first with digital-only mechanics, a feature continued by the subsequent Alchemy series of sets.

Jumpstart events[ | ]

Like the original Jumpstart release on MTG Arena, players are intended to select two of 46 different themed half deck packets which combine to create a deck for play. Instead of being completely preselected, some card slots in Jumpstart: Historic Horizons packets have a chance to be filled with alternate cards that fit the packet theme. The numerous possibilities per pack create more variety each time the format is played, but require players to pick the same pack more than once if they wish to collect all its cards without crafting.

Basic lands aren't included in the packet lists. Jumpstart: Historic Horizon events automatically provide a mix of basic lands based on the packets chosen, balanced for the costs and activated abilities on their cards. Players also receive nonbasic lands for play, either cycling lands from Historic Anthology 2 for single-color packets, or multicolor life-gain taplands from Core Set 2020 for packets with multiple colors.

Themes[ | ]

There are 46 themes.

Name	Color	Theme	Rares	Mythics
Cycling		Cycling	Benalish Partisan
Humans		Human tribal, +1/+1 counters	Elite Spellbinder, Hanweir Militia Captain, Thalia's Lieutenant
Legion		White weenie aggro	Return to the Ranks	Ranger-Captain of Eos
Serra's Realm		Angels	Righteous Valkyrie	Serra the Benevolent, Serra's Emissary
Teyo		Toughness matters		Teyo, Aegis Adept
Above the Clouds		Flying creatures, looting	Inniaz, the Gale Force, Wonder
Animated		Animating artifacts	Rise and Shine, Tome of the Infinite
Kiora		Sea creatures	Tome of the Infinite	Kiora, the Tide's Fury
Merfolk		Merfolk tribal	Master of the Pearl Trident	Svyelun of Sea and Sky
Undone		Control, flash	Archmage's Charm, Voracious Greatshark
Davriel		Discard	Subversive Acolyte	Davriel, Soul Broker
Plague		-1/-1 counters and effects	Subversive Acolyte	Yawgmoth, Thran Physician
Rats		Rat tribal	Marrow-Gnawer, Piper of the Swarm
Vampire		Vampire tribal	Callous Bloodmage, Cordial Vampire
Zombie		Zombie tribal	Dark Salvation, Diregraf Colossus, Endling, Murderous Rider
Goblins		Goblin tribal	Goblin Dark-Dwellers, Managorger Phoenix
Junkyard		Sacrificing artifacts for value	Breya's Apprentice, Goblin Engineer, Scrap Trawler
Sarkhan		Dragon tribal	Thunderbreak Regent	Sarkhan, Wanderer to Shiv
Scavenger		Discard	Conspiracy Theorist, Managorger Phoenix
Spellcasting		Direct damage, Aggro	Harmonic Prodigy	Seasoned Pyromancer
Bears		Bear tribal	Ayula, Queen Among Bears, Goreclaw, Terror of Qal Sisma
Energy		Energy	Bristling Hydra, Pool of Vigorous Growth, Sylvan Anthem
Freyalise		Elf tribal	Marwyn, the Nurturer	Freyalise, Skyshroud Partisan
Scaled Up		+1/+1 counters	Hardened Scales, Oran-Rief Ooze
Zoologist		Tokens	Chitterspitter, Esika's Chariot, Parallel Lives, Verdant Command
Flickering		Flickering	Charming Prince, Restoration Angel
In the Machine		Affinity for artifacts, modular	Esper Sentinel, Nettlecyst, Thought Monitor
Lost and Found		Discard	Bazaar Trademage, Champion of Wits, Necrogoyf
Ninjas		Ninjas	Mist-Syndicate Naga
Goblin Fodder		Sacrifice, aristocrats	Pashalik Mons, Dark-Dweller Oracle
Madness		Madness	Asylum Visitor, Chainer, Nightmare Adept
Scorched Earth		Lands	Pool of Vigorous Growth, Reap the Past, Squirrel Wrangler, Territorial Kavu
Storm		Storm, Instants and Sorceries	Aeve, Progenitor Ooze, Birgi, God of Storytelling, Dragonsguard Elite
Enchanted		Constellation	Sanctum Weaver, Starfield Mystic, Sterling Grove, Sythis, Harvest's Hand
Pumped Up		Creature pumping	Knight of Autumn, Rishkar, Peema Renegade
Many Faced		Changeling	Blade Splicer, Dire Fleet Poisoner
Reanimated		Reanimator	Nullpriest of Oblivion, Priest of Fell Rites
Delirium		Delirium	Bloodbraid Marauder
On the Draw		Card draw	Irencrag Pyromancer	Seasoned Pyromancer
Relentless		Graveyard Recursion	Lord of Extinction, Nether Spirit, Pool of Vigorous Growth
Squirrels		Squirrel tribal	Chitterspitter, Squirrel Mob, Verdant Command	Chatterfang, Squirrel General
Modular		Modular	Gadrak, the Crown Scourge, Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp
Sliver Assault		Sliver aggro	Bonescythe Sliver, Cloudshredder Sliver, Spiteful Sliver
Evolving		Evolve, adapt	Lonis, Cryptozoologist, Pool of Vigorous Growth, Simic Ascendancy
Tinkerer		Tokens	Aeve, Progenitor Ooze, Lonis, Cryptozoologist, Pool of Vigorous Growth
Sliver Hive		Sliver tribal	Sliver Hive	The First Sliver

Mechanics[ | ]

The exclusive cards include three new mechanics with “digital-only” designs that cannot be replicated in paper Magic.^[5]

• Seek is a digital twist on a tutor effect. Certain cards will allow you to seek a card with specific criteria, randomly pulling one from your library that meets that criteria without shuffling afterward – something that couldn’t happen at the tabletop without a player manually looking through their deck.
• Perpetually modifies a specific card permanently, even as it enters other zones of play. For example, Davriel’s Withering perpetually gives a creature -1/-2 – if that card reduces a creature to 0 toughness or less and sends it to the graveyard, for example, the debuff will remain in effect even if a player is able to bring it back to battlefield (causing it to immediately die again). Alternatively, Lumbering Lightshield can perpetually increase the casting cost of a card in your opponent’s hand by one colorless mana – the affected card then maintains that increase whether it’s cast from hand or somewhere else, like from the graveyard with Flashback or from exile with Foretell. While this is an effect that can more reasonably be tracked with paper cards, it becomes substantially simpler in a digital space.
• Conjure creates a card for you to use out of nowhere – not a token or a copy, but an actual card that can sit in your hand until you are ready to use it. This can include cards that aren’t otherwise in a set or format, like Ponder, Stormfront Pegasus, or the original dual lands (none of which are collectible in Historic Horizons on their own).

Historic Horizons utilizes its digital-only nature beyond these three recurring mechanics as well, making it possible to print cards with rules that wouldn’t fit in a paper frame. That includes the planeswalker Davriel, Soul Broker, who has an otherwise cryptic -2 ability: “Accept one of Davriel’s offers, then accept one of Davriel’s conditions.” In practice, this has you pick one of three randomly selected positive effects from a possible list of eight before doing the same for a negative effect.

Cards[ | ]

List of exclusive digital only cards[ | ]

Jumpstart: Historic Horizons includes 31 brand new digital-exclusive cards.

List of cards that can be conjured[ | ]

Cards marked with * aren't otherwise available on MTG Arena.

Tome of the Infinite conjures the following cards from its spellbook:

Cycles[ | ]

Jumpstart contains two cycles of new cards.

Cycle name
Conjuring Planeswalkers	Teyo, Aegis Adept (Lumbering Lightshield)	Kiora, the Tide's Fury (Kraken Hatchling)	Davriel, Soul Broker (Manor Guardian)	Sarkhan, Wanderer to Shiv (Shivan Dragon)	Freyalise, Skyshroud Partisan (Regal Force)
	Five mythic rare 4-loyalty Planeswalkers, each of which, among other digital-only effects, conjure a creature.
Perpetual creatures	Leonin Sanctifier	Mentor of Evos Isle	Plaguecrafter's Familiar	Reckless Ringleader	Veteran Charger
	Five common creatures that perpetually adds something to a creature in your hand when it enters the battlefield. Four of them add keywords, while one adds stats.

List of new-to-Arena reprints[ | ]

Jumpstart contains 341 reprinted cards that weren't part of MTG Arena before. True to its name, nearly two-thirds of the set (222 cards) are drawn from the first two sets of the Modern Horizons series. They are legal in Historic.

Notes[ | ]

References[ | ]