Jumpstart 25 is hitting shelves November 15, and though we’ll be having a ton of fun jamming the new JumpStart decks together for some fun mini-games of Magic, many players are focused entirely on the new card designs for Commander. So, let’s go over what’s new to the format.
You can find other recent Commander set reviews here:
As per usual, this Set Review isn’t concerned with the forgettable commons (the Rabbit-sister excluded, apparently. What can I say – I just love Rabbits!).
HONORABLE MENTION: REPRINTS, REPRINTS EVERYWHERE
Between Foundations and J25, there’s more reprints than you can shake a stick at. Many of the most played cards in the format have been reprinted between the two sets, and though this review is focused on the new cards, I do want to shout-out some of the more exciting reprints in Jumpstart 25, many with new art:
Kodama of the West Tree; Ancient Greenwarden; Lotus Cobra; Chromatic Lantern; Adeline, Resplendent Cathar; Ruthless Technomancer; Righteous Valkyrie; Rionya, Fire Dancer; Leaf-Crowned Visionary; Pitiless Plunderer; Deadly Dispute; Youthful Valkyrie; and Tireless Provisioner.
JUMPSTART 25 SET REVIEW: WHITE
Brigone, Soldier of Meletis is our first card today. She’s a pretty decent bear, especially in an Auras deck, as slamming auras onto her can both make her bigger but also open up the opportunity for card draw. Is she good enough with the Heroic ability as a card draw option in +1/+1 counters decks? Potentially, to be honest – especially in Mardu colors.
Eidolon of Astral Winds has a respectable body, and then jumps your creatures as a Constellation trigger. It’s not going to suit the more voltron-oriented Enchantress Aura decks, but it can suit the ones that want to go wide (Eriette, the Beguiler; Ellivere of the Wild Court; Three Dog/Feather).
Generous Pup brings a Generous Gift of… well, not elephantine proportions, no, but of a respectable size. +1/+1 counters for the team once per turn when it receives counters is pretty good. Yes, it’s at home in Dogs decks, but it can also be a two mana version of an effect that usually costs more.
One of the only commons I’ll shout out, Hinterland Sanctifier is a two-toughness source of lifegain for tokens decks, that fits the Cleric typing but also the rabbit typing. Bloomburrow fans will be pleased.
Psemilla, Meletian Poet is more exciting to me than Eidolon of Astral Winds when it comes to traditional Enchantress. Another Archon of Sun’s Grace-adjacent effect is always nice, and he’ll be slamming in as 5/5 lifelink before you know it, which can really swing a game.
Qala, Ajani’s Pridemate is mostly underwhelming, except for the fact it rewards you for going tall with your counters. In Boros or Selesnya counters decks, this is a great way to give the team more reach. It’s also a Cat, and a Warrior – two types that afford it more use cases.
While Shadowfax may be the lord of all horses, Thurid, Mare of Destiny is the lord of all horses, unicorns, and pegasi. Does that make it a King? I can’t say I’m familiar with equine aristocratic lineage, but I can tell you that I am very happy to have a lord that copies spells that’s also a 2/4 flier with lifelink. What a solid combination!
JUMPSTART 25 SET REVIEW: BLUE
Named after how I feel looking at this set, Delightful Discovery is a very solid draw spell. At worst, you can cast this on-rate for four mana, but it’s very reasonable to see this costing you only two mana a good amount of the time. At two or three, it’s eminently playable.
Neerdiv, Devious Diver is a cheeky little Merfolk. She’s deceptive in where she best fits, to be honest. She’s also a Rogue, sure, but I don’t think her creature types offer the solution on where she slots in. I would put her in either a Flashback/GY-matters spellslinger build for the draw, or in a deck like The Mindskinner as a backup Voltron-Mill creature. She’s probably also good friends with Emry, Lurker of the Loch.
Damn, what a cool card. There’s something about a “curve out then refill your hand” kinda card that brings me joy. Pol Jamaar reminds me of some of the classic spells that do exactly that, and given he’s creature type agnostic, he can slot into many different builds. I’m reminded also of Titan of Littjara. Pol Jamaar will be better than the Titan for some builds
JUMPSTART 25 SET REVIEW: BLACK
Fumulus, the Infestation wants nothing more than to be… auto-corrected to Cumulus. Much like the cloud, this vampire insect has a flatter base, a puffy, bloated appearance, and can grace you with occasional showers… of Insect tokens. This leans into black’s penchant for edicts, and while I don’t think it’s terribly powerful, it does make those effects a little more one-sided.
Nazar, the Velvet Fang has an interesting name. Does he just leave next-to-no bitemarks? EIther way, he can draw you a bunch of cards, but only in the type of lifegain decks that have you gaining many instances of 1-life over and over (with Soul Sister effects, or activated abilities). In those decks, he could be quite good.
A card that’s much more exciting to me is Rev, Tithe Extractor. Granting deathtouch until end of turn is tasty, as it helps all manner of on-damage or on-attack triggers function in a much safer way. You get to both make a treasure and exile an opponent’s topdeck perpetually, which is some solid value for a four mana creature. Human and Rogue makes her pretty flexible too.
JUMPSTART 25 SET REVIEW: RED
Goblins aren’t entirely lacking on lords, but another non-legendary one is always a nice consideration. Dropkick Bomber comes with a great name, great art, and a solid extra ability, which jumps your gobbos to hit face at the cost of sacrificing them. You can always make sacrificing them work for you, and otherwise use this ability in a pinch or to win the game.
Pingers for non-creature spells are a dime-a-dozen, so what does Firespitter Whelp offer? Well, it’s a 2/2 flier, which is a flexible body for attacking and blocking. It also pings on cast of a Dragon spell, which means it fits really well into Dragon’s Approach decks.
Frontline Heroism was clearly made by the Zada, Hedron Grinder player in Play Design. Obvious deck home aside, I do think it can do work elsewhere – in the newer Aura-enchantress R/x decks, and Feather, for instance. The art is also fab. We love Zendikar!
General Kreat, the Boltbringer is perhaps more exciting to Goblin gamers than the Dropkick Bomber, and that’s because it can displace Purphoros from decks or the command zone to be the Goblin that enables Enters-the-Battlefield pings to each opponent. Of course, some decks will keep Purphoros in, and add Kreat for more complete coverage. I won’t judge you either way.
Gornog, the Red Reaper is a commander for Warrior decks, and it perma-changes opposing creatures into Cowards, which is a really interesting mechanic. As the battle wears on, your Warriors end up stronger and stronger. It’s also a Minotaur, which for some players is all they could ever want.
Ivora, Insatiable Heir is one of the coolest little uncommons in the set. A 1/1 Trample for two isn’t the greatest, but she will grow quickly. She makes Blood tokens, too, meaning she can fuel herself. Sure, great in Bloodric, but plenty of decks that discard cards will love this too.
JUMPSTART 25 SET REVIEW: GREEN
Dionus, Elvish Archdruid gets the party started, much like the similarly named God of Wine. This essentially doubles your mana production, and in the case of dorks like Priest of Titania and Marwyn, it makes the production skyrocket. Dionus is pure stonks, and a card I expect to see a lot of play.
Landfall is always a powerful ability, and putting it on a cat that cares about +1/+1 counters means it’ll see a lot of play. Native trample ensures it can connect easily, and you’ll be growing your team with ease with this spicy little card.
Shroofus Sproutsire is actually…really good? It needs counters or equipment or what have you to really pop off on its own, but as a way to…populate your board, it’s really efficient. I always want to say proliferate in these instances, but the vernacular shackles me. There’s not much room for linguistic flavor.
I Maiitake a copy.
Sutina, Speaker of the Tajuru is another reason to eschew the older ramp spells like Farhaven Elf or Cultivate in your deck. If you run a lot of MDFCs, or care about landfall, then Sutina is for all intents and purposes just a better ramp option.
JUMPSTART 25 REVIEW: ARTIFACTS & MULTICOLOR
Oh hey, a new three mana rock. It’s Angel-themed, but I don’t think you want it in Angel decks, necessarily. I think this is one for equipment or Aura decks, the latter especially. And I also think it’s one for decks with Commanders like Adeline that really want to connect. All said, I think it’s pretty good.
Plagon, Lord of the Beach is a cool new option for big-butts decks in Azorious. Often in Bant or Selesnya, with fewer options in UW, Plagon brings card draw, and the ability to give the much-needed “deals combat damage equal to toughness” ability. Could be fun.
Taeko, the Patient Avalanche is an interesting Dimir option. Whenever you’re doing ninjutsu things, or blinking, you get to scry and grow the turtle. Eventually, you can get in with him, and he either makes himself unblockable, or one of your important ninjas. Seems playable, honestly.
Aphelia, Viper Whisperer has sweet art and a sizable textbox for a two-drop. Her attack trigger is reminiscent of pumping mana into Pharika, and seems like an expensive mana sink in 2024 Commander. Her other ability, however, more than earns her a spot for consideration. She turns all of your snakes or Gorgons into Quietus Spikes, which is somewhat terrifying. Wound Reflection says hello.
Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder shows that you can never truly play too much treasure in Commander, despite how it makes people feel. While she can’t sacrifice herself, she does grow bigger for just cracking your treasure, and has flying, which is key. When she does eventually die, you can cash in your chips to burn face. My kind of card.
Hurska Sweet-Tooth is a food-themed card on the surface, but when you dig back a little, it’s actually more of a lifegain-themed card. Still, it’ll end up mostly in Food decks nonetheless.
Our final card is just a really cool Commander. Slinza, the Spiked Stampede offers an Urza’s Incubator for Beasts, coupled with additional +1/+1 counters, and even a fight trigger that lets you add red to your pile.
What’s not to love?
END STEP
Jumpstart 25 offers some truly refreshing designs, and it’s a set I’m very excited for. We have cool Commander options, spicy uncommons, and cards for many archetypes. The best part? Nothing too pushed or crazy. It’s Magic at its best. Enjoy.
Kristen is Card Kingdom’s Head Writer and a member of the Commander Format Panel. Formerly a competitive Pokémon TCG grinder, she has been playing Magic since Shadows Over Innistrad, which in her opinion, was a great set to start with. When she’s not taking names with Equipment and Aggro strategies in Commander, she loves to play any form of Limited.