What Is MTG Arena's Jumpstart: Historic Horizons?
(Editor's Note: information for the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons release and upcoming MTG Arena changes have been updated since publication. Click here to learn more.)
New, powerful cards. Designed-for-digital mechanics. Magic depth that reaches beyond the tabletop experience. It's all here—Jumpstart: Historic Horizons expands the Historic format further, providing a glimpse of what's possible for Magic: The Gathering Arena.
Arriving August 26 on MTG Arena, Jumpstart: Historic Horizons adds hundreds of cards from Modern Horizons, Modern Horizons 2, and beyond alongside 31 new-to-Magic cards in this digital release.
These cards feature mechanics made for MTG Arena, extending what's possible with digital play.
- Seek: Powerful tutors grab a random card from your deck that matches specific criteria. No shuffling and no time spent looking at options—it just grabs a card that works out of your deck and the game keeps moving.
- Perpetually: Permanently change the characteristics of a card—no matter where it goes afterwards. Taking advantage of MTG Arena's ability to alter cards no matter where they go during gameplay, powerful benefits and unique changes add strategies found nowhere else in Magic.
- Conjure: Conjure creates cards out of thin air as a digital object that acts just like a normal card would. Powerful spells and artifacts can Conjure up iconic, powerful, or just plain useful cards—from Tropical Island and Stormfront Pegasus to Ponder and more.
And just like 2020's digital Jumpstart release, you can craft all these cards with Wildcards of the appropriate rarity or receive them by opening packets in Jumpstart: Historic Horizons events—taking place August 26 through October 14. Note that any cards already on MTG Arena will use existing versions and follow existing duplicate protection rules.
For example, two of these new-to-Magic cards appear in the Animated packet—one of the 46 unique packets of cards you'll find to choose from in events.
First, what are Ethereal Grasp and Tome of the Infinite?
Ethereal Grasp perpetually changes a creature so that it doesn't untap during their controller's untap step—unless they pay a lot of mana, of course.
Tome of the Infinite is a bit different as it conjures cards directly to your hand, adding something new to play—assuming you can. What can Tome of the Infinite conjure for you?
- Light of Hope
- Swords to Plowshares
- Force Spike
- Ponder
- Dark Ritual
- Duress
- Assault Strobe
- Lightning Bolt
- Fog
- Giant Growth
Some conjure cards lay out exactly what you will create, but others, like Tome of the Infinite, offer an exciting variety of outcomes. We'll share details about cards like Tome of the Infinite with the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons Card Image Gallery.
Secondly, you may notice Tome of the Infinite isn't actually listed above. In an exciting update from the original Jumpstart packets, there's even more variety with Jumpstart: Historic Horizons as some cards can replace select cards in each packet. For the Animated packet, here's what the variance looks like:
| Card | Appears | Card | Appears | Card | Appears |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burdened Aerialist | 50% | Sailor of Means | 25% | Aviation Pioneer | 25% |
| Witching Well | 50% | Weapon Rack | 50% | ||
| Icy Manipulator | 50% | Turn into a Pumpkin | 50% | ||
| Ethereal Grasp | 67% | Tome of the Infinite | 33% |
Your favorite packets and combinations will be exciting time and again as you experience different cards and synergies between them. We'll share the lists, and their possibilities, in the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons Packet Lists article.
Third, there aren't basic lands included in the packet list. That's another feature MTG Arena adds to this release. When you play in Jumpstart: Historic Horizon events, you'll automatically receive a mix of basic lands based on the packets you choose, balanced for the costs and activated abilities on the spells in your packets.
Even better, you'll also receive nonbasic lands for play. Packets you choose will add cycling lands from Historic Anthology 2 (such as Secluded Steppe) or multicolor dual lands from Core Set 2020 (such as Dismal Backwater) of the appropriate colors to your deck—cycling lands for packets with one color and dual lands for packets with multiple colors. If you haven't acquired these lands before, they'll also be added to your collection, and these nonbasic lands are considered as basic lands are determined for your deck.
And that's it! Join the event, choose your packets, and jump in to play. Keep an eye out for all the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons previews now through August 3 and be ready to play August 26 through October 14 on MTG Arena!
Jumpstart: Historic Horizons Information
(Note: The Card Image Gallery and Packet Lists will be updated throughout Jumpstart: Historic Horizons previews and will be complete on August 4.)
Release Date: August 26 exclusively on MTG Arena
Release Events: August 26–October 14
Previews: July 26–August 3
Hashtag: #MTGJumpstart
Full Card Image Gallery and Packet Lists: August 4
Legality: Jumpstart: Historic Horizons will be legal in Historic upon release on August 12.
Entry: 2,000 Gold or 400 Gems
Play: For two packets, choose a packet of cards from three options for packets, then play Best-of-One matches as much as you'd like. (You may review the contents of your chosen packets but cannot change them for play in the event.)
Rewards: Each of your first two wins awards a rare or mythic ICR from Jumpstart: Historic Horizons.
Replay: You can resign from the event and pay to reenter, choosing new packets then earning rewards again!
Collection: Cards included in packets are either new to MTG Arena or use existing card versions available. Cards from the chosen packet will be added to players' collections.
782 cards are part of the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons release.
For the 372 new-to-MTG Arena cards:
- 13 Mythic Rares
- 56 Rares
- 123 Uncommons
- 180 Commons
For the total of 767 non-land cards:
- 13 Mythic Rares
- 85 Rares
- 286 Uncommons
- 383 Commons