Two years ago, the first Jumpstart was lauded and criticised for different reasons. For one, it
had great reprints in the form of Rhystic Study and Craterhoof Behemoth, but on the other hand
it was bogged down by delays and printing errors. Now the 2nd edition of Jumpstart is here –
and we have high hopes for it.
Jumpstart is by far one of the easiest ways to get into Magic: the Gathering. The concept is
simple – pick 2 packs, shuffle the cards together, and you have a deck ready to play in 2
minutes. These packs even come with Lands so you don’t have to worry about not being able to
cast your spells.
Each pack contains 20 cards that all follow a specific theme. Today Wizards wants to share one
of them right here: Insects! There will be 4 variations of the Insect theme, containing a mix of
cards from the overall pool below:
Let’s dive into some of the key cards from the Insect theme to help you get off to a winning start!
How to Play Insects in Jumpstart?
This Insect-theme is mono green, filled with lots of Creatures that grow bigger and synergise by
using +1/+1 counters. For example, you’ve got Moldgraf Millipede that can put multiple counters
on itself if you’ve had lots of Insects destroyed earlier in the game.
Duskshell Crawler helps put a +1/+1 counter on any of your own Creatures, but the best part is
that any of them that has such a counter will gain trample – very useful for punching through
enemy blockers!
Phantom Nantuko is one of the 3 possible Insect Rare cards, and is pretty strong on its own.
Not only can it prevent damage by removing +1/+1 counters, it can add another counter onto
itself by tapping. So at the very least, he gets to do that once per turn cycle. It’s going to be
really difficult for any opponent to deal with that.
The most powerful card in the Insects Jumpstart pack is likely to be Zask, Skittering Swarmlord.
It’s a Legendary Creature, and like its name, leads the charge for the rest of the swarm. Its
ability to recast any Insects that were already in your Graveyard will be very useful to provide a
constant threat. And being able to give Deathtouch means your little bugs can match any
gigantic monsters the opponent can throw at you.
Which Jumpstart Themes Pair Well With Insects?
Although not all of the 46 themes in Jumpstart 2022 have been revealed, there are common
archetypes that go well alongside these green Insects. Here are some recommend themes to
go with Insects:
Red Goblins – Green-red has always been a great colour combination for aggressive
strategies. Goblins are also cheap to cast, which can be a nice set up for your Insects that can
add +1/+1 counters to different Creatures.
Hydras – these Creatures also love playing with +1/+1 counters, many of whom have an X in
their casting cost, so the more you spend, the bigger they get.
Adapt Mechanic – This specifically uses +1/+1 counters too and are usually found in a blue-
green configuration. If there’s any to be found in Jumpstart 2022, this would be an effective
team-up with Insects!
End Step
While not everyone enjoys playing with creepy crawlies (and it doesn’t get that much card
support either), don’t look down on them because they can easily get out of hand, especially
when combined with the right partner theme. Jumpstart allows for many permutations, so each
game is going to be different!
Ted Chen is the founder of Tap & Sac, a website with a dream of making Magic: the Gathering more accessible and inclusive to a whole generation of new players. It offers learning guides for beginners, all the way to advanced videos for seasoned spellcasters. Everyone can have fun in the gathering!
Gerald
Destro
