What Is MTG Jumpstart? How the Half-Deck Packs Work

Jumpstart is a Magic: The Gathering product where each 20-card pack is half a deck built around one theme, lands included. Open two packs, shuffle them together and you have a 40-card deck ready to play. Wizards of the Coast has released several Jumpstart products since 2020, and Jumpstart Boosters now come with some new sets.

How a Jumpstart deck comes together

A Jumpstart deck comes together from two packs and no deckbuilding. Wizards’ first announcement in February 2020 put it simply: grab two boosters, shuffle them together, and you are ready to go. Each pack’s 20 cards share one theme, so two themes mix into one deck.

Foundations Jumpstart Boosters show what a modern pack holds:

Because the lands are in the pack, there is nothing to add. Two players need four packs between them, one pair each.

Every Jumpstart release Wizards lists

Jumpstart came out as its own product in 2020 and 2022, and since Foundations it has arrived as a booster type alongside bigger sets. Release dates come from Wizards’ announcements.

• Jumpstart (2020). Released July 17, 2020, with 20-card themed packs and 37 new cards. Wizards says those new cards are legal in Legacy, Vintage and Commander, not in Standard, Pioneer or Modern.
• Jumpstart 2022. Released December 2, 2022, with 46 themes and reprints from across the game’s history. Each pack adds one new card and one card with anime-inspired art.
• Foundations Jumpstart. Announced with Magic: The Gathering Foundations in October 2024, with 46 themes and 24 packs to a box.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender Jumpstart Boosters. Released November 21, 2025, alongside that set, 24 packs to a box, each pack with at least one card new to Magic.
• Marvel Super Heroes Jumpstart Boosters. Released June 26, 2026, with 51 themes and 24 packs to a box.

Jumpstart boosters

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• Foundations JumpstartBrowse →

Who Jumpstart suits best

Jumpstart suits players who want to sit down and play without building a deck first. The original announcement said it lets players skip the deckbuilding part, which is the main hurdle for someone new to Magic.

• A brand-new player. Two themed packs teach the basics with a deck that already works, and opening them shows how a theme hangs together.
• A pair of friends or a family. Four packs make two decks for an evening, with the lands already in the packs.
• A returning player. Jumpstart is a short way back into the game before buying a full set’s product.
• A gift. A few packs suit someone who already plays.

Players who want to build decks from a large pool of one set are better served by Play Boosters or a Bundle, covered in which Magic product to buy.

Jumpstart inside the Foundations Beginner Box

The Foundations Beginner Box uses the Jumpstart idea for brand-new players. Wizards lists it as ten 20-card Jumpstart decks, two gameboard playmats, two spindown life counters, a reference booklet and two How to Play guides. Pick any two of the ten decks, shuffle and follow the guide.

That makes the Beginner Box the gentler start for two people who have never played, while loose Jumpstart packs suit players who know the rules and want new themes to mix. More starting routes are compared in the best way to start Magic, and the basics of the game are on what Magic: The Gathering is.

Beginner Boxes and starter kits

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• Foundations Beginner BoxBrowse →
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Playing Jumpstart decks after the first game

Jumpstart decks keep working after the first game because every pack can pair with any other. Swap one half for a different theme and the deck plays differently. Once the themes feel familiar, the cards can go into a deck of your own; how to play Magic covers the turn structure for a first full game.