G'day, jumpers, Jake FitzSimons here to review the best new cards from Jumpstart 2022 for cEDH. Why review a casual introductory set for a decidedly non-casual and non-introductory format? Because big things come in small packages: the original Jumpstart had a disproportionate impact on cEDH for its size, just 37 new cards.
quickly rose to staple status, protecting all manner of green-based wins and making players everywhere wonder just how far Wizards is willing to take a single green pip. Emiel the Blessed
was instantly singled out as Naya's most efficient way to go infinite with Dockside Extortionist
saw play as a commander herself, on account of her naturally powerful color identity and being an infinite mana outlet. Even Tinybones
was almost something, if not quite enough to get off the ground.
All this to say that despite targeting brand new players looking to understand this wonderful game, Jumpstart can pack a punch in the power department. So, does Jumpstart 2022 live up to its predecessor? No way. But even bad cards deserve reviews!
Ardoz, Cobbler of War
Let's run through the checklist. Card advantage? Nope. Mana advantage? Nope. Combo potential? Weirdly... yes. If you can mange to cobble together infinite mana, Ardoz
will cobble together infinite Goblin tokens. This is of course doable with the help of old faithful
. You'll note that none of these commanders are common sights at cEDH tables, and for good reason: being an infinite outlet is not enough to justify a commander in cEDH. Meanwhile the mono-red commanders that do see play have far leaner combos and utility besides. Red has the only "zero-card combo"1 commander in the form of Godo, Bandit Warlord
, and a mana-making, Dwarf-dumping, combo-clock in the form of Magda, Brazen Outlaw
. With the right support, it's a powerful source of card advantage and easy to turn into a game-winning combo. Unfortunately, what separates Isu the Abominable
from its predecessors is the severity of its restriction.
Granted, you'll run into Snow-covered basic lands in cEDH, but this is almost always to meet Tainted Pact
was a snow permanent for some reason. That's not something I ever thought I would want, but here I stand, looking at the first ever legendary Yeti and wondering what a Bant alternative to Elsha of the Infinite
. He has access to better combos, he can break parity on stax effects, and he can produce a lot of mana once the snow starts piling up. Check out this cEDH list!
, a different Simic two-drop with an infinite mana outlet! It's also a significantly worse infinite mana outlet because it provides no relevant card advantage to speak of (everything I just said about Isu the Abominable
applies here, just replace snow with Kraken, Leviathan, Octopus, or Serpent), but if you insist on doing things the hard way, Kenessos, Priest of Thassa
over the superior Simic options available, but I love to highlight the community's ingenuity and relentless efforts to push everything to its absolute limit. Full credit to EisenherzMTG for finding this line, you can check out his cEDH YouTube channel here.
Kibo, Uktabi Prince
The natural conclusion to the rich lore established in Uktabi Orangutan
is a bit heavier on the monke side, but the sentiment of the cute Elf girl is there. What's cuter than handing out free bananas? Anyway, let's be honest about the potential of a commander that actively makes mana for your opponents: it's very low. Whichever way you peel the banana, for Kibo
to meet even one requirement for cEDH viability (mana production) he'll need to fulfill it for everyone else as well. It should come as no surprise that group hug effects aren't good at competitive tables.
, but aside from being impossible to tutor in Gruul, it's still just card advantage paired with your commander. Until Studio X sees fit to design something that combos with Bananas, Kibo
belongs elsewhere. The search for a competitive monke commander continues.
Pirated Copy
Great name, very unfortunate mana cost. At three mana or so, this would serve as an interesting source of card advantage by targeting a Tymna
. Granted, it would still be five mana, but at least that way it would have been on the right track. Next.
Preston, the Vanisher
You might be so bold to accuse me of writing this whole review as an excuse to talk about Preston, the Vanisher
. You might be right. It's easily the strongest card in the set from a cEDH perspective, low as the Jumpstart 2022 bar might be. The easiest combo you can execute with Preston, the Vanisher
That's... almost a win. Yes, you've essentially executed a one-sided and aptly named Play of the Game
, but you'll likely have to pass the turn anyway: infinite 0/1s are about as threatening as infinite 0/0s. If an opponent happens to have Thassa's Oracle
in hand, they can still untap and pay for it cleanly with their remaining lands. That won't come up often, but there's a reason the vast majority of cEDH combos win the game on the spot rather than requiring another cycle around the table.
could theoretically generate a lot of advantage with profitable enter-the-battlefield triggers and reliable blink effects, they don't yet exist in such numbers and quality to build an entire deck around. Likely not a commander, but there's still potential in the 99!
Many cEDH players ask the question: "Is this a card for Winota
? My gut says not quite, but let's run through why it might be. For one, two is better than one. Doubling up on stax effects is potent. A single Ethersworn Canonist
is a headache for the whole table, but someone will find removal eventually. Preston, the Vanisher
forces them to find two pieces. Some Human stax effects even work better in multiples, like Sanctum Prelate
. Blink synergies aren't new to white, but they're rarely this interesting. It's certainly a card to keep your eye on, even if it doesn't immediately find a home.
These are the last new cards3 we'll see for 2022, and I think it's fair to say we're ending the year with a whimper rather than a bang. And that's okay! I don't expect every new set of cards to have an impact on cEDH, but it's fun to evaluate them nonetheless.
All up, 2022 has been a powerful year for cEDH, even if Jumpstart 2022 hasn't contributed to it. It's not on par with 2016 4 or 2020 5, but the earlier half of the year saw some huge developments across the format. Stay tuned for my year in review where we'll go over the best and worst and have a good laugh at everything I got wrong!
Obviously it requires cards, but it is unique as the only commander that not only goes infinite with another card, but finds that card. As nothing needs to be in your hand to execute this combo, some think of it as a zero-card combo.
Important to note that this combo won't work with Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward. The legendary rule kicks in and precludes the chance to chain exiles
That we know of. There's usually something unexpected over Christmas.
The printing of the original Partners.
Deflecting Swat, Fierce Guardianship, Jeska's Will, Jeweled Lotus, Opposition Agent, Hullbreacher, Thassa's Oracle, and Underworld Breach. Arguably the most powerful year in the history of cEDH, but that's an article for another day.
Jake FitzSimons is a writer from Sydney and a Magic fiend. He's either the johnniest spike or the spikiest johnny, nobody is sure which. When he isn’t brewing or playing cEDH, he can be found writing, playing piano, and doting on his little cat.
Obviously it requires cards, but it is unique as the only commander that not only goes infinite with another card, but finds that card. As nothing needs to be in your hand to execute this combo, some think of it as a zero-card combo.
Important to note that this combo won't work with Abdel Adrian, Gorion's Ward. The legendary rule kicks in and precludes the chance to chain exiles
That we know of. There's usually something unexpected over Christmas.
The printing of the original Partners.
Deflecting Swat, Fierce Guardianship, Jeska's Will, Jeweled Lotus, Opposition Agent, Hullbreacher, Thassa's Oracle, and Underworld Breach. Arguably the most powerful year in the history of cEDH, but that's an article for another day.
