Tabletop players of Magic: The Gathering have received yet more bad news today in the form of further delays caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement provided earlier this week, Wizards of the Coast confirmed that booster packs for upcoming set Jumpstart would no longer be arriving on the original proposed date. Similarly to Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, the postponement is a result of the virus contributing to widespread manufacturing delays, with Jumpstart now tentatively slotted in for full release on July 17th.
Those concerned that the situation will have a knock-on effect for the previously advertised release window of Core Set 2021 needn’t worry, as Wizards says the Standard expansion’s scheduled tabletop launch on July 3rd is unaffected.
See below for the full update:
Because of continued manufacturing delays due to COVID-19, Jumpstart‘s previously announced release date will be shifting to July 17. This shift does not affect the release of Core Set 2021, which is June 25 on digital and July 3 on tabletop, with tabletop Prereleases taking place the weekend of June 26.
Additionally, Jumpstart will release on Magic: The Gathering Arena on July 16. Jumpstart cards will be released on Magic Online June 25 through Treasure Chests only.
The delay of Jumpstart is certainly unfortunate, and we look forward to a return to normalcy once we can ensure the continued health and safety of those who help make our game possible.
Described as a “new kind of play experience inside a new kind of booster,” Jumpstart aims to make Magic: The Gathering more accessible than ever with a unique ruleset. Players are required to purchase just two booster packs – each of which is built around a theme and must be shuffled together to form a 40-card deck – in order to get started, with every card included also deemed legal for play in Commander, Vintage and Legacy formats.
Jumpstart contains more than 500 reprints as well as 37 new cards and will be available in Magic: The Gathering Arena from July 16th.
