Opening A Jumpstart Booster: Of The Coast

There aren't any wizards here, but this blue deck is definitely of the coast... because that's the name on the card... and the theme is beaches and oceans... and the publisher is Wizards of the Coast... Anyway, over-explained non-jokes aside, this is the third (and maybe final) post in my series where I open Jumpstart Boosters and take a look at the latest starter product from Magic: The Gathering.

Your favorite legends and Planeswalkers are here with quintessential Magic from across the Multiverse. This set was made for past, present, and future Magic players. —Wizards of the Coast

The last two decks were Copied (red) and Modified (green), so I was glad the third was a new color. I think this would mix better with the latter, but can you guess why?

The more I play, the more I like having at least two colors in a deck most of the time. It lets me blend different playstyles and find possible synergies I might otherwise overlook. I remain impressed with the idea of buying two random Jumpstart Booster packs and being able to learn right away.

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This deck is mono-blue, but the showcase card here is Plagon, Lord of the Beach, and he has a hybrid mana symbol in his rules text. Hybrid mana was introduced a long time ago as a way to make multicolor decks more viable by allowing casting and/or ability costs to be paid with either color in the pip. It's been a few years since that mechanic last appeared in the Strixhaven set, so this is a neat way to revisit it.

The cards have a strong beach theme in both art and text. Crabs and starfish are the main creature types. Other cards include the Lonely Sandbar cycling land, Run Ashore, and Omen of the Sea.

As for strategy, this is classic blue in the sense that it plays defensively and draws cards until it can evade blockers and hit hard. These creatures are mostly "big butts," that is, with a higher toughness (the second number on the bottom right) than strength (the first number). Usually, damage is dealt with strength. Plagon allows you to pay one blue or white mana to deal damage with a creature's toughness instead. I guess this deck is all about that bass. (sorry!)

As before, you can see the whole pack list on Moxfield.

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I know there are multiple mini-decks for each of the five colors in Magic, so I'd like to see an example from white and black eventually. Maybe I'll buy a few more of these and see what I get. This has been a fun way to see older cards reprinted alongside new cards in a way that feels cohesive. I'd like to see more reprints from earlier in Magic history, and more reprints of cards in high demand for various formats that far outpace the proper prices for their rarity. We'll see how many such cards turn up, I guess. Maybe even in future posts!

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