Azula, Ruthless FirebenderAzula, Ruthless Firebender | Art by Rose Benjamin

Welcome, and happy New Year! This week, we're wrapping up this series before we can go back to the weekly Beyond the Multiverse routine. Last week, I revealed my master plan with the advent calendar, and that so happens to be Commander Jumpstart. Here, I will go over the basics, the setup, and a sample deck list to tie things up.

The Big Questions

With regular Jumpstart, we take two 20-card decks, mash them together, and play. However, Commander Jumpstart has a few differences. First, and most importantly, the singleton rule makes the deckbuilding more complicated, especially with staples (more on that in a moment). Secondly, we have to determine our commanders. Under regular circumstances, I'd be going with the partner mechanic (or a Background, if you're inclined), but this is ATLA-only, thus we have no such luxuries.

I'll begin answering these in reverse order. First, to address the singleton rule is to make a rule when mashing up these decks: The half-decks being melded must be different colors. No monocolor decks this time (Though, those experience counter legends like Toph, Earthbending MasterToph, Earthbending Master are tempting, so I'll try and get to work somehow. One day).

Further, to answer the question, we need a cycle of two-colored commanders:

...exactly my point. The main set came with a cycle of hybrid legends, which is why I've been focusing on them throughout the mini-series. They were the commanders of choice all along. There are other, non-hybrid options as well, but we'll keep it to these for simplicity's sake.

In addition, the ATLA Jumpstart set released three more hybrid commanders. These are Katara, Seeking RevengeKatara, Seeking Revenge, Aang, A Lot to LearnAang, A Lot to Learn, and Zuko, Seeking HonorZuko, Seeking Honor (side note: Toph not getting a hybrid card is slander. The rest of the Gaang got a hybrid card, but not her).

As we all know, there are staples across all Commander decks, like Sol RingSol Ring. But, since this is done in the style of Jumpstart, how could we accommodate those? After some trial and error, plus some research, let me introduce you to an idea I found online.

The Everyboard

Before I carry on, I'm aware of the bonus cards from the super drop. The Command TowerCommand Tower can replace the Rumble ArenaRumble Arena while Bender's WaterskinBender's Waterskin can be cut for the Fellwar StoneFellwar Stone. The Path of AncestryPath of Ancestry promo can replace the dual lands, removing 10 cards from the list. Run it if you have it.

Firstly, we're not adding every card in each resulting deck. In fact, only 10 cards will make it, so here's the breakdown:

• 1 Commander
• 5 Artifacts/Colorless
• 1 Dual land (choice dependent on commander)

Then these two: White Lotus HideoutWhite Lotus Hideout, Rumble ArenaRumble Arena, and Jasmine Dragon Tea ShopJasmine Dragon Tea Shop.

Notably, if you want to do multiple everyboards, that'll work, but having one will save money, especially if it starts getting too expensive. With the groundwork now laid out, what about our half-decks?

The Meat and Potatoes

To assemble a given deck, like I implied, we need two 45-card half-decks of differing colors, and the everyboard. Consider the math below:

45+45=90

90+10=100

With the above setup, that's an even 100, including the commander. That said, why don't I just put up two sample half-lists? They'll demonstrate the idea much better.

Half-Deck #1

Half-Deck #2

Half-Deck Overview

...Not this creepypasta again. Seems like even the Wheel wants me to use these two together.

Anyway, it's easy to see what the green half-deck's trying to do: earthbend. It's all about earthbending and counters. I pulled cards from the scene boxes, Secret Lair Drops, and both the main and Jumpstart sets to make this work. Also, the Beginner Box, too, since a few cards are exclusive to it.

Meanwhile, the black half-deck is centered on Azula, Ruthless FirebenderAzula, Ruthless Firebender, but it's also got some sacrifice shenanigans, plus some Fire Nation Vehicles to round things up.

Below is the resulting list, using cards from the everyboard:

The Final Result

This is just one of the many possible combinations we can pull off with a setup like this. Additionally, I made it so that each color got two half-decks. That said, larger ones will have more, and thus more variety (avoid typal half-decks. They're more on the guardrails than we'd like).

There and Back Again

And that's a wrap on this series. Did you like it? It's something I can bring back each December. Or maybe you like me opening packs and pulling off some box-mander antics. Either way, do let me know your thoughts in the comments, and tell me what you think.

Return next time, where we return to our weekly Beyond the Multiverse series with a familiar face.