Wizards of the Coast has announced a Jumpstart: Historic Horizons delay, meaning that MTG Arena's next set has been pushed back. This was announced on the eve of when it was supposed to release, with them previously announcing Jumpstart: Historic Horizons release date as August 10th.
Why is Jumpstart: Historic Horizons delayed?
In their announcement, Wizard's Jay Parker explained that there have been some issues with the large backend update they are releasing ahead of Jumpstart: Historic Horizons. This MTG Arena update was announced alongside Jumpstart: Historic Horizons, and won't have many visible impacts for players but according to Wizards is important for long-term stability. You do need to spend any Mastery Orbs from Strixhaven before it, as after the update they will no longer be usable.
What is the new Jumpstart: Historic Horizons release date?
Jumpstart: Historic Horizons release date has been announced now to be August 26th, with the update coming on August 24th. Wizards warn the update may have more issues than other ones because there is so much changing on the back end, but that they'll have a team ready to work on problems as they emerge.
What other changes are happening because of the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons delay?
With the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons delay, the schedule plan for August on MTG Arena got all thrown for a loop. So there is a new plan now. First, for the ranked season, it will end on August 24th, and it won't have the two August systems quite announced in the past. However, they will still be inviting the first 500 people to reach Mythic by August 10th, with the top 1200 on August 24th all getting invited to the October Qualifier Weekend. This season will have all the announced double August season prizes awarded. The September season will get kicked off early on August 24th after the update.
Other changes coming include that the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons event will run through October 14th. This longer period is to help deal with the fact that the set's release is now closer to Innistrad: Midnight's Hunt that launches September 16, so now players will have longer to enjoy both sets. For those looking for something to play in the meantime, starting on August 10th, and running through August 26th, will be the 'First One on Us Historic Premier Draft'. There will be drafts here of Amonkhet Remastered, Kaladesh Remastered, and Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, and there will be a free draft of each available to everyone. Additionally, starting on August 12th, and running through August 24th, will be a special no-entry fee Historic Brawl Event. This will run until the Historic Brawl queue is available.
What do you think of the Jumpstart: Historic Horizons delay? Do you plan on taking advantage of any of the free drafts? What do you think of digital-only cards? Let us know in the comments below.
