Jumpstart is, much like the name portrays, a way to jumpstart the love of Magic: The Gathering in new players. There's no worry about building decks, as you just open two packs and shuffle them together to form a nice little 40-card deck. This bridges the enormous gap new players might face when looking to get into the game.
While the Jumpstart collection is bursting with cards all throughout Magic history, it comes with some brand-new cards that fit into certain pack themes. Even with the huge selection of cards, the new selection of black cards is a little lacking, but that is not to say there aren't some wonderful cards sneaking about.
7 Skullslither Worm
Skullslither Worm is a very mild but great addition to the black pool of cards. When it enters the battlefield, all opponents must discard a card, and for each that can't, you put two +1/+1 counters on Skullslither Worm. This card might work well in the late game when some opponents could be top-decking, giving you the opportunity to beef this up with multiple +1/+1 counters. It's certainly a situational card, one that would work very well in a deck that thrives off of forcing your opponents to discard cards with cards like Liliana’s Caress and The Rack.
One of the other fun parts about this card is that it is one of very few "worm" cards in Magic, with "wurm" creatures being the much more popular category.
6 Conductor Of Cacophony
Another card that breaks the mold of traditional Magic cards, Conductor of Cacophony is a rare female demon, as most have been male. While it has no bearing on how the card plays, it is nice to see some cards break out of that traditional mold.
Conductor of Cacophony enters the battlefield with two +1/+1 counters on it for three generic and one black mana. Its activated ability is where the card shines, however; for one black mana, you can remove a +1/+1 counter and do one damage to all other creatures and players. While you will inflict damage on yourself and your creatures, it's a great escape plan in some instances. If you can load the card up with more counters, you'll be able to do that much more damage in the long run, provided you have the mana.
5 Disciple Of Perdition
A companion card to Tree of Perdition, the Disciple of Perdition is a great low-cost card with great benefits. Coming in at 1/3 for one generic and one black mana, this card is a great line of defense in the early stages of the game.
Much like Tree of Perdition, it plays on having exactly 13 life. When Disciple of Perdition dies, you may either draw a card and lose one life or exile a target opponent's graveyard and they lose one life. However, if you have exactly 13 life, you may choose both. It's an ability that, unless strictly aimed for, might not hit all that often, but it doesn't take away any value from the card whatsoever.
4 Creeping Bloodsucker
Creeping Bloodsucker is, without a doubt, the best new common black card to come from Jumpstart 2022. At a low cost of one generic and one black mana, this card has a passive ability that will fit tremendously well into any Orzhov vampire deck. At the beginning of your upkeep, Creeping Bloodsucker does one damage to each opponent, and you gain life equal to the damage dealt this way. That means if you play a four-person game, you'll gain three lives at the start of every turn.
This is a card that is going to be a menace in lifegain decks for the simple reason that it doesn't need to attack to trigger its ability. Pair it with a card like Bloodthirsty Aerialist, and you're looking at a potential combo that is going to overwhelm your opponents fast.
3 Termination Facilitator
Termination Facilitator has so many potential combos, thanks to its play with bounty counters. It's almost worrying. Termination Facilitator has the ability to put a bounty counter on any target creature or planeswalker. The kicker is that whenever a creature or planeswalker with a bounty counter is dealt damage, it is destroyed. It doesn't have to be lethal damage; just one is enough to destroy the card with a bounty counter on it.
With cards like Bounty Hunter, Mathas Fiend Seeker, Chevill Bane of Monsters, and more, you'll be able to build immense combos off of these counters and take over the game. This card, in the right hands and in the right deck, will be a very strong addition to the game.
2 Rodolf Duskbringer
Another card that breaks the mold in Jumpstart 2022, Rodolf Duskbringer is actually the first "vampire angel" ever printed in Magic: The Gathering. It also comes with the incredible combo of flying, deathtouch, lifelink, and gaining indestructible until the end of turn whenever you gain life.
Even just in Jumpstart cards, you could pair this with Creeping Bloodsucker and have a nice little combo on your hands. This card can slot easily into a vampire deck, and thanks to its white/black hybrid mana cost in its activated ability, it can even slot nicely into a commander role for the right player.
1 Ashcoat Of The Shadow Swarm
Rats players rejoice; there's a new card to ruin your opponent's day with. Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm costs three generic and one black mana and enters the battlefield as a 3/4. Whenever Ashcoat of the Shadow Swarm attacks or blocks, other rats you control get +X/+X until the end of the turn, where X is how many rats you control.
Ashcoat and Relentless Rats is a combo in mono black Commander decks that is just so silly it is awesome. It is going to cause absolute mayhem, and it is going to be a beautiful disaster.