It's time to grab hold of your electric guitar, let loose the reins on your wolf-drawn sleigh, and race headlong into the ferocious cool of Kaldheim. We'll have all manner of ways to enjoy this Nordic set, and one great choice is through the casual format of Jumpstart. Here we shuffle two random packs together and begin play at once. This is perfect for low-stress play during a lunch break or around the kitchen table with your buddies who may not be in for a full draft but definitely are down to smash skulls with gods.

You don't need to ask me twice to make an equipment-themed pack, but Halvar, God of Battle does more than ask. He demands answers from your opponent and respect from all. Here's a card fit for Valhalla. He decides which among your creatures are worthy, and he can bestow on them a massive boon.

White Steel | Jumpstart | AE Marling

• Creatures (6)
• 1 Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist
• 1 D'Avenant Trapper
• 1 Danitha Capashen, Paragon
• 1 Halvar, God of Battle
• 1 Serra Disciple
• 1 Warchanter Skald

• Enchantment (1)
• 1 Pacifism

• Artifacts (5)
• 1 Ancestral Blade
• 1 Bronze Sword
• 1 Colossus Hammer
• 1 Fleetfeather Sandals
• 1 Sickleslicer

• Land (8)
• 7 Plains
• 1 Thriving Heath

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Look, I'm a simple man. All I want is to equip my little creature with a Colossus Hammer and pummel my foe into the permafrost. Like Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, you need to have the approval of the gods to wield this equipment. That, or 8 mana. To be fair, not only will Halvar, God of Battle help you equip this castle smasher, but you can also get some impressive pointers from Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist.

Along with the kor, I included another of my favorite uncommon legends in Danitha Capashen, Paragon. The pack has a minor historic theme, and I would love nothing more than to see these heroes pick up weapons and charge into battle.

Our White legends also have some niche powers. Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist can move the Pacifism you cast early in the game to their new best creature. And if your creature is incapacitated with an enchantment, Halvar, God of Battle can shift it to a lesser creature on your team. Also, thanks to these White legends allowing you to equip for free, the haste granted by Fleetfeather Sandals will be much more meaningful. Your creatures are going to arrive early to the thrasher party, and blood will follow.

There's a risk in equipment decks of running too much hardware and too few creatures. Luckily, we have cards like Ancestral Blade and Sickleslicer, to maintain a high head count. Friendly heads on your side that is, and yes, your opponents' heads will also roll like acorns through the forest.

Those acorns will be harvested by familiar industrious woodland creatures, yes, squirrels. Last week I designed a Jumpstart pack with silver-bordered cards like Earl of Squirrel. I didn't expect to create a black-bordered variant this week, but the gods of Kaldheim surprised me.

Trickster Squirrels | Jumpstart | AE Marling

• Creatures (4)
• 1 Game-Trail Changeling
• 1 Ivy Lane Denizen
• 1 Scion of the Wild
• 1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets

• Instants (2)
• 1 Leaf Arrow
• 1 Might of the Masses

• Sorceries (3)
• 1 Acorn Harvest
• 2 Chatter of the Squirrel

• Enchantments (2)
• 1 Druid's Call
• 1 Squirrel Nest

• Artifacts (1)
• 1 Blasting Station

• Land (8)
• 7 Forest
• 1 Thriving Grove

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Rather than going tall with equipment, we're going wide with a scampering army of nut collectors. With Toski, Bearer of Secrets on the battlefield, each nut equals a card drawn. Trust me: You, like your squirrel squad, will be ravenous.

Every Jumpstart pack should have some cards that are more whimsical than powerful. Druid's Call fits that description. In the right situation it could be triumphant, cast on your opponent's creature or your own. May you find your own Magical Squirrel Christmas Land. After all, 'tis the season.

I maintained some of the creature token synergies from last week, such as Ivy Lane Denizen, Scion of the Wild, and Blasting Station, while adding a new one in Might of the Masses. As far as Leaf Arrow, I'm not entirely sure how a squirrel could fire such a projectile, but I wouldn't put it past the sneaky little tree ninjas. And speaking of their mysterious ways, have you seen the size of that squirrel?

Though I expect Toski to be the only squirrel in Kaldheim, we'll doubtless see more dwarf cards. But I simply cannot wait to begin designing a pack around Magda, Brazen Outlaw.

Dwarven Gold | Jumpstart | AE Marling

• Creatures (7)
• 1 Dwarven Vigilantes
• 1 Dwarven Weaponsmith
• 1 Magda, Brazen Outlaw
• 1 Rimrock Knight
• 1 War-Spike Changeling
• 2 Dwarven Soldier

• Instants (1)
• 1 Stonefury

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Pirate's Pillage

• Artifacts (3)
• 1 Bearded Axe
• 1 Gilded Assault Cart
• 1 Prying Blade

• Land (8)
• 7 Mountain
• 1 Thriving Bluff

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To be honest, I don't think I've ever used Dwarven Weaponsmith, and I started playing around the time it was printed. Now, for the first time, we have plentiful artifact tokens in the form of treasures that the dwarf can forge into +1/+1 counters. And what is more appropriate in fantasy gaming than giving a Dwarven Weaponsmith gold to make you stronger? Best of all, if you also command Magda, Brazen Outlaw, the more he forges, the more treasure you'll make.

Now you may have looked at our legendary dwarf and wondered what sort of epic cards we're going to search for. Our primary plan is to use the treasure in other ways, but we could always fetch up an artifact like Gilded Assault Cart or Bearded Axe (cute name for a dwarven weapon). Also, remember that you always shuffle two Jumpstart packs together. You could well hope that your second one includes big dragons. Within this dwarven pack our dragon is decidedly medium sized.

Speaking of changelings, the ability of Dwarven Soldier may be more relevant than you think, especially with the return of the nefarious shapechangers in Kaldheim. No matter how cute those changelings look, whether they seem to be frogs or squirrels, remember they still count as orcs.

Given our current selection of cards, it's hard to make a treasure deck without pirates. I managed to only include one mention of the scurvy dogs in Pirate's Pillage. As we get more cards from Kaldheim you may well find a more thematic fit. I'm more content with my choice of removal. Stonefury sounds like an opponent's creature falling for a dwarven-made trap.

And speaking of hidden dangers, please avoid New Year's Eve parties. Attending one with people outside your immediate household would be as reckless as a Selesnya acolyte going to a Rakdos carnival.

Blackout Party | Jumpstart | AE Marling

• Creatures (9)
• 1 Blade Juggler
• 1 Demon's Jester
• 1 Desecration Demon
• 1 Grim Roustabout
• 1 Gutterbones
• 1 Rakdos Drake
• 1 Thrill-Kill Assassin
• 2 Dead Reveler

• Instants (3)
• 1 Clear the Stage
• 1 Disembowel
• 1 Launch Party

• Land (8)
• 7 Swamp
• 1 Thriving Moor

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I love creature abilities like unleash and riot, which demand you choose a plan. The decision you make on turn two (or seven) whether or not to unleash Thrill-Kill Assassin could decide the game.

The rest of this celebratory Rakdos pack is self-explanatory, but I will mention a few thoughts on rarity. I build these packs with five total non-common cards, which usually means four uncommons and a rare. There's some wiggle room, as some cards shift rarities depending on the set. Thrill-Kill Assassin was most recently printed as a common in the high-powered set of Iconic Masters. I still counted it as an uncommon. Some Jumpstart packs include more than one rare, which can make then stronger overall, but Gutterbones is far from a bomb. I chose it alongside another rare that I believe leads to interesting games, Desecration Demon.

This New Years, please don't listen to demons. Stay at home and play cards.