Jump Scare Precon Upgrade Guide: Zimone, Mystery Unraveler
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DSC precon
Jump Scare!
- Commander
- Zimone, Mystery Unraveler
- Colors
- Blue, Green
- Released
- 27 September 2024
- Card value
- ≈ $105.55
- Key cards
- Ashaya, Soul of the Wild, Giggling Skitterspike, Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait
Jump Scare pairs landfall with face-down creatures: Zimone manifests dread on your first land each turn, then flips your hidden threats on later land drops. More landfall triggers and more mana mean more surprise creatures flipping up at the worst moment for your opponents.
Below you’ll find the full interactive decklist, what the deck does well, where it struggles and our recommended upgrades, split into budget ($4.24), mid-range ($14.41), premium ($21.77). Start with the cheapest swaps and work your way up.
The decklist
Commander (1)
Creatures (32)
- 1Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait$13.08
- 1Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle$0.84
- 1Ashaya, Soul of the Wild$15.37
- 1Augur of Autumn$0.33
- 1Beanstalk Giant$0.65
- 1Body of Knowledge$0.28
- 1Citanul Hierophants$0.40
- 1Curator Beastie$0.30
- 1Deathmist Raptor$0.30
- 1Giggling Skitterspike$13.49
- 1Glitch Interpreter$0.28
- 1Greater Tanuki$0.29
- 1Hydra Omnivore$1.55
- 1Kefnet the Mindful$0.70
- 1Kheru Spellsnatcher$0.26
- 1Kianne, Corrupted Memory$0.47
- 1Multani, Yavimaya’s Avatar$0.25
- 1Overgrown Zealot$0.19
- 1Rashmi, Eternities Crafter$0.40
- 1Sakura-Tribe Elder$0.34
- 1Scute Swarm$8.57
- 1Shigeki, Jukai Visionary$0.26
- 1Shriekwood Devourer$0.70
- 1Skaab Ruinator$0.31
- 1Tatyova, Benthic Druid$0.28
- 1Temur War Shaman$0.24
- 1Thunderfoot Baloth$0.50
- 1Trygon Predator$0.35
- 1Whisperwood Elemental$0.28
- 1Worldspine Wurm$4.49
- 1Yavimaya Elder$0.20
- 1Yedora, Grave Gardener$0.35
Instants (9)
- 1Beast Within$1.08
- 1Biomass Mutation$0.25
- 1Cackling Counterpart$0.62
- 1Counterspell$4.42
- 1Dig Through Time$0.34
- 1Eureka Moment$0.30
- 1Growth Spiral$0.33
- 1Reality Shift$0.33
- 1Zimone’s Hypothesis$0.23
Sorceries (8)
- 1Aether Gale$0.29
- 1Cultivate$0.41
- 1Disorienting Choice$0.35
- 1Explosive Vegetation$0.35
- 1Ezuri’s Predation$2.99
- 1Oversimplify$0.19
- 1Overwhelming Stampede$2.73
- 1Rampant Growth$0.42
Artifacts (4)
- 1Arcane Signet$0.71
- 1Scroll of Fate$0.31
- 1Simic Signet$0.36
- 1Sol Ring$2.11
Enchantments (8)
- 1Experimental Lab$0.28
- 1Growing Dread$0.22
- 1Primordial Mist$0.35
- 1Retreat to Coralhelm$0.41
- 1Sandwurm Convergence$0.32
- 1They Came from the Pipes$0.37
- 1Trail of Mystery$0.28
- 1Wilderness Reclamation$3.37
Lands (38)
- 1Ash Barrens$0.23
- 1Castle Vantress$0.30
- 1Command Tower$0.40
- 1Drownyard Temple$0.31
- 1Evolving Wilds$0.25
- 1Flooded Grove$0.39
- 5Forest$0.18
- 4Forest$0.17
- 1Hinterland Harbor$0.31
- 5Island$0.20
- 4Island$0.22
- 1Mosswort Bridge$0.31
- 1Myriad Landscape$0.41
- 1Overflowing Basin$0.31
- 1Quandrix Campus$0.19
- 1Reliquary Tower$4.95
- 1Simic Growth Chamber$0.36
- 1Tangled Islet$0.26
- 1Temple of Mystery$0.26
- 1Temple of the False God$0.32
- 1Terramorphic Expanse$0.17
- 1Thornwood Falls$0.17
- 1Vineglimmer Snarl$0.26
- 1Yavimaya Coast$0.39
Hover a card to see it (tap on mobile). Prices are for the precon printing, via Scryfall.
What the deck does well
- Zimone turns every extra land drop into card advantage and board presence.
- Ramp like Cultivate, Explosive Vegetation and Sakura-Tribe Elder fits the plan perfectly.
- Flip payoffs like Whisperwood Elemental and Deathmist Raptor, plus huge creatures such as Worldspine Wurm that Zimone turns face up for free, make manifests scary.
Where it struggles
- Kheru Spellsnatcher, Body of Knowledge and Skaab Ruinator are clunky and off-plan.
- Rashmi, Cackling Counterpart and Aether Gale add neither face-down creatures nor landfall triggers.
- Oversimplify and Biomass Mutation are awkward cards that can backfire or sit dead in hand.
Recommended upgrades
Pick a budget tab. Every row tells you which card to take out and what to put in.
Cheap swaps (under $2 each) that fix the biggest problems first.
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disorienting Choice | Unnerving Grasp | $0.21 €0.08 | Bounces any nonland permanent and manifests dread, all on theme. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Skaab Ruinator | Tireless Tracker | $0.24 €0.22 | Makes a Clue on every land drop, turning ramp into card draw. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Body of Knowledge | Cryptic Coat | $0.26 €0.20 | Cloaks the top card of your library as an unblockable face-down creature and can return to hand to do it again. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Rashmi, Eternities Crafter | Harrow | $0.31 €0.24 | Puts two basic lands onto the battlefield untapped at instant speed, giving Zimone both of her triggers at once. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Biomass Mutation | Hydroid Krasis | $0.32 €0.27 | Flexible card draw and lifegain on a flying body that scales with your mana. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Hydra Omnivore | Avenger of Zendikar | $0.44 €0.64 | When cast, fills the board with Plants that grow with every land drop. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Cackling Counterpart | Hauntwoods Shrieker | $0.80 €1.18 | Manifests dread every time it attacks and can reveal and flip face-down creature cards for two mana. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Sandwurm Convergence | Rapid Hybridization | $0.83 €1.24 | One-mana instant that answers any creature, leaving its controller a 3/3. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Island | Fabled Passage | $0.83 €0.93 | A fetch land that fixes colors and triggers landfall twice. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $4.24 | |||
Stronger synergy pieces and better interaction ($2–$8 each).
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giggling Skitterspike | Oracle of Mul Daya | $2.38 €2.69 | An extra land drop each turn, and you can play lands straight off the top of your library. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Oversimplify | Springheart Nantuko | $6.01 €4.32 | Makes an Insect on every land drop, or copies the creature it is bestowed on. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Kheru Spellsnatcher | Lotus Cobra | $6.02 €5.89 | Adds a mana of any color on every land drop for faster, bigger turns. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $14.41 | |||
Premium upgrades. None of these are on the official Game Changers list, so the deck stays friendly for most casual tables.
| Cut | Add | From | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kefnet the Mindful | Dryad of the Ilysian Grove | $9.42 €5.74 | An extra land drop each turn means a second Zimone trigger to flip a face-down creature. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Aether Gale | Ancient Greenwarden | $12.35 €9.37 | Lets you play lands from your graveyard and doubles every landfall trigger, including Zimone’s. | TCGplayer · Cardmarket |
| Total | $21.77 | |||
Where to buy the precon
Don’t own the deck yet? Find Jump Scare! on TCGplayer or on Cardmarket.
Verdict
Jump Scare is fun but loses steam because its top end is bloated. Tighten the curve and add more extra-land effects so Zimone triggers twice every turn.
