Story-wise, Bloomburrow is one of the most exciting MTG sets we’ve seen in years. An all-new plane, packed with all-new characters, on an all-new quest. Just what the doctor ordered after the largely derivative Murders at Karlov Manor and Outlaws of Thunder Junction. You can experience this new quest through the art and flavor of the new cards. Alternatively, if you live in Australia or New Zealand, you can experience it through the exclusive Mabel’s Journey event for MTG Bloomburrow.
An Epic Journey
This event was announced via the official Wizards of the Coast website, as well as through a YouTube short on Gavin Verhey’s channel, Good Morning Magic. While referring to it as such downplays the epic tone WotC is going for, Mabel’s Journey essentially works like a coffee shop loyalty scheme. If you visit a WPN store in Australia or New Zealand post-Bloomburrow, you’ll be given a booklet. Each Bloomburrow event you participate in will then earn you a stamp in said booklet.
Any eligible event you take part in between July 26th and October 31st will count. So you have until the spookiest night of the year to fill out your booklet. ‘Eligible events’ include Bloomburrow Prerelease, Draft, Sealed, and Friday Night Magic events. If you’re a Limited fiend or Standard grinder, you’ll probably finish this Journey naturally, without needing to do anything special.
What rewards can you get for doing so? Well, there are four different rewards up for grabs, each of which requires one stamp to claim. For your first Bloomburrow event, you’ll get a Dice Bag with a floral planeswalker icon on it. Dice not included, of course. For your second, you’ll get a set of five character portraits, featuring notable legends from the set. These appear to be similar in size to the art cards found randomly in booster packs and could serve as stylish deck box dividers.
After this point, things start to pick up. For your third Bloomburrow event, you’ll get a Calamity Beast keychain. Specifically, one featuring Maha, Its Feathers Night. Finally, after attending four Bloomburrow events, you’ll get a large tapestry featuring Mabel and Dragonhawk, Fate’s Tempest. Perfect for jazzing up your game room wall.
Supply And Demand
That’s some nice swag, especially for such a low-effort event. You don’t need to place in the top eight or rack up X number of wins to get these: you just need to participate. Beyond the rewards themselves, the stamp booklet also appears to contain small snippets of Bloomburrow lore. So you can enjoy the story while you rack up rewards.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the event’s exclusivity. Mabel’s Journey will only be available for WPN stores in Australia and New Zealand, meaning those who play in MTG Bloomburrow events elsewhere will not be able to get involved. This certainly isn’t the first event like this we’ve seen. Mabel’s Journey has echoes of the Wanderer’s Summer Festival event, which was announced back in May and is slated to start in August. It seems regional events are on the up.
For the rest of the world, these rewards will be available exclusively through the secondary market. Typically, limited-supply items like this command a decent price, and this will likely be the case here too. Dice bag and character portraits excluded. I don’t see many players paying top dollar for such minor items, to be honest.
The keychain and tapestry are another story, however. Both are substantial rewards, and both showcase the gorgeous art of Bloomburrow nicely. The set has been widely lauded for its aesthetic appeal, and the chance to display some of that, be it on a bag or on a wall, will be one that many players jump at. If you want them for yourself, you may be best taking Verhey’s advice and trying to trade with friends in the participating countries. I foresee these rewards being very pricey if purchased through traditional channels.
Read More: The Best Bloomburrow Cards For Commander MTG