Magic has been around for over 30 years now, and in that time it’s seen no shortage of mechanics. One thing it hasn’t seen, however, is a dedicated weather system. This is a staple in many modern open-world titles, and one that plenty of MTG players believe would make a great addition to the game. Potentially in the form of passive global enchantments. Well, the very specific prayers of these MTG players have been answered this week, as we got a full look at the upcoming Bloomburrow Commander Party event. Spoiler alert: there are weather mechanics involved, as well as some other nifty additions.
New Bloomburrow Commander Party Mechanics
We’ve known about the Bloomburrow Commander Party event for a while, but until now its mechanics have been a mystery. Yesterday, a new video from Wizards of the Coast revealed all. All you need to get started with the event is a valid Commander deck, be it a Bloomburrow precon or your own creation. From here, it’s Commander as usual, with a few spicy twists.
The first of these twists is that you’ll begin the game by selecting an Animal Party card. These represent the 10 animal factions of Bloomburrow, and each has its own set of abilities that change how you play the game. The Bird Party card, for example, can either give one of your creatures Flying or draw you a card each turn. Lizard, on the other hand, offers a simple ‘drain three life’ effect for all opponents.
That’s if you get lucky, of course. These animal abilities are tied to coin flips, which take place at the start of your upkeep. If it lands on heads, you get the effect. If tails, you’ll need to move the Season token on the Season Wheel. This is where the aforementioned weather effects come in.
Each section of the Season Wheel represents the weather effects each of the Calamity Beasts bring with them. Some will help you, and some will not. Galewind Moose lets you place +1/+1 counters, for example, while Sunspine Lynx acts as a colorless Blood Moon for the table. Some Animal Party cards give you control over which weather effect you’ll land on, but for the most part these will play like Planechase: a bit of chaotic fun.
Rich Rewards
Taking part in an MTG event like the Bloomburrow Commander Party is very much its own reward. It’s a chance to enjoy new cards alongside wild new rules, and to play in a more casual setting than you may be used to. It also gives you a great reason to check out the Bloomburrow Commander precons if you haven’t already.
That said, there is an actual reward for taking part, too. Everyone who participates in the event will walk away with a Retro Frame Heirloom Blade. This is a classic typal support piece, capable of drawing you a ton of cards for not a lot of mana. It works best in a deck dedicated to a single creature type, but as long as there’s some overlap in your creature base it should work well. It’s a fine card to slot into any of the Bloomburrow precons, if you choose to pick one up.
Heirloom Blade is a sub-$1 card, and the Retro Frame is unlikely to add to its value. Despite that, it’s very much still worth your while to participate in a Bloomburrow Commander Party event. The new Animal Party cards and Season board add a lot to each game. Even if you’re a die-hard Commander veteran, you’ll get a new experience here. Events like these are also typically very cheap to attend, or even free in some cases. Store-dependent, of course.
If you do want to take part in this event, you’ll have two chances to do so. It’ll be running at WPN stores between two windows: August 16th-22nd, and September 6th-12th. Check with your LGS for specific dates and details.
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