Ice-cold take alert: Bloomburrow is the cutest MTG set we’ve seen in many, many years. Other than Lorwyn, it’s hard to think of a set that captures childlike whimsy so well. Of course, the fact that every character is an animal helps a lot too. To celebrate this aspect of the set, WotC enlisted the help of diorama artist Maggie Rudy to create beautiful physical versions of the set’s heroes. While this may just have been a fun marketing project, players are now calling for these Bloomburrow dioramas to be made into a Secret Lair drop of their own.
Crafted With Care
These dioramas were shared on the official MTG Twitter account last week. In total, artist Maggie Rudy created six models, representing each member of Mabel’s squad in the set. Helga, Zoraline, Hugs, Finneas, and even Otter Ral Zarek all feature. The tactile nature of the diorama medium matches perfectly with the natural, rustic plane of Bloomburrow. Looking at these photos, you can really feel the world within.
Players in the comments responded extremely well to Rudy’s Bloomburrow dioramas. BillDiceGaming noted that the dioramas were “Stunning!” (With two starry-eyed smiley emojis). Jacw212 v2 concurred, exclaiming “THIS IS INCREDIBLE.” Art is one of the most important aspects of MTG, after all. It’s a part of the game which, whether players realize it or not, gives it an edge over its competitors. Working with independent artists like Rudy, then, is a smart move on WotC’s part.
The collaboration, as noted in WotC’s tweet, is intended to lean into the ‘Cottagecore’ trappings of Bloomburrow as a set. For those unfamiliar, Cottagecore is a kind of aesthetic/movement that has grown popular online in the last few years. It celebrates the simplicity of rural life, as well as a connection to the natural world. Through her use of natural materials and organic-looking backdrops, Rudy’s work embodies these ideals perfectly.
Ordinarily, Rudy dedicates her time to an ongoing art project called Mouseland. This features anthropomorphic mice going about their day to day lives, and is about as Cottagecore as you can get. Given the fact that Bloomburrow’s protagonist is a mouse, the collaboration makes perfect sense. It’s a stunning project that helps us get a feel for the world, in the literal sense. Overall: a tremendous success.
A Top-Secret Secret Lair?
In fact, Rudy’s Bloomburrow dioramas have proven so successful that players are now requesting they be used as art for a new Secret Lair drop. In the comments below WotC’s post, many players, including some prominent community figures, put forward this opinion.
“Please, I would buy Secret Lairs of these in a heartbeat, they remind me of the old Cosgrove Hall Wind in the Willows.”
Joe Parlock, Tabletop Editor, TheGamer
Joe wasn’t alone, either. InfiniTokens, creators of a popular series of dry-erase token products, also weighed in. “These need to be a Secret Lair or some promotion! They deserve to be cards!” One enterprising player, captkramerica, even went so far as to create custom mockups of what such a Secret Lair would look like. You can see some of their creations above, as well as on their Twitter account.
How likely is it that this Secret Lair becomes a reality? More than you might think, actually. Granted, there isn’t much precedent for us being shown the unique art for a Secret Lair in advance of the Lair itself. Typically things happen the other way around. But Secret Lair is all about trying new things and pushing the boundaries, so ‘seeding’ a drop like this would make perfect sense.
Additionally, while diorama art is fairly out-there for Magic, we have seen a Secret Lair make use of it before. Earlier this year the Diabolical Dioramas Secret Lair drop was released, featuring four spooky dioramas by Laura Plansker as the art. This is decidedly less wholesome than Rudy’s work, but similar in terms of execution. If WotC can do one, they can do the other, basically. Let’s hope they do; based on the mockups above, it would be a very nice Secret Lair indeed.
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