Technically, Bloomburrow hasn’t even launched yet. When Prerelease events kick off later today, the set will be legal in all formats, while triggering Standard rotation too. As we’ve seen throughout spoiler season, the set is jam-packed with adorable critters and fantastic typal support. Even though MTG players haven’t touched the cards yet, Bloomburrow is already incredibly beloved.
Across social media, MTG players have been singing the set’s praises and getting swept up in Bloomburrow fever. Even we couldn’t resist lauding what makes this set so special. With all this praise, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Bloomburrow isn’t a smash-hit success that warrants repeats.
Even before Bloomburrow has been officially released, this is exactly what some players want. Already, it appears that players are eager to return to Bloomburrow in the future, sooner rather than later.
Bloomburrow 2: Electric Boogaloo
Recently, on Blogatog, a return to Bloomburrow has been a surprisingly top topic. Not only have MTG players been showing their interest in this hypothetical future set, but they’ve even begun planning it. This remarkably early development has largely been thanks to MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater.
Kicking this off, Tumblr user Brendo asked about the scale of the hypothetical Bloomburrow return. Asking if the sequel would be spread across two sets or one, it’s clear players see Bloomburrow’s return as inevitable. Unfortunately for anyone hoping for blocks to return, Rosewater stated “One set is more likely,” which isn’t too surprising.
What is surprising, however, is that Rosewater quickly began laying the groundwork for Bloomburrow 2. Following a prompt from Tumblr user Miztickow, Rosewater started this process early by creating a poll to gauge player interest. Asking players if they wanted to see new animals, the current set, or a mix, the consensus was clear.
Out of the poll’s almost 1800 votes, 69% of players wanted “A Mix of new and old animals.” While these voters make up a tiny portion of the MTG player base, this overwhelming majority is rather hard to argue with. Thinking about it logically, this choice would also let Wizards explore the best of both worlds, which is a win-win.
Managing the Menagerie
Now we know to expect a mix of new and old, it’s worth wondering what new creature types we might see. Already, Mark Rosewater has helped to answer this question somewhat. Responding to an Aardvark-based ask from Agentcaedere, Rosewater took the opportunity to turn the question around on their community.
Asking “What animals should we do on a return to Bloomburrow?” MTG players quickly pitched in their suggestions on Blogatog. Somewhat unsurprisingly, given the number of animals in existence, there were an awful lot of suggestions. Amongst these, Hedgehogs, Badgers, Moles, and Ferrets were all surprisingly popular suggestions.
On top of these, and plenty more, general suggestions, a few players pointed out themes for the sequel set. Tumblr user Bungo-underhill, for example, stated they wanted “Mable and friends to go on a MacGuffin quest to a faraway land.” This, in turn, would open up opportunities for “Koalas, Kangaroos, Wallabies, Marsupial Mice, etc,” to take center stage.
Alternatively, several players suggested Bloomburrow’s return could be an opportunity for an all-underwater MTG set. While this theme does have the problem of being blue-aligned, there are plenty of interesting aquatic animals to populate the plane. Between Fish, Newts, Seahorses, Octopuses, and Sharks, Wizards could certainly fill out a themed region of the plane.
Ultimately, while these suggestions from players may help guide Wizards, there’s no telling which way the set will go. Given the mix of new and old that players want, a grand adventure to new lands seems like a sensible solution. Where exactly that will take the set, however, remains to be seen at this point.
Only a Matter of Time
Even before Bloomburrow Prereleases begin, it seems we’re destined to return to this set in the future. Already, Mark Rosewater expects the plane to be on the lower end of the Rabiah Scale, which is good news for players. This presumption, however, is notably incomplete as, obviously, little sales data exists yet.
As much as MTG players may be hugely excited about Bloomburrow, the wider casual appeal is unknown. There’s a very real chance that once this set hits store shelves it might not do very well. While it is Standard legal, having to follow on from Modern Horizons 3 and Assassin’s Creed is no small feat.
Should Bloomburrow perform well enough, it seems like it’ll only be a matter of time before we return. When that will actually happen, however, remains to be seen. At the earliest, Bloomburrow could appear as the Q2 premier set for 2027, since Cairo is already in development.
While this three-year delay may seem like a long time, even popular planes have had much longer waits. Innistrad, for example, was absent for five years following the Shadows Over Innistrad block in 2016. This is despite the fact the plane is one of the few ranked at just one on the Rabiah Scale.
Given this past precedent and the equal gap between Strixhaven and Yachting, a five-year wait may be standard. Sadly, this means that fans of Blomoburrow may have to wait a long while yet. Considering what’s going on with the MTG storyline in the Metronome Arc, this wait could be even longer than expected.
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