There’s little doubt that Wizards of the Coast didn’t want to make Through the Omenpaths. Having to create new art and names for an entire existing set of cards creates a ton of extra complexity and work. Unfortunately, due to digital licensing issues, it’s likely that Wizards didn’t have much choice in the matter.
Despite seemingly being forced into this unenviable position, Wizards have knocked it out of the park. Through the Omenpaths was revealed in its entirety on Monday, and MTG players have been absolutely loving it. While the new legends might be lacking flavor and lore, the fantastic new art is certainly a strong selling point.
For some cards in particular, this new art is seemingly a runaway success. There’s a lot of love for King of the Coldblood Curse online, but nothing comes close to Fleem. As the in-universe reimagining of Green Goblin, Fleem, Goben’s Creation has stolen the hearts and minds of MTG players. In fact, MTG players are already campaigning to make Fleem Magic: The Gathering’s new mascot.
Fleem, Goben’s Creation
Technically, Fleem, Goben’s Creation is a powerhouse of an MTG card. Just like Green Goblin, this card can create some impressive combos, albeit not quite as many since it’s on MTG Arena. Still, getting to cast spells from your graveyard for cheaper has tons of applications, so Fleem is bound to be popular.
This power, however, has almost nothing to do with why MTG players love Fleem. Instead, this outpouring of love is thanks to the card’s art, as Fleem is just a happy lil’ guy. With a big, derpy smile and no thought behind his eyes, it’s hard not to love this Goblin. In fact, judging by the state of multiple MTG subreddits, it’s easy to get carried away with the love for Fleem.
All this love started a couple of days ago, when Reddit user the_mainpirate made a jokey post saying, “We should absolutely make this guy popular.” Highlighting Fleem’s adorable art, the_mainpirate suggested players go out and make Fleem decks, proxy them, and “spread the word of Fleem.”
Currently, Fleem is all over the main magicTCG subreddit to an absurd degree. We’ve got memes, memes, memes, and, if you can believe it, even more memes. Fleem has only existed for three days, and there’s even already fan art and custom tokens of him. Players have even created paper renditions of Fleem to help out those proxying him and spreading the good word.
Should all this somehow not be enough, there have even been discussions about what Fleem did to get the Villain type. Sure, this type might sensibly belong to Goben, Gene-Splice Savant, but that’s not going to stop speculation. The possibility of Fleem committing Tax Fraud or stealing hearts is simply too good to ignore.
Fleem Comes to Paper?
Alongside all the memes, art, and love for Fleem, there are also players requesting, or rather concocting, Fleem Secret Lair products. While the “What do you Fleem” Secret Lair might be a bit much, it seems Fleem’s paper debut isn’t out of the realm of possibility. On Blogatog, MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, has received multiple questions regarding Fleem, and things look surprisingly positive.
“Joeyfog: Mark. The people want more of Fleem. We need more of Fleem. When are we getting to see Fleem again?
Mark Rosewater: Success breeds repetition.”
Via: Blogatog
From this statement alone, it seems inevitable that we’re going to get more Fleem in the future. In theory, he could return as part of the second Through the Omenpaths set, but that would require another Green Goblin card. While we are getting more Marvel and potentially even Spider-Man precons, we still might be waiting a while for more Fleem.
That said, another Through the Omenpaths set isn’t the only place that Fleem could appear. In a follow-up question about Through the Omenpaths characters returning, Rosewater stated, “If players really like something it influences future use.” Once again, Fleem definitely fits this category, so he could even appear in a future mainline set.
Sadly, while this is technically good news for Fleem enjoyers, the prospects for a new printing aren’t amazing. With little hope for Masters and Horizons sets anymore, Fleem’s only hope for a paper printing is in a Standard set. Technically, Omenpaths could make this a little more likely than usual, but even then, Wizards works roughly two years ahead of schedule.
Thankfully, while a Standard-legal Fleem could be two or more years away, Secret Lairs are definitely an option. With enough demand, Wizards could easily greenlight a drop to reprint five or so Through the Omenpaths cards. In theory, this could also give us new art for Fleem, but that might be more of a negative.
A Memorable Mascot?
Right now, the future of Fleem is technically uncertain. This adorable lil’ guy is hugely popular right now, but there’s no telling how long that might last. In theory, Fleem might be the real deal, with players continuing to love him for years. There’s a very real chance, however, that this is just a passing fad and a temporary obsession.
Even if this is the case, it’s clear that Fleem is an awful lot more popular than Loot is, at least on Reddit. This is quite an upset, considering that Loot was seemingly designed to be a marketable plush mascot. Potentially, this is the very reason that MTG players don’t love Loot, since he was forced, unlike Fleem.
Ultimately, while there’s a lot of love right now, we’re just going to have to see what happens to Fleem. It does feel like there’s a good chance Wizards will jump on the bandwagon soon enough, but I wouldn’t expect the world. Fleem might be beloved for his adorable derpy face, but I doubt he’ll become an official mascot anytime soon.
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