Bloomburrow is undoubtedly one of the more interesting premier sets we’ve had in a while. Focusing on a selection of creature types, many of which have been underrepresented throughout MTG’s history, is a very unique idea. Luckily, Bloomburrow boasts a perfect environment to harbor all these cute animals.
From a Limited standpoint, this can create some interesting dynamics. At a baseline, certain color pairs represent specific creature types. This rewards you for drafting in a thematic and synergistic manner. Digging deeper, it’s intriguing to see how different color pairs match up against one another and what design adjustments were made to prevent distinct creature types from easily rising to the top of the animal hierarchy.
For example, one noticeable aspect of Bloomburrow as a whole is the vast number of cards with Reach in the set. Recent data suggests Bloomburrow has the most creatures with Reach of any set over the last few years. Apparently, this isn’t a coincidence. In fact, the number of Reach creatures per set has been largely trending upward in recent years. This definitely has its tradeoffs, so it’s important to delve into the data and go over what this noticeable change means for Limited gameplay.
Bloomburrow Adaptations
- Mana Value: 3WU
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 4/5
- Text: Flying. Whenever one or more Birds you control deal combat damage to a player, choose one: You may put a Bird creature card from your hand or graveyard onto the battlefield with a finality counter on it, put a +1/+1 counter on each Bird you control or draw a card.
With Bloomburrow in particular, this set’s structure made it destined to feature an abundance of Reach creatures. MTG Head Designer Mark Rosewater stated that the large number of Reach creatures in the set appeared in part to compensate for the set’s focus on Bats and Birds. This makes a ton of sense. After all, if the number of Flying threats is inevitably going to be high, then colors like green should have more Reach blockers readily available. This makes it less likely green decks (which already lack lots of efficient removal by default) get punked by a couple of cheap Fliers.
That being said, the data reveals that the increase in Reach creatures hasn’t just applied to Bloomburrow. The bar graph highlights 15 recent sets, including MH3 and MH2. From Innistrad: Midnight Hunt all the way to Phyrexia: All Will be One (eight sets total), only two sets have eight or more Reach creatures total.
By contrast, from March of the Machine up until Bloomburrow (seven sets total), only Wilds of Eldraine fails to meet this threshold. This is a pretty significant change that, for the most part, seems to have been positively received from the player base.
Read More: MTG Designer Is Already Considering a Second Bloomburrow Set
Tradeoffs
- Mana Value: 2RG
- Rarity: Common
- Stats: 2/3
- Text: Devoid (This card has no color). When you cast this spell, create two 0/1 colorless Eldrazi Spawn creature tokens with “Sacrifice this creature: Add colorless.” Reach. Whenever you sacrifice another Eldrazi, put a +1/+1 counter on Writhing Chrysalis.
The biggest reason that many players seem happy with more Reach creatures being present each set is that, if you have a Reach creature at the ready, you don’t have to risk dying to small Fliers or using premium removal spells on them. Threats have only become more efficient, and saving removal for bombs is crucial.
Bombs appear to be even more prevalent since the introduction of Play Boosters, too. Packs can have upwards of four rares. Chances are high that you’ll face down a haymaker at some point that you really need to remove.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean there aren’t downsides associated with the abundance of Reach creatures. First, more Reach creatures can lead to more board stalls, as winning in the air is less reliable. For some, this can be a huge negative consequence.
Second, it feels like we’ve been seeing more and more creatures lately that have “hidden” Reach. What we mean is that, while Reach appears in the rules text, it gets smushed between other abilities, and the card generally does not look like it should have Reach in the first place. Take Writhing Chrysalis, for instance. The card is already far above rate for a normal common.
Yet, because it has Reach tacked onto it, your option of soaring over opposing Eldrazi becomes invalidated. Plus, early in the format, many players attacked Fliers into it, only to get blown out in combat. Overall, it’ll be interesting to see if this trend continues even further in this direction. Evasion isn’t quite what it used to be, for better or for worse.
Read More: Playing With Vandalized Cards Is The Latest Wild MTG Trend
