Every year, a multitude of premier sets are released, and a variety of planes are visited or revisited. Not all sets are slam dunks, and neither are all planes. It’s quite typical for a couple sets each year to really resonate with the player base.
In 2024, the Standard-legal set that most fits the bill is definitely Bloomburrow. Thematically, Bloomburrow was a huge hit. After all, who doesn’t love cute animals? This was also a neat deviation from the norm from a lore perspective, as Humans were no longer the clear focus.
With Bloomburrow being a brand-new plane, it’s rather unusual for it to have this level of success. According to MTG head designer Mark Rosewater, he’s “highly optimistic of a return” to Bloomburrow. He went as far as to give Bloomburrow a 2 on the Rabiah scale, which is ridiculously low. As we will see, this is rather unprecedented, showcasing just how beloved the adorable environment truly was.
Bloomburrow is in Rare Territory
For those unfamiliar, the Rabiah scale measures how likely a return to a specific plane is in the future. The lower the number, the more likely we’ll see a return to the place. It’s no surprise that Bloomburrow was well-liked within the community, so seeing a return to Bloomburrow wouldn’t be shocking. That being said, hearing Mark Rosewater give such a high grade this close to release is rather incredible.
To better put things in perspective, only three planes are listed with a grade of 1. These locations are Ravnica, Dominaria, and Innistrad. All of these planes have already been returned to, with Ravnica and Dominaria acting as places that are “integral to the fabric of the game.”
From there, the only other set that has received a grade of 2 is Zendikar, which we have also trekked back to with Battle for Zendikar. Nearly every plane we’ve explored in the last few years for the first time has a significantly lower grade than Bloomburrow. For instance, both Thunder Junction and New Capenna have grades of 6.
It’s also interesting to consider that some places with far worse grades than Bloomburrow have actually already been confirmed for a return. Both Tarkir (4 on the Rabiah scale) and Lorwyn (6 on the Rabiah scale) are on their way back in the future, though no specific release dates have been signaled yet. This news came after a poll back in May revealed that Tarkir and Lorwyn were among the most heavily requested planes to return to.
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The Players Love Bloomburrow
Bloomburrow’s rating completely blows these two sets out of the water, despite their high demand. That said, based on the reactions from many players across social media, it was to be expected.
After hearing about Mark Rosewater’s Rabiah scale grade for Bloomburrow, many players took to Reddit share their opinions on the set. The general consensus seems to be that Bloomburrow is the most beloved plane in a long time.
Some players noted that Bloomburrow was hugely successful at the local game store level. Reddit user SentientSickness went as far as to say that Bloomburrow’s release is what encouraged them to find a local game store and build a deck they were interested in, beyond just a Commander Precon.
Bloomburrow got a lot of recognition as well for its fantasy design. Following sets like Murders at Karlov Manor and Outlaws of Thunder Junction where the tropes didn’t quite live up to expectations, Bloomburrow provided a “pure fantasy” environment that had been heavily desired for a while.
Bloomburrow’s unique feel helped differentiate the plane from others in recent memory, which only helps the case for a return even more. From a world building perspective, Wizards of the Coast really knocked it out of the park with Bloomburrow.
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Areas for Improvement in a Return
An important thing to emphasize with Bloomburrow’s excellent Rabiah scale mark is that it mostly highlights how strongly the setting and characters appeal to the player base. Sales definitely play a factor, which partly explains why Kamigawa had a mediocre grade on the Rabiah scale for a long time before the revival in Neon Dynasty. Nonetheless, the Rabiah scale doesn’t go fully in-depth about how the cards themselves actually played out in a Limited or Constructed setting.
This is by far the biggest area that could be improved upon with a return to Bloomburrow. The sheer level of typal synergies present in Limited made drafting less enjoyable for some players. For many players that didn’t like Bloomburrow as much as anticipated, this feeling mostly seems to be accredited to card design rather than world building.
In any case, Bloomburrow’s success is undeniable. If Mark Rosewater is willing to give Bloomburrow such a high Rabiah scale grade, perhaps a return is only a few years out. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see, immersing ourselves in the world of Duskmourn releasing soon enough.
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