Over the next couple months, a lot of new sets being introduced to the world of MTG. First, the official release of Modern Horizons 3 is now less than a week away. The first two Modern Horizons sets changed the metagame drastically, so expect a major shakeup to the Modern format when MH3 comes out.
From there, players barely have a chance to learn the ins and outs of the set before MTG Assassin’s Creed cards become available on July 14. We even got a glimpse at a few Assassin’s Creed spoilers earlier this weekend.
Soon after that, Bloomburrow will be arriving on August 2. Bloomburrow is a very unique premier set centered around cute animals, and a lot of players are quite excited about Bloomburrow’s aesthetics. In fact, there has been a ton of discussion recently about what themes players most want to see leaned into. Many players are already looking ahead, so today, we’re going to go over some of the most popular and intriguing ideas to get players hyped for this adorable set.
Redwall Vibes
Perhaps the biggest appeal of the set to many players is the focus on anthropomorphic animals rather than Humans. Some players made it clear that seeing a set with no Humans in it whatsoever is quite refreshing for a fantasy setting. To many, Bloomburrow presents the perfect opportunity to bring intriguing characters and lore to the forefront of MTG, providing a different vibe than most sets.
With this in mind, there seems to be a resounding hope that Bloomburrow continues to feed off of the ideas present in Redwall. For those unfamiliar, Redwall is a popular series of children’s fantasy novels written by Brian Jacques. When initial pieces of Bloomburrow artwork started coming out, it quickly became apparent how much the set seemed to overlap with the themes present in Redwall.
For instance, Mabel, Heir to Cragflame shown above is extremely reminiscent of Martin the Warrior, the main character in the sixth book of the Redwall series. On the cover of Martin the Warrior, Martin wields a sword just like Mabel, and their poses look very similar.
Beyond just the main set for Bloomburrow, some players showcased interest in purchasing a Secret Lair product that further brings the Redwall characters to life. It’ll be interesting to see how far down the rabbit hole Wizards of the Coast takes these ideas.
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Focusing on Underrepresented Creature Types
Speaking of rabbits and beyond, another interesting aspect of the set that has players excited is the potential for underappreciated creature types to get some additional support. Mabel, Heir to Cragflame clearly showcases that there will be an emphasis on mice in the set, but there’s plenty of room for other creature types to get some love.
Bats and Frogs were two of the creature types players talked about, and seeing some powerful payoffs for those under supported archetypes would be pretty cool. Grolnok, the Omnivore is a really sweet option to lead a Frog typal Commander deck, as is Aclazotz, Deepest Betrayal for a Bat typal deck. Unfortunately, the lack of strong Bats and Frogs throughout MTG’s history makes maximizing these decks a tough proposition. Bloomburrow presents a chance for Bats, Frogs, Otters, Rabbits, Squirrels, and lots of other sweet creature types to gain some traction.
In a similar vein, given that each color pair should represent a different animal, there’s room for some nice utility lands to help bolster these creature types. We saw how impactful Fortified Beachhead was for Azorius Soldiers decks in Standard, so maybe a cycle of lands in a similar style will get printed.
Personally, I’d love to see typal decks thrive in Standard in some capacity, so I’m all for this. Over the past year or so, Standard has largely been dominated by various black midrange piles. Fortunately, Standard’s next rotation comes with Bloomburrow’s release, so there are bound to be some major shifts in the Standard metagame coming up. Seeing more thematic creature decks succeed once more would be a breath of fresh air.
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Neat Reprint Options
In addition to all the new toys that Bloomburrow can bring to the table, players also discussed the potential for some older cards to receive reprints. One card that garnered some attention was Fable of Wolf and Owl. Fable of Wolf and Owl debuted in Eventide, part of the Lorwyn-Shadowmoor block.
Lorwyn presented some similar vibes to Bloomburrow back in the day as another set that doesn’t feature Humans. Fable of Wolf and Owl has yet to be reprinted after all these years, and Bloomburrow seems like a great place to make it happen.
Going further down the bird path, some players have suggested Baleful Strix as another reprint. Some of the artwork showcased in the Bloomburrow first look back in February does clearly depict an owl-like animal, but having Baleful Strix appear in a premier set still seems quite unlikely. The card is not legal in Modern let alone Standard.
Compared to other evasive two-drops that consistently see play in Standard now, like Faerie Mastermind, Baleful Strix seems a bit above the bar. Perhaps something tamer like Parasitic Strix makes an appearance instead.
Bloomburrow is a Plane filled with wonder, and the possibilities seem truly endless. Could we see more Squirrel support, maybe with an Acorn Harvest reprint to boot? How about something as amusing as a Platypus Detective? Only time will tell all that Bloomburrow has to offer, so for now, we’re just going to have to sit tight and wait.
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