If you’ve been keeping up with the endless Bloomburrow spoilers, you’ll know typal archetypes are a major theme. Throughout the set, there are ten archetype-defining creature types, each one of which receives a great deal of support. For Commander players, this is a dream come true, however, that’s where the fun ends most of the time.
Despite how powerful some of the new cards and archetypes look, it’s unlikely they’ll ever break the meta. Sure, there might be some great Mice and a few cards supporting multiple creature types, but even these aren’t enough. Considering how fun cards like Valley Mightcaller look, it’s a crying shame they’re basically unplayable.
That is, at least, outside of one rarely-seen format which may be Bloomburrow’s best time to shine.
The Plight of Valley Mightcaller
From the moment I saw Valley Mightcaller, I was excited. While it’s hardly a format-warping bomb, this card nonetheless tickled my mono-green-loving heart. Providing a scaling threat, with trample no less, Valley Mightcaller could easily punch in for respectable damage in Standard and Alchemy.
To make Valley Mightcaller pop off, all you have to do is play a bunch of Frogs, Rabbits, Raccoons, and or Squirrels. Given there are plenty of these floating about thanks to Bloomburrow, this seems like a fairly easy task. Whether you’re focusing on Raccoons and Expend or Rabbits and Offspring, Valley Mightcaller is a consistent scaling threat.
As intriguing as it is to start brewing for Valley Mightcaller, they’re dreadful in competitive constructed formats. In Limited, this card will pull its weight admirably, as will each of the multiple typal support cards in Bloomburrow. Sadly, outside of the limited Limited environment, Valley Mightcaller simply doesn’t hold up.
While interesting, the typal focus of Valley Mightcaller condemns it to Commander. Outside of a themed deck, this card will rarely ever be more than a basic 1/1. This means it has absolutely no place in decks like Gruul Aggro or Golgari Midrange. Sadly, this is not a problem that exclusively plagues Valley Mightcaller.
As much as we were quick to laud them, Mouse Typal probably won’t be Standard’s latest and greatest aggro deck. This newfangled archetype will likely even struggle in post-rotation Alchemy since other cards exist. Sadly, nowadays synergy is hardly the most important factor in a deck’s success. Instead, jamming a format’s best aggro, midrange, or control cards together typically yields better rewards.
A Saving Grace?
Obviously, while most of Bloomburrow’s cards won’t see play in Standard, Alchemy, or most other formats, they’re not entirely useless. In Commander, Valley Mightcaller and most of Bloomburrow’s otherwise unassuming cards will get the respect they deserve. For the first time, Raccoon, Mouse, Rabbit, and many other animal-oriented decks will finally be playable, which is fantastic.
Even with this knowledge front and center of our minds, we can’t help but be a little disappointed still. As fun as it is, Commander is hardly a competitive format, and Bloomburrow’s adorable critters certainly won’t keep up in cEDH. Thankfully, there is another format that will give Bloomburrow cards the opportunity to shine, albeit briefly: Set Constructed.
Set Constructed is hardly the most popular format in MTG. That being said, it’s probably the format I’m most excited about following Bloomburrow’s release. In this format, the typal archetypes in Bloomburrow will have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Given the innate potential of these new cards, this is a very exciting prospect.
Thankfully, if you’re interested in Set Constructed, you’ll actually be able to play it soon. On MTG Arena, from August 6th to 8th, Bloomburrow Constructed will be the Midweek Magic event. While this does mean Set Constructed will be playable and easily accessible, this format sadly won’t be around for long.
Alongside Set Constructed being shortlived, there’s a non-zero chance it won’t actually be fun. While Bloomburrow has a lot of fun cards, there’s no guarantee it’ll be perfectly balanced. Should this be the case, this MTG Arena event may be swarmed by a single overpowered deck that stifles creativity.
A New Featured Format?
While Set Constructed does, or rather may, have its problems, it’s nonetheless a tantalizing opportunity. When done right, this format can show off a set and its newfangled mechanics in the best light possible. Even if it doesn’t have the longevity of other formats post-release, it could nonetheless be a welcome addition to the paper event calendar.
All that said, we might just have Bloomburrow-tinted glasses on right now. Thanks to all the adorable critters and typal support, Bloomburrow looks like the perfect set for Set Constructed. Looking back, Outlaws of Thunder Junction didn’t have the same appeal, even if it was a rootin’ tootin’ good time.
Sadly, this may be the nail in the coffin for Set Constructed as a long-term well-supported format. Since it lives and dies based on the interest in and strength of a format, retaining player interest in it may be difficult. As a result, we may just be stuck with the short-lived events on MTG Arena for quite some time.
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