The full Bloomburrow main set, and all four of its accompanying Commander decks, have now been revealed. Despite this, the party isn’t over just yet. As has become the norm for new Magic sets, Bloomburrow is also getting a Showcase Secret Lair drop. This gives us more cards in the set’s signature style. Revealed on the official Secret Lair Twitter account, the drop adds more animalized planeswalkers to those featured in Imagine: Critters. Including such gems as Rat Tezzeret, Snake Vraska, and Bat Sorin. The financial value here isn’t fantastic, but the aesthetic value is next-level.
Leader Of The Pack
In a surprising twist, the most valuable card in the Showcase: Bloomburrow Secret Lair drop is one you likely haven’t heard of. Tezzeret, Master of the Bridge is the titular planeswalker’s War of the Spark iteration. That set also marks the one and only time this card has ever been printed, which may account for its current price tag of around $20.
In terms of playability, this Tezzeret isn’t much of a multi-format all-star. It is, however, very good in Commander, which does a lot for a card’s price nowadays. All three of its abilities are excellent in any kind of artifact deck, and its passive is doubly so. Essentially, it lets the Master of the Bridge serve as a pricey but potent mana rock at an absolute minimum.
This new version recasts Tezzeret as a Rat, which makes sense given his treacherous actions in the story. Ironically enough, Rat Typal decks are actually pretty unlikely to run this card, so it’s not much of a flavor win. That said, it’s equally unlikely that this version ends up cheaper than the original. I’d say this will end up around $25-30 at least, which immediately covers the cost of the drop. Shipping excluded, of course.
Middle Of The Road
After Tezzeret, things drop off quite a bit in terms of value. Thankfully not in terms of art, though. The new Bat version of Sorin Markov is so cool that WotC actually revealed it on Twitter before the drop itself. That’s when you know. Seeing Magic’s favorite bad-boy edge lord in Bat form feels spot-on flavor-wise. It’s also not out of the question in canon, since certain Vampires in Magic have the ability to transform into Bats.
In terms of play, Sorin Markov is another card that really only sees the light of day in Commander. He’s very, very good there, however. His -3 ability can essentially dome someone for 30 or more in the format, paving the way for a quick kill. His ultimate is also very tasty indeed, doing a great impression of Mindslaver if you can reach it. For this reason, Sorin will typically run you around $10, which makes him a solid include here. Especially given how sought-after this Bat version is sure to be.
Huatli, Radiant Champion is yet another Commander card, albeit a much more recent one than our ol’ pal Sorin. This card saw its first and only printing in Rivals of Ixalan, and now it’s back to bring its creature-loving ways to a brand new audience. Huatli is all about going wide, which is something a lot of green/white decks in Commander like to do. Doubtless more so post-Bloomburrow, where new Rabbit Typal decks will be viable choices. Huatli costs around $5 right now, so it’s hardly a major value-add. Casting her as a tropical bird was an inspired creative decision, however.
Keep Planeswalking
Rounding off the Showcase: Bloomburrow Secret Lair drop, we have two fairly low-value cards. Interestingly enough, these are also the only cards here that see play outside of Commander. Which should tell you all you need to know about the sheer influence of that format on modern MTG finance.
Vraska, Golgari Queen is a solid planeswalker that sees sparing play in Golgari Midrange and Amalia Combo decks in Pioneer. It also makes the cut in several graveyard-focused Commander decks. It’s aggressively-costed, has three relevant abilities, and the new art shows Vraska as a Snake. What more could you want? This version of Vraska typically sells for around $3-5, so you can expect a small markup thanks to the new art here.
Finally, we have Kiora, Behemoth Beckoner. This is easily the cheapest card in the drop, with regular copies regularly selling for $2 and under. Don’t mistake that low cost for poor playability, however. The card sees play in decks running Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx in both Pioneer and Modern, letting you untap your Nykthos for an absurd mana boost. It also draws you cards when you drop one of the deck’s signature massive creatures. Of course, it’s also solid in Commander, and this stunning new axolotl version will look excellent in the 99. I still don’t expect it to go for more than a few dollars, even so.
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