When players sit down to start a draft, it’s very natural for everyone to hope to open a rare bomb to kick things off. There’s no better feeling than starting off your draft with an uber powerful card that can win games singlehandedly. Interestingly, though, the Bloomburrow Limited environment truly showcases just how strong synergistic cards of lower rarity can be.
Particularly, there are a range of uncommons in this set that, despite not being overly flashy, are incredibly impactful and make excellent first picks. These cards are deceptively powerful, meshing perfectly with the format at hand. To fully grasp just how good this collection of cards is, we need to discuss their place in draft and examine how they stack up against the rest of the field.
Diving into the Data
- Mana Value: BG
- Rarity: Uncommon
- Stats: 3/2
- Text: When Vinereap Mentor enters or dies, create a Food token. (It’s an artifact with “2, Tap, Sacrifice this artifact: You gain 3 life.”)
According to 17lands.com, which tracks MTG Arena user card data during drafts, of the 12 cards with the highest win rates when maindecked, five of them are uncommons. At the same time, only two are rares, while the other five are mythic rares. It’s not too surprising to see incredibly pushed cards like Maha, Its Feathers Night and Sword of Fire and Ice near the top of the list. To see cards like Vinereap Mentor and Burrowguard Mentor just barely behind them, though, may be a bit shocking.
Yet, all five of these uncommons have a major similarity between them: they’re all excellent at playing to the board in an efficient manner. Each card costs two or three mana. Four of the five are cheap creatures themselves, and the fifth card, Hunter’s Talent, incentivizes you to play out lots of creatures.
This reveals a lot about the nature of the format. Bloomburrow Limited is very fast. Cheap creatures rule the day. As a result, generic, catch-all removal spells like Banishing Light aren’t quite at a premium. After all, if you’re trading down on mana by simply removing two-drops with it rather than huge haymakers, you’re not getting the best bang for your buck.
Cards like Burrowguard Mentor and Harvestsrite Host get significantly better the more creatures you can add to the board. Token producers like Hop to It (another top-tier card in the set) make elite complimentary pieces. This only makes single-target removal worse.
Read More: Underrated MTG Bloomburrow Talent is a Potent Win Condition
Truly Pushed Cards
- Mana Value: 1G
- Rarity: Rare
- Text: (Gain the next level as a sorcery to add its ability.) At the beginning of combat on your turn, put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control. Level 2: G: Permanents you control with counters on them have ward 1. Level 3: 3G: If you would put one or more counters on a permanent or player, put twice that many of each of those kinds of counters on that permanent or player instead.
Beyond just how synergistic and creature-driven Bloomburrow draft tends to be, it’s incredible how pushed many of the uncommons are naturally. Compare Hunter’s Talent and Innkeeper’s Talent, for example. Innkeeper’s Talent is amazing. It’s comparable to Luminarch Aspirant, which had the highest win rate of any card when maindecked in Zendikar Rising draft. Except, Hunter’s Talent is less vulnerable to traditional removal and has the upside of being leveled up.
Even still, many players would first pick Hunter’s Talent over Innkeeper’s Talent. The fact that Hunter’s Talent acts as removal while also letting you pump your creatures in the future can make it stronger when you’re behind or losing a race.
Thought-Stalker Warlock, tied for the highest win rate among uncommons, is also very pushed. It’s at its best in Rakdos Lizards, but the card is pretty much good in every situation. It’s not hard to connect in combat, and then you get a 2/2 with a Thoughtseize effect stapled onto it. Getting to interact while simultaneously adding battlefield presence is a big deal.
This really goes to show the value of being able to evaluate cards based on their strengths and how well-supported they are. It’s easy to get fooled by a card’s high rarity while drafting. If you want to consistently succeed in Bloomburrow draft, make sure to be on the lookout for these standout uncommons.
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