I haven’t been shy when it comes to my feelings about Bloomburrow. While incredibly cute, the set doesn’t do it for me.
Bloomburrow’s mechanics are simple and easy to grok.
Typal synergies have never really been my favorite. Personally, I find them too linear.
I don’t feel challenged.
All in all: I don’t enjoy Bloomburrow as a set.
However, it is one of Magic’s greatest sets of all time.
The Plane
A key reason that has led to Bloomburrow’s success is the setting. After what feels like an eternity, we are once again back on a Human-less plane. We are exploring a plane made up of Mice, Rabbits, Bats, Frogs, Birds, Raccoons, and Squirrels. We are amongst greenery and beautiful expanses of nature. For the first time, we are on a plane that captures the energy of Lorwyn without actually being Lorwyn.
There’s a whimsy and lightness to the set. It feels almost like a palate cleanser after the many heavy sets we have traversed over the past few years. Even the story of the set has a sort of Young Adult novel-esque plot with the grouping of heroes, the Calamity Beasts, and the theft of the egg. It feels like a callback to something from childhood. The set also seems to tap on the shoulders of those who grew up with outside-Magic IPs like Redwall and Mouse Guard. There’s a youthful charm to this plane that makes Magic players feel cozy and at home. I can’t blame them!
The Cuteness
Cuteness is a huge reason why the set is so successful. It’s even managed to melt my cold, steely heart. Bloomburrow has no terrifying monsters. No gruesome beasts or compleation. It’s packed full of the cutest critters you’ve ever seen. These critters have been split up into different color combos, almost like the factions in Ravnica. Mice are Boros, Squirrels are Golgari, Birds are Azorius. You get the picture.
Bloomburrow takes some of the cutest creatures and jam-packs synergies into the set. I have a friend whose favorite animals are frogs, and when Bloomburrow dropped, she set out to collect every Frog card to make a Frog deck. There’s something really exciting about creating a Commander deck around your favorite cute, cuddly animal. I mean, have you seen the offspring token that Warren Warleader makes? It’s so cute, I want to pinch its little cheeks.
Even the Calamity Beast known as Maha, Its Feathers Night is beautiful rather than terrifying. The types of creatures and their overall cuteness really add to the draw of Bloomburrow.
The Mechanics
The plane and cuteness definitely lie on the aesthetic side of Bloomburrow’s success; however, I largely think that this set’s success lies mostly in its mechanics. Earlier, I stated that these mechanics made me dislike the set, and while I stand by that, that doesn’t mean that the mechanics are bad. In fact, that’s far from the truth. The mechanics and archetypes of this set are simple, linear, and easy to understand. In essence, Bloomburrow is the set to onboard new Magic players.
One of my biggest criticisms as of late is how complex Magic has become. Granted, it has always been a complex game, but seeing newer players get discouraged when they try to pick up the Goad precon or pilot the Merfolk explore deck makes me sad. I’ve even seen newer players question their intelligence or understanding of the game when it came to the Doctor Who drop or the various forms of descend from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan.
Bloomburrow feels refreshing because it ignores complexity and favors simple, elegant designs. Offspring, Forage, Expend, and Give a Gift were mechanics I was able to understand right away while drafting. I never had to reread reminder text or pull a take-back or oopsie.
The Typal Synergies
Beyond these mechanics, typal synergies are also incredibly popular and easy to grasp onto as a newer player. When introducing newer players to Commander (or Magic in general), the majority of them seem to lean towards typal synergies. There’s something exciting about building a deck around Elves, Dragons, and Vampires. Bloomburrow has the added benefit of making these typal synergies around the cutest creatures around. The support for it is great! I mean, sure, Squirrels and Rats didn’t really need the help, but Rabbits, Birds, Bats, and Otters were struggling for air and suddenly have life breathed into them.
Whether you’re a seasoned player or a new one, typal focused sets have a lot to offer. They either help introduce people to the game or create an increased card pool for typal decks that had very little to no support. Cadira, Caller of the Small decks have now been beefed up with Finneas, Ace Archer and Valley Questcaller. Lutri, the Spellchaser has been given justice through Bria, Riptide Rogue and Alania, Divergent Storm. This set’s focus on clean designs and easy-to-understand mechanics has led to its massive success, one we haven’t seen since Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.
Brewing Bloomburrow
I don’t enjoy Bloomburrow as a set. I prefer puzzles and complexity, staring at a card and trying to crack it, or finding a new angle to approach a brew. Does my dislike of this set mean it’s bad? Far from it. I can not enjoy a set and still recognize just how good it is and its success. I wouldn’t be surprised to see if Bloomburrow outsells The Lord of the Rings, which is known greatly for its record-shattering sales. My local game store can’t even keep packs in stock due to how quickly they go.
People are buzzing about Bloomburrow at events, in shops, and online, and with good reason. Bloomburrow is one of those sets that we will talk about and reminisce over in the years to come. Releases like that are rare, so revel in this one. Gather as much of it as you can and store it away for winter. It’ll be sure to warm you up.
Happy burrowing, deckbuilders.
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