MTG Bloomburrow review: A fun set that is stronger than it appears

MTG Bloomburrow is such an incredibly fun set, with a gorgeous aesthetic. The whole “Magic: The Gathering meets Redwall” vibe it puts out fills me with a particular kind of joy. I don’t think it’s one of the most powerful sets we’ve seen in a while, but I think that’s perfectly fine. It’s got a lot of stuff for Standard players to love, a strong Draft/Limited scene, and of course, amazing stuff for Commander. Overall, I’ve really enjoyed cracking packs for this one.

While sure, you can easily say it’s not as strong as Modern Horizons 3, MTG’s Bloomburrow set isn’t supposed to be. That said, it is a stronger set than it appears - don’t be fooled by all the cute, cuddly creatures. There’s some real beef in this set. Some of my favorite cards of the year are in Bloomburrow, that’s for sure.

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MTG Bloomburrow introduces some cool new mechanics

The new game mechanics are strong in this expansion (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

One of the most important things about a new set like MTG Bloomburrow is “what mechanics does it bring?” You get a few really cool ones in this particular expansion, one of which I don’t think will be re-used - unless it gets a rename. The new Offspring keyword is a lot of fun. If you pay for the extra cost these cards come with, you receive a 1/1 copy of that creature. This can be absolutely busted with the right card.

For example, Zinnia, Valley’s Voice gives all your creatures Offspring 2, or you can use Warren Leader to use Offspring and go wide swiftly. It’s such a clever way to offer players a way to make lots of creature tokens. Then there’s the Gift mechanic. This one’s a bit more simple, but leads me to think this set was designed with Commander in mind.

Cards that offer other players a gift allow you to grant an opponent the ability to draw a card as you’re casting this spell. If you let them do so, you receive an additional effect as dictated by the card you’re casting. For example, if you don’t Gift a card with Kitnap, the card you gain control of has three stun counters on it. Otherwise, it comes into your control and is immediately able to be used.

You also have Forage as a new keyword. To do this, you exile three cards from your graveyard - or sacrifice a Food. This comes into play in a variety of ways. For example, the Osteomancer Adept uses it to cast creatures from the graveyard. I’m a fan of Forge as a cool way to use Food tokens or other cards.

Then you have Valiant, which triggers additional effects when the creature is the target of a spell or ability you control for the first time each turn. It’s a great way to get additional buffs for your combat-aligned creatures each turn.

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Mythic Rares in MTG Bloomburrow do not disappoint

The Mythic Rares in this set are amazing (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

There are some absolutely bonkers Mythic Rares in MTG Bloomburrow. Don’t think that just because this is a cute set there aren’t some real winners here. Ral, Crackling Wit is an incredible Mythic Rare. It’s not hard to easily hit his -10, to make every Instant and Sorcery you have feature the Storm keyword for the rest of the game. Suddenly, those spell decks are far deadlier.

Then you have Maha, Its Feathers Night, which is one of my all-time favorite cards. I love control decks, and its ability to make all of my opponent’s creatures have Toughness 1? It’s a simple enough matter to wipe the field over and over. Or you could pair it with a creature that gives opponent’s creatures -1/-1, and all those 1/1 tokens? Gone forever.

MTG Bloomburrow also features another amazing card: Rottenmouth Viper. Depending on how many permanents you sacrifice to cast it, you could get this 6/6 into play much faster. Your opponents are going to no doubt block it, but each time it comes into play/attacks, it gains a Blight counter, which makes it harder for players to keep their life total. You have to sacrifice permanents, or lose life.

If you like to flicker, Beza, the Bounding Spring could be for you. It’s a great way to keep the balance. It grants you life if an opponent has more than you, creature tokens if someone has more creatures, and a card if someone has more than you. This is another one that could be a lot of fun in Commander - especially if your opponents are keeping one person behind.

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MTG Bloomburrow features some remarkable Rares

Some of my favorite Rares of the year came from this set (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

Any set that has a ridiculous, fun optional win condition has my support. It’s my other favorite way to play, other than slow, obnoxious control decks. So when I saw Twenty-Toed Toad, I knew this was my kind of set. All you need to do to win is to have 20 cards in hand when you attack with it, or for it to have 20 counters on it when you attack. It’s a brilliant, fun card.

I also like the cards in MTG Bloomburrow that have a little bit of risk to them. For example, Starfall Invocation lets you bring a creature card back into play after board wiping - as long as you gift a card to an opponent. Sure, they might get something useful, but you do as well. It’s a little bit of give and take.

You can get some extra life out of your spell decks in the late game thanks to one of the MTG Bloomburrow Rares as well - Festival of Embers. The ability to cast spells (Instant and Sorcery) from your graveyard, by paying 1 life in addition to its cost? That’s fantastic.

Though anything you would put in the graveyard gets exiled instead, so it’s very much all about the timing. From powerful creatures to decent spells, I think this set has a nice, wide assortment of options. Not to mention so many different animal tribes work together and create incredible synergies/decks. I’m a huge fan of this set.

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Uncommons and Commons of MTG Bloomburrow are adorable and have value

There's value in all rarities in Bloomburrow (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

You only get so many Rares/Mythic Rares, after all - MTG Bloomburrow’s other cards need to deliver too! They absolutely do. Fell is a 2-drop creature removal in Black, though it is a Sorcerery instead of Instant. That’s probably for the best. If you spend four mana in a turn on spells, Bark Knuckle Boxer gets Indestructible until end of turn, and that’s amazing in a deck where you buff creatures.

I also love that Bonebind Orator can be exiled from the grave to return a creature card to your hand. You also have the charming Crumb and Get It which gifts a Food instead of a card. It’s a +2/+2 temporary buff for a creature, and if you Promise the gift, it’s also Indestructible. I didn’t feel cheated by a single pack in this set.

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Final thoughts

Bloomburrow was, on the whole, a very enjoyable set (Image via Wizards of the Coast)

From the group hug/gift effects to the cards that can benefit you if an opponent has done something, I think MTG Bloomburrow is a great set. There’s nothing wrong with it being more of a Commander set, though - that might turn off some players, though. I definitely understand it.

This set was really all about the gorgeous art for me, though. The cards are great, but this kind of aesthetic was brilliant. After seeing so much grimdark out of Magic: The Gathering in this past year or two, this set was a breath of fresh air.

Not to say I don’t enjoy the grim darkness, far from it. The artists for Bloomburrow went all out to create some of the best anthropomorphic animals I’ve ever seen, in some truly stunning visual displays. MTG Bloomburrow will no doubt go down as one of my favorite sets of the year.