Bloomin’ good.
If you follow me on Twitter (now unfortunately called X), I’ve already gushed at-large about how charming Bloomburrow genuinely is, and how it feels like a Ravnica-scale release for the newer generation of Magic: The Gathering players. The themes are fantastic, card design is easy to parse for newer players, and there’s a strong sense of affection towards adorable animals with consumers. Bloomburrow feels like a Universes Beyond release without it being one and honestly, it’s given me a ton of confidence that Wizards of the Coast can produce something thematically strong as Bloomburrow without needing to rely on the Universes Beyond sub-brand for those compelling themes in the future. When you have non-Magic folks passively discussing “the cute animal Magic set”, you know you’re onto something really good and Bloomburrow certainly delivers on that promise.
And Bloomburrow having that Universes Beyond-like pull is ultimately beneficial – getting more people into Magic is a really good thing when you break things down. Regardless of how you feel about Universes Beyond and how it might not always align with your experiences in (or how you perceive) Magic, it’s doing much good in bringing new people into the game. I’ve had countless interactions with players who joined the fold thanks to Assassin’s Creed, or because they wanted to play the game that “had that special One Ring card that Post Malone now owns.” Personal differences aside, Universes Beyond is getting people into Magic, this game we’ve come to properly adore over the years, and that’s pretty exciting to see.
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Not before long, we’ll embark on the gloomy and slasher-like road to Duskmourn: House of Horror (releasing in September), which presents an utterly stark contrast to what we’re currently experiencing in the innocent yet colorful world of Bloomburrow. With the previews of Duskmourn impending, it has left me wishing we could reside on Bloomburrow much longer than just a single Standard release, given the refreshing themes the anthropomorphic plane accommodates. Truly, Bloomburrow feels like a breath of fresh air after the gruesome machinations of the Omenpath Arc and the Phyrexians last year, which honestly, displayed enough body horror to last a lifetime in Magic. Heck, Bloomburrow feels invigorating after the tirade of differently-shaped hats with Murders at Markov Karlov Manor and Outlaws of Thunder Junction. I’m just not quite ready to leave Bloomburrow yet, and I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way.
Bloomburrow feels like a classic Magic release in a way I can’t truly explain, but it has left me wanting so much more than what we’re currently getting. Maybe because Bloomburrow is an unapologetic nod to Redwall or The Secret of NIMH which I adored reading as a child, but I do miss the days when Wizards adopted the traditional block release cadence that ultimately ended in 2018. If you’re much newer to Magic with much firmer joints than mine, blocks used to be a group of sequential Magic sets (often called expansions) that shared mechanics and worldbuilding themes, while also unifying the Standard rotation schedule in a way that made sense for competitive players. So many players came to Magic this way, with releases such as Innistrad, Ravnica and Zendikar being the most iconic blocks in the game’s history. Even myself starting with Khans of Tarkir, which in itself led to being a reasonably popular block for Magic players almost a decade ago. Good lord, I’ve been playing Magic for that long.
That said, Bloomburrow is also the kind of Magic set I do wish was released a decade ago, back when the game felt simpler and more humble than it is now. That isn’t to say Magic isn’t in a bad space right now; it’s growing at such a rate that makes the game more accessible than ever before thanks to Universes Beyond. It isn’t because I selfishly don’t want the new age of Magic players to experience this fantastic set, but more the release schedule was far more temperate years ago than it is today. Now, the cadence of Magic releases just feels like it’s going at breakneck speed at all times, to the point we (enfranchised Magic hobbyists) aren’t able to fully relish these releases properly as much as we used to. For something that is as gentle and warming as Bloomburrow, part of me feels frustrated that the best way to gather more out of this set is to want another release as a compromise, rather than Wizards being able space things out in a way that makes us able to fully embrace Bloomburrow organically. Maybe it’s the throes of capitalism, maybe it’s the Information Age making us more vulnerable to the constant news cycle that we still aren’t conditioned to, or it could be something else altogether. But oh boy, nothing can ever truly settle, can it?
The primary reason Wizards pivoted away from the block formula was because usually the second (or third) release of an expansion didn’t meet financial expectations, where it’s challenging to keep things fresh when the foundations are laid in such a way to adhere to these themes and mechanics. Blocks felt like they lasted a long time, too – I recall this sentiment with Dragons of Tarkir during my earlier years of playing Magic. Even with exciting cards such as Collected Company and Kolaghan’s Command seeing Constructed play, some felt disengaged as the set didn’t feel new or exciting. But with Bloomburrow, there does feel like an opportunity to explore more of the plane with another proper Standard release shortly after the first, and wish Wizards could make exceptions to these rules on occasion without it feeling like a cumbersome extra mini-expansion of sorts.
This was a sentiment that was somewhat acknowledged with March of the Machine and its lackluster expansion, March of the Machine: The Aftermath. For the record, I’m all for Wizards trying new things as it means there’s always a push to innovate (Modern Horizons being a fantastic example of this). However, the confusing Aftermath Booster did leave a sour taste in the mouths of many especially when (at this point) Draft Boosters was already established as the entry-level option at this time. The same also applies to Innistrad: Midnight Hunt, Innistrad: Crimson Vow and the unfortunate Frankenstein-like release of Innistrad: Double Feature a few months after, which felt like a convoluted way to curate these strongly-thematic releases when it should have been embracing for those who play the game. Another reason I felt these Innistrad releases didn’t meet expectations was due to the exhaustion of these iconic environments; there are only so many times you can return to Innistrad or Ravnica with a different coat of paint (or wearing a different hat) without it feeling uninspired. To me, it felt like there wasn’t enough confidence to explore something new or exciting at the time, and just felt too safe.
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That said, Bloomburrow certainly feels like the most accessible in-Magic release there is right now, where it has left me curious about the overall strength of intellectual properties when it comes to Magic, and the reliance on Universes Beyond releases to attract new audiences to the game. Next year sees us returning to Tarkir and Lorwyn, which are two historically popular environments for enfranchised Magic players. Granted, these will unlikely bring newer people into the fold, but the upcoming Final Fantasy and Marvel releases absolutely will, and it will be interesting to see if there’s any sticking power with these in-Magic releases with two massive collaborations in mind. There’s part of me that feels why Outlaws of Thunder Junction performed so well (before the unfortunate Modern Horizons 3 leaks) was due to the popularity of Universes Beyond: Fallout, and how bringing the jingle-jangly audience into Magic fed into the no-man’s land of Thunder Junction, offering similar tropes in a mostly-deserted wasteland. The overlap in themes is absolutely there, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this become an ongoing trend with the release cadence in the future. If anything, it’s smart marketing from Wizards, but it does leave the question: is Magic strong enough to retain those audiences with in-world themes? Time will tell.
Sure, the narrative of “not everything is for you” does strike somewhat true here given how broad Magic is becoming, but the sentiment is often hollow. We often feel obligated to engage because we do love Magic and this is how we’re used to engaging with it over the years, to the point that it ultimately doesn’t matter if an upcoming release accommodates us (or not). Much like the critters of Bloomburrow, we’re all creatures of habit. It’s a really tough one to shake given the common fear of missing out that manifests over time, which unironically, is a card in the upcoming Duskmourn release. Going back to Duskmourn briefly, I’d be surprised to see the slasher-like Standard release attracting new players to the scale Bloomburrow is currently achieving. Horror is so hit-and-miss as it can be actively off-putting and uncomfortable to some audiences, whereas adorable woodland animals are the easiest way to catch engagement from all backgrounds. I understand why Wizards are pushing a horror release with Halloween coming up and MagicCon: Las Vegas being so close to it, but Duskmourn feels less accessible as a release because of these tropes in mind.
Either way, Bloomburrow is truly something special where I haven’t seen this level of excitement for a Standard set since Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, which is one of the bestselling Standard releases of all time. I’m fully expecting Bloomburrow to take that crown eventually and my only hope is that we return to the adorable plane soon enough. There’s just too much charm in this set and I’m admittedly stubborn enough to not want to move on from it, especially when you have the grimacing horrors of Duskmourn lurking around the corner. In time, I do hope Wizards can offer similar attention to Bloomburrow as they have done with Ravnica over the years, but please leave the assortment of hats at home next time.