1. What is it?
2. Release date
3. Products
4. Story
5. Spoilers
6. Deals
From Alara to Zendikar, we've seen plenty of interesting wildlife across the planes of Magic: The Gathering, but none embrace their wild side quite as much as MTG Bloomburrow.
One of MTG's best card game rivals, Pokemon TCG, has long been cashing in on the appeal of having cute critters fight for our entertainment. So, it's about time we saw a Magic set where 'creature' really means creature. Even planeswalkers like Jace Beleren will have to undergo a furry transformation to make an appearance in Bloomburrow.
I think we've spent long enough just "aww"-ing at the promo art. Let's start burrowing through all the important details about MTG Bloomburrow like the set's release date, product range, story, mechanics, and more. Once you've set your heart on adding these fuzzy little guys to your collection, we're also here to help you find the best MTG Bloomburrow deals too.
What is MTG Bloomburrow?
MTG Bloomburrow is the 101st Magic: The Gathering set released in the game’s 30-year history and yet it's the first time ever we’ve visited the plane of Bloomburrow. Following in the cowboy boot footsteps of Outlaws of Thunder Junction, this new plane deviates from a traditional fantasy setting – the world of Bloomburrow is one entirely inhabited by anthropomorphic creatures known as Animalfolk.
MTG Bloomburrow release date
Moving on from our first look at Bloomburrow, the accompanying Magic Story releases July 2, giving a greater insight into the set’s story and characters. A week later, on July 9, debuts and card previews begin. These continue until July 19.
With all that hype sufficiently built, Bloomburrow finally releases August 2. Bloomburrow will not only be making an appearance on your tabletop but will also be available on MTG Arena – four days early on July 30. We’re even set to see the addition of a super cute Bloomburrow Pet that’ll watch over your battlefield (and silently judge your every misplay).
Here are the key dates to keep track of:
Magic Story releases: July 2
Debut and previews begin: July 9
Card image gallery and previews complete: July 19
MTG Arena release: July 30
Tabletop release: August 2
MTG Bloomburrow products
As a standard set, MTG Bloomburrow will consist of Play Boosters and Collector Boosters that can be bought as single packs, booster boxes, bundles, and pre-release packs. Bloomburrow’s product range also includes a two-deck Starter Kit directly geared towards those who are new to Magic: The Gathering or just want a low-cost point of entry to Bloomburrow.
Speaking of low-cost, Bloomburrow's product range will also include the controversial new Value Booster format. These 7-card boosters will only be available at select retailers and are specifically geared towards new players who are unable or unwilling to splash the cash on MTG's latest set. As such, you're not guaranteed any rares in these booster packs. Instead, you'll receive 3 commons, 2 uncommons, 1 wildcard, and 1 land, traditional foil, or Special Guest card.
If you're really on the hunt for something special, the Bloomburrow Secret Lair releases July 29 and offers an expanded selection of Planeswalkers reimagined as Bloomburrow natives.
MTG Bloomburrow story
MTG Bloomburrow is set in Valley, an area of the plane where itty bitty Animalfolk live and work in peace. That is until this serenity is threatened by the emergence of huge elemental predators who begin to sow darkness across Valley. From the avian power of Maha to the grizzly strength of Lumra, these Calamity Beasts are a fearsome opponent for the tiny inhabitants of Valley, yet they are prepared to fight to protect their home.
One of these heroes is the set’s protagonist, Mabel. This mother mouse wields a magical sword called the Cragflame, which also appears in a token equipment card of the same name. There’s also an outsider of Bloomburrow who will assist them in their fight: Ral Zarek of the Izzet League. He’ll appear very differently in this set however – through the process of planeswalking to Bloomburrow, Ral was transformed into an Otter.
It’s worth noting that Bloomburrow is also the first set of the new Dragonstorm arc. Although, until we see this arc progress further, it’ll be difficult to know about Bloomburrow ties into this larger story.
MTG Bloomburrow mechanics
There are a number of new and returning mechanics that appear in the Bloomburrow card lineup. Offspring, Gift, Forage, Expend, Valiant, and Season are all worth familiarizing yourself with if you plan to play with or against a deck with these new cards in it. The set will also see the return of Class Enchantments and the Threshold ability keyword.
- Offspring: When casting some creature cards in Bloomburrow, you'll be presented with an optional Offspring cost. When that cost is paid, you create a Offspring token that is an exact copy of the creature, except its power and toughness is 1/1.
- Gift: Gift is another optional cost where a player can promise a gift to an opponent as they cast a spell. The effects of the spell differ depending on whether or not a gift was promised. For example, the card Perch Protection provides you with total protection until your next turn provided you gift an extra turn to an opponent.
- Forage: To Forage, a player has to sacrifice a Food token or exile three cards from their graveyard. Depending on the card, Foraging can represent an additional casting cost or a trigger for an activated ability.
- Expend: Expend is a rules term that measures how much mana you spend to cast spells in a given turn. The mana you expend can influence your game state in a number of ways. For example, Muerra, Trash Tactician gains 3 life when you expend 4, whereas Wandertale Mentor gets a +1/+1 counter.
- Valiant: Valiant creatures have triggered abilities which occur the first time each turn they are the target of spells or abilities you control. Valiant is very similar to Heroic, with the notable exception of it triggering only once per turn.
- Season: Season sorceries are part of a new cycle of modal spells. When a Season is cast, you have five pawprints to spend on its modes. You can choose up to five pawprints worth of modes and you may pick the same mode more than once.
MTG Bloomburrow spoilers
As part of Booster Fun, we’re set to receive some gorgeous seasonal variants of full art land cards, raised foil anime cards, illustrative ‘Field Note’ art treatments, and a storybook-inspired Woodland Showcase. Among these very special cards are contributions from prolific Pokemon artist, Mitsuhiro Arita and David Petersen, the creator of Mouse Guard. Another Showcase treatment featured in Bloomburrow’s boosters is Imagine: Courageous Critters, which will be of particular interest to long-time MTG fans given it transforms Planeswalkers like Jace Beleren into Animalfolk.
