Magic: The Gathering players have been excited for Bloomburrow ever since the set’s unveiling, and it isn’t hard to see why. This woodland plane is upending the way MTG stats Creatures, with usually weak animals becoming true forces of nature.
Hugs, Grisly Guardian has been making waves following the card’s reveal in Bloomburrow’s official story chapters. This Legendary Badger, a Creature type that would usually feature stats on the lower side in another MTG set, hits the field as a formidable 5/5.
Hugs is not only a great early look at a Bloomburrow Commander, but this baleful Badger is the perfect showcase for how Bloomburrow is upending MTG’s usual associations between Creature type, size, and power.
Without the humans and humanoids that make up the majority of many Magic planes’ populations, power on Bloomburrow is scaled rather differently.
Bear Creatures are a fan-favorite type among MTG players, with Ayula, Queen Among Bears starring in thousands of mono-green bear Commander decks.
‘Bear’ is also an MTG term for a Creature costing two mana, with 2 power and 2 toughness. Grizzly Bears was an early MTG card printed with this exact cost and stats. The Creature has seen many pseudo-reprints over the years as Ashcoat Bear, Runeclaw Bear, and more.
Murders at Karlov Manor’s Duskana, the Rage Mother, and Modern Horizons 3’s Kudo, King Among Bears both play into Bears’ classic 2/2 stats.
The former provides boosts to its controller’s 2/2s, giving even weak vanilla and Disguised Creatures the ability to overpower opponents. The latter forces all Creatures on the field into this bear statline, significantly reducing opponents’ ability to play aggressively.
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In the animal-exclusive plane of Bloomburrow however, Bears have changed from having little combat potential alone to being top of the food chain.
Creatures that would usually stack up poorly compared to Soldiers, Wizards, and more are suddenly world-shaking threats for Bloomburrow’s regular assortment of Mice, Lizards, Birds, and other critters.
Lumra, Bellow of the Woods is a Legendary Bear with a colossal potential power equal to the number of lands on your field, which is almost always going to be high thanks to the card’s ability to fetch back all lands in your graveyard to the field.
Lumra was one of the first cards revealed for the Bloomburrow set, even receiving a special alt-art treatment from legendary Pokemon TCG artist Mitsuhiro Arita.
This special focus on Lumra sets the tone for the Bloomburrow, and is well warranted, as Lumra can easily match or exceed the strength of an Eldrazi Titan, being capable of winning the game alone, showing just how the scale has shifted on this unique world.
Badger Creatures like Hugs aren’t too far behind in this mix-up, and Mice that would normally max out with 2 power on other MTG worlds can easily match the strength of a Human warrior. Hugs, in particular, has power that could rival a Dragon on one of Magic’s other planes!
With innovative design decisions like this, and Creatures like Hugs and Lumra that match useful mechanics to art with huge amounts of personality, it’s easy to see why MTG players are so looking forward to Bloomburrow’s August 2 release.