Standard: Bloomburrow Review for the Format

Bloomburrow (BLB) has brought many surprises to Standard, like Innistrad, Kamigawa, and New Capenna, which have all left this format alongside many important cards. Capenna's triome cycle, Raffine, Scheming Seer, and The Wandering Emperor, for instance, have all left Standard.

The format will change considerably in the next following weeks, and we'll have a lot of space to test out new strategies. All of this makes Bloomburrow an essential set for Standard.

Let's see the most critical Bloomburrow cards for Standard!

White

This is an excellent 4-drop that will most likely fit midrange decks incredibly well; it will let you stabilize the game against aggro decks and create a lot of value against other midrange or control decks. It also puts a considerable amount of pressure on the board. Beza, the Bounding Spring's ability makes it versatile and useful in many situations.

This is double protection for you and your permanents at instant speed. Dawn's Truce will probably show up in the sideboards of aggro decks, like Boros Prowess, as an option to cards like Surge of Salvation. Surge costs one mana less, but it doesn't protect you against as many colors as Truce, and doesn't make your creatures indestructible, which may make a difference.

This creature has a lot of potential in aggro decks. It has evasion, a good body, and a fair cost. Its ability also brings, from your graveyard, a creature that costs 2 or less, and forces your opponent to deal with two threats at the same time.

Furthermore, Jackdaw Savior also grants this same ability to other Flying creatures you control.

This is a boardwipe that reanimates a creature from your graveyard, but also draws your opponent a card.

Blue

Kitsa, Otterball Elite is a 2-drop that should not only fit strategies like Mono U Tempo and similar quite well, but also open some space for us to explore a deck focused on Prowess in Standard. It also creates looting next to Rona, Herald of Invasion. Its second ability copies spells if Kitsa's power is 3 or higher, which may let us explore some interesting synergies.

Still regarding the tempo archetype, we have Eddymurk Crab, which will play well next to Tolarian Terror. It might also open some space in the meta for a deck that focuses a bit more on feeding the graveyard with many instants and sorceries. Furthermore, you can cast Crab at instant speed and remove up to two potential blockers to open the way for your attackers.

Black

A 6/5 with flying and trample that reduces the toughness of enemy creatures to 1, and has a ward that forces your opponent to discard a card, what else can I say? Maha, Its Feathers Night seems incredible, and should, at the very least, show up in a Mono-Black midrange deck or some Rakdos variant.

Darkstar Augur is Dark Confidant in Standard. The difference is it costs one mana more, and you can copy it by paying one extra mana. It also has flying, and an interesting body for combat. This card has given me many ideas, and should inspire many players in this format.

You can make up for its drawback or even completely cancel it with the right build, and thus make its ability even more powerful to create an absurd amount of damage.

Removing resources from your opponent is one of the best things to do in black. Thus, being able to remove any nonland permanent, as well as exiling it and being able to cast it in the future, is even better. For this reason, I believe Cruelclaw's Heist should find a place in many black decks in the format, particularly control decks.

A black removal without any restrictions will enter this format and bring even more resources to BX Midrange and Control. It will also complement these decks' removal kit next to Bitter Triumph, Cut Down, and Go For The Throat.

Red

It's hard to say how much we'll get out of this creature in Standard, but its ability makes it one of the most interesting cards in this set. Stormsplitter is a 1/4 creature with haste that works similarly to cards with Storm.

However, you'll only create these copies if Stormsplitter is already in play, and only when you cast an instant or sorcery. Storm-like decks are difficult to find in Standard, but spellslinger decks are another story. And this creature might as well come up in an Izzet Spells or similar.

Lifegain and dealing damage will no longer be an issue for aggro decks in Bloomburrow's Standard format. Sunspine Lynx has guaranteed a spot in these decks because of its ability, and, furthermore, it's a 5/4 for four mana. At the very least, it will be popular in sideboards, as it is critical against midrange or control decks.

Green

Lumra, Bellow of the Woods is the perfect threat for Temur Lands, which should be one of the most interesting options in the first few weeks post-rotation. This creature has a lot of synergy with this archetype; it will be gigantic late-game, and sort of combos with Nissa, Resurgent Animist and Worldsoul's Rage. This combo will often end the game.

Season of Gathering might be the most intriguing card from this set's Season Spells cycle. You can simply cast this late game and give a +1/+1 counter, trample, and vigilance to up to five creatures. You can also destroy up to two enemy artifacts and enchantments, and/or combine massive amounts of card advantage with all its previous modes.

In any case, this card should fit a ramp deck focused on creatures really well, maybe even a Mono-Green deck or a combination with this color. It's tough to say whether Domain will be viable, as it will lose its mana base and some of its central pieces, but we might see a new version of it with this new green Season.

Multicolored

Ral's is this set's planeswalker. This card, like many others, will also possibly bring more support to an Izzet Spells deck with its +1 ability, which fills the board. Furthermore, its -3 ability will be useful even in decks that interact with the graveyard. Its ult grants you an emblem that gives Storm to your instants and sorceries.

This creature, besides being a 3/3 with menace, which already makes it relevant for combat, has an ability that works like a sort of cascade: any time you deal combat damage with The Infamous Cruelclaw, you exile cards from the top of your deck until you exile a nonland card. You can cast this card without paying for its cost by discarding one card. You can use this ability in many ways, and, on its own, it already makes this one of the best creatures in this set.

Deep-Cavern Bat is already incredibly problematic to deal with, but Zoraline, Cosmos Caller will make it even more problematic. Zora has an absurd synergy with it and might make it possible for us to build a deck that focuses on Bat-type creatures, something this format has a lot of. Furthermore, it is a 3/3 body with evasion and vigilance.

Lands

This is a welcome reprint that will help decks with two or more colors significantly. It also has an extra synergy with Landfall, and will be a great addition for Temur Lands, which will lose all of its Capenna fetch lands to rotation.

Bloomburrow is a new start for Standard, which has remained one of the most balanced formats around for some time now. We will have to re-adapt to this new format, and it will be the perfect time to test out new things and develop new strategies and builds. Soon, I'll bring you all an article with a few lists to test out in the first few weeks of the new set.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below, and what you think this new set will bring to Standard.

See you next time!