Pioneer Set Review: Bloomburrow

The preview season for Bloomburrow has finally come to an end. The latest Magic expansion brings a magical world where small creatures face large predators, which operate like forces of nature.

The new set also marks the rotation of Standard, where it promises to cause major changes in the same period in which the most important staples of the format leave it. At Pioneer, Bloomburrow will have some challenges fitting in, and while some show a lot of potential, others seem to struggle with the current state of the Metagame when trying to fit in.

In this article, we present our complete set review for Pioneer!

Beza, the Bounding Spring does a little bit of everything for four mana, but it doesn't do anything with excellence. It won't work the same way in every game, but it will always do what you need at that moment - and if there isn't any need, it's a 4/5 for four mana that offers a clock.

Potential staple, but in the worst case, it could appear on the Sideboard of white Control and/or Midrange decks, or as a one-of to fetch with Chord of Calling.

Dawn’s Truce is a very comprehensive protection and almost a Heroic Intervention on steroids for white. It competes with Surge of Salvation for one less mana, but its coverage against other colors can offer it a Sideboard spot in Combo decks and/or archetypes that require protection, in addition to working in Metagames where giving the player Hexproof matters.

Dewdrop Cure can resort to Amalia Benavides Aguirre and Wildgrowth Walker and even Selfless Savior with just one card and three mana. It shouldn't have a place in Abzan Amalia lists currently, and with the archetype's uncertain future, it's unlikely it will eventually show up.

Outside this case, it's still a strong recursion effect on go wide lists if they return to the format's Metagame.

Jackdaw Savior is the type of creature that defines and/or establishes archetypes. A Scrap Trawler for creatures with flying motivates players to create lists that make the most of the new card, but they don't currently exist in the format.

Spirits is the closest to capitalizing on the card, but its recursion makes it a removal magnet and may not be worth the slot that currently belongs to Wedding Announcement or Invasion of Gobakhan, so it is necessary to consider whether there is any combo potential for Jackdaw Savior in another strategy.

Honorable mention. Repel Calamity is an efficient two-mana removal in Metagames where creatures with power 4 are more relevant and can escape Destroy Evil or Valorous Stance.

Salvation Swan is the Restoration Angel we have at home. It has the same function as its predecessor as protection from removals, but it cannot reuse ETBs as well as the exiled creature only returns at the end of the turn, and it only targets non-flying creatures.

On the other hand, it helps better against sweepers and other untargeted removals, so it might deserve a slot somewhere.

Starfall Invocation is strong for “go big” Midrange lists, where it is a sweeper that can return a destroyed bomb to the game. It also doesn't have space in the current Metagame, but it is strong enough to show up on Pioneer at some point.

If a Birds eventually exists in the format, Dazzling Denial is a great motivator for the deck, being an improved Lofty Denial for its strategy.

Eddymurk Crab is an excellent take on Cryptic Serpent or Tolarian Terror, where it has the same cost reduction plus more versatility in casting, as well as an ETB that we can use to avoid a lethal attack and/or remove blockers from the path for the next turn.

Eluge, the Shoreless Sea has a high cost for a body that doesn't protect itself, and its cost reduction is noticeably less relevant without Counterspell to protect it. Still, decreasing the cost of your spells by or colorless every turn can get out of hand quickly, and in more dedicated lists, we can use Stubborn Denial and Spell Pierce to protect it for free the turn it comes into play.

Into the Flood Maw is a potential staple for the Lotus Field's Sideboard in the slot currently owned by Void Snare. After all, dealing with any troublesome permanent at Instant-speed should be worth a bit more than the token put up by the spell.

It may also have space in other blue decks, especially in the Sideboard, and the effect of Unsummon can punish some archetypes as well, but it should not make Into the Flood Maw a Pioneer staple.

We don't have the same amount of cheap cantrips as Legacy, and we can't copy spells like Flame of Anor because they're not in the format, but Kitsa, Otterball Elite seems strong enough to be worth testing on Izzet Phoenix, where you can copy Treasure Cruise or Temporal Trespass easily due to the high amount of cheap spells available in the archetype.

Long River's Pull turns into a Counterspell with half the effect of Dream Fracture. It could be interesting in Tempo decks that don't care so much about the extra card to the opponent, or it even deserves tests in Control alongside Narset, Parter of Veils or Notion Thief.

The biggest benefit of Stormchaser’s Talent is creating a 1/1 creature with Prowess for one mana while triggering other creatures, making it a viable option for Izzet lists with this theme. Its other abilities cost a lot for aggressive decks, so it shouldn't impact much of the Metagame.

Thundertrap Trainer is, at base, an Augur of Bolas on steroids and, at best, a worse Memory Deluge / Dig Through Time. It can be worth slots in Control if they need more blockers, and it also works relatively well in establishing a small clock on an empty board.

Bandit's Talent has potential for Waste Not and turns into a The Rack variant for the archetype. Its conditional discard is pretty bad for two mana, but the bonuses of creating another clock by exerting the opponent's resources and generating card advantage in the late game make it worthy of some testing.

Cruelclaw's Heist is a decent card for Midrange mirrors, but it shouldn't impact the Metagame that much because a glorified Distress isn't enough in a format with Thoughtseize and its second ability is too unreliable for most matchups.

Darkstar Augur isn't a Dark Confidant, but it's close enough and still doesn't seem good enough for the main Pioneer decks because Fable of the Mirror-Breaker is a better card. It can have a spot in Waste Not or Mono Black Midrange's value slots, or serve as a curve-topper for Aggro.

Maha, Its Feathers Night has the ideal cost, body, protection, and evasion to be a curve topper on the black Midranges. Its ability may not be ideal in a format where Orcish Bowmasters don't exist, but it still makes any trade unfavorable for the opponent and turns Mayhem Devil into unconditional removal.

It's worth some testing, but shouldn't be relevant as long as Vampires is Pioneer's best Rakdos variant.

Rottenmouth Viper is strong on its own and another card that typically establishes archetypes. Sacrificing any nonland permanent means that Voldaren Epicure, Bloodtithe Harvester or Novice Inspector are basically two colorless mana for the card, making it easy to cast it early and force the opponent to spend resources.

It's a bad topdeck when we sacrifice the first permanents, so I don't know how much four copies are worth it, and the fact that it doesn't protect itself doesn't help much with creating archetypes, but we might be surprised by its potential.

Season of Loss is the only card from its cycle that deserves attention in Pioneer. For five mana, it's basically a sweeper that sacrifices creatures, or a removal with draws in mirrors, in addition to dealing with Vein Ripper without any greater concessions than what we're already paying for it.

Thought-Stalker Warlock is another card for Aggro lists, where it offers Thoughtseize for three mana and a 2/2 body with Menace to keep the clock.

Dragonhawk, Fate's Tempest is another from Bloomburrow's mythic creatures with some potential for Pioneer, where it can fit in Rakdos Midrange and benefit from Bonecrusher Giant and Sheoldred, the Apocalypse to generate card advantage with its ability. It can also fit into Gruul Midrange lists with Esika’s Chariot.

Emberheart Challenger competes with Slickshot Show-Off on virtually every red aggressive list today. In the Gruul versions, it also competes with Questing Druid, while perhaps it has a spot in the Mono Red or Boros versions, where it would have to compete with Tenth District Legionnaire - and perhaps the mix of pump with extra cards might make it deserve a slot.

Festival of Embers competes with Lier, Disciple of the Drowned in the Lotus Combo. It may be worth a few tests for not being susceptible to Mystical Dispute, but it doesn't protect cards from counterspells.

Stormsplitter is another card we can build around in Pioneer. In its case, just five cheap spells are enough to deal lethal damage. This creature can also find a home in the Sideboard of archetypes like Izzet Phoenix in games where the clock needs to be faster and/or where we can safely use it without taking removal.

Sunspine Lynx is a good addition to the Sideboards of red decks in the format, but its high cost can limit its use. Four mana to keep Amalia in check is less efficient than Roiling Vortex for Aggro, but Midranges can use it to set the clock while avoiding the combo.

Innkeeper's Talent is a Luminarch Aspirant in enchantment form that also transforms into protection and extra copies of Hardened Scales, which can interact with the archetype, but doesn't mitigate problems this deck has to establish itself in the Pioneer.

Keen-Eyed Curator competes with Scavenging Ooze in the green graveyard hate slot. Compared to its predecessor, its colorless requirement gives it more space in multicolored archetypes and its added power, although rare in the format today, can make a difference in longer games.

Overall, I believe that Scavenging Ooze is still a better option due to its gradual lifegain and power, as well as dodging Fiery Impulse or Strangle easily, but the new creature has potential and deserves some testing.

Pawpatch Recruit is an interesting one-drop for when Aggro decks want to protect their creatures, but it works best in go wide strategies, which are in low demand in Pioneer today, and archetypes like Gruul Prowess benefit more from direct protections, such as Blossoming Defense.

Wear Down is a good hate that offers an exchange of a second artifact or enchantment for an extra card. It's a decent option, can work in the right Metagame, and deserves an honorable mention as a card with long-term potential.

Baylen, the Haymaker can show up new Convoke variants and/or interact with the deck for more attrition games, but the competition for the three-mana slot with Wedding Announcement, the need for a third color and how counterintuitive it is should leave it outside the archetype.

A 5/5 for four mana with Trample was, in the past, enough to impact competitive formats. Today, they need to come with an attached value to be relevant. Hugs, Grisly Guardian has this value, accelerates mana and is still a powerful clock combined with card advantage, and could have some impact if Ramp returns to the format and may deserve a test in the Gruul slots of Niv-to- Light.

Ral, Crackling Wit is another card that screams Izzet Phoenix and can appear in the Sideboard. Unlike Stormsplitter, he benefits from attrition games where we can take advantage of the token he creates and filter our hand with his second ability. His ultimate can win games, and sequencing enough spells to reach ten counters isn't that difficult.

Stormcatch Mentor is a great Goblin Electromancer upgrade that turns Lightning Strike into Lightning Bolt and significantly improves spells like Chart a Course, in addition to being a Wizard for Wizard's Lightning. You can test it on Izzer Prowess or Tempo lists alongside Soul-Scar Mage.

Fountainport has a little more utility than Mirrex, where it exchanges colored mana in the ETB for the possibility of creating Treasures or sacrificing tokens to draw cards. It could be worth a slot in Indomitable Creativity or even Azorius Control lists.

All strategies that could benefit from Three Tree City benefit more from Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx due to the high allocation of colored mana most Pioneer decks require, and archetypes like Spirits or Vampires care little about wanting a lot of mana very early, so this land is unlikely to have an impact on the format today.

Bloomburrow was perhaps one of the least theoretically impressive sets to come out in recent years, a natural consequence of its design and, perhaps, a bit of consequence for it coming out right after Modern Horizons 3 which, although it doesn't affect Pioneer, it makes players see the new cards with a way higher ceiling.

Some cards may surprise, others may achieve results, but in general scope, this expansion leaves something to be desired for Pioneer and, particularly, part of this is also the fault of the current Metagame where few strategies manage to succeed as they should.

Thanks for reading!