Bloomburrow (BLB) Limited Set Review: Red

Hey everyone! I finally swung the door of the content creation dungeon open and took a step out into the sunlight. I could feel the wind in my hair and the sweet scent of flowers in the air. I thought I was finally able to take a well-deserved break when I realized I had actually just walked through a portal to a strange new world. Not only that, but I’ve been anthropomorphized into a freaking squirrel. It’s not the first time I’ve had that problem (don’t ask questions about Bob the Magic Squirrel, trust me, it’s not a path you want to go down), but at least we know that everything is about to get nuts.   

I’ll be grading the entire Bloomburrow set for limited purposes. Maybe one day I’ll get out of this endless labyrinth of content creation, but today is not that day.

Here’s the usual grading scale:

• 5.0: Disgustingly powerful and basically unbeatable. Either answer it the turn it comes down or just pack up your cards. (Gruff Triplets, Virtue of Persistence, The Eternal Wanderer)
• 4.5: Incredible bomb that still gives your opponent a slim chance. (Virtue of Loyalty, Imodane's Recruiter, Realm-Scorcher Hellkite)
• 4.0: Great rare or the absolute best uncommons and removal. (Faunsbane Troll, Gumdrop Poisoner, Talion's Messenger)
• 3.5: Great role filler or removal that you never cut. (Candy Grapple, Hearth Elemental, Torch the Tower)
• 3.0: Good playable that I’m basically never cutting. (Shrouded Shepherd, Spellscorn Coven, Sharae of Numbing Depths)
• 2.5: Decent playable and the bar I hope nearly every card in my deck to reach. (Evolving Wilds, Archon's Glory, Flick a Coin)
• 2.0: Mediocre filler that normally is your 20-23rd card(s). (Mintstrosity, Ice Out, Grabby Giant)
• 1.5: Replaceable, overall bad filler. Could also be decent sideboard cards. (Titanic Growth, Scarecrow Guide, Territorial Witchstalker)
• 1.0: Bad filler. Gets cut most of the time. (Dark Tutelage, Kindled Heroism, Impact Tremors)
• 0.5: Very unhappy to main deck this, but maybe it has fringe sideboard applications. Cards that “could” be situationally decent, but bad in most situations. (Smothering Tithe, Rhystic Study, Mana Flare)
• 0.0: Unplayable in every possible situation. They rarely print cards this bad these days. (Hew the Entwood, One with Nothing)

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Agate Assault

Rating: 3.0/5

This actually removes the vast majority of the common creatures in the format so it is a pretty effective assault if you ask me. The sorcery speed is obviously a knock, but hey maybe you can pop off an artifact with it.  

Alania’s Pathmaker

Rating: 2.5/5

Getting the card until the end of your next turn makes this pretty safe to run out there on turn four without fear of losing it. The tiny butt leaves the body less than ideal, but you’re still going up a card with this.

Artist’s Talent

Rating: 1.0/5

I would need to be pretty heavy on the noncreature spells to even consider this. With the relatively small creatures in the format, the third step mostly just ensures they are extra crispy. More of a constructed card than a limited one.

Blacksmith’s Talent

Rating: 2.0/5

This blacksmith isn’t quite as talented as he claims considering he makes a sword that is worse than a Short Sword.

The best use of this is in the Boros Valiant deck since the equipment and stage two give you easy ways to have repeatable triggers.

If you do have this all the way up it can make any creature a real threat and you are guaranteed to have an equipment even if it isn’t a great one. It just costs a ton of mana to get there and there aren’t very many other equipment in the set.

Blooming Blast

Rating: 2.5/5

As I discussed with Savor, there are actually a ton of creatures this kills. Potentially going upstairs for three in exchange for a treasure is solid in the late game, but probably not something you want to be doing early on even if you are the beatdown.

Brambleguard Captain

Rating: 2.5/5

Unfortunately, there aren’t very many equipment running around to really pump up the jams with this. You could always use a trick before combat to double up, but they can see that coming unless they are wide open. Most of the time you’ll just be pumping something for two which could include itself.

Brazen Collector

Rating: 2.5/5

First Strike helps this crazy raccoon get away with sneaking in early attacks. That lets it provide mana ramp without sacrificing damage. Can be busted turn two on the play and a very sad late game top deck.

Byway Barterer

Rating: 4.0/5

A great body for the cost who can potentially let you draw a bunch of cards. Seeing as how he is bartering for acorns, I’ll gladly take them up on the deal.

Conduct Electricity

Rating: 2.0/5

This is pricy, but it can kill almost every creature in the set with the only exception being Ygra, Eater of All because it grows when you pay the ward. There’s a good shot that you get to pop off a token with this as well. The obvious problem being that it costs five mana so you are limited in how many of these you can run.

Coruscation Mage

Rating: 2.5/5

A wonderful addition to an Izzet Otter spells deck with a bear that can ping away at the face. It can even bring its little friend along to double the pleasure, double the fun.

Dragonhawk, Fate’s Tempest

Rating: 4.5/5

I won’t get into the lore of a bird dragon, but it’s your opponent’s fate to go out in a tempest of flame.

I’ll just assume that this is the only four power creature you have so it is still a large flyer that replaces itself when it comes into play. Then it’s giving you an extra card (or a couple of damage) whenever you attack with it. That should be enough to bury them pretty quickly.

Of course, it can really go off if you have multiple chonkers.

Emberheart Challenger

Rating: 3.5/5

Play a bear with haste and prowess that gives you a card when you target it? Challenge accepted!

Festival of Embers

Rating: 1.0/5

This is a constructed card. There is the possibility that you could line it up where you play it with a bunch of cards in your graveyard and go off. It’s not likely to happen though.

If you are in an Izzet spells deck, this can actually go up quite a bit. You’ll be the only one who wants it so you should be able to grab it late unless someone is rare drafting.

Flamecache Gecko

Rating: 3.0/5

I sat this this dude down to discuss his place in limited and he ended up trying to sell me car insurance. Sometimes life as a content creator gets weird.

This card can be amazing when you’re the beatdown letting you play it for basically free. Later in the game it lets you filter away your extra lands for new gas. I’m always down for cards that are good at multiple points in the game.

Frilled Sparkshooter

Rating: 1.5/5

Obviously, this is much better when you are the aggressor as a 4/4 menace is much better than a 3/3. I’d bring up secret reach, but Arena has done everything possible to stop people from running their poor flyers straight into these. This just feels like you could do better for the mana.

Harnesser of Storms

Rating: 2.5/5

I do love me some otters and playing ridiculous spells matters decks. The overlap of the Ven diagram for those is labeled “Fun!”

It is important to realize that it is until the end of turn, not until the end of your turn. That means you can’t play the cards from this on your opponent’s turn unless they are instant speed. That’s a good reason to go ahead and use an instant on your own turn instead of waiting even though every instinct is telling you otherwise.

Heartfire Hero

Rating: 2.5/5

This guy can is a bargain if you kick off the game with him especially if you have some repeatable way to trigger him like Brave-Kin Duo or Raccoon Rallier. There will definitely be times it just snowballs early on. The reason it’s this low is that it does require other cards to do anything and it’s pretty bad when you draw it late.

Hearthborn Battler

Rating: 2.5/5

I’m not a big fan of this stat line for three mana even though the haste is good for sneaking in some damage. This does trigger for any player so you can put them in the position to not be able to double spell without losing some precious life points.

Hired Claw

Rating: 3.5/5

This is another card that can quickly snowball on its own as well as guaranteeing that you can get all of your bonuses for an opponent losing a life each turn. You’re probably better off playing a two drop than pumping this on turn two, but it can also fill both slots on the mana curve if you need it to.

Hoarder’s Overflow

Rating: 1.5/5

I don’t know how many times you are going to expend four throughout a game since it requires casting spells and not from paying for abilities. If you draw this late, it’s a four-mana cycle if you’re empty handed. Even if you get one expend four, you’re still paying four mana for a Divination that you can’t collect without pitching the rest of your hand.

I am positive there will be times that someone plays this on turn two and cashes it in for four cards that swing the game in their favor. It just won’t be me because I don’t want to deal with all the downsides of this.

Kindlespark Duo

Rating: 1.5/5

It would have been so good to have Thermo-Alchemist here, but a three-mana version is still playable in a set where there are cards that trigger off of “if your opponent lost life this turn”. It just drops it from an early pick level down to one that only goes in the right deck.

Manifold Mouse

Rating: 3.5/5

Manifold Mouse sounds like the name of a random 90s rock band, but this little guy is going to rock your opponent.

While he prefers to have plenty of other mice to really go off, getting two double strike attackers for four mana can do a ton of damage with all of the pump spells running around.

Might of the Meek

Rating: 2.5/5

This might seem high for this, but a one mana cantrip that does something relevant with Valiant running around can do a lot of work.

Playful Shove

Rating: 2.5/5

You can’t go too wrong with a cantrip that pings. According to the ever-reliable Sierkovitz this can only kill 14% of common creatures which isn’t great. It does kill Offspring tokens and plenty of the other tokens running around. It’s also a nice way to take out an almost dead creature post combat. Of course, the dream is to late game top deck it when they are at one life.

Quaketusk Boar

Rating: 2.5/5

When the quake hits this shaken bacon is coming in hard and fast for five trample damage. Of course, you could always hold him back on D since he inexplicably has reach. I don’t know, maybe he can use a bow and arrow, I don’t make the rules here.

Rabid Gnaw

Rating: 3.5/5

I have always loved Clear Shot and this feels very similar. It is harder to get the full blowout where you win a combat with it and kill a creature, but not impossible with either first strike or a valiant creature.

This acts as both a cheap removal spell and a valiant trigger for two mana. How can you possibly not be happy with that?

Raccoon Rallier

Rating: 2.5/5

Sometimes you need to rally and this trash panda is leading the charge.

A bear that can give haste is a totally fine card, but it gets better in this set by being a free repeatable source of valiant triggers.

Reptilian Recruiter

Rating: 2.5/5

How exactly does this guy “recruit”? He just pops up and your creature is like “Oh man, that lizard is so cool, I’m going over there.” I think it’s more like the old NCAA thing where the recruiter is slipping envelopes of cash around.

I really only want this if I have a good chance of having another lizard out for the full Threaten effect. It’s much less likely to steal the game if I can only kidnap a small critter.

Of note, you can choose itself if you have another lizard to give this haste.

Roughshod Duo

Rating: 2.0/5

I’m not a fan of 3/2s for three even if they have trample. I am higher on this if I think I can consistently expend four especially at instant speed. Handing out another “trick” on top of what else you did can crush your opponent’s best laid plans.

Sazacap’s Brew

Rating: 2.5/5

An upgraded Thrill of Possibility that gives you an option to pump one of your creatures at instant speed in exchange for a fish. Since this one targets the player, you don’t have to worry about losing the cards if they kill the creature. While unlikely to come up, it also means you can deck them with this if it comes down to it.

Season of the Bold

Rating: 4.0/5

This one is a little disappointing compared to the other seasons, but its still plenty powerful. The two most likely combinations are going to be the draw four while creating a treasure token or the big ability while gripping a couple more cards to set it up.

Steampath Charger

Rating: 1.5/5

This feels pretty mid compared to a lot of the other aggressive red creatures. I’m sure it’ll get some play, but I’m not going to be thrilled about it.

Stormsplitter

Rating: 2.0/5

This is a constructed shenanigans creature. You’re not likely to have this and then chain off 4 instants to get nuts in limited. It could happen, but I’m sure you could be doing something better.

Sunspine Lynx

Rating: 3.0/5

Unlike constructed this is usually going to top out with two to three damage when it hits play. It can pump the brakes on the life gain deck, but it’s usually just going to be a 5/4 for four that pops them for a couple damage.

Take Out the Trash

Rating: 3.5/5

Let me check my handy dandy Sierkovitz-o-meter for this one. This takes out 80% of common creatures and even 65% of rare creatures. All for two mana at instant speed and it even lets you rummage if you have a trash panda hanging around.

Teapot Slinger

Rating: 2.5/5

One of the problems with the expend cards is that the mechanic makes them significantly worse in the late game since you’re reliant on top decking another four drop afterwards or holding back spells to try to double spell. It is still dangerous because two damage adds up quick and they are probably pretty low by the time they stabilize.

Valley Flamecaller

Rating: 3.0/5

This deals four damage on its own because it can utilize its own ability. There are also plenty of these creature types running around letting you pour some extra damage on until they deal with this.

Valley Rally

Rating: 2.5/5

I’m pretty sure I went to a party named Valley Rally. It was either one of the best nights of my life or terrible because I don’t remember anything about it.

Another well designed card that lets you trigger valiant on a group pump spell. However, there is only one target with this so you are risking having it blown out in response. Basically, a perfect finisher for a Boros deck.

War Squeak

Rating: 1.5/5

There is a lot of variance on a card like this. I understand that it is (once again) a cheap way to trigger Valiant. I also know that there are times where they only have one blocker and you slam this on a summoning sick creature for lethal.

There are also going to be times that you play this to force though some damage early, then you can’t get across the finish line because you used a full card on this.

Whiskerquill Scribe

Rating: 1.5/5

This falls into the “just fine” category. I much prefer to have repeatable ways to target this so it’s more than a small bonus for using a combat trick.

Wildfire Howl

Rating: 3.0/5

As we’ve discussed, there are plenty of small creatures running around so this can run cleanup on the board. The main problem I see with this is that it costs double red and red is full of smaller creatures so you’d be blasting yourself.

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Wrap Up

Red is an extremely aggressive color with a great collection of small creatures. It also has some quality removal up and down the scale of damage. I believe that it will be highly drafted especially early on when aggro is dominating while people are figuring out the other archetypes.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back tomorrow with my prerelease and sealed guide followed up the next day by my limited review of the Green cards of Bloomburrow. Until then, stay classy people!

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.

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