For the first time, Magic: the Gathering is heading to an entire plane of furry critters! When at Bloomburrow, it’s not about Merfolk, Dinosaurs, or Goblins – think more around Otters, Squirrels, Frogs and Rats. The 4 Commander preconstructed decks for Bloomburrow are very much in theme, either by portraying pet friendliness in a group-hug deck, or by harnessing the new Offspring mechanic in a token-matters theme.
From the outset, the agenda is clear: these aren’t supposed to be powerhouse precon decks like what Modern Horizons 3 was. Yet the Bloomburrow decks were not made equal either. Which ones stand out in power over the rest? You’ll find out in this review.
Here at Tap & Sac, we’ll be rating the precons based on the following metrics:
Power Level – How does the deck fare against other preconstructed Commander decks?
Value – What are the reprints of value in the deck, and are they still going to retain value?
Upgradability – How easily can a player upgrade the effectiveness of the deck without splurging on expensive cards?
Beginner Friendliness – How easy is it for a beginner to pilot the? Does it utilize exceedingly complex mechanics?
Let’s get into it!
Animated Army – Bloomburrow Commander Precon Deck
Overview
Animated Army is a classic green-red beatdown, with a unique twist that forces you to consider Artifacts and Enchantments as a force to be reckoned with. It’s led by Bello, Bard of the Brambles which turns all 4-cost-or-higher Artifacts and Enchantments into Indestructible creatures helps you draw even more fuel for your army. This twist makes the Animated Army a refreshing departure from usual decks.
Full Decklist here!
Power Level
Animated Army can be incredibly powerful, but it does require some set up. Bello’s trigger only affects non-Equipment Artifacts and non-Aura Enchantments that cost 4 Mana or more, which means it’s better to have a few of those down before Bello actually becomes useful.
Luckily, there are plenty of mana rocks in this precon deck, ranging from Thought Vessel, Hedron Archive, Thran Dynamo and even a Gilded Lotus to generate lots of mana and serve as attackers thanks to Bello.
When it comes to the finishing blow, it’s actually the Enchantments that are going to play the biggest role. Remember that cards will retain their abilities even when converted into a creature. That means Unnatural Growth effectively turns all your 4/4s into 8/8s, and if Gratuitous Violence is on the playing field, that 8 damage becomes 16. Combined with their Indestructible feature (again thanks to Bello), there’s not a whole lot that the opponent can do.
Its key weakness is definitely mass removal for creatures, since they are no longer Indestructible outside of your turn. Despite that, with the number of cards you are drawing, it won’t be a problem to replenish your board with other big hitters in the deck. Keep Bello alive and you will steamroll to victory.
Value
Here’s an early spoiler: none of the Bloomburrow Commander precon decks are great in reprint value. Animated Army does have a few utilitarian inclusions, from Tendershoot Dryad (great in any token deck), Lotus Cobra (Landfall) and Greater Good. All of these cards can be slotted into other decks, so it’s worth picking up Animated Army for a combination of playability and collectability.
The notable Mythic reprint is Bootlegger’s Stash, which at one point was valued at $50 but could not keep it up due to lack to game time. It’s powerful in Animated Army, but is only worth a few dollars even though this is its first ever reprint.
Upgradability
Can too much of a good thing be bad? In Animated Army, there are so many mana ramp cards that you may draw into them when what you need are attackers and blockers. Furthermore, cards such as Mind Stone and Fellwar Stone are below the cost of 4, and that means Bello doesn’t affect them. It’s better to swap those out for Artifact Creatures that are cost-eligible. Solemn Simulacrum is an easy and cheap alternative.
While Heroic Intervention might be too costly an upgrade for creature protection, all that is truly needed is to protect your Commander Bello. Individual protection spells such as Tamiyo’s Safekeeping and Tyvar’s Stand are effective options. With Bello alive, all your non-creature Artifacts and Enchantments can wreak havoc on your turn and not worry about being destroyed by creature board wipes.
Beginner Friendliness
Even with Bello, Bard of the Brambles‘ unusual mechanic, it’s simple enough to follow for new players to MTG. The precon deck comes with a whole complement of ramp cards, mana rocks and big creatures to play the game in a simple beatdown format.
If you do get Bello on the battlefield, the pendulum swings heavily to your favor and that’s also when the fact factor shoots up. You’ll be dealing so much damage (either to creatures or players) and drawing so many cards that it’s going to bring a big grin to your face.
To avoid that disappointing feeling when that inevitable board wipe kills all your creatures, just keep in mind not to overload the battlefield, and don’t rely solely on Bello to carry you through the game.
Final Score
Family Matters – Bloomburrow Commander Precon Deck
Overview
Family Matters is all about growing the brood, and you can do that with Zinnia, Valley’s Voice ability to create “offsprings” – 1/1 token copies if you pay 2 mana for each creature you cast. By creating little copies, you get double bodies and triggers that can help out-value your opponents. The red-blue-white Zinnia also gets a power boost for each 1-power creature you have, making it a legitimate threat for Commander damage.
Power Level
As you might expect, Family Matters is filled with creatures that provide bonus effects as they enter the Battlefield. Jacked Rabbit and Loyal Warhound are good inclusions that generate 1/1 bodies or find more Lands. Thopter Engineer and Siege-Gang Commander also build up that 1/1 army to help Zinnia, Valley’s Voice deal a big dose of Commander damage. It’s a good idea in theory, but the execution can be less than ideal.
Creating copies is great, however in Family Matters a lot relies on Zinnia staying alive as it is the one giving the Offspring ability to your creatures. When a deck is too focused on its Commander, it can suffer when it’s taken out of action. Furthermore, many creatures in the precon deck do not have a power of 1, pressuring you to activate Offspring for each creature you cast.
The other major downside of Family Matters is that Offspring costs 2 mana for each activation, and is a significant drain on resources, limiting what you can play each turn. Because of that, you could find yourself at a disadvantage compared to the other precon decks that don’t require an activation cost to utilise the Commander’s abilities.
That said, be creating Offspring copies, you are effectively getting 2 creatures and 2 trigger effects from a single card. Stick to the long game, and the odds of outvaluing your opponents become much higher.
Value
Two key cards stick out from Family Matters when it comes to card value. Luminous Broodmoth is a welcomed reprint and fits perfectly in this deck to give all your non-flying creatures a second chance on the battlefield. Since it helps tokens as well, the moth is also a natural fit in any white token deck and should ensure some value in the coming months.
The second card is the new Pollywog Prodigy, a seemingly harmless Frog that not only grows bigger but nets you a free card whenever an opponent casts a non-creature spell that costs less than Pollywog’s power. It’s akin to white’s Esper Sentinel, even if not quite as good. At over $15, this looks like the most valuable new card in all 4 Bloomburrow precon decks.
The Imagine: Courageous Critters alternate art for Elspeth, Sun’s Champion is also a nice inclusion. Even though Sun’s Champion has been reprinted many times, this precon-deck and Collector-booster only variant will be of interest to collectors. However don’t expect it to go beyond $10.
When it comes to new cards, Calamity of Cinders stands out as the next Delayed Blast Fireball, a really effective, mini board wipe that can actually keep your creatures alive while burning most others. It’s still a situational card, but one that can stay around the $5 mark if adopted by the Commander community.
Upgradability
As a whole, Family Matters doesn’t look that strong on paper, but there are ways to make it better. Our suggestion is to include either more creatures that have a base power of 1 (to give Zinnia more fighting power), or insert creatures that have strong “enter” triggers.
To create more 1/1s on a faster scale, Anim Pakal, Thousandth Moon is an excellent addition since it automatically creates 1/1 Gnomes with each combat. Also, how about a Legion Warboss to create 1/1s each combat? These are also prime examples to activate your Offspring ability so that the numbers will snowball.
If the goal is not to use 1-power creatures, then Kutzil’s Flanker, Brutal Cathar and Banisher Priest are useful 2-for-1s that can exile an opponent’s creature as well. Activate Offspring and that becomes a 4-for-1 value. These creatures are still vulnerable to mass removal, and that’s where you’ll want to include a few counter spells such as Negate and Disdainful Stroke to keep yours alive.
Beginner Friendliness
Because you’re likely going to be casting 1 creature per turn and trying hard to pay the 2-mana cost for Offspring, the gameplay is pretty straightforward for brand new players of the game. Creating token copies always brings a smile to any player’s face too, though the clunkiness of Zinnia might be too hard to bear for players going into the intermediate level.
Final Score
Peace Offering – Bloomburrow Commander Precon Deck
Overview
Themed as a “group-hug” deck, Peace Offering is all about helping your opponents first, then giving yourself a nice payoff. Ms. Bumbleflower works best when you are able to cast two spells each turn. Do that and you’re replenishing your hand with 2 cards while pumping one of your creatures with a +1/+1 counter. Those counters are also a sub-theme in Peace Offering, with a small assortment of hydras and other cards that will help you creatures grow faster. Outrace and outdraw your opponents, otherwise it will be a tight finish.
Power Level
Group-hug decks help speed up the game, giving your opponents an opportunity to further their own strategy. Often this comes back to bite you as you may not have the answers to deal with a ever-flowing number of new threats. Unfortunately Peace Offering suffers from the same problems. What Ms. Bumbleflower does well and differently is provide offensive ammunition that you can use to win the game.
The key here is to cast 2 spells on a turn, which will let you draw 2 more cards, effectively replacing those that you had just used. Adding a +1/+1 counter to target creature isn’t exciting, but combined with Chasm Skulker or Kalonian Hydra, you can be assured of some payoff later on in the game. There’s Forgotten Ancient and Managorger Hydra as classic must-haves for group-hug decks and will become serious threats if left alone.
It can be scary how big this deck’s creatures can get, ironically when it’s called “Peace Offering”. As you’ll be drawing plenty of cards to maintain a big hand size, Psychosis Crawler and Body of Knowledge are massive beaters that can be enormously huge once you have removed the maximum hand size limit through cards like Thought Vessel and Reliquary Tower.
Peace Offering has great offensive power, it is weak in defense. It lacks cards that can erase the board to start from square one (very much needed in group-hug decks), and there are only two top-tier, target removal cards – Generous Gift and Swords to Plowshares. Keep in mind that the opponents will also be planting their threats faster than usual, so the lack of answers could spell doom for your chances of winning.
Value
Peace Offering doesn’t break away from the Bloomburrow trend of undervalued precon decks. However the Imagine: Courageous Critters art variant for Tamiyo, Field Researched sweetens the pot thanks to its adorable art and the usefulness of the card.
This deck also harbors arguably the strongest Bloomburrow Commander card – Bloodroot Apothecary. This harmless-looking squirrel could be an instant kill for anyone that plays Treasures, Clues or any other non-creature tokens as a core part of their strategy. Sphinx of Enlightenment could also be a keeper as it let’s you draw 3 cards as it enters, and can be abused with so many blink effects in MTG. It does give an opponent a free card, which will likely affects its value as well.
For reprints, Loran of the Third Path, Reliquary Tower and An Offer You Can’t Refuse are welcomed inclusions that can resold for a few dollars each. Given how useful they are in so many Commander decks, keeping them is also a fair option.
Upgradability
To boost Peace Offering’s defense capabilities, load up on some counter spells. Long River’s Pull is cute as a counter spell, but it’s best to just replace it with the classic Counterspell. Arcane Denial is another cheap countering answer to anything, and actually fits into the group-hug theme since both you and the caster gets to draw more cards. Luckily for Peace Offering, white is a color that excels with board wipes. Take your pick from Wrath of God, Doomskar, Vanquish the Horde, By Invitation Only and so many more.
In order to increase the odds of casting 2 spells each turn, it’s best to include a few 1-costing Instants or Creatures to help trigger Ms. Bumbleflower‘s ability. Rancor is a recurring Aura that can be recast multiple times to fill up that spell count. Chain of Vapor fits into the group-hug theme and could bounce back a threat and delay it for a turn. You can also take out some of the higher cost Sorceries and go with cheap card-draw Instants such as Consider and Opt to really grow your hand size.
Depending on the strategy you want to play, Peace Offering’s upgrade options are plentiful and shouldn’t break the bank. Keep the deck structure balanced between ‘hugging’ your opponents and drawing value for yourself – that will make this Peace Offering a competitive brawler among the other precon decks.
Beginner Friendliness
We’re all friends in MTG, and beginners can easily buy into that idea with Peace Offering. There’s giving, but there’s also plenty of taking here, which will help make the game fun and more competitive for the player piloting Ms. Bumbleflower.
While casting spells and drawing cards are easy enough, sequencing how everything fits to maximise the value from +1/+1 counter triggers could be too much to handle for a fresh player. The alternative win-conditions through Simic Ascendency, Triskaidekaphile and Twenty-Toed Toad might be too offbeat to excite a beginner.
The deck is certainly fun to play, it just might need some guidance on how to make the most out of it.
Final Score
Squirreled Away – Bloomburrow Commander Precon Deck
Overview
You can’t have an animal-themed plane without a deck built around the cutest critter. Squirreled Away is a green-black deck that cares about tokens (Squirrels or not), creating big pools of Mana to ramp up faster than your opponents. Commander Hazel of the Rootbloom also creates more copies of tokens, generating even more Mana the next turn. Use the swarm of tokens as sacrifice fodder and slowly eat at life totals.
Power Level
Squirreled Away wants to go wide fast, but it seems to be lacking early enablers that creates tokens for Hazel of the Rootbloom to tap into. There’s Prosperous Innkeeper, Gilded Goose and Chatterstorm as the only 1 or 2-cost cards that generate tokens. However once you build a bigger mana base, there are a lot of other options available. Woe Strider and Chittering Witch being 2 of several options at 3 or 4-cost.
It’s a game of attrition with Squirreled Away. Cards such as Zulaport Cutthroat and Poison-Tip Archer help bring your opponent’s life total down slowly but surely. In the meantime, you’re replenishing your tokens through mid-game token generators like Arasta of the Endless Web and Tireless Provisioner.
Once you have enough tokens on the board and Hazel is well-protected, the engine should be purring quite smoothly. Your end-game finishers are Beledros Witherbloom and End-Raze Forerunners. As a green black deck, it also puts emphasis on sacrificing creatures to gain card advantage. Deadly Dispute and Plumb the Forbidden are easy ways to do that and worth even more when you sacrifice something that was going to die anyway.
Squirreled Away is a well-balanced deck that is capable of staying in the long game, thanks to a surplus of token creatures and life gain, while constantly pushing the opponents’ life totals down.
Value
Squirreled Away reprints the original Squirrel Commander favourite Chatterfang, Squirrel General and Academy Manufactor as cards with some resale value. Chatterfang in particular was a highly-valued card after its introduction in Modern Horizons but after multiple reprints its gloss has worn off.
Maskwood Nexus is another excellent reprint as it creates tokens of all creature types. It’s survived the test of time as after couple of printings it still hovers around the $5 mark. Toski, Bearer of Secrets can also be found in this deck. Because of it usefulness in general, it has seen lots of play in many other decks, so it’s a welcomed sight to see it in Squirreled Away.
However, the same may not be true for the Imagine: Courageous Critters variant of Garruk, Cursed Huntsman. This Garruk isn’t one of the strongest around though as a token generator it’s perfect for Squirreled Away.
Among the new cards, Sword of the Squeak is an excellent Equipment for token-based decks. Even though it only gets a free Equip for certain creature types, it’s still a great card that should hold some value until it is reprinted.
Upgradability
The best way to upgrade Squirreled Away is to fine tune its token-generating engine. The Fallout card Nuka-Cola Vending Machine can generate Foods while also producing Treasures as you consume the Food. Peregrin Took is another must-have to double up on token generation. This will allow Hazel of the Rootbloom to produce more mana for your big plays.
There should also be more ways to to finish off the game with your army of critters. Overwhelming Stampede can add a nice power boost to your creatures. If budget allows, Craterhoof Behemoth is the premium upgrade, but if cost is a concern, stick with cheaper sorceries such as Overrun.
The deck also needs better options for targeted removal. Assassin’s Trophy is a great addition and is very affordable thanks to reprints from the recent Assassins’ Creed crossover set. Go for the Throat and Infernal Grasp are also fine 2-cost Instants that can destroy any creature without drawback. With black as part of the deck’s color identity, there really is no reason not to have more effective removal spells for creature threats.
Beginner Friendliness
Everyone loves furry squirrels, even if they have evil eyes of destruction. Squirreled Away is good example of a precon deck that dispels the idea that Magic the Gathering is only about mages and demons, and can serve as a nice welcome gift to beginners.
From a gameplay standpoint, there’s a lot of fun in building an entire board filled with Squirrels, Food or other kinds of tokens. However, it can get overwhelming trying to navigate all these resources. What should or should not be sacrificed? When’s the right time to do it? Beginners will struggle with the sequencing portion of playing a green-black sacrifice deck.
Final Score
