The art in 'Bloomburrow' impresses more than its narrow ‘Magic: The Gathering' gameplay

My coalition of mice and rabbits dominates the battlefield. While I struggled against a particularly overpowered viper, I usually outfox the otters, rats and birds that dare oppose me. But despite my superb Warren Warleaders and Heartfire Heroes, I eventually lose the draft tournament to another deck much like mine, which swarms me before I could return the favor. Cute as this game might be, it can also be brutal.

Such is the paradox of “Bloomburrow,” the upcoming expansion for trading card game giant “Magic: The Gathering.” Taking place in a cozy valley bustling with anthropomorphic “animalfolk,” it’s calculated to appeal to generations raised on “Peter Rabbit,” “Narnia,” or “Redwall.” Cards depict gentle, heart-warming scenes: Critters salivate over pies, take romantic boat rides or store acorns in overflowing pantries. Gamemaker Wizards of the Coast even tapped David Petersen, creator of the Eisner Award-winning “Mouse Guard” graphic novels, to illustrate key cards.

Then you sit down to play and the bloodbath begins. Inviting and exquisite as its world may be, the set’s gameplay is wicked fast and leaves little room for error. After drafting “Bloomburrow” for well over six hours at the streamer event Wizards invited me to this week, I’ve never felt so hot on a “Magic” product’s art and so lukewarm on its mix of mechanics.

“Bloomburrow” doesn’t lack ambition, despite its goal to be approachable for new and returning players. Specific animals and associated synergies headline each of the set’s 10 color pairs. You’re rewarded not just for stuffing your deck full of black-green squirrels, for example, but also for “foraging” with food tokens and graveyards. White-black bats benefit from both gaining and, counterintuitively, losing life. Most hilariously thematic of them all, blue-green frogs profit from “bouncing” themselves back to your hand.

These draft archetypes can overlap. While “Llorwyn” and “Kaldheim” boasted many “changelings” to knit typal synergies together, “Bloomburrow” only features two. Instead, the set relies on 10 “duo” cards to close the distance between types. Roughshod Duo enables both aggressive raccoon and mice decks, for example, while Lightshell Duo fills the graveyard for rat decks and plays well with the spells otter decks depend on.

Yet, much as I wanted to draft unique strategies, the set’s blistering speed kept punishing me. “Outlaws of Thunder Junction” and even last month’s “Modern Horizons 3” gave players more room to breathe. While you can tune engines to draw extra cards and control the game, some tactics are simply more consistent (bunnies can easily overwhelm an opponent, for example, thanks in part to the new “Offspring” mechanic). By the end of the streamer event, “Bloomburrow” reminded me most strongly of “Ixalan” — a 2017 set derided for its type-driven, narrow archetypes.

Admittedly, I was playing Best-of-One Arena drafts against competitive nutjobs like myself; I expect casual store tournaments and Best-of-Three formats to feel more relaxed. I also take solace in the sheer beauty of the cards. Art director Zack Stella loosened the game's usual “imaginative realism” to include more gestural styles, from Rovina Cai’s Rabbit Response to Eli Minaya’s Psychic Whorl. Even as competitive players will likely exhaust its draft potential in a few short weeks, “Bloomburrow’s” visual splendor will set it apart for years to come.

Speaking of art, “Mouse Guard”’s David Petersen himself was kind enough to answer questions I emailed him. So rather than end with my typical prerelease tips, I’ll let him have the final word.

You've spoken about the difficulty of adapting your more cartoon-esque style to art director Zack Stella's insistence on following real animal anatomy more closely. How did that change your work, from sketch to final image?

“There is a stylization to the way I draw, specifically mice, for ‘Mouse Guard’ that wouldn’t work for ‘Bloomburrow’ Mousefolk. I, like Zack Stella and my art director Aliana Rood, wanted the anatomy for Mable to look more realistic to an actual mouse — that meant drawing the correct amount of fingers and toes, more accurate ears, and even some facial anatomy was different. The struggle was in my muscle memory to not do what I normally do out of habit and draw a ‘Mouse Guard’ character with Mabel’s Cragflame sword. I adapted to the job fairly easily after the Mabel card and I didn’t have habits for the other animals I had to shake off.”

You've discussed animal stories like ‘Redwall’ as top influences. Which were top of mind for you when working on ‘Bloomburrow?’ Are there any more obscure titles that have also inspired your work more generally?

“While I know various editions of ‘The Wind in the Willows’ and ‘Aesop’s Fables’ along with ‘Brambley Hedge,’ the ‘Narnia’ books, ‘Coyote Goes Walking,’ and ‘Crow and Weasel’ are all on my mental and physical bookshelves. For ‘Bloomburrow’ I was really focused on referencing real-world animal photos and the amazing world guide reference that Wizards of the Coast put together for us all.”

I read that you played Magic in the 1990s. If you could create Bloomburrow animalfolk versions of any Magic cards or characters, what would you go for? Urza? Serra Angel? Shivan Dragon? Would they be mice or another animal?

“HA! Well my first thought was to alter the Shambling Strider, but I guess that’s already the wildfire wolf…could be fun to do Karn as a set of silver tableware (serving platters, cutlery, candelabras, pitchers) assembled into a golem by a raccoon. But, I’d love any chance to draw more ‘Bloomburrow’ animals for ‘Magic: The Gathering.’”