Summary
Bloomburrow has been a smash hit forMagic: The Gathering, and it might not be too long before we’re back with Mable, Helga, Hugs, and the other critters of Valley.
The game’s head designer has revealed that the setting has skyrocketed to the top of the list of planes most likely to make a comeback, beating out other big names like Kamigawa, Eldraine, and Theros.
Mark Rosewater maintains a list he calls the “Rabiah scale”, ranking how unlikely a plane (setting) is going to get a future, premiere set. On recentlybeing asked about Bloomburrow’s Rabiah scale rating, he confirmed that is currently a 2/10, and that he is “very positive” it’ll return.
As the Rabiah scale tracks how unlikely it is for a plane to appear in Magic, a 2/10 is an incredibly good sign for Bloomburrow’s return. There are only three planes more likely to return than it now, and they’re all considered the most popular settings ever produced: Dominaria, Ravnica, and Innistrad.
Bloomburrow Is Now One Of Magic’s Major Settings?
Magic’s multiverse contains a near-infinite number of worlds, known as planes. Bloomburrow is a plane where humans don’t exist, and societies of woodland creatures use swords and sorcery to stave off the season-changing Calamity Beasts. Borrowing from the likes of Redwall and Mouse Guard, it’s a very pastoral and cosy setting, owing to its massive popularity.
Zendikar, Innistrad, Dominaria, and Ravnica are the four other settings that are most likely to return.
The ranking of two puts it on-par with Zendikar, another setting often seen as emblematic of Magic. It also puts it ahead of Kamigawa and Theros (both given a four), despite the mega-hit of the cyberpunk-themedKamigawa: Neon Dynasty, Ixalan and Kaladesh (five), and the setting immediately before Bloomburrow, Thunder Junction (six).
It’s important to note that Rosewater has previously stated he tries not to account for any unannounced information when giving ratings. For instance, while Bloomburrow is now a two on the Rabiah scale, we’re already confirmed to be getting returns to lesser-ranked settings likeLorwyn, Tarkir, and Arcavios, because their last rankings were given before those sets were revealed.
Bloomburrow’s success was never really in doubt. The setting offers a peaceful vibe unlike anything we’ve seen from the game before, and its animal-centric theme helped make it more accessible for newcomers. Kindred decks built around the ten core creature types are more popular than ever, and, at least anecdotally, Bloomburrow events at my local game store are still jam-packed over a month since its release.
Nine of the ten lowest rankings on the Rabiah scale have returned in the last four years, with the oldest being Zendikar Rising in 2020. This means we could well see Bloomburrow return as early as 2026, if its success leads to its follow-up being fast-tracked through design.
Before any possible return to Bloomburrow, though, we’ve got the haunted house ofDuskmournout next week, followed by a death race through three worlds, an outer space-themed set, and the aforementioned visits to Tarkir, Lorwyn, and Strixhaven’s Arcavios.
Magic: The Gathering
Created by Richard Garfield in 1993, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) has become one of the biggest tabletop collectible card games in the world. Taking on the role of a Planeswalker, players build decks of cards and do battle with other players. In excess of 100 additional sets have added new cards to the library, while the brand has expanded into video games, comics, and more.
