Magic: The Gathering players have had access to the new Bloomburrow set for a couple of days, and while it’s too early to form an opinion on the draft format or how the new cards will shake up standard, one thing is clear – early comparisons to the Redwall fantasy franchise were entirely justified. Which makes it feel really, really weird that there are no Redwall Universes Beyond tie-in products associated with this launch.
Just like the newest MTG set, Redwall is a pastoral fantasy set on a world populated by anthropomorphic animals. The novel series by Brian Jacques was a firm favorite among younger readers in the ’90s and ’00s, with its cast of homely mice, mole engineers, roguish otters, martial hares, and preposterously hench badgers, set against a rich tapestry of fantasy lore, adventure, and conflict.
When Bloomburrow was announced, the internet was immediately filled with comparisons to Redwall and the occasional cry of “Eulalia!”. They’re not truly identical: Bloomburrow is considerably more magical than the world of Redwall, and to the best of my knowledge Redwall isn’t connected to other planes of existence via the Blind Eternities.
But the vibes are 100% the same. They are both worlds of sumptuous country food, courageous little mice, headkicking jackrabbits, villainous rats and weasels, and terrifying, monster-tier snakes.
This just makes it feel really, really odd that there’s no accompanying Universes Beyond release connecting Bloomburrow and Redwall. Did the Jacques estate not answer Wizards’ calls? Is the Universes Beyond team simply unaware of intellectual property originating outside the continental USA?
Redwall is a much, much closer thematic and mechanical fit with Bloomburrow than many of the Universes Beyond partnerships we’ve seen in MTG sets in the last two years.
Jurassic World dinosaurs made moderate sense appearing in Lost Caverns of Ixalan set boosters, but dinos were less than half of that set’s identity: I don’t remember vampires, Mesoamerican robot gnomes, or underground cave complexes featuring heavily in any of the Jurassic World films.
And the Transformers cards that showed up in The Brother’s War set boosters were a tonal clash with the devastating, historic conflict that filled the set’s main story. Juxtaposing those cards, particularly the ones with art from the 1980s cartoon, against a foundational tragedy in the history of the MTG multiverse contributes to a sense that WotC is happy to dilute its own IP for the sake of product placement.
I’m not deluding myself that the Redwall IP is sufficiently beloved that Redwall MTG Commander decks would be a viable product. It’s a property that’s over a decade beyond its hey-day, whose main audience is nostalgic millennials. But then, so are a good half of the existing Universes Beyond partnerships. Why aren’t we getting special guest cards? Why isn’t there even a Secret Lair?
I’m not mad, Wizards. I’m just disappointed. At least the card alter artists will eat well, turning Mabel, Heir to Cragflame into Martin the Warrior and Vren, the Relentless into Cluny the Scourge.
You can play Redwall Bloomburrow on MTG Arena right now, and it looks like it’s going to be packed with fun stuff for Standard and Brawl MTG Arena Decks. When you log on, make sure you check out our guide to all the MTG Arena codes that still work to grab some free digital boosters. If you’re not keen on all these bunnies and mice and want to know when Duskmourn is coming, our guide to the current MTG release schedule is the place to go!
Source: Wargamer
