Early Access Bloomburrow w/ Maldhound | EDH Gameplay Ep 57

Deck Strategies

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  Bello, Bard of the Brambles

  Transforms high-cost non-creature artifacts and enchantments into 4/4 indestructible elemental creatures with haste, using these creatures to pressure opponents while drawing cards from combat damage.

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  Zinnia, Valley's Voice

  Builds a flying board by doubling ETB triggers of one-power creatures to grow Zinnia and create a swarm of impactful creatures that quickly snowball.

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  Hazel of the Rootbloom

  Generates multiple token types such as Treasures, Food, and Squirrels to accelerate mana and fuel an aristocrat-style strategy, leveraging sacrifice synergies for incremental advantage.

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  Ms. Bumbleflower

  Political group hug deck that uses the new gift mechanic to gift opponents resources, encouraging them to fight amongst themselves while setting up alternate win conditions.

Gameplay Insights

• 1

  Bello's unique ability to turn expensive non-creature artifacts and enchantments into indestructible creatures shifted the board state and forced opponents to prioritize removal or risk taking heavy damage and card draw advantage.

• 2

  Chatterfang's token doubling and combat pump abilities created significant board presence and synergy with Hazel's token generation, enabling strong offensive turns.

• 3

  Ms. Bumbleflower's political gifting helped destabilize opponents by encouraging them to interact aggressively with each other, buying time to develop alternate win conditions.

• 4

  The use of exploration and landfall effects by Hazel accelerated mana development, enabling explosive token production and aristocrat value.

• 5

  The timing of attacks and the careful sequencing of spells, such as waiting until main phase two to maximize ETB effects, demonstrated advanced strategic play among the participants.

Notable Cards

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  Chatterfang, Squirrel General

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  Zulaport Cutthroat

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  Tireless Provisioner

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  Hoofprints of the Stag

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  Blade Splicer

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  Mind Stone

Summary

The game began with players establishing their mana bases and early board presence, leaning into their commanders' unique mechanics. Bello, Bard of the Brambles transformed high-cost non-creature artifacts and enchantments into formidable 4/4 elemental creatures, applying pressure while drawing cards. Zinnia, Valley's Voice capitalized on one-power creatures to grow and double ETB triggers, quickly escalating her board state. Hazel of the Rootbloom focused on generating various tokens like Treasures and Food to fuel a token-multiplying aristocrat strategy, while Ms. Bumbleflower played a political group hug deck, gifting opponents cards to manipulate the board state and set up alternate win conditions. Key turning points included Chatterfang, Squirrel General's arrival, which synergized with Hazel's tokens to produce a threatening army of squirrels and enabled explosive board swings. Bello's ability to convert high-value artifacts and enchantments into indestructible creatures brought a new layer of aggression, forcing opponents to respond quickly. Midgame saw players carefully balancing aggression and resource development, with Zulaport Cutthroat enhancing the aristocrat theme by punishing creature deaths. The game revolved around leveraging token generation, ETB synergies, and transforming non-creature permanents into attackers to overwhelm opponents. The interplay of these strategies created dynamic board states that required tactical decisions about when to attack, block, or hold back for combo turns to secure victory.