Episode 1: Calamity Comes to Valley | Bloomburrow Story

Helga stared at the midmorning sunlight glinting on the rippling surface of the water, its patterns and portents as inscrutable as its darker depths. Cattails and long grasses swayed above her, and a bright dragonfly chased a cloud of gnats. Warm muck and growing things scented the air, comforting her uneasy heart. The pencil she gripped seemed to move of its own accord as her other hand balanced her leaf-bound journal on her lap.
Read it here: magic.wizards.com/en/news/mag...
See more at MTGStory.com
This story is written by Valerie Valdes, narrated by Harless Snyder.
Thumbnail art is illustrated by Andrea Piparo.
#MTG #MTGStory #MTGBloomburrow

[@antareklause8779]

I miss blocks. It's a shame that as soon as we're presented to this plane, we're already gone. Three sets would properly allow one to build decks more steeped in the flavor of a plane. As it stands, it'd be very unlikely that one could make very interesting or competitive decks using only/mostly cards from one plane.

[@GiftOfKnowledge-np9vg]

Hell I’d be fine with two sets if folks up top are that worried about the player base getting bored of a plane (not that I think people will bore of Bloomburrow anytime soon) if it at least meant giving the plane more time to establish itself, it’s story, and especially underused tribes this kne is supporting like Mice and Raccoons. A single set just keeps feeling so constrained.

[@netanelaker4437]

The problem is that if the set sucks, you DO NOT want to be there for two sets. Some sets really work well as one-offs. Ikoria and Amonketh comes to mind.

[@drguthrie7621]

I literally don't think I could get bored of the bloomburrow set I hope we go back soon or atleast they see the positive reception to it and decide to revisit, I too would prefer like 2-3 sets rather than moving on immediately, imagine if we got bloomburrow part 1 July instead of assassins creed ans bloomburrow part 2 in August (obviously they can be more spread out than that but still)

[@unstable7505]

@@netanelaker4437 I thought Amonkhet worked amazingly as a block.

[@Goldy01]

I'd love two-set block cycles! Especially if a set does specific stuff like crature-type-matters, I think it'd really help with overall consistency of archetypes

[@Yunas_Jet]

No way. Simultaneous audio story with the text release?! Pinch me I must be dreaming ❤

[@joshuajohnston4825]

Bloomburrow is my most hyped set since Neon Dynasty. I wish blocks would come back so we can spend a whole year exploring the world of Bloomburrow.

[@ThrabenValiant]

It'd be about a month at the release pace lately. 😞

[@mrfroboto1]

Maybe a two part set like the recent Innistrad sets

[@xianicarus8770]

@@ThrabenValiant Story sets don't come out any faster than they used to, actually. You're confusing them with supplemental sets.

[@Cherokie89]

I think that too until I remember that means we would be stuck in murder mystery flavored Ravnica for a whole year

[@joshuajohnston4825]

@@Cherokie89 Perhaps if blocks were in place instead of individual sets, more time would be placed between planes for the brainstorming process, leading to better and more thought out set ideas. Perhaps with an extra set or two in murder mystery Ravnica, we could have seen a much more defined and explored idea when compared to the condensed and overall messy bundle of ideas that they tried to fit into one underwhelming set.

[@quaesitorfabularum2381]

This feels exactly like the old Redwall books I read when I was younger. Please give us more of this world! I can't wait to get to know it better. It even makes me hopeful in the sad "If only..." kind of way that they might bring back the old Plane Shift D&D Crossover pamphlets to adapt this for D&D, because I would absolutely play this.

[@johnalmaraz1534]

Omg! I knew it reminded me of something. Thank you for putting g a name to it, you just unlocked memories for me. 👏

[@GeorgeThoughts]

The Redwall link is my driving interest in this and I've never played or owned MTG cards before...

[@Nokus416]

Here's to hoping they do this for all of this story!

[@Prodigal_Sun]

I mean they have. Just the releases have been inconsistent as fuck

[@polyommata]

do audio story simultaneous with the text release for every story please!

[@callumbyrne4263]

As a person with dyslexia I am so grateful for this

[@bahablastfreeze8872]

The background music during the attack was throwing me for a loop

[@tante8074]

Yeah, it's a great start to do audio for the stories but the music was a bit out of place.

[@behairy1]

I liked it overall, but it was indeed a little jarring… gentle, whimsical chimes while a village is being demolished by a monstrous bird. 😂

[@conrad3066]

This is awesome, Bloomburrow is singlehandedly getting me back into magic.

[@DrekiBerserkr]

So after hearing this first chapter, this is probably my third favorite plane now. 1. Ixalan 2. Tarkir 3. Bloomburrow

[@marcellopozzessere1656]

I'm so happy you're releasing the audio story earlier!

[@larissafracalossi9847]

(Card spoiler alert...?) Otter Ral is really adorable, but I'm laughing hard at how mad he is at the whole situation hahah on another note, I'm so glad we finally get a pov from Ral after him being barely mentioned in both Karlov Manor and Thunder Junction :')

[@aether6293]

for me him shouting at the end gave me big "CURSE YOU PERRY THE PLATYPUS!" energy

[@pierredupont1096]

In fact, he might be...Otter-ly adorable?

[@TreacherousTetrisTerrorist]

Helga's struggle hits a little bit too close to home

[@AcePlaysTCGs]

I didn't realize frogs were capable of ADHD. I usually play izzet, but I might have to give this frog a look if Helga gets a card.

[@TapTwoCounterspell]

​@@AcePlaysTCGsIzzet is far and away the most tedious archetype to play against. Very long drawn out turns

[@AcePlaysTCGs]

@@TapTwoCounterspell Sometimes I feel like it depends on the set or the deck because sometimes it can be like burn/draw, burn/draw, but other times it can be super control style tapping stuff down, casting fliers and all that. Red answers creatures or can go straight to face and blue can stop other spells from hitting the board. The pair has a lot of coverage.

[@user-go5zj3of5l]

im so happy that the story isn't as grimdark as its been its actually fun to listen to

[@user-go5zj3of5l]

this is the first time in a while I've wanted a book from the story of a set

[@davidrojas6457]

My Vorthos heart is temporarily soothed by this, thank you guys.

[@PalPlays]

Glad they referenced Jace's best story arc with a little nod to Ixalan.

[@RR70actionTRS]

Love your presentations and channel, so I subbed it. Keep up the good work. It's really moving and there's a lot of heart in it. Thank you for the quality craftsmanship. ❤

[@vincentwerts4724]

This reminds me of the Secret of Nihn. With a little bit of the world of Richard Scary mixed in.

[@BaronVonChop]

The charming narration really matches the story! I'm absolutely loving it so far.

[@amee4231]

Oh, this is awesome. I much prefer to listen to these stories. Amazing, please do the same for Duskmourn

[@larissafracalossi9847]

Bloomburrow story, let's goooo ♡

[@PharaohofAtlantis]

I really like being able to listen to this day 1.

[@matthewoliveira3782]

When you remember that Jace used to be a Living Guildpact, and Ral still wanting him dead....... And the Wanderer finally at peace, great detail

[@beretperson]

This was incredible, both the writing and the performance.

[@colinderue8095]

Errrrrrrm… performance was good?.. mkay if you say so lol

[@davidmagno2998]

This is soooo good. Best magic set in a while, I love it ❤

[@Bobbybillybillbob]

Neon Dynasty, New Capenna, Caverns of Ixalan, Bloomburrow AND LOTR! Loving the variety and uniqueness of these sets! Looking forward to an eventual return to Capenna, and very excited to see what Bloomburrow holds!

[@matthewpelkey7721]

I haven't been excited for a set in a while. The setting is giving me nostalgia for the redwall book I read as a kid

[@Worgalphihndor]

I would LOVE this from now on!! I could listen to the lore without having to try and read it online!!!!

[@BigDeckEnergy.]

This story is amazing! Love the read aloud.

[@chiefsilverstacker1176]

I wish Mtg still made books on the lore and stories like they use to. The set would be amazing for a book trilogy.

[@MrVariant]

Cool art and animal theme. Gonna enjoy this and duskmourn for sure.

[@themansecretcode3241]

I will tell this story to my grandchildren ❤

[@rossf8616]

I love these videos. Please don't stop making them!

[@diamonddisarray6479]

It’s a crying shame that this set won’t be a block and instead near instantly eclipsed by the next one coming out so soon after, it’s so damn cool and I honestly hope whoever is forcing them to release sets so fast will learn from it and at the very least let up for the sake of future sets that could potentially be all-timers if they were given the time to grow. Probably not though. I’ll be sure to attend a bloomburrow draft during the few weeks where it’s still the newest set.

[@DynamicSheep]

This was great! Thank you!

[@smileyksh]

This is pretty wildly cutesy for magic lol. Its actually kind of jarring.

[@brandonhall7498]

Especially knowing the Phyrexians, Eldrazi, and Bolas are out there.

[@magnusprime962]

Magic has always been a fantasy kitchen sink, frankly I’m surprised it took this long to get a plane like this. Anthropomorphic critters are one of the oldest fantasy archetypes there is.

[@pierredupont1096]

Loved the story (not a fan of Thunder Junction but the tie-in was not oppressive) and look forward to more. Reader was very eloquent and expressive as well. I, too, will be buying Standard-legal cards (or a sealed of any kind outside OOP) for the first time since Neon Dynasty. Good story, flavourful cards and I'm in Power Levels need not apply!

[@urdimsum7961]

I love this, thanks for actually trying something different for the marketing this expansion.

[@alecchambers12]

Please do this for every set!!!

[@AcePlaysTCGs]

The idea that Planeswalkers can just change their biology when they travel between worlds is amazing. Never would've thought that was an option, but i love it.

[@jt_myth]

Jace uses illusions and from what we know, bloomburrow has it's own laws so I don't think even planeswalkers have a choice when they go there.

[@AcePlaysTCGs]

@@jt_myth Sorry. That's what I meant. It's almost like a veil of sorts as you're passing through the threshold of the world itself. I think that's a very interesting detail that never really crossed my mind, but we've also never went to a world where humans just didn't exist. Kind of makes me think of someone like Mabel ended up in Ravnica, she might look humanoid. Oh fan art sites would go crazy for something like that 🤣

[@michaeltaylor788]

​​@@jt_mythyes they said when you go there you change into the animal you would be if you were born there and or native.

[@Ritokure]

Well this also kind-of happens in Segovia, as any Planeswalker that enters the miniature plane is shrunk down to 1/100th their own size. Same rules as Bloomburrow: things coming in are changed, things going out are not. However, this wasn't the case for the Phyrexians, probably because they invaded the plane through unnatural means... wonder if this will be relevant in the following stories.

[@AcePlaysTCGs]

@@Ritokure oh that would be cool. Hopefully Ral can turn back into humanoid Real once he leaves Bloomburrow though

[@Onirikas]

love these videos!

[@orionladd6412]

We just got here and I already know I’ll want to know more

[@TyronMakeka]

Keep these coming!!

[@SGT87]

This is amazing and i love being able to drive and listen to catch up on the stories and background. But i feel there is a missed opportunity here. You could have had people around the office voice different characters to make them pop out more and add depth or run a contest to have a player play a part. How cool would it to have been the voice of a new commander.

[@lewisdavis780]

This is the best thing for the story I love it keep doing this ❤

[@mobiasjoe2807]

I fell asleep listening to this its like asmr lol. I love the characters so far!

[@ZAD3N0]

Amazing ;D

[@leandrodantes672]

Wonderful!!@!

[@kawaiiLorenz1995]

Is their a spotify to this storytelling? There isn't much to see on this video, but delivery and details are vivid to imagine.

[@andrewp6738]

a mage of cabbageheads

[@jeff1238191]

Is there going to be a physical book for all these stories I think my nieces and nephews would love this

[@AFailedTuringTest]

OH YEAH AUDIO RELEASE OHHH YEAAAAAH

[@dharmamoon22]

I just wish they had these stories available for purchase so I would not have to read them online.

[@hugmonger]

Helga 💙💚

[@joannabevan5456]

👍👍❤❤

[@MindETMuch]

Thank you VERY MUCH for the Tomik x Ral’s representation. ❤️🌈

[@hugmonger]

I need old man Oliver as a card lol

[@aaron9797]

fun

[@johngregory7850]

Is there a podcast of this????!!

[@sscout191]

Chapter 1: A story of a frog with ADHD

[@joelscott7351]

and 2 gay otters

[@Tibz1881]

Why don't we have Any french version for MTG content like this ? the youtube auto translation is really poor

[@JanterCyrano]

Beware the (cute) annoyed Otter

[@EricAbroad]

bring back the approach that allows us to enjoy a plan for longer periods of time before the next set replaces it. This set so far is FANTASTIC! Let it breathe longer... Please, WOTC

[@griffinhamblin2932]

I miss the novel series.

[@jonasp.1830]

ADHD Frog is a little too relateable :..)

[@AcePlaysTCGs]

It hit very close to home for me too

[@danihghjr1393]

This...

[@happytester83]

Can we have this in french ?

[@SOulLeZz13]

bring back blocks, or something similar

[@breathinginpetrichor]

This is a good idea, but needs work. Top quality would be an animated storyline. Minimum should be adapting the music to what is going on on the story, multiple voice actors to narrate different characters, and much more changing art work to go along with the story. I know you guys can afford a little more production quality.

[@ArixOdragc]

Definitely an improvement on a lot of recent stories, but it's still a shame to see Magic story falling into the same issues it always has. Even fans of the story consistently complain of them feeling rushed and bloated, and always fracturing the stories into multiple POVs feels like a consistent culprit in that. Spend more time developing one character rather than breaking an already tightly-packed story into three unrelated POVs. At least two of them collide immediately this time around, rather than the "Maybe they'll eventually cross paths at some future point, maybe" that recent stories have done, so that's an improvement I guess. Coyly hiding information in an attempt to provoke curiosity, but in return sacrificing genuine tension. Hard to get invested in the argument between Mabel and the mayor when I don't know why the mayor is so interested in Mabel bringing out her heirloom or why she's so against doing so, as one example. And of course, Magic's all too common habit of following common tropes that don't make any sense, purely because they're common tropes. "There's nothing special about me! I'm completely unremarkable!" sighs the frog girl who apparently has regular visions of the future? Which everyone doesn't like for...some reason? Still, it's an improvement over nearly everything else I've read from Magic recently. And there are legitimately good parts to it. Like I said, it's good that two of the POVs collided immediately, even if it would have been better just sticking with one. Mabel's scene of preparing for her birthday party was legitimately well done, and her kids were definitely cute without being annoying. I liked the imagery of Mabel "crossing swords" with the mayor, even if the argument itself left a bit to be desired. Best I can say is at least I actively want to continue this story, rather than my usual pattern of Magic story lately, which is "Read first chapter, be completely unhooked, read half of second one in the hopes that something might come by to hook me, stop caring entirely and ignore the rest". Shame it still has the same problems Magic story always seems to have, but it's an improvement at least, and this is the first time in a long time I can say that the good is good enough to let me tolerate the bad, at least for now.

[@magnusprime962]

The frog who can see the future isn’t special on this plane because many of the frogs here can. They often act as augers, so one more isn’t special. And not liking seers is incredibly common. Who likes someone who always tells you bad things are going to happen?

[@ArixOdragc]

That possibly makes even less sense. If augury is just a common ability among frogs, then why do people dismiss hers as just an overactive imagination? And again, why do they dislike her for it? Maybe it's just me, but the "People hate on me because I have cool and useful powers" trope never holds up. People simply don't hate someone for being able to contribute something incredibly useful to society. And if it's a common ability among frogs, then why should they hate on one frog in particular for it? None of the rest of the story suggests that people have anything against frogs as a whole. And the rabbit's reaction in the beginning suggests that it isn't just something in Helga's head. It just doesn't add up, no matter how you slice it.

[@NoeticEidetics]

🥱 😴

[@majestyzx9081]

This is like, dedicated KZbin fan quality. Not exactly what I expected from the multi-million dollar company releasing an audio track alongside a text story. This isn't even radio-drama level effort, it's really just an okay audiobook. That's in no way to knock the narrator, I just expected more from WoTC in an attempt to breathe some life into their characters. I guess that's my fault for expecting a little effort from WoTC.

[@DimirDaddy]

Obligatory 1st

[@BernardCharles]

Too bad this video isnt visually stimulating with an actual story board. Also no one says antecedent.

[@markwesthoff1757]

Familiar and boring seems to be the theme. You should hire a narrator that can read a story without further expressing that theme. This is what happens when a company is rotten with DEI hires.

[@jeolmmum]

Pls get rid of the music or adapt it to the story. Happy go lucky music while being attacked by a calamity beast doesn't fit at all.

[@PhiKehr]

So sad that they didn't even put any effort into the world. rabbit folk, mouse folk, etc... That is so lame. Give me some culture around these "folks". Give me original names. It just feels like they were like "So umm, we need a tribe of mice, rabbits, birds, and so on because people think they are cute" - "Ok, should we give them exciting lore like the Phyrexians" - "No. Just call em x-folk and move on"

[@ThrabenValiant]

This writing isn't great. There's some stuck together tropes, careless editing, and clunky middle English in just the first 2:30. Careless editing: Did she, or did she not, see her reflection? Middle English for little to no reason: Yon scrying pool Tropes: Sad, useless, orphan nobody Everybody is mean to the hero Just needs to find their place in the world All in all, it feels rushed, like a mass-produced paperback - published on time with little regard to quality.

[@ThrabenValiant]

She began to despair that she Never would. (The despair is for the negative future not the positive one)

[@ThrabenValiant]

Mabel's story is significantly better, I will say.

[@IamJoshEast]

Incredibly boring part 1

[@BrokenTowelKP]

This is quite boring