Summary
Commander Legends is one ofMagic: The Gathering’sall-time best sets, bringing together legendary characters from across the multiverse. It also introduced a lot of new characters we still know very little about.
Vorthos rejoice, though, as with the debut of Magic’s latest set Bloomburrow, one of those questions has finally been answered. Kwain, Itinerant Meddler and Archlos, Lagoon Mystic have both been confirmed to be from Bloomburrow, giving the a home after four years.
Magic is set in a multiverse of near-infinite‘planes’– worlds that, until recently, were mostly sealed off from each other and had their own cultures and aesthetics. For instance, the the gothic horror world of Innistrad, the art deco glitz of New Capenna, or the Greek-inspired Theros all had very little to do with each other.
When they debuted inCommander Legends, Kwain and Archelos were just a throwaway gag. Kwain’s impatience and speed irritates Archelos, a tortoise who values slow moving, thinking, and acting. Even their game pieces reflect this, with Kwain speeding up the game by having everyone draw cards, and Archelos slowing things back down by having permanents enter play tapped.
Home At Last
Talking during a press-only briefing for the next set, Bloomburrow, Magic’s worldbuilding game designer Neale LaPlante Johnson confirmed to me that both Kwain and Archelos are from the plane the set is named after. This means that, despite this being Bloomburrow’s first full-scale set, we actually got our first glimpses of it way back before the likes of Kaldheim or Strixhaven.
Bloomburrow is world entirely inhabited by animalfolk, pulling vibes from the likes of Redwall, The Wind In The Willows, and Mouse Guard. Anybody who travels there is transformed into a creature, too – such as Ral Zarek turning into an otter the second he arrived.
While we now know the two are from Bloomburrow, it remains to be seen if they’re natives of Valley, the home of the story’s main character Mabel and her party. They haven’t appeared in the written story, nor on any of the cards we’ve seen so far, but they’re out there somewhere.
Mouse Guard’s creator David Petersen even contributes art to the game for Bloomburrow.
There Are Still More Mysteries From Commander Legends
There are still legendary creatures from the original Commander Legends whose origins are kept a secret. The giant pirate Dargo, all five of the Familiars, Slurrk, and Averna all are from undetermined planes – perhaps we’ll see them find homes in sets like next year’s Death Race and Space Opera-themed releases.
I took my deck for him apart a long time ago, but Kwain is stillmy favourite commander in the game. He combines a simple effect and a low cost to make a deck that can be incredibly fun to play, even if not necessarily fun to play against. If he pops up in Bloomburrow, here’s hoping he captures the original’s magic.
It also hasn’t been confirmed if Preston the Vanisher, another rabbit who debuted in Jumpstart 2022 two years later, is also from Bloomburrow. He certainly matches the aesthetic of Kwain and the other rabbits of the plane.
Whether Kwain and Archelos are in it or not, Bloomburrow launches on August 2.
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.
