The word of the day is: anthropomorphize.

an-thro-po-mor-phize

verb

1. attribute human characteristics or behavior to (a god, animal, or object).

"people's tendency to anthropomorphize their dogs"

This single, five syllable word aptly describes the flavor of Magic's recently Bloomburrow set. It's no surprise, therefore, that much of the art follows the theme of attributing human-like characteristics to animals in the wild. The result is a flavorful, playful, begrudgingly cute set beloved by many.

I'm going to complete a cursory art and illustration review of Bloomburrow this week by identifying my favorite anthropomorphization from each of the major creature types in the set. As a reminder, the 10 creature types in this set are:

• Birds: White/Blue
• Rats: Blue/Black
• Lizards: Black/Red
• Raccoons: Red/Green
• Rabbits: Green/White
• Bats: White/Black
• Otters: Blue/Red
• Squirrels: Black/Green
• Mice: Red/White
• Frogs: Green/Blue

Birds: Plumecreed Mentor

I began with one of the trickier creature types because it's rather challenging to truly humanize a bird. For one, they have wings instead of arms. Facial features of birds differ greatly from humans, making it difficult to express emotions with facial features. Yet Henry Peters does a fantastic job with his piece for Plumecreed Mentor.

To start, the bird is depicted as bipedal, standing on two legs and using its wings to hold a walking stick and gesture to a crowd. I can picture this bird leading a charge, with an array of lesser birds on the nearby branch walking. It places this bird in a position of leadership, a concept easily transferred to a group of humans. Lastly, I love how the bird is adorned with armor of sorts, showcasing his readiness for battle!

Rats: Tidecaller Mentor

Sticking with the mentor theme for the time being, Irina Nordsol's art on Tidecaller Mentor brings to life a wise rat (who kind of reminds me of Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) guiding an otter and rabbit through wilderness. Again, there are certain components that humanize the central figure on the card: the clothing, the hand gestures, and the facial expressions all lend themselves generously to depict the anthropomorphization of the rat wizard. The colors in the piece also merit a shoutout, managing to depict a beautiful nature scene while staying true to the card's color identity.

Lizards: Flamecache Gecko

I had many viable pieces to pick from in this category--so many artists brought to life the humanization of lizard creatures in their art! Ultimately, I landed on Brian Valeza's Flamecache Gecko because I felt this creature was engaging in an activity that we frequently associate with humans: wielding magic! You can see how the warlock is gesturing with its hands and incanting a spell of sorts, while dressed in traditional warlock garb. While its facial features don't screen "human," I opted to favor the activity and standing position of the creature when I made this selection.

Raccoons: Raccoon Rallier

This was another tough category because so many artists did a great job bringing to life their own version of an anthropomorphized masked bandit! I decided to highlight Borja Pindado's Raccoon Rallier because of the creature's activity, much like with the lizard selection. In the case of Raccoon Rallier, the raccoon bard is playing an instrument of sorts (it reminds me of a Shofar, or Ram's Horn), while simultaneously dressed like Little Red Riding Hood. The unexpected combination works, resulting in a cute, human-like raccoon.

Rabbits: Harvestrite Host

Rabbits go down in my book for being the cutest creature type in Bloomburrow. As I was browsing the various rabbit creatures in the set, I was awed by how adorable they each were! It made it especially hard to select one, but I stuck to my criteria: I wanted to select the most anthropomorphized rabbit depicted.

My eyes landed on Julie Dillon's Harvestrite Host. While other cards depicted adorable rabbits wielding weapons of bows and pine cones, Dillon's rabbit citizen is hosting an entire feast amongst friends and families. I love the outfit the central figure at the head of the table is wearing, and its hand gestures indicate that it is welcoming the group with a brilliant speech. Of course, the final tiebreaker here was the fact that Harvestrite Host (and all its guests) are sitting around a table containing bowls of delicious food, much as humans would do for various occasions.

Bats: Star Charter

Similar to birds, I wanted to select a bat that wasn't merely flying through the air while wearing human-looking clothing. I needed to see something a little more human-like for my selection, and Valera Lutfullina delivered with Star Charter!

Not only is the bat cleric wearing human-like clothes, but it has the full ensemble going on with head features, moon crescent, and all! Lutfullina spared no details when it came to this piece's central figure, from the way it holds the white, glowing, magical moth perched on its left hand to the kite-shaped emblem across its chest. There were a few whimsical bat pieces of art to select from, but this one resonated most.

Otters: Coruscation Mage

Before I explain this piece, I need to first look up what coruscation means.

Coruscation, noun

cor-us-ca-tion

1. glitter, sparkle

2. a flash of wit

Ok, so this otter wizard is literally a mage who works glitter and sparkles, perhaps with a flash of wit. I'd say the corresponding art is fitting, with the central otter figure holding a glowing, sparkly orb! I could comment on how Gaboleps' otter looks human-like with its mage's costume and unwavering fascination with the object in its hands. Instead, I'll point out the fact that this adorable creature is wearing a monocle, and that should be sufficient to defend my choice!

Squirrels: Curious Forager

Mariah Tekulve's art for Curious Forager wins the anthropomorphized squirrel prize for a few key reasons. First, a common theme with all creatures in this set, is the clothing our squirrel druid is donning for its foray through the forest. I love how human-like the outfit is, matching my expectations for what a typical humanoid druid would wear in the same situation. Next, you have the walking staff (which appears to have a magical orb at its apex), being held confidently by the figure. Lastly, the squirrel's facial expression really calls to me--I think it's the fact that the creature is looking straight on at me, beckoning with its free hand, that brings to life this creature's human nature. It's mesmerizing.

Mice: Brambleguard Captain

I find it amusing that the mice in the set are the creatures that display aggression, valiance, and a lust for war. Some of these mouse creatures are even making waves in aggressive Standard decks, featuring Heartfire Hero and Emberheart Challenger. I selected Brambleguard Captain not based on its power in Standard, but based on the depiction of the central mouse soldier leading a lizard into battle. I love how the creature has its arm raised, brandishing its sword ready for battle. The creature is wearing a soldier's garb, and the red scarf blowing in the wind is a nice touch that Quintin Gleim added to bring a human-like characteristic to the mouse.

Frogs: Clifftop Lookout

A handful of frog creatures in Bloomburrow wield these adorable hats--for good examples, check out Sunshower Druid and Treeguard Duo. I wanted to pick a cute-hat frog art but ultimately decided to go with Clifftop Lookout for two reasons. First, I love how the frog is wielding a spyglass to look in the distance for potential threats. Its focus is human-like in every way, and John Thacker did a nice job depicting this creature in a way that looks unassumingly serious. Second, I am blown away by the human-like poster the frog is using while leaning up against the stone. With one leg straight and one bent at the knee, the frog scout is taking a comfortable, stable position while peering through the scope. I love this touch, and the beautiful landscape in the background is an added bonus.

Wrapping It Up

There are a smattering of creatures in Bloomburrow that do look like the wild animals they're meant to be. It's the consistent anthropomorphizing theme, however that really brings Bloomburrow's art into focus, giving it a fun and playful theme. I didn't love the draft format, and I am wary every time my opponent plays a turn one mouse in a game of Standard. Play patterns aside, however, the art on this set truly resonates.

You can select almost any random card from Bloomburrow and you'd be readily able to identify it as coming from this set. The artists' anthropomorphization of the ten creature types in this set go a long way in delivering, making for one of the most coherent (and cutest) themes we've seen in Magic.