Warren Warleader – Bloomburrow
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2024
Ratings:
Constructed: 4.13
Casual: 4.50
Limited: 4.63
Multiplayer: 3.88
Commander [EDH]: 4.13
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
This card calls back to successful cards like Hero of Bladehold and Leonin Warleader, and as such is poised for similar success. One thing we learned from those eras is that this effect can let aggressive white decks keep pace with card advantage – you don’t even need the new designs where white cards draw cards more directly, because you’re presenting an ever-widening threat base that few opponents can handle. In fact, the rabbit version is arguably a step up from its predecessors, in the sense that you can get the offspring token when you have enough mana, and thus double the effect without using a separate card. I’m not sure it was necessary for the trigger not to be tied to the Warleader itself attacking, because no aggressive white deck should be so risk-averse; on the other hand, it gets around Pacifism-style effects, so maybe that’s another step up in this card’s favor.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4.5 (easier to splash populate-style effects than in Standard/Pioneer/Modern/etc)
Limited: 4.5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Warren Warleader is both an interesting card and a good showcase of offspring, one of the Bloomburrow mechanics with intrigue. It’s a sort of kicker cost that creates a 1/1 copy of the creature along with it, but with all of the creature’s abilities. Warren Warleader is a 4/4 for 4, but 6 mana gets you a 4/4 and a 1/1…and two copies of that attack trigger.
Speaking of the attack trigger, it’s a good way to go wide or go bigger…or both if you have multiples, and having any attacker bring another attacker is a pretty good way to speed things up. The Warleader itself needn’t attack, though the threat of it being a 5/5 isn’t terrible, and it can attack to start the chain going. It’s not the showiest creature, but it’s always a good value at 4 or 6 mana, and I think it’s exactly the kind of threat that can make waves.
Constructed: 4.25
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 4.75
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
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