New Year, New Builds, New Writer!

What is it about a new year that invites people to openly brag about themselves? To me, a writer, this is a completely foreign concept. How dare you be openly and verbally proud of your achievements. Acting like you don’t regularly wake up in a cold sweat as you relive that one time you pronounced celery incorrectly seven years ago.  

Instead of looking back on that, let’s look back on something far more positive, some of the great blocks, flowers and more we added to Minecraft in 2019 that you might have missed! I hope you enjoy this carefully curated list of what I consider to be the major, earth-shattering additions of 2019. I promise that it is not a random list that I threw together minutes before Per’s grueling deadline. We’d love to see you use some of these in your 2020 builds!

The main thing about this update was that the title rhymed. Clearly that title was therefore Mojang’s greatest triumph ever, with the actual content doomed to pale in comparison

Which is why I’ve suggested that all future updates be given poor, non-rhyming, preferably misleading, titles, so that the content within isn’t disappointing at all (so look forward to future update titles like Two or Three New Blocks and Here Comes Bankruptcy!) Anyway, let’s look at some of the more unsung features in Village and Pillage.

The composter!

One of the first things I consider when assessing a potential life partner is ”Is this person into composting?”. If the answer is anything other than TO AN ALARMING DEGREE, I immediately delete their contact information and report them to the appropriate authorities.  

The Minecraft composter doesn’t only signal that you are an appealing person with a lot to offer, it also produces bone meal! Delicious! Hold on, I have just been informed that this is not in fact gourmet dish, but a common material used for dyes and fertilizer. Uh-oh. Let’s move on to the next item on my list before this bone meal starts repeating on me.  

The smithing table!

If there is one thing that interior designers can agree on, it’s that a house is not a home until it has a smithing table. Not only is this particular model incredibly stylish, it’s also shrouded in mystery! After a thorough investigation, I have concluded that there doesn’t seem to be any way to interact with it unless you’re looking for a fun alternative fuel source. Who wants functional furniture, anyway?  

Villagers, on the other hand, can use the smithing table as more than a symbol of their appreciation for brutalist architecture. As long as they happen to be a Toolsmith, they can interact with it. Please don’t ask me for more information. Out of all the villagers, Toolsmiths are by far the most talkative. And I have yet to meet one that can read the room! I don’t have the energy to get sucked into another debate about emerald inflation (especially one that consists only of the word ‘hrrrrm’).  Let’s just keep going so we can all get out of here.

New flowers! 

Even though we did nothing to deserve new flowers last year, we were gifted with three. All originals. Not a single spliced abomination or *shudder* fern.  

Two of them were really pretty. Pretty evil that is! Take the Lily of the Valley. On the outside, pure innocence. On the inside, pure poison. What more can you ask of a plant?  

For those of you that prefer your evil deeds to be a bit more obvious, the Wither Rose is sure to be your new favorite gift. Nothing says ”Please forgive me for comparing your mother to a llama” like a demonic bouquet. If you’re in need of a gift with a different sentiment, check out this handy guide.  

This brings us to the cornflower. While it is technically not evil, it was a bit of a disappointment. Did you, like me, assume that it's petals were tiny ears of corn and not just plain old blue? Yes, it’s a beautiful shade of blue and now I can finally hoard Lapis Lazuli without sacrificing my supply of blue dye. But you have to admit, it would have been much cuter (and tastier) had this flower actually stayed true to its name. No? Just me? Fine.

BEES? BEES!

Speaking of flowers, 2019 also brought the bees into the game! In a completely different update (this time with an alliterative title instead of a rhyming one which is fine), these pretty pollinators flew into the game and our hearts. Since then, the amount of bee stings accrued by Mojang employees has quadrupled and resulted in a mandatory apiary suit dress code for the office. The number was alarmingly high before this update, so it’s probably for the best.  

My favorite part of this update has to be the honeycomb blocks. I often find that I have a hard time relating to most of the blocks in Minecraft. Sure, sand is pretty great and I guess obsidian serves a purpose. But none of them feel familiar or have that je ne sais quoi that appeals to me, specifically. But now I have finally discovered that the umami element I had been missing was a block that was sticky to the touch. I look forward to a new decade where we can all embrace our true selves, our future builds, and each other without recoiling!  

And who am I? That’s one secret I’ll never tell.  

Actually, I will! But only because Per is making me. As you might have gleaned from the title of this article, this new decade brings a brand new writer to Minecraft.net. I tried to pepper this text with a few facts about me, but one thing that might surprise you is that I am an avid oversharer! I look forward to giving you way too much information about what I ate for lunch and occasionally some stuff about Minecraft. Happy new year! I hate ferns!

(Inspired by all this oversharing? Hooray! Submit your best builds, whether they use these 2019 additions or not, to scoops@minecraft.net and we’ll feature our favourites on the site!)