The Best Commons and Uncommons By Color for Outlaws of Thunder Junction Draft

Last updated on April 15, 2024

Spinewoods Paladin | Illustration by Kai Carpenter

Jumping into a new draft format is always going to be tricky. Heck, even jumping into an established format without knowing the cards in that particular Magic set can be difficult. Each set has more than 250 cards and they are becoming more and more complicated. Fear not!

I'm here today to help you navigate your first draft or two of Outlaws of Thunder Junction by going over my picks for the top commons and uncommons in each of the colors. If you're looking for a more extensive breakdown of the best cards in the set, check out my Limited Set Review for OTJ or Bryan's Ultimate Sealed Guide!

There’s a lot to go through, so let’s jump right in!

OTJ Best Commons

Archmage's Newt (Outlaws of Thunder Junction) | Illusrtation by Edgar Sánchez Hidalgo

White

5. Outlaw Medic

I think I underrated this white creature a little bit in my full set review. This set looks like it will be pretty slow, and a defensive card like this human rogue is exactly what you need to bring games down to the pace you want to play.

4. Vengeful Townsfolk

This card is a little more focused than the other top commons on this list, but I think the power level is there. The key points are that it makes it much less appealing for your opponent to trade off in combat and plays very nicely into the black/white theme.

3. Holy Cow

This creature has everything going for it. Flash plays well into the blue/white theme, it gains you life, offers some card selection, and all as just pure upside on a Winged Drake. This should be a key card to pick up for most white decks in this format.

2. Take Up the Shield

This white instant was the best common in Dominaria United by miles. It’s cheap, protects your creatures from both combat and most removal spells and even helps you win races thanks to lifelink. You should take as many of these as you can.

1. Mystical Tether

If I'm right about the speed of this format, then this should be premium white removal. Three mana to exile any creature is excellent and it even plays extremely well in the flash deck. Every white deck will want at least some of these.

Blue

5. Stop Cold

Blue’s commons, for the most part, don’t look all that impressive. A lot of them are specific to their own archetypes and don’t really stand out above the rest. Anyway, this is a solid blue removal spell that most decks will probably be happy to play at least one of.

4. Harrier Strix

The set as a whole doesn’t look aggressive (I’ll be saying that a lot), but this blue creature is a very cheap way to commit a crime and I think that goes a long way in this format.

3. Geyser Drake

I have my eye on the blue/white flash archetype as my pick for the most fun deck to draft. If it ends up being good, this card should be the perfect common for it, especially when your 5-mana flash spells will be castable the turn after you play this.

2. Take the Fall

This blue instant has the potential to kill a creature and draw a card for just 1 mana. Not only is that incredible, but you can always cycle it if it’s not going to be useful, so it will never be a bad card to draw.

1. Phantom Interference

Getting to counter a spell and create a 2/2 flier is something that is absolutely worth going for. Better yet, you can just cast it on two to counter an early play or just make the 2/2 in the late game when you can’t counter anything.

Black

5. Skulduggery

Compared to blue, black’s commons are so deep that a black instant this good is only number five. Just like Take the Fall, this is very capable of creating a two-for-one swing, allowing you to win two combats at once for just 1 mana.

4. Mourner’s Surprise

Speaking of two-for-ones, getting a creature back and creating a Mercenary token is a great deal, especially for the low price of just two mana. This black sorcery isn’t exactly a good early play, but it will be one of the best cards to draw later on.

3. Vault Plunderer

I have cast a lot of Phyrexian Ragers in my time and I'm very excited for this new one. It’s just a great deal to make a creature and draw a card and I can’t imagine ever cutting a copy of this black creature from my decks.

2. Consuming Ashes

We have seen this play out in sets before. Which is better? The 4-mana unconditional removal spell or a 2-mana conditional removal spell? My guess right now is that the cheaper spell wins out, as it often has, but this should still be a close second.

1. Desert’s Due

As usual, my pick for black’s best common is a cheap removal spell. Removal is usually good, especially when it’s cheap enough to deal with early aggression.

Red

5. Irascible Wolverine

This red creature requires a little bit of work, but it’s another three-drop that draws a card if you play it correctly and that’s bound to be good enough in most red decks.

4. Thunder Salvo

Even if this red instant is only hitting for two damage, a lot of the time that’s all you need. Plot should help this to hit for three or four damage in the right deck, but most decks should be able to at least hit for three when they need to.

3. Reckless Lackey

I don’t like playing aggro but even I like this 1-drop. It’s fast, hard to block and can be easily cashed in for a card in the late game. It’s basically never bad.

2. Explosive Derailment

Three mana for four damage is just good. It should kill nearly anything that costs up to 4 mana and sometimes even something bigger and that is great.

1. Prickly Pair

Efficient removal might be incredible, but is it any easier to get a two-for-one than literally playing a creature that is two creatures in one? These card designs have frequently been the best commons in their respective formats and my guess is it will be again.

Green

5. Giant Beaver

A 4/4 green creature with vigilance for just 4 mana is huge. There are few other cards I’d rather have on turn 4. You don’t even need to saddle it, it does plenty of work on its own merits.

4. Snakeskin Veil

We’ve seen Snakeskin Veil perform very well in previous appearances, but what puts this green instant over the top in this set is the sheer number of targeted removal spells to enable crimes.

3. Hardbristle Bandit

Cheap mana dorks are always going to be high priorities for green, especially when they enable double spell turns like this one does.

2. Throw from the Saddle

Green’s Rabid Bite spell is typically among the best commons in the color and this is a particularly good version of it. Every green deck will be happy to pick this up.

1. Spinewoods Paladin

I actually rated Throw from the Saddle higher than this in my set review, but I’m putting Spinewoods Paladin at number one simply because I think it will be more important for green decks to pick up. Gaining life is among the best abilities to see on a 5-drop and I think this will end up being one of the commons you’ll most want to see.

OTJ Best Uncommons

White

3. Thunder Lasso

I’m really hyped on this white artifact. If you’re an aggressive white deck, this equipment is going to feel like the best card in your deck quite often. The free equip is the biggest point for it, allowing you to easily tap something on the turn you play it, then it never goes away.

2. Shepherd of the Clouds

You get so much for 5 mana here. This is the kind of big play that wins you long games, which I’m guessing we’ll see a lot of.

1. Lassoed by the Law

Four mana to exile any nonland permanent plus creating a Mercenary is absurd. This white enchantment will feel more like a Banisher Priest that doesn’t give the creature back when it dies, which has to be one of the best tempo plays in the format.

Blue

3. Emergent Haunting

I was torn between this and the more generally good Marauding Sphinx, but I think this blue enchantment has the edge. Mostly because it’s cheaper, but despite the work you need to put into it, most decks should be able to make use of it.

2. This Town Ain’t Big Enough

Not only is this one of the best card names ever, but it looks really legit. It’s strong interaction early and a massive blowout late, exactly the kind of flexibility you need in a premium uncommon.

1. Outlaw Stitcher

No matter how big your zombie token ends up being, this is always an amazing deal. Two-for-ones are the cornerstone of limited and this is one of the easiest ones in the set to pull off.

Black

3. Rakish Crew

Black’s uncommons are also incredibly deep, with a lot of powerful options available. This black enchantment requires a bit of work to become good, but it could be one of the most powerful cards in the set in the right deck.

2. Shoot the Sheriff

Much like black’s commons, the top 2 uncommons should be its removal spells, except this time the more expensive one takes the top spot. Two mana to kill a creature is awesome, targeting about half of the set’s creatures might end up being a liability.

1. Unfortunate Accident

Every option of this card is great. Four mana to kill a creature, five mana for a flash Nekrataal or just two mana for a flash 1/1. This might be the best non rare card in the whole set.

Red

3. Scalestorm Summoner

It’s really not hard to enable ferocious in this set and all this needs to do is create one token and then trade off in combat to be great. If it ever survives longer than that, it will take over the game by itself.

2. Scorching Shot

Can’t beat a good bit of cheap red removal. For 2 mana, this red sorcery kills nearly every creature worth up to about 5 mana, which is good at basically every point in the game.

1. Longhorn Sharpshooter

It’s honestly hard to beat a Flametongue Kavu, even if it can only deal two damage. It’s as simple as that really.

Green

3. Aloe Alchemist

What sells this plant warlock for me is how cheap it is. Two mana gives you either a 3/2 trample or a potentially huge combat swing and a free 3/2 later. I'm going to hate seeing this from my opponents and yet love playing it myself.

2. Beastbond Outcaster

Sarulf's Packmate was so good that they had to nerf it a bit for this new one, but a 3/3 that draws a card is well worth putting some work in.

1. Outcaster Greenblade

This is one card that absolutely every green deck wants. It draws you a basic land or a desert, fixes your colors and could become huge in a desert deck. It does everything I want a great green card in limited to do.

And… Done (again)

Tidy Conclusion | Illustration by Bastien L. Deharme

This set looks really sweet and I’m excited for this weekend’s prereleases. Is there a deck you have your eye on? What will you be trying to draft first? Let us know on our socials!

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Until next time, take care of yourselves!