Last updated on April 18, 2024
Laughing Jasper Flint | Illustration by Francis Tneh
Olivia Voldaren has returned once more as Olivia, Opulent Outlaw, boasting the flamboyant, aristocratic style we’ve come to know and love. Instead of hosting vampiric feasts, Olivia has attracted quite a crowd of outlaws.
The outlaw mechanic that Outlaws of Thunder Junction introduced is… interesting. It bands together a series of sinister creature types under one hat. Will it be good, or will we forget about it in three months when something else comes along?
Either way, this Commander precon from OTJ introduces most players to the archetype, so let’s upgrade this EDH deck to make a killer first impression!
Deck Overview
Elite Scaleguard | Illustration by Steve Prescott
The creature types that count as outlaws are assassin, mercenary, rogue, pirate, and warlock. The mechanic looks like the party mechanic from Zendikar Rising except it doesn’t care about specific numbers of creatures. It throws a pretty wide net, though many of these creature types have some amount of support on their own.
Most Wanted doesn’t throw its weight behind any one type, instead focusing on a critical mass of creatures so Olivia, Opulent Outlaw produces as much Treasure as possible. It’s positioned as a pretty aggressive deck and looks to be the most aggressive precon of the Outlaws bunch.
If outlaw decks pick up any steam, it’ll be with Olivia, Opulent Outlaw in the command zone. None of the other options seem that impressive. But a 4-mana commander that can produce up to three Treasure tokens a turn and convert them into a meaningful, permanent buff for the team? That’s interesting. I love seeing commanders that encourage you to do more with your Treasure than add mana.
The precon's reprint value isn’t horrible. Breena, the Demagogue stands head and heels above the rest as a $25 reprint, but we also have a format staple in Lightning Greaves. Command Beacon is a $10 card we can expect to drop soon. There’s a handful of cards in the $5~ range like Academy Manufactor and Seize the Spotlight.
Strengths and Weaknesses
This deck has a great concept. Mardu aggro with a solid Treasure theme looks promising, and the deck has quite a few solid card choices. But not all the cards align with this solid concept.
The deck has several lifegain cards that lack meaningful support; they rely entirely on Olivia having lifelink. Similarly, there’s an aristocrat sub-theme that doesn’t go anywhere. Both these synergies look like a trail of breadcrumbs for enterprising upgraders; it takes less work to flesh those themes out than it would to add them entirely.
I’m not interested in either choice. Instead, I’m cutting those cards to strengthen what I consider to be the deck’s core: an aggressive deck with Treasure and +1/+1 counter synergies. I also want to tinker with the curve. You want to be attacking, yet there’s only five outlaws that cost less than 3 mana. I’m aiming to make the deck sleeker and more focused by trimming the curve and removing small synergies pieces in favor of additional Treasure and +1/+1 counter support. I’m also adding some finishers; this deck looks like it might have issues crossing the finish line.
I’m not keeping to a specific budget, but none of these cards costs more than $5 (apart from Generous Plunderer, but preorder prices almost always drop drastically).
Generous Plunderer
Suggested Cut: Veinwitch Coven
Veinwitch Coven is one of those lifegain cards that only works with Olivia. Generous Plunderer looks far more interesting as a cheap Treasure generator. This deck needs more cheap outlaws and Treasure, and this human rogue does both.
Elite Scaleguard
Suggested Cut: Hex
I respect Hex as a finisher, and I might be underrating it in a deck with so much ramp potential. But Elite Scaleguard will win games with Olivia’s buff. This soldier is a powerful enough finisher to make up for not being an outlaw.
Professional Face-Breaker
Suggested Cut: Glittering Stockpile
Most Wanted has some… questionable 3-mana mana rocks, beginning with Glittering Stockpile. Professional Face-Breaker isn’t an outlaw, but this menacing warrior does everything this deck could want. It’s functionally a second copy of Olivia for Treasure production and adds card advantage. Even outlaws need to go legitimate sometimes.
Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff
Suggested Cut: Life Insurance
I’d include Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff even if it wasn’t an outlaw. It’s so perfect for this deck I wonder if WotC just can’t reprint Lord of the Rings cards outside that specific MTG set. Life Insurance doesn’t seem terrible, but we can do better for 5 mana.
Kellogg, Dangerous Mind
Suggested Cut: Shiny Impetus
I see the idea behind Shiny Impetus as a Treasure generator that pressures your opponents, but Kellogg, Dangerous Mind and its gain-control-of-creature effect looks far better. It plays well with Olivia and provides another Treasure outlet.
Winds of Abandon
Suggested Cut: Massacre Girl
I love Massacre Girl as much as the next player, but it shouldn’t be in this aggressive deck. I don’t hate the idea of a wrath, so I’d suggest Winds of Abandon as an asymmetrical board wipe you can use to finish the game.
Boros Signet
Suggested Cut: Bounty Board
There’s little to say here. We’re swapping a mediocre 3-mana rock for a staple 2-mana rock, completing the Signet cycle in the process. You could take this upgrade a step further by replacing all three Signets with Talismans.
Laughing Jasper Flint
Suggested Cut: Aetherborn Marauder
Aetherborn Marauder is far from the +1/+1 counter payoff I want. Laughing Jasper Flint provides impressive card advantage just for sitting in play, rather like a thematic Dark Confidant.
Port Razer
Suggested Cut: Angrath's Marauders
If I’ve ever seen a deck craving extra combats, it’s this one. Stacking some counters on Port Razer makes it hard for your opponents to deal with this orc. Angrath's Marauders has a huge impact on the game, but this is more efficient and racks up triggers.
Taunt from the Rampart
Suggested Cut: Laurine, the Diversion
Laurine, the Diversion and its partner Kamber, the Plunderer both look like potential options for the deck rather than definite role-players. Taunt from the Rampart finishes games quickly once everybody has a wide board.
Hellspur Posse Boss
Suggested Cut: Kamber, the Plunderer
Three outlaws for the price of one plus a haste enabler makes Hellspur Posse Boss a slam dunk over a mediocre card with no place in the primary strategy.
Zhentarim Bandit
Suggested Cut: Bandit's Haul
Is Zhentarim Bandit the most exciting card in the world? No. But I don’t think this deck commits enough crime to warrant Bandit's Haul, so I’ll take the Treasure generation that this halfling provides.
Insurrection
Suggested Cut: Mass Mutiny
Mass Mutiny takes a decent stab at ending the game, but another 2 mana gets you Insurrection, which should take out at least one player. This deck has enough Treasure to pay for this red sorcery. I also like adding another solid finisher to push the deck over the finish line.
Oona’s Blackguard
Suggested Cut: Witch of the Moors
I’m astounded Oona's Blackguard wasn’t in the list to begin with. It doesn’t put counters on all your creatures, but Olivia, Opulent Outlaw covers the gaps. A couple hits with this on the battlefield will discard your opponents' resources in no time. Witch of the Moors isn’t bad by any stretch, I just need more life gain than Olivia to play it.
Round Up
Port Razer | Illustration by Craig J Spearing
I like this iteration of Olivia. Olivia, Opulent Outlaw fits the established character and promises to be a powerful commander. Looking at other options for outlaws like Laughing Jasper Flint and Vihaan, Goldwaker, it seems clear Olivia will be the commander to make the archetype work.
What do you think of the Most Wanted precon? Would you have strengthened the sacrifice or lifegain themes instead of Treasure and +1/+1 counters? Let me know in the comments or on the Draftsim Discord!
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