Rankings for All 74 Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commanders

Last updated on April 29, 2024

Obeka, Splitter of Seconds | Illustration by Ryan Pancoast

It’s time to start brewing some new Commander decks! Every Magic set brings fresh cards, but Outlaws of Thunder Junction (OTJ) has a heavy legendary theme. As infamous creatures from across the Multiverse converge on the desert plane through the Omenpaths, we get tons of exciting new commanders.

But excitement doesn’t translate to good. Some commanders are bound to get lost in the desert, especially with a cycle of uncommon legendary creatures. Others promise new frontiers as they crack open new archetypes. Which commanders will die in obscurity, and which will make a name on the new frontier?

Let’s find out!

How Many Commanders Are There in Outlaws of Thunder Junction?

Gonti, Canny Acquisitor | Illustration by Anna Podedworna

There are 76 commanders. This includes all the commanders from the main set, the new and reprint commanders from the precon decks, and Loot, the Key to Everything, who isn’t technically part of either set—it’s from the Big Score—but we needed to add the little fuzzball.

76 is a pretty sharp jump from a collective 57 commanders printed in Murders at Karlov Manor and its Commander companion. We can attribute that to the increased presence of multicolor legends this set. Even the Fallout Universes Beyond decks only had 53.

One notable trend among these commanders is that most of them are gold. Of the 51 non-reprint commanders, only 10 are mono-colored. Most of the reprints are mono-colored (14 of 24), but the heavy multicolor trend in new commanders might reflect a recent trend of the most popular commanders being three or more colors.

Another, more subtle trend I noticed was how many commanders seemed designed for the 99 rather than the command zone.

Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot will be a neat commander, but it’s clearly at its best with Kalamax, the Stormsire or Kess, Dissident Mage.

Laughing Jasper Flint has interesting Dark Confidant vibes in the command zone, but it’s more likely to see play in theft and pirate decks for card advantage. I’m not calling this trend bad, it’s just interesting to note.

Let’s talk about what I’m ranking these commanders on. I’m looking for my normal criteria of power and efficiency—how easily does this translate to winning the game, and is it fair for its cost? I look for a little more in commanders, however. Vibes matter. Commanders that open new archetypes or present a twist to an established archetype get bonus points over commanders that are strong but mechanically dull (this doesn’t mean incredibly strong commanders are ignored; see the placement of Niv-Mizzet, Parun). If a commander slots into an existing archetype, it’s judged against its peers. If it’s not more powerful than existing commanders in the archetype, it needs to add a new dimension. If it does neither, I’m unimpressed.

As a final note, you’ll see 74 entries despite the set having 76 commanders; some of the reprints had the “partner with” mechanic and I ranked them as a partner pairing rather than individual commanders to reflect how most players use them.

There are tons of great cards in OTJ, so let's dive into what kind of Commanders it has to offer!

#74. Vial Smasher, Gleeful Grenadier

I’ve always loved Vial Smasher the Fierce as a chaotic little goblin commander. Sadly, the interesting have fallen. I don’t think the outlaw mechanic will be amazing in Commander, but it certainly won’t be with a mediocre payoff like Vial Smasher, Gleeful Grenadier at the helm.

#73. Nashi, Moon Sage’s Scion

Nashi, Moon Sage's Scion has no place in the command zone. You can’t use its ninjutsu ability, it suffers from the best ninjutsu cards being in blue, and it isn’t a decent rat typal commander. If you want a value-oriented mono-black commander, you have much better options, from Gonti, Lord of Luxury to K'rrik, Son of Yawgmoth.

#72. Vadmir, New Blood

I don’t see much of a vision with Vadmir, New Blood. It begs to be a Voltron commander despite growing slowly and having bad evasion compared to anything with flying. This black creature feels like a Limited bomb that happened to snag the legendary supertype.

#71. Baron Bertram Graywater

Every set these days introduces a new Orzhov () tokens sacrifice commander. I don’t consider Baron Bertram Graywater weak—those extra tokens can be potent—but we’ve seen this before and it doesn’t hold a candle to archetype powerhouses like Teysa Karlov and Elenda, the Dusk Rose. I doubt this sees play outside of Limited and the 99.

#70. Captain Lannery Storm

I love Captain Lannery Storm in Cube, but it doesn’t translate well to the command zone. You’ll get a couple good hits in, especially with fast mana to play it turn 1 or 2, but it falls off. If you really want to go with mono-red Treasure, Magda, Brazen Outlaw surpasses the captain because it does something in the late game.

#69. Bristly Bill, Spike Sower

Bristly Bill, Spike Sower encapsulates what I meant about commanders designed to be part of the 99. I can think of a half dozen decks I’d love to play this green creature in but can’t picture William working in the command zone.

#68. Fblthp, Lost on the Range

Like any card featuring Magic’s favorite homunculus, Fblthp, Lost on the Range is cute. Cuteness doesn’t make a card, unfortunately. You don’t get a mana discount for plotting with Fblthp and the sorcery-speed restriction on plotting clashes with many of blue’s best cards.

#67. Kaza, Roil Chaser

Kaza, Roil Chaser provides ramp in a color pair that rarely gets it. It can be a significant source of cost reduction, especially considering most discounts like Goblin Electromancer and Thunderclap Drake only reduce costs by one. But you can do better for a spellslinger commander and a wizards commander, so I’m relegating this towards 99 status.

#66. Grenzo, Havoc Raiser

I’m a big fan of goad. It makes things happen in a format prone to board stalls and encourages interesting discussion at the table. Grenzo, Havoc Raiser, though, isn’t the commander for it. The impulse draw looks interesting in collaboration with a goblin deck’s swarms of tokens, but this commander falls flat of established commanders like Krenko, Mob Boss and Muxus, Goblin Grandee.

#65. Kirri, Talented Sprout

Kirri, Talented Sprout does a great job supporting Yuma, Proud Protector in the desert precon and beyond, but I don’t think much of it as a commander. You can do better for lands and treefolk while plants lack the depth needed to build around as an archetype.

#64. Satoru, the Infiltrator

The templating of Satoru, the Infiltrator’s ability clearly works best with ninjutsu but benefits other strategies like reanimator as well. It’s a neat twist, but I can’t help feel like this ninja rogue will stay in the shadows as the fifth best ninjutsu commander and nothing more.

#63. Miriam, Herd Whisperer

If you want to build around mounts and vehicles, giving them temporary protection and +1/+1 counters could be a good starting point. Miriam, Herd Whisperer isn’t particularly exiting, but it’s acceptable.

#62. Bruse Tarl, Roving Rancher

Bruse Tarl, Roving Rancher has potential. All that text is powerful, and it’s a 4-mana commander that draws cards and makes tokens! I just can’t get over how this looks like a distinctly worse version of Neyali, Suns' Vanguard.

#61. Laurine, the Diversion + Kamber, the Plunderer

These partners create a little loop. Laurine, the Diversion goads an opposing creature, which (presumably) leads to something dying in combat. This triggers Kamber, the Plunderer, supplying Blood tokens to fuel future diversions. It’s great storytelling and an excellent execution of the partner mechanic, but it lacks the power to really build around.

#60. Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero

Vehicles and mounts are the obvious exploit for Wylie Duke, Atiin Hero’s draw ability, but we have other options. Cards like Springleaf Drum and Glare of Subdual tap the commander for extra value. Whether this is enough to build a deck around is up for debate; I’m not in favor of it.

#59. Fain, the Broker

Fain, the Broker does incredible work in the 99 of decks that supply it with fodder, especially ones that spread counters to convert into Treasure, but it rarely does enough to warrant building around it. It plays best with green and white, to the detriment of restricting your deck to mono-black.

#58. Lazav, Familiar Stranger

Dimir () excels at committing crimes, so you’ll have never have trouble triggering Lazav, Familiar Stranger. This is an interesting take on reanimator that focuses more on attack triggers from creatures like It That Betrays or Cityscape Leveler than enters or static abilities, but it might be too niche to hold up.

#57. Mari, the Killing Quill

The outlaw mechanic gives Mari, the Killing Quill a small boost since it bolsters the card types it already cares about with support like Charred Graverobber and Discreet Retreat. It’s not the best mono-black midrange commander, but it adds some interesting flavor to the deck without being much of a downgrade.

#56. Kambal, Profiteering Mayor

I have no idea what to make of Kambal, Profiteering Mayor’s first ability. Is it powerful enough to reach for Forbidden Orchard and Hunted Horror? Or will it be gravy atop a Soul Sisters-esque token commander? I can’t wait to see how players brew this.

#55. Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genius

A common weakness of commanders built around the set’s primary mechanic, especially when they appear in the main set, comes from a lack of synergy. One block just doesn’t have the support needed for a full deck. Doc Aurlock, Grizzled Genuis handles this by having synergies that go beyond plot. This’ll be a great role-player in many decks and makes a decent argument for being in the command zone.

#54. Kaervek, the Punisher

Kaervek, the Punisher feels too fair for the modern Commander landscape. Needing to pay full price for the spell you copy plus whatever commits the prerequisite crime seems like a lot of costs before considering that this naturally grows weaker as the game goes on and paying 2 life hurts more and more.

#53. Omnath, Locus of Rage

Omnath, Locus of Rage has always been one of the best non-blue landfall commanders. Which would be cool if the blue landfall commanders weren’t the best by a mile. This Omnath works best with Omnath, Locus of Creation and other, better landfall commanders that support the colors.

#52. Kraum, Violent Cacophony

I might be underrating Kraum, Violent Cacophony. Commanders that draw cards and grow merit respect; I just worry this grows too slowly. Pack plenty of free spells like Gitaxian Probe and Mishra's Bauble to trigger Kraum the turn you play it.

#51. Jolene, Plundering Pugilist

Any commander that creates Treasure deserves a little attention. Jolene, Plundering Pugilist produces a Treasure each turn with little effort and serves as an infinite Treasure outlet for the combo inclined. You can probably do better in EDH proper, though I think this is interesting in Pauper Commander.

#50. Fortune, Loyal Steed

Fortune, Loyal Steed takes the new saddle mechanic and turns it into a flicker commander. This white creature would make a fine commander if it didn’t need to compete with the likes of Preston, the Vanisher and Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines. It’s too much weaker than established commanders within the mono-white flicker space to interest me.

#49. Titania, Protector of Argoth

Titania, Protector of Argoth and Strip Mine go together like bread and butter. It’s not quite the mono-green landfall commander Titania, Nature's Force is, but you can get up to some cool tricks with Zuran Orb and Scapeshift the other can’t.

#48. Honest Rutstein

I doubt Old Rutstein has really turned a new leaf, but I’ll keep my questions and concerns to myself to do business with Honest Rutstein. Neither the Gravedigger nor cost reduction ability are exceptional, but having both on one card looks good.

#47. Gonti, Lord of Luxury

Can you have better mono-black commanders than Gonti, Lord of Luxury? Totally. But I have a soft spot for it. It also deserves some merit as a mono-flicker commander exploited by cards like Panharmonicon and Conjurer's Closet. Mono-black isn’t known for flicker effects, but many staples including Ravenous Chupacabra and Gray Merchant of Asphodel have powerful enters abilities to exploit.

#46. Magda, the Hoardmaster

My gut says Magda, the Hoardmaster won’t matter as it’s worse at producing and using Treasure than Magda, Brazen Outlaw, but I don’t want to write off a cheap, Treasure-producing commander too soon.

#45. Breeches, the Blastmaker

I’ve thought more about Breeches, the Blastmaker than any commander on this list and still don’t know what to make of it. Needing to cast two spells and having an artifact feels like a lot of requirements, especially for a boon that you can’t control. But it’s not like either side of the coin hurts you, and Izzet () decks tend to cast lots of cheap spells anyway. But then the inconsistency gets me… I think this was designed for a fundamentally different player than me, so I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.

#44. Roxanne, Starfall Savant

Getting Meteorite tokens is neat, but let’s be honest: Roxanne, Starfall Savant joins the ever-growing pantheon of Treasure commanders. Doubling your Treasure mana off a commander that effectively costs 3 will be a powerful ability, though I don’t know how interesting this cat druid will be.

#43. Hazezon, Shaper of Sand

Hazezon, Shaper of Sand has competition as a desert commander this set, but it’s also gotten a massive boost in the form of new deserts, including some that can fix your mana! A landfall ability that floods the board with tokens has loads of potential in Naya () a color combination with access to cards like Jetmir, Nexus of Revels, Anointed Procession, and Craterhoof Behemoth.

#42. Jem Lightfoote, Sky Explorer

I like Jem Lightfoote, Sky Explorer. The first thing I noticed about plot was its similarities to Kaldheim’s foretell mechanic. This commander lets you play both with equal synergy, which is a nice touch.

#41. Laughing Jasper Flint

While I really think Laughing Jasper Flint’s destiny involves the 99 of decks using theft effects or cast from exile shenanigans, it has commander potential. Its greatest weakness is looking like a Wish knockoff of Prosper, Tome-Bound, but don’t write this off too early.

#40. Marchesa, Dealer of Death

Marchesa, Dealer of Death has a very tight design in that I see exactly where it goes: The head of a Grixis () control deck that supports the graveyard aspect of the draw ability with cards like Snapcaster Mage and Kess, Dissident Mage, potentially with a reanimator subtheme. It looks solid in that scenario, but I struggle to see where else it could go.

#39. Edric, Spymaster of Trest

Edric, Spymaster of Trest boldly asks how many unblockable 1/1s a deck would play. The answer is all of them. These decks rely on fleets of Slither Blade variants to chain extra turn spells. You could also go down the group hug route with cards like Rites of Flourishing and Ghirapur Orrery.

#38. Eris, Roar of the Storm

I appreciate that this cost reduction ability encourages players to vary the costs of their instants and sorceries rather than defaulting to 1- and 2-mana spells to maximize the triggers from Eris, Roar of the Storm. I look forward to pairing this commander with a bunch of Young Pyromancer variants and Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer, though that strategy might not hold up against some of the stronger spellslinger commanders.

#37. Selvala, Eager Trailblazer

How to use Selvala, Eager Trailblazer? Token strategies are the obvious choice since this commander pumps out Mercenary tokens better than most, but you can also lean on those tokens to manipulate power levels. This makes Selvala look like the best coven commander, despite having nothing to do with Innistrad.

#36. Ghired, Mirror of the Wilds

Ghired, Mirror of the Wilds goes nuts with cards like Midnight Guard to dominate games with creature tokens, but “Naya creature combo” is hardly novel. This doesn’t have to copy creature tokens though; I’m curious to see what kind of nonsense you can get up to with cards like Ondu Spiritdancer and Yenna, Redtooth Regent.

#35. Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot

Now this is a spellslinger commander I can get behind! There are plenty of splashy spells to plot with Lilah, Undefeated Slickshot like Firemind's Foresight and Magma Opus, but I’m interested in the smaller ones. Plotting Expressive Iteration and Prismari Command has me drooling. I’m sure Lilah works best in the 99 of a 3-color deck, but I’m still brewing this.

#34. Vihaan, Goldwaker

Treasure commanders typically come in two flavors: They either produce Treasure or reward you for spending it. Vihaan, Goldwaker appeals to me as an alternative. Turning your Treasure into creatures provides an interesting outlet. Vigilance still lets you spend the mana if you want. It might not be as good as Prosper, Tome-Bound, but it’s an intriguing alternative.

#33. Gisa, the Hellraiser

Gisa, the Hellraiser has my vote as the best commander reliant on committing crimes. Black’s primary means of committing crime is interactive spells like Infernal Grasp. Creating pressure turns that into an actual game plan. This could be a decent commander or a reasonable part of the 99 in zombie decks.

#32. Annie Flash, the Veteran

Annie Flash, the Veteran costs more than I’d like but offers good value. I think putting this in the command zone decreases the value of the flash ETB ability since you can’t surprise an opponent with it, but you can count on Annie to draw cards when it comes into play and attacks. Don’t forget Fortune, Loyal Steed; it’s not just mechanically powerful but flavorfully appropriate.

#31. Ertha Jo, Frontier Mentor

Ertha Jo, Frontier Mentor’s power relies on the activated abilities you can copy. With options like Humble Defector, Eldrazi Displacer, and Mangara of Corondor, I’m intrigued. Plus, there’s got to be a combo or three with Voltaic Construct. With a bit of brewing, I’m sure this is the best uncommon commander in the set.

#30. Massacre Girl

Massacre Girl works as a very niche commander that extracts the full value from creatures that get counters when other creatures die (Slaughter Specialist) or benefit from the number of creatures that died in a turn (Bloodcrazed Paladin). Many modern commanders focus on value, so something that supports a niche class of cards feels really interesting.

#29. Felix Five-Boots

I find most of these ability doublers fundamentally boring but can’t deny their effectiveness. We’ll see Felix Five-Boots played alongside cards like Thief of Sanity, Toski, Bearer of Secrets, and Gríma, Saruman's Footman, it’ll provide immense value, and I’ll be bored.

#28. Tinybones, the Pickpocket

I’ll hear no criticisms of my bony boi. I’ve always liked the concept of Tinybones, this little gremlin causing minor mischief while thinking he’s the second coming of Dack Fayden, but I now love it after reading the story and seeing the little skeleton that could be the only interesting member of Oko’s crew. Tinybones, the Pickpocket does exactly what you want from the character. Minorly annoying until it gets out of hand, it offers good value, and it synergizes with black discard and mill effects. This card isn’t strong or unique enough to top the list, but it’s #1 in my heart.

#27. Malcolm, the Eyes

decks are all about cheap spells. Malcolm, the Eyes produces Clue tokens with little effort. Cards like Urza, Lord High Artificer, Reckless Fireweaver, and Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer turn Clues into a win condition with little effort, though Malcolm might play second fiddle to commanders like Rashmi and Ragavan and Breya, Etherium Shaper more often than it leads the deck.

#26. Cazur, Ruthless Stalker + Ukkima, Stalking Shadow

This Sultai () partner pairing promises an aggressive strategy. UG excels at increasing the number of +1/+1 counters on your creatures to ensure Ukkima, Stalking Shadow grows large enough to destroy your opponents. Cazur, Ruthless Stalker spreads counters across all manner of evasive creatures like Thrummingbird and Baleful Strix to ensure you don’t go all in on the whale wolf.

#25. Olivia, Opulent Outlaw

I don’t think much of outlaws as a Commander archetype, but Olivia, Opulent Outlaw has the best chance of making it work. A vampire assassin commander that produces tons of Treasure and adds counters to the field—in a color combination that can abuse it with cards like Oona's Blackguard and Elite Scaleguard—has lots of promise, even if you need to play some wonky creatures.

#24. Octavia, Living Thesis

Blue creatures rarely have the best power and toughness or the strongest abilities, but they have one distinguishing feature: incredible evasion! Not only is blue the color of fliers, but it’s also filled with unblockable creatures like Blighted Agent and Slither Blade. Octavia, Living Thesis combines this notable trait with blue’s love of instants and sorceries to create a formidable aggressive deck with interesting flavor for a color that traditionally doesn’t rely on creatures.

#23. Rankle, Master of Pranks

I’ve knocked on lots of mono-black commanders in this ranking, but I like Rankle, Master of Pranks. It just feels like what mono-black should be doing if it’s not leaning on sacrifice synergies or graveyard stuff. It plays well with classic staples like Waste Not and Grave Betrayal, ultimately feeling like a distinctly black card without adhering to any specific strategy.

#22. Talrand, Sky Summoner

Talrand, Sky Summoner gets dunked on for its frequent reprints, but it kind of deserves it. This is a perfect entry commander for new players interested in exploring blue or budget commander decks. It turns blue’s most notable resource—powerful instants and sorceries—into a genuine win condition. It might not win any rewards for the most creative mechanics or most powerful mono-colored commander, but it deserves its place in the format.

#21. Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot

The draw ability on Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot is strong, especially with spells like Earthquake that hit multiple creatures, but we’re here for the second ability. I imagine this commander often plays like a Storm deck, pumping mana into the second ability before finishing the table with a flurry of triggers from creatures like Firebrand Archer and Kessig Flamebreather.

#20. Vraska, the Silencer

I’m happy to see that Vraska survived compleation, especially since we got an interesting card in Vraska, the Silencer. Golgari () decks kill creatures by accident, so you’ll have no trouble triggering Vraska’s ability, nor ramping to have the extra mana. This offers a neat way to sneak extra value into your Golgari midrange deck.

#19. Gonti, Canny Acquisitor

Most theft decks lean towards controlling strategies, leveraging cards like Court of Locthwain and Cunning Rhetoric under the watchful eye of Sen Triplets or Xanathar, Guild Kingpin. Gonti, Canny Acquisitor ties its theft effect to when dealing combat damage to a player for a breath of fresh air. It might not revitalize the archetype, but adding this proactive rogue offers an interesting alternative and encourages players to use cards like Slither Blade they might not use otherwise.

#18. Yuma, Proud Protector

I must need glasses because I thought this was The Gitrog Monster for a moment. Yuma, Proud Protector makes a solid case for being the best desert commander in the format. The big difference between this commander and Hazezon, Shaper of Sand is the card draw. Hazezon might be better for aggressive shells, but Yuma grinds better, and I think that’s where the archetype that focuses on shifting lands between the battlefield and the graveyard wants to be.

#17. Bonny Pall, Clearcutter

Bonny Pall, Clearcutter will likely prove to be one of the strongest commanders from the set. Beau will be huge; free Growth Spirals each combat will draw cards and ramp. I’m just low on another Simic value commander that rewards you for nothing but basic game action.

#16. Akul the Unrepentant

Lawful citizens pay full price for creatures like Archon of Cruelty and It That Betrays, but the leader of the Hellspurs has no such scruples. Getting three creatures to sacrifice to Akul the Unrepentant is easier than it looks with planeswalkers that produce two tokens, with Chandra, Acolyte of Flame and Tevesh Szat, Doom of Fools being the most prominent examples.

#15. The Mimeoplasm

An all-time classic, The Mimeoplasm has a versatility that goes beyond the amorphous art suggests. It becomes a combo masterpiece with ease, especially now that we have Agatha's Soul Cauldron, but you could also do “fair” things like copy Cold-Eyed Selkie with the body of Emrakul, the Promised End.

#14. Geralf, the Fleshwright

It’s time to break out High Tide and Turnabout. Geralf, the Fleshwright makes for an interesting Storm commander. This warlock won’t help you storm off, but having a strong win condition in the command zone allows you to focus the 99 on being the best storm engine it can be.

#13. Breena, the Demagogue

I can’t get enough of commanders that encourage taking game actions. Breena, the Demagogue tends to lead a group hug/pillowfort strategy with cards like Noble Heritage, Gix, Yawgmoth Praetor, and Firemane Commando.

#12. Queen Marchesa

The most imposing and elegant monarch commander, Queen Marchesa receives constant upgrades as Wizards fleshes out the monarch mechanic with support like fresh Courts. The Mardu () color combination is perfect for protecting the crown with pillowfort cards like Ghostly Prison, Sphere of Safety, and Smoke.

#11. Veyran, Voice of Duality

One of the best reprints in the Commander precons, Veyran, Voice of Duality boasts a seat at the table of most popular and most powerful Izzet commanders. Spellslinger decks are rife with powerful triggers to copy, from damaging abilities like Guttersnipe and Firebrand Archer to value-oriented triggers from cards like Archmage Emeritus and Storm-Kiln Artist. It also works well in the 99 of commanders like Kalamax, the Stormsire and Niv-Mizzet, Parun, that focus on spells.

#10. Kellan, the Kid

Kellan, the Kid has excellent storytelling and a strong text box. Ditching the adventures now that Kellan knows exactly who Oko is, completing the “adventure” with the end of naivety and the coming-of-age arc, works beautifully. Synergizing with the previous versions of Kellan with adventures, literally showing how his past strengthens him and makes him into the character he is now, is brilliant. But this card isn’t all story without impact. Casting free spells is always powerful and this doesn’t just work with adventures. Plot, foretell, and cascade are a handful of mechanics that support this powerful Bant commander.

#9. Loot, the Key to Everything

Loot, the Key to Everything is a powerful commander. You’ll reliably draw two or more cards a turn with plenty of synergy in cards like Passionate Archaeologist and Faldorn, Dread Wolf Herald with some interesting deckbuilding choices to balance the number of permanent types in your deck. Make sure you have a few ways to protect this draw engine.

#8. Calamity, Galloping Inferno

I thought Calamity, Galloping Inferno looked fine. Then I read this red creature‘s text properly and saw “repeat this process once.” What do you mean I get two copies of Terror of the Peaks? How much Treasure do I get from Dockside Extortionist and Ancient Copper Dragon?

#7. Stella Lee, Wild Card

Spellslinger players are eating good with Outlaws. Stella Lee, Wild Card was the face of the UR precon and looks to be the strongest spellslinger commander introduced in the set. A cheap commander that draws a card and copies a spell is exactly what the archetype wants. I imagine this sees play at the helm of combo decks using a flurry of spells like Turnabout, High Tide, and Mana Geyser to fuel a massive Crackle with Power for Stella to copy.

#6. Rakdos, the Muscle

Another sacrifice deck commander… except I like Rakdos, the Muscle. Sacrifice decks typically focus on quantity, but Rakdos encourages you to sacrifice large creatures to draw tons of cards. When I think of Rakdos commanders, the two categories that come to mind are sacrifice commanders and impulse draw commanders. Rakdos, the Muscle unites those archetypes in a package I find intriguing and likely very strong.

#5. Niv-Mizzet, Parun

The most popular Izzet commander, Niv-Mizzet, Parun does everything. It’s board control, card advantage, and a win condition. It even protects itself from the common weakness of expensive commanders: vulnerability to countermagic. This is the kind of commander that wins the game by sitting in play. It was pushed out of the atmosphere and into orbit.

#4. The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride

R&D doesn’t hold back with The Gitrog Monster, do they? You need massive creatures for The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride, but you’re in Golgari! You can go for the full meme with Yargle, Glutton of Urborg and Yargle and Multani or keep things reasonable with overstatted creatures like Elder Gargaroth and Colossal Rattlewurm. I expect time to prove this as the strongest commander in the set.

#3. Obeka, Splitter of Seconds

Obeka is 2 for 2 when it comes to expressing temporal magic through interesting card mechanics. Obeka, Splitter of Seconds adding extra upkeep steps after the current combat phase works well alongside format staples like Phyrexian Arena, but I’m interested in using it alongside the Court cards that reward you for being the monarch, especially Court of Ire and Court of Locthwain. I also plan to pair it with Tavern Brawler and extra combat spells.

#2. Eriette, the Beguiler

Between Fallout’s Three Dog, Galaxy News DJ and Eriette, the Beguiler, R&D has worked to make Aura decks more diverse and interesting than various flavors of Voltron. Their efforts are appreciated! Eriette turns all your auras into Control Magic. MV matters, so look for expensive auras to capture all kinds of creatures. Astral Wingspan and Gift of Doom are excellent options that cost a fraction of their actual mana cost.

#1. Riku of Many Paths

Anybody who’s heard me gush about Prismari Command knows how much I love modal spells. Riku of Many Paths turns that love into a genuine archetype. I think this’ll be powerful, but it primarily tops the list because this is what I want out of a commander. You get tons of value, but you need to tailor your deck list to the commander’s specifications. It encourages cards like Pick Your Poison and Temur Charm you might not normally play, but it doesn’t go so far as feeling useless without the commander in play—after all, all your spells give you plenty of choices. It encourages everything I want from Commander and will be a deck I build shortly after release.

Round Up

Eriette, the Beguiler | Illustration by Chris Rallis

Outlaws of Thunder Junction has introduced many new commanders. Some will fall into obscurity, but others promise to crack open fresh archetypes or redefine existing ones. Even some of them never make mainstream status, somebody will find their favorite commander among the 51 new entries.

Which OTJ commander are you looking forward to building around? Do any of them look like they’ll support one of your current decks? Let me know in the comments or on the Draftsim Discord! Stay safe, and start brewing!