Last updated on April 18, 2024
Outlaws of Thunder Junctino Key Art | Illustration by Lie Setiawan
Yeehaw, Magic players! MTG’s been to Egypt, it’s been to ancient Greece, it’s supposedly going to space in the near future, but now you can go where no planeswalker’s gone before: the western frontier.
Villains both iconic and new came head-to-head on a brand new plane dominated by baddies and inspired by western tropes, a setting fans clamored for. Allow me to lasso y’all in: it’s time to dive into the rootinist, tootinist world that Magic’s ever visited!
Outlaws of Thunder Junction Basic Information
Kellan, the Kid | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve
Set Details
| Set Symbol |  |
| Set Code | OTJ |
| Hashtag | #MTGThunder |
| Number of Cards | 261 (81 Commons, 100 Uncommons, 60 Rares, 20 Mythics) |
| Rarities | Common, Uncommon, Rare, Mythic |
| Mechanics | Commit a Crime, Mounts, Outlaw, Plot, Saddle, Spree |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
| Story Begins | March 12, 2024 |
| Previews start | March 26, 2024 |
| Full gallery available | April 5, 2024 |
| Available on Draftsim's Draft Simulator | April 12, 2024 |
| Pre-release Week | April 12-18, 2024 |
| Available on Arena Tutor | April 15, 2024 |
| Release on MTG Arena/MTGO | April 16, 2024 |
| Paper Release Date | April 19, 2024 |
| Open House | April 19 - April 21, 2024 |
| CommandFests | Begin April 19, 2024 |
| Standard Showdown | April 19 - July 25, 2024 |
| Regional Championship Qualifier | April 20 - July 21, 2024 |
| Pro Tour OTJ | April 26 - 28, 2024 |
| Launch Party | April 26 - May 2, 2024 |
| Store Championship | May 4 - 12, 2024 |
| Regional Championship | May 4 - June 2, 2024 |
About the Set: The Story
Vraska, the Silencer | Illustration by Kieran Yanner
There is quite a crossroads of characters on Thunder Junction, the Omenpath Arc blows in a couple of surprises from familiar planes. The storyline of Outlaws of Thunder Junction follows the events of March of the Machine and checks in characters from worlds that were invaded by the Phyrexians. Omenpaths are essentially portals that allow individuals, not just planeswalkers, to travel between realms.
Thunder Junction notably takes place on a plane that players haven’t visited before, so you feel far less of the aftermath of any interplanar invasion like with Wilds of Eldraine or The Lost Caverns of Ixalan. You do get a heist, demons at work, and Kellan of Eldraine on the search for his father. Don't be a stranger to the Magic Story side of Outlaws of Thunder Junction and pull up Episode 1: An Offer of Revenge.
Set Mechanics
Commit a Crime
You “commit a crime” when you target an opponent, their permanent, spell, or a card in their graveyard. You care about targeting your opponent's things, so cards like Tinybones Joins Up that offer multiple targets from one spell are super effective. Keep your eyes peeled for the great activated abilities that target any creature.
Mounts and Saddle
Saddle up your horses and get a benefit if you “crew” a mount which is a new creature type. The connection between saddle and mount figures to stay separate like walls and defender. One doesn't always appear with the other and can be altered without affecting the other.
Not surprising that saddling The Gitrog ends badly for the creature on The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride. I'm getting thirsty just thinking about sacrificing a creature with 2+ power.
Plot
Almost like suspending a card without time counters. Plot allows you to shift the turn in which you pay for a card. This makes for big swings and easier double-spell turns. The complexity of shifting your spells to future turns does make play patterns complex.
Outlaws
The villain side of the party mechanic, an outlaw is a permanent that is either: Assassin, Mercenary, Pirate, Rogue, or Warlock. You want to look closely at the subtypes like you did in Zendikar Rising. Wizards gave us this example, an ability may trigger whenever you cast an outlaw spell or return an outlaw creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield. Outlaws matter!
Spree
This take on a modal spell includes additional costs for each effect. If you're able to cast a card without paying its cost, you can think of it as a discount toward paying for the actual effect(s) you choose and pay for. The mana value of spree spells remains consistent, regardless of how much math you need to cast it.
Full Card Gallery
White
Blue
Black
Red
Green
Multicolored
Colorless
Lands
Promos and Special Cards
Wizards basically put out a reward poster for players to compete in events, and Standard Showdown prizes may include Omenpath basic lands from OTJ. If you bring a first-time-Magic player to a Prerelease, both of you earn a Oltec Matterweaver, and Transmutation Font.
There are a plethora of casual and competitive ways to get some promos and play events with Outlaws of Thunder Junction.
Make the top of the Regional Championship Qualifier and earn a Goblin Guide. The Regional Championship's top finishers get a Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle. The Top 32 of Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction get a crazy Secret Lair card illustrated by Ricardo Cavolo, Wrenn and Six.
If you go casual, bring a friend to play the Prelease and you both may get a promo Cultivate. Go to the Open House for a chance at a Diabolic Tutor. Join a Commander Party and some locations may have a retro frame Costly Plunder for you.
Breaking News Treatment
The Breaking news, newsprint treatment can be found in play boosters, and some ripe reprints like Villainous Wealth, Thoughtseize, and Crime / Punishment came with prerelease packs. The textured foil cards are reserved for the collector boosters. The cards in the OTP set are not legal in Standard and are legal in the formats they are already legal in.
Wanted Poster Treatment
There's a warrant out for Gisa, Oko (yes, you read that right, Oko is one of the two planeswalkers in OTJ), and Tinybones among others, you can't call them a dirty dozen, but the price on their heads better get sorted out quick. These poster-treatment cards can be found in both play and collector boosters.
The Big Score
The Big Score are Standard-legal cards that include some strong cards that are no doubt treasures you'll want to lock up with inner sleeves. These are some of the best cards in OTJ. The showcase treatment of a secure vault frame with nonfoil and raised foil versions have excellent craftsmanship. Play boosters have a chance at the traditional foils on these artifacts, but the extended art and showcase versions are only available in collector boosters. Here are a few more treasures that are only available in collector boosters:
Extended Art
Extended art cards are exclusive to collector boosters and make for a fresh look whenever they show up in a premium pack.
Borderless and Special Guests
The borderless cards have a chance of being a Special Guest and show up in The List slot.
Remember, the cards from Special Guests, The Big Score, and Breaking News are playable if opened during Draft or Sealed events, otherwise, they are playable in the formats for which they are already legal.
Available Products
Play Boosters
The Outlaws of Thunder Junction Play Booster Box contains 36 play boosters, 14 cards each, 1-5 cards of which are rare or higher. There will be at least one reprint as a breaking news card. There is at least one foil in each pack, with a one out of five chance of getting a traditional foil land.
- SADDLE UP FOR A WILD RIDE—Join Oko’s crew of deadly desperados as they plot a brazen heist in the frontier world of Thunder Junction, Magic’s first western-themed setting
- FUN TO OPEN. FUN TO PLAY—Get the best of Draft and Set Boosters, combined into one! Play Boosters are great for Limited play and fun to open, with a possibility of Art cards, Showcase cards, additional Rares, and a foil card in every pack
- THE BEST OF THE WEST—Each Play Booster contains 1–5 cards of rarity Rare or higher, including the possibility of a Borderless Mythic Rare card from Magic’s history
- BREAKING NEWS CARD IN EVERY PACK—Every Play Booster contains at least 1 Breaking News card, a reprint featuring new art and a front page news-style frame reporting the spell as a crime; do you dare become that spell-casting outlaw?
- SHINING FOIL IN EVERY PACK—Every booster also includes at least 1 shining Traditional Foil card of any rarity; in 20% of packs you’ll also find a Traditional Foil Land card (which may even feature a Full-Art Western Landscape)
Collector Boosters
They pack a dirty dozen into the Outlaws of Thunder Junction Collector Booster box. A real treasure for those collectors seeking the shiniest textured foils and special treatments. There are at least five rares (or better) in these here 15-card packs.
- THUNDER JUNCTION’S MOST WANTED—Searching for the best in the West? Lasso up the ultimate bounty in Collector Boosters, providing any cowpoke with a full posse of shiny prizes
- BEST BOOSTERS FOR COLLECTORS—Collector Boosters are a shortcut to the coolest cards in a set, with packs full of Rare cards, shiny foil cards, and special alt-art, alt-frame cards
- CRIMINALLY COOL CARDS—Every pack contains 6 alt-border cards, including at least 3 Breaking News cards—reprints that report a spellcasting crime with frontpage news-style frames; you may even nab a Borderless version with a slick Textured Foil treatment (a Collector Booster exclusive)
- THE BEST OF THE WEST—Collector Boosters contain more hard-to-find cards than any other Outlaws of Thunder Junction booster, with 5 cards of rarity Rare or higher in each pack
- PLAY A GAME THAT FUSES ART, STORIES & STRATEGY—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy with art and mechanics that explore the themes of a particular world and story—whether you want to play a casual game with friends, collect cool cards, or get competitive, Magic welcomes you to The Gathering
Commander Decks
For many, these are the grandaddy of hauls, the Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander Deck Bundle has a fearsome foursome that use both new and good ole' mechanics.
Each Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander precon has 10 new-to-Magic cards and two foil commanders.
- Quick Draw (), cast multiple spells per turn (Upgrade guide for Quick Draw)
- Desert Bloom (), discard lands and rejuvenate them (Upgrade guide for Desert Bloom)
- Grand Larceny (), steal cards, ramp. (Upgrade Guide for Grand Larceny)
- Most Wanted (), treasure and hire outlaws (Upgrade guide for Most Wanted)
- SADDLE UP FOR A WILD RIDE—Join a crew of deadly desperados, plot brazen heists, and defeat your rival outlaws in the frontier world of Thunder Junction
- EPIC MULTIPLAYER BATTLES—Commander is a multiplayer way to play Magic, an epic, free-for-all battle full of strategic plays and social intrigue
- INTRODUCING 40 COMMANDER CARDS—Get all 4 Outlaws of Thunder Junction decks for a total of 40 never-before-seen Commander cards, with 10 in each deck (including 2 Traditional Foil Legendary Creatures, 1 of which is Borderless, in each)
- COLLECT SPECIAL TREATMENT CARDS—Each deck also comes with a 2-card Collector Booster Sample Pack containing 2 alt-border cards from the Outlaws of Thunder Junction set, including 1 Rare or Mythic Rare and at least 1 Traditional Foil card
- CONTENTS—All 4 Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander Decks; each 100-card deck also comes with a 2-card Collector Booster Sample Pack, 10 double-sided tokens, 1 life tracker, and 1 deck box
Bundle
You'll find nine play boosters in the Outlaws of Thunder Junction bundle. The bundle includes a promo card, full-art lands, a spindown die, and more exclusive accessories.
- SADDLE UP FOR A WILD RIDE—Join Oko’s crew of deadly desperados with 9 Play Boosters and 30 Land cards to build decks set in the frontier world of Thunder Junction, Magic’s first western-themed setting
- NOW WITH PLAY BOOSTERS—Get the best of Draft and Set Boosters, combined into one! Play Boosters are great for Limited play and fun to open, with a possibility of multiple Rares and at least 1 shining foil card in every pack
- FULL-ART LANDS & SPECIAL ALTERNATE-ART CARD—Every Bundle also comes with 1 Traditional Foil promo card featuring Bundle-exclusive alternate art, and 10 of the 30 included Land cards feature stunning Full-Art Western Landscapes (5 foil, 5 nonfoil)
- EXCLUSIVE ACCESSORIES—In addition to cards from the set, each Bundle comes with exclusive accessories, including a special die to track your life total and a sturdy box to store everything in
- PLAY A GAME THAT FUSES ART, STORIES & STRATEGY—Magic: The Gathering is a collectible card game that weaves deep strategy with art and mechanics that explore the themes of a particular world and story—whether you want to play a casual game with friends, collect cool cards, or get competitive, Magic welcomes you to The Gathering
Round Up
Colossal Rattlewurm | Illustrated by Filip Burburan
End of the road, travelers. Thunder Junction is fun new territory for Magic, which is impressive for a game that’s been around for more than 30 years. If you are fortunate enough to have some 30th-anniversary promos, give yourself a little history review and enjoy the old-timey do-hickies.
What's the best conflict you've come across in Thunder Junction? How are you enjoying the set so far? If you play in the Limited environment, make sure to also check out the Outlaws of Thunder Junction Limited Set Review and OTJ Sealed Guide! Let me know in the comment saloon below or over in the Draftsim Discord.
Thank you for making Draftsim your #1 stop for all things Magic!
Follow Draftsim for awesome articles and set updates:
Add Comment