Outlaws in MTG: Rules, History, and Best Cards

Last updated on April 18, 2024

Back in Town | Illustrated by Greg Staples

Spin yer partner round and round,

Steal their wallet then leave town!

Or however square dancing’s supposed to go. I’m sure this is the song outlaws dance to, right?

It makes perfect sense that the Magic set that made Secret Rendezvous and Phelddagrif big crime-committing cards also introduced us to the concept of outlaws. It’s not a complicated concept by any means, especially as Magic starts using batching mechanics like this more frequently.

Check your pockets and clutch your pearls; we’re partying with some Thunder Junction scoundrels tonight. Well, the rogues will be partying, at the very least. Ahem, shall we?

What Creature Types Are Outlaws?

Slickshot Lockpicker | Illustration by Wei Wei

The term outlaw refers to a batch of creature types: assassins, mercenaries, rogues, pirates, and warlocks. The “bad guys” of Magic, if you will. Note that “outlaw” itself is not a creature type, just a designation that describes a collection of creature types.

The History of Outlaws in MTG

The term outlaw was introduced to Magic in 2024’s Outlaws of Thunder Junction. See, it’s right there in the name! Technically outlaws have existed since the dawn of Magic (Royal Assassin was in Alpha, after all), but the term wasn’t used until Thunder Junction, and it’s basically only relevant with cards specific to that set.

Thirteen cards in Thunder Junction reference the term outlaw specifically, with another seven in the accompanying Most Wanted Commander precon. Of these 20 cards, the majority are red and/or black, with blue and white just barely touching the theme. Of course, there are outlaw creatures across all colors, but the cards that specifically reference outlaws are much more narrow.

Is Outlaw Technically a Card Type?

Outlaw is neither a card type nor a subtype. That should be pretty obvious by the fact that “outlaw” never appears in the type line of a card. An outlaw in your graveyard is simply a creature for the purposes of something like Tarmogoyf, and you can’t name “outlaw” with your Roaming Throne.

Do Changelings Count as Outlaws?

Technically, yes! Changelings count as all of the above creature types. They don’t have the outlaw creature type, because that’s not a real thing, but changelings are indeed assassins, mercenaries, rogues, warlocks and pirates all at once. Changelings count for anything that refers to an outlaw, regardless of which zone they’re in. That means you can bring a changeling back with Back in Town, or copy a changeling spell while you control Double Down.

Outlaws vs. Party vs. Historic

Outlaws, party, and historic are all terms in Magic that refer to a collection of different cards without actually being a card type or subtype themselves. They’re what R&D refers to as “batching” mechanics that tie together certain subcategories of cards without adding any additional rules baggage. Just to clarify the distinction between these three:

• Outlaws are assassins, mercenaries, rogues, pirates and warlocks.
• Party creatures are clerics, rogues, warriors, and wizards, and they’re perpetually hung over.
• Historic refers to artifacts, legendary cards, and sagas.

Looks like rogues are double-dipping! According to Magic, a legendary rogue is a historic outlaw who loves to party.

“Modified” is another similar batching term that refers to a collection of different cards and effects, and can be referenced on other cards. I’d expect to see more of this in the future; I wouldn’t be surprised if KLOS is next on the list (that’s the “Krakens, Leviathans, Octopuses, and Serpents” text we see on cards like Whelming Wave).

Best Outlaw Cards

Let’s look at the best outlaw cards, and by that I mean cards that specifically interact with outlaw creatures, not just outlaws themselves. For now, this is entirely tied to cards from Thunder Junction and its Commander precons.

Back in Town

If you need to mass–reanimate your outlaws, this black sorcery is your get-out-of-jail… well, out-of-graveyard card. Back in Town rewards you for sticking to this batch of creatures without the level of dedication needed for cards like Haunting Voyage or Patriarch's Bidding.

Discreet Retreat

Ramp and card draw is a very strange thing to see on a black aura, but here we are. Discreet Retreat demonstrates the flexibility of batching mechanics, since this is just as powerful in a rogue- or pirate-only deck as it would be in a fully dedicated outlaw deck.

Double Down

Not to be confused with KFC’s heart attack sandwich of the same name, Double Down lets you, well, you know. We’ve seen this before with cards like Necroduality and Reflections of Littjara, which are popular cards for different typal strategies.

Hellspur Posse Boss

Look, the name’s just fun to say. Hellspur Posse Boss makes 4/6 worth of stats for 4 mana, some of which has haste, and grants other outlaws haste. That’s a lot on a 4-drop, making this red creature a likely shoo-in for any actual outlaw deck.

Laughing Jasper Flint

Not sure what Laughing Jasper Flint’s actually laughing about. Maybe it’s being a 4/3 for 3 with no downside, or stealing spells from opponents and making them outlaws. Or perhaps it’s the fact that this is secretly a mill win condition in disguise? I guess you’ll be laughing too while Jasper sits in play.

Olivia, Opulent Outlaw

Didn’t you just get married? Olivia, Opulent Outlaw flippantly creates Treasure tokens and gives you a pretty hefty way to use them. Two +1/+1 counters on all your creatures? That’s gonna end some games.

Rakish Crew

Bastion of Remembrance is an excellent Blood Artist variant, and Rakish Crew is just that for an outlaw deck. And this black enchantment is better, even, since the Mercenary token is slightly stronger than a generic 1/1.

Shoot the Sheriff

Kinda funny, since Shoot the Sheriff is actually more of an anti-outlaw card, in that this black instant can’t actually interact with outlaws at all. That seems like relevant text for Standard, and flavorful for outlaw-themed Commander decks. It’s just Doom Blade+ against non-outlaws. It’s also a perfect design; read that reminder text real slowly.

Vihaan, Goldwaker

Vihaan, Goldwaker might actually be the strongest new legend to come out of Thunder Junction’s Commander precons. Some keywords for your outlaws on top of a trigger that turns Treasure into 3/3s for a turn? Weird, but almost like a Cyberdrive Awakener-lite in Mardu colors.

Decklist: Vihaan, Goldwaker in Commander

Vihaan, Goldwaker | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve

This deck has Vihaan, Goldwaker as your Mardu commander and uses the Most Wanted Commander precon as a base, swapped out Olivia, Opulent Outlaw for Vihaan, and doubled down on the Treasure-making element of the deck (ironically, it can’t play Double Down).

It lies somewhere in high casual, playing some pretty powerful cards like Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, Smothering Tithe, and a pumped-up mana base compared to the precon. It falls just short of playing free spells like Deflecting Swat and Deadly Rollick, or unfun game-breakers like Dockside Extortionist, though those would all admittedly be amazing here (aren’t they always?). Word to the wise: This isn’t a very budget-friendly or beginner-friendly deck.

Much like the EDH precon it was based on, this deck wants to assemble a ragtag band of outlaws, each of which adds some extra value to the deck, with a special emphasis on Treasure-makers like Grim Hireling and Prosper, Tome-Bound. Those outlaws control the game in various ways while you amass Treasure, after which Vihaan can join the fray and weaponize your stockpile of tokens.

I can’t get into a full deck tech here, but suffice to say it’s incredibly fun and pretty strong without quite approaching cEDH territory. It’s also extremely customizable, given the number of creature types that count as outlaws. Got a favorite rogue or assassin you’ve wanted a home for? Here you go!

Round Up

Hollow Marauder | Illustration by Wero Gallo

End of the road, partner. Still got all your belongings and a scalp on your head?

Outlaws feel like a perfect fit for Magic’s Wild West set. After all, Baddies of Thunder Junction doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. I’m a big fan of these batching mechanics, even if outlaw is a fairly specific term that’s unlikely to show up too often elsewhere.

It’s also fairly broad, to the point where I can see pirate and rogue decks getting a lot of mileage out of some of the outlaw payoffs that were printed in Thunder Junction. And it’s nice to give some more niche types like warlocks, assassins, and mercenaries some love.

Who are your favorite outlaws, and how do you plan on using these new outlaw cards from the Wild West set? Are you also annoyed that Arrogant Outlaw isn’t an outlaw? Let me know in the Draftsim Discord or on Twitter/X!

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