Everything you need to know about MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction

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1. What is it?
2. Release date
3. Products
4. Mechanics
5. Story
6. Spoilers
7. Deals

It's prerelease week for MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction, making it the perfect time to scope out what cards and pre-con decks from the set might be worth picking up.

You could be hoping to add a little bit of Western flair to your existing Magic collection. Heck, this could be your first time moseying into the wild world of one of the best card games. Either way, MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction promises to be a rootin' tootin' release that's well worth checking out.

In preparation for the set's release, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the good, the bad, and the ugly — everything from the set's release date and story to its brand spankin' new mechanics. You'll also want to be on the look out for the best pre-order deals. You're in luck, pardner! We've got all of this and more below, so saddle up for all the MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction info you need below!

What is MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction?

• Magic: The Gathering with a cowboy twist

• Commander decks and Collector/Play boosters available

• Second standard set released in 2024

While MTG Fallout debuted early in March, Outlaws of Thunder Junction will be the first premier Magic: The Gathering release following MTG Murders at Karlov Manor back in February. This release also marks the first set in Magic history that is dedicated to the Western genre. Most importantly though, Outlaws of Thunder Junction is Magic: The Gathering's 100th set.

Don't expect to play Sheriff 'round these parts though. Outlaws of Thunder Junction centers around a posse of villains from all across the MTG universe hoping to pull off a major heist on an ancient Fomori vault.

With this in mind, you can expect to see some established Magic: The Gathering ne'er-do-wells reimagined using kooky Spaghetti Western tropes.

MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction release date

We don't have long before this Wild West-themed set hits shelves, More specifically, debut and previews for MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction began March 26 and continued until April 5. You'll be able to play digitally when Outlaws of Thunder Junction is added to MTG Arena on April 16, but you won't be able to get your hands on the physical decks until April 19.

Here's the full MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction release schedule:

• Story begins: March 18

• Debut and previews begin: March 26

• Card gallery and previews complete: April 5

• MTG Arena release: April 16

• Tabletop release: April 19

MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction products

• Four Commander decks

• Collector Boosters 

• Play Boosters

Because this is a 'main' set, MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction gets the full red-carpet treatment so far as products go. There are Commander decks, more boosters than you can shake a six-shooter at, and the usual bundles. That means there will be something to suit you regardless of how you like to play Magic: The Gathering.

Here's everything featured in the MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction range.

Commander decks (x4)

The preconstructed Commander decks are the stars of Outlaws of Thunder Junction. These four decks are Most Wanted, Quick Draw, Grand Larceny, and Desert Bloom. All — with the exception of Quick Draw — are tricolor.

As with any Commander deck, they contain 100 cards. However, you also get 10 tokens, a life counter, and a bonus Collector Booster Sample Pack which will give you a chance to get your hands on some mighty pretty foils and alternate art cards.

The full MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander decklists are worth checking out but if you're in a hurry, each deck's blurb gives a clue as to what you can expect from play.

Most Wanted | View on Amazon
Most Wanted's face commander, Olivia Voldaren, made her debut in Innistrad. Her Mardu (white-black-red) deck promises a Treasure generation engine that meshes well with having lots of outlaws in your deck.

Quick Draw | View on Amazon
True to the Izzet (red-blue) archetype, Quick Draw has a strong focus on spell-slinging, which rewards you with further opportunities to spell sling. Load up on combos of Instants and Sorceries and unleash a world of hurt on your opponents.

Grand Larceny | View on Amazon
With Grand Larceny, you not only benefit from the strengths of your own deck but the strengths of your opponents' decks too. Delight in stealing a card from out under their noses and using it against them. It's all the easier to do with Gonti, Canny Acquisitor's abilities.

Desert Bloom | View on Amazon
Aside from some ridiculously cute baby cactusfolk, Yuma's deck delivers a system of discarding lands to your benefit. For example, Yuma himself can be cast for fewer mana if you have lands in your graveyard and you can draw a card and generate a 4/2 Plant Warrior every time you sacrifice a land.

Collector boosters

If you're something of a magpie when it comes to Magic: The Gathering, Collector Boosters are for you. Each one of these 15-card packs include a range of Rare cards, foils, and alternate art treatments. Six of these are alternate border cards like the Breaking News bonus sheet. It's worth noting that textured foils are exclusive to this product, so be sure to pick up some Collector Boosters if you have their eye on those cards.

Collector Booster | View on Amazon
This single Collector Booster offers at least 5 cards of Rare or higher rarity, and 3 very snazzy Breaking News cards.

Collector Booster Box | View on Amazon
With 12 Collector Boosters totalling at 180 cards, this box is hefty haul with a hefty price tag to match. It's the perfect chunk of treasure for a hardcore collector.

Play boosters

Outlaws of Thunder Junction's 14-card Play Boosters are the best way to come across the set's Breaking News and The Big Score bonus sheets. These unique card treatments are the perfect accomplice to any crime you have planned on the battlefield.

Play Booster | View on Amazon

If you're feelin' lucky, pick up a single Outlaws of Thunder Junction Play Booster and have a standoff with your opponents.

Play Booster Pack | View on Amazon

Okay, so you're feeling really lucky. Take three times the chances and pop open this 42 card Play Booster Pack.

Play Booster Bundle | View on Amazon

This bundle delivers nine Play Boosters (for a total of 126 cards), 30 gorgeous full art land cards, a life counter, and a nifty storage box.

Play Booster Box | View on Amazon

The Play Booster Box is a whole vault of Outlaws of Thunder Junction goodness consisting of 504 cards. While it may be pricey, it's ideal for those want to do some major deck construction.

MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction mechanics

• Introduces new Crime and Plot mechanics

• 'The Big Score' subset with unique set symbol and code

• 'Breaking News' bonus sheet included in Play boosters

Along with some quirky cactusfolk and many, many Stetson hats, you can expect the introduction of a handful of new mechanics in Outlaws of Thunder Junction. These are:

• Crime

• Spree

• Plot

• Mount / Saddle keyword

• Outlaw

• Bounty

A Crime is any spell or ability that targets opponents or any of their cards. Crime doesn't always pay but given the heroes of this set like to play it fast and loose with the law, committing a Crime is sometimes heavily incentivized. While you can be punished, you can just as easily benefit from it too.

Plot allows you to exile a card and play it on a later turn without paying its mana cost.

Spree is a slight modification of the escalate keyword. Instant or sorcery with spree require have the player choose one or more additional effects and pay their corresponding costs.

Creatures that are of the Mount creature type can be saddled (an ability which functions similarly to Crew). When you Saddle a creature, you can activate additional abilities which the creature did not have in its unsaddled state.

Outlaw is a new kind of batching (think Party from Zendikar Rising) that incorporates the creature types of Assassins, Pirates, Mercenaries, Rogues, and Warlocks.

The Bounty mini game is an optional addition to your game, which provides you with Treasure tokens as a reward for claiming Bounty cards.

In addition to getting to grips with Outlaws of Thunder Junction's story and mechanics, details on Thunder Junction's bonus sheets and subsets are particularly relevant for collectors and non-casual players.

There are five subsets in Outlaws of Thunder Junction:

Outlaws of Thunder Junction Set Code: OTJ
Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander Set Code: OTC
Breaking News Set Code: OTP
The Big Score Set Code: BIG
Special Guests Set Code: SPG

MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction story

• This set features a Wild-West fantasy plane...

• Villainous vault-hunters in search of gold and glory...

• And a particularly tense family reunion

While the events of the Phyrexian Invasion left the multiverse reeling, it did have one positive effect in the development of the Omenpaths. These channels of planar travel might be volatile and unpredictable, but with that risk comes reward. And as it turns out, that reward can be very, very valuable.

This brings us to Thunder Junction, a Wild West plane housing a legendary vault which promises fabulous riches to any bad son of a gun able to hunt it down and crack it open.

Naturally, there are plenty of power-hungry outlaws ready to try their hand at securing this loot, but Thunder Junction's most-wanted is Oko. A Planeswalker, Oko has assembled a band of desperados to assist him in his hunt for the vault of Thunder Junction, including familiar faces like Vraska, Tiny Bones, and Rakdos alongside newcomers like Annie Flash.

We see another returning character in Kellan, Oko's son. Finally successful in his attempts to find his father, Kellan will have another challenge to overcome — will he join his deadbeat dad in his dastardly deeds or stand against him? While he initially pledges his loyalty to his father, Oko leaves him for dead in the clutches of Akul, the leader of the Hellspurs. With this betrayal, the father and son are pitched as opponents in the race to open the vault.

MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction spoilers

MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction exclusive card preview

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Best MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction deals

You can now pre-order MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction from all the usual places, and no Commander decks have sold out just yet. It's only a matter of time until that happens, though; a popular deck going out of stock almost everywhere is unfortunately a common occurrence, as seen with Ixalan's Veloci-Ramp-Tor pack and certain MTG Fallout releases. For this set, we'd be very surprised if the Grand Larceny deck doesn't fly off shelves. Just look at that moody hunk of armor and capes on the cover.

Sadly, we haven't seen any deals yet - everything's still going for full price. However, that will change as release day approaches and certain Commander decks start to sell for less because they're not as sought-after.

Either way, we'll keep an eye out and update you as and when something changes. In the meantime, our bargain-hunting software below will keep you informed on the current lowest price for each item in MTG Outlaws of Thunder Junction.

You might have plans for Friday Night Magic, but what about the other six days of the week? Fill them with more tabletop fun by picking up one of our choices for the best board games. Alternatively, if you prefer your games to require a few more dice, check out the best tabletop RPGs.