Away From Keyboard - Magic: The Gathering - Outlaws of Thunder Junction
Feature
Yippee- Ki-Yay
Who didn’t want to be a cowboy (or cowgirl) growing up? There have been so many movies and TV shows that could have started that love of the Wild West - whether it was the hilarity of Back to the Future III, the seriousness of Young Guns, or even the childish enjoyment of Toy Story (or more particularly Toy Story 2 when Woody meets Jessie).
Outlaws of Thunder Junction has Magic: The Gathering players heading out to the Wild West. We at Hooked Gamers were lucky enough to be invited to one of the pre-release events, and so we dusted off our best cowboy hat, holstered our six-shooter and then moseyed on over to the local saloon (Fortress Melbourne).
Set mechanics
It's all about the outlaws and committing crimes in the Wild West, with bonuses for collecting bounties. And of course, a cowboy needs a horse (or indeed, a mount of some type) to get him from one town to the next. So let's saddle up and check out the new mechanics in the Outlaws of Thunder Junction set.
Outlaws
Of course, the main new item in the set is Outlaws. Outlaw is a new game term that refers to any card with the Assassin, Mercenary, Pirate, Rogue, or Warlock creature type.
Committing a Crime
A player commits a crime as they cast a spell, activate an ability, or put a triggered ability on the stack that targets at least one opponent, at least one permanent, spell, or ability an opponent controls, and/or at least one card in an opponent's graveyard.
Mounts and Saddle
Mount is a new creature type. It doesn't have any specific rules associated with it; it's just where you're most likely to find the new ability saddle. Saddle is an activated ability that you activate as a sorcery—meaning during your main phase while the stack is empty—by tapping any number of untapped creatures you control other than the Mount. When the card is saddled and attacks, additional abilities are triggered.
Spree
Spells with Spree have a base cost as well as multiple additional costs, each of which is associated with a specific effect. Spending more mana to cast the spell produces a more powerful spell.
Plot
Plot is a new keyword that allows you to pay a cost up front and exile a card from your hand. The card then becomes plotted. On a future turn, you may cast a plotted card from exile without paying its mana cost.
Bounties
Success on this plane often boils down to keeping your eyes on the prize. Bounty cards are a special addition to Commander decks that present players with some interesting characters to try and apprehend.
In a Commander game, all players use a shared bounty deck, which consists of at least 6 of the 12 total bounty cards. The bounty deck uses no more than one of any particular bounty card. Bounties begin on the starting player's third turn. Each bounty card describes the condition under which a player may capture them and claim their reward. Only the player whose turn it is can claim a reward, and only one reward may be claimed per turn.
There are four different reward levels for bounties, and each bounty uses the same reward chart. If you claim a reward on the turn that bounty was first offered, you create a Treasure token—the level 1 reward. If a bounty goes unclaimed at the end of the turn, the reward level increases until the maximum reward is offered at level 4, two Treasure tokens and a card.
Once you claim a reward, set that bounty card aside. You can place it next to you for bragging rights. As the next turn begins, you'll reveal who's next to be on the run. If the bounty deck is depleted, there's been a jailbreak! Shuffle all the bounty cards back together to reform the bounty deck. You'll have to get to work catching everyone again. At least there's more Treasure and maybe some cards in it for you.
The Cards
Planeswalkers
Strangely, considering the recent sets, there are two Planeswalkers in the Outlaws of Thunder Junction set.
Oko, The Ringleader (Blue and Green)
Jace Reawakened (Blue)
Lands
Although there are plenty of land cards that depict dusty desert settings that you would expect from a Wild West scenario, the Outlaws of Thunder Junction also beautifully depict a range of other settings.
Product Types
Commander Decks (100 cards) - four variations
● Quick Draw (blue/red)
● Grand Larceny (blue/black/green)
● Desert Bloom (green/white/blue)
● Most Wanted (red/white/black)
Play Boosters (14 cards)
Collector Boosters (15 cards)
Bundle
The Outlaws of Thunder Junction is also the first time that Magic: The Gathering has featured bonuses for competing at your local WPN store events. By participating in at least 4 events throughout the season, players can nab an iconic MTG Bandana, a full set of Character Badges, Wanted Posters, and Gold-Coloured Metal Tokens representing each member of the Gang of Legends. In-store events that are eligible for this loot include Prerelease Events, Limited Events (Draft and Sealed), and Friday Night Magic events for Outlaws of Thunder Junction.
For more info about the Outlaws of Thunder Junction set and the prizes on offer, visit the Outlaws of Thunder Junction product page. And, as always, follow us on Instagram for news updates, reviews, competitions and more.