Alright listen up, you low-down, snake-bit, cattle-rustlin’, rock-kickin’, whiskey-spillin’... Skulduggery …it’s time for the long-awaited cowboy draft set! Outlaws of Thunder Junction is here and we’re about to find out who’s got the fastest first-pick in the West!  Wizards have wisely decided to follow up Murders at Karlov Manor with a more “normal” draft set, but that doesn’t mean it lacks for fun and thematic mechanics! You’ll be recruiting outlaws, saddling mounts, committing crimes and… waiting for the perfect moment to draw.  High Noon It’s a fun set to draft, but one with ve ..read more

Bloomburrow is Magic’s next Standard-release set, and we’ve been told that it’s a plane where there are no humans. This made me think of Lorwyn, another humanless plane.  In my MTG Top 10 on the most important sets in the history of Magic, Lorwyn came in at #6. It introduced two new card types – Planeswalkers and Kindred (called Tribal at the time). Obviously enough, one of those card types has had a much bigger impact on the game than the other. Regardless, Lorwyn is the only set not named Alpha to introduce more than one card type. Lorwyn had a huge focus on creature types, and it impa ..read more

Isshin, Two Heavens as One is one of the most popular Mardu Aggro Commanders. What’s the best way to build him? What are the best attack triggers for Isshin? Let’s suit up and turn sideways.  ISSHIN TWO HEAVENS AS ONE Isshin, Two Heavens as One Isshin is a very fun Commander, as he lets us double up on the best attack triggers in the game, whether that’s extra combats, card draw, mana, or pure damage buffs. Isshin doubles attack triggers on your permanents, whether from you attacking or from an opponent attacking, meaning he can also double triggers on a Revenge of Ravens or Cunning Rhet ..read more

Over the years, Magic has invented a multitude of mechanics to build decks around, each with its own unique advantages, dedicated support cards and memorable payoffs. But when all of those archetypes are thrown together into the grand melting pot of Commander, a few top-tier choices stand out. They offer versatile deck building options, consistent performance across different areas of the game and power ceilings which border on unbeatable.  This time we’re looking at storm, one of Magic’s all-time strongest mechanics, and Commander decks which embrace its distinctive playstyle. The arche ..read more

The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride is the latest version of The Gitrog Monster, showing up at Thunder Junction ‘cos he’s feeling a bit peckish. Gitrog has always been a deck based around value and lands, and the latest offering is no different. Kristen has uncovered some hidden gems that are currently very underplayed. THE GITROG, RAVENOUS RIDE The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride The Gitrog, Ravenous Ride immediately makes me concerned for Thalia’s whereabouts – anyone else? At five mana for a Trample Haste 6/5, it’s looking very likely to get through provided it doesn’t eat removal, and let me tell you: this h ..read more

People generally don’t think of Core Sets when they think of powerful cards. This is because Core Sets were intentionally designed to be an on-ramp for new Magic players. As a result, the cards are intentionally simplified. While cards can be powerful even when they don’t have that many words in the text box, it is a little bit harder for an entire set of simplified cards to have a whole bunch of bangers. Core Sets before 2009 also consisted entirely of reprints, making them even less exciting. Magic 2010 did start to move away from this model a little bit. Not only did cards become a little ..read more

Outlaws of Thunder Junction arrives April 19 and brings with it four new Commander Precon decks. Fourty new cards feature across the Most Wanted, Grand Larceny, Quick Draw and Desert Bloom decks, along with some juicy reprints. What are the highlights? Kristen has the details. OUTLAWS OF THUNDER JUNCTION COMMANDER REPRINTS  Before I cover the new cards, I’d like to first look at some of the great reprints these decks have on offer. Command Beacon Command Beacon is a really nice utility land if your Commander costs five or more. I run it in my Syr Gwyn deck that relies on Gwyn heavily. Sh ..read more

Take a seat, partner, and get stuck into the Outlaws of Thunder Junction Commander Set Review. It’s cowboys, it’s cacti, it’s some crazy strong enchantments. And some really neat new Commanders! You can find other recent Commander set reviews here: Karlov Manor Lost Caverns of Ixalan Doctor Who Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth March of the Machine: Aftermath March of the Machine As always, we’re only looking at the all-rounders. For example, we won’t cover cards like Another Round. It’s sorcery speed flicker, which is for most purposes unplayable. You can achieve the same with a hig ..read more

Outlaws of Thunder Junction comes out next week as of this writing, and along with it are four Commander decks. Today, we’re going to look at the Desert Bloom deck, a lands-based Red-White-Green deck that has some serious potential lurking in its shell.  Desert Bloom First, we’ll take a look at Desert Bloom’s two potential commanders, then run down the other completely brand-new cards in the deck, before figuring out exactly how we’re going to go about upgrading the deck on a $50 budget. We’ll follow that with suggestions for further upgrades where we’ll set the budget aside.   All ..read more

Watch yourself pardner – there’s some new Commander precons in town, and they’re lookin’ for trouble wherever it can be found! Bounty: Lyssa, Sterling Collector | Wanted Token | Bounty: Vara Beth Hannifer Outlaws of Thunder Junction has arrived to share its impeccable Weird West aesthetic, and a unique twist on the Commander format. Like fan-favorite Planechase, the new Bounty game modifier adds randomized secondary objectives to the table, which any player can complete to receive rewards. The longer a bounty goes unclaimed, the bigger your eventual payoff… but don’t get so greedy someone sna ..read more