Hello all! Happy Friday! Welcome to my next and final article in my Top 40 of cards from the recently released set called Outlaws at Thunder Junction. This is for casual play like multiplayer, Commander, Five Color, Highlander, Pauper/Peasant, Type Four and more. You can check out my first slate here (Top Ten from Outlaws of Thunder Junction | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com)) and then the middle section last week here (Top Ten #2 from Outlaws of Thunder Junction | Article by Abe Sargent (coolstuffinc.com)).
As a reminder, this is only the base set of OTJ, not it's Commander cards or The Big Score, those'll be the next two weeks. Ready for my final look here? Let's do it to it!
Honorable Mention #1. (#42. Overall) - Kambal, Profiteering Mayor
This three-drop Orzhov colored Honorable Mention will kick off our final list! With a 2/4 body, he can block, and he's Commander eligible. Whenever a token ETBs on your foe's side, you make a free tapped copy of each, but just once/turn. That may slow usage once down, but you can force it with things like Forbidden Orchard. Most will just play their Clue or 1/1 or Treasure token maker and not bother though. Then when one or more tokens are made for you, this is a win con that drains 1 life from each foe. Note if you make more than one, like Lingering Souls, this will only happen once, but there are no once/turn breaks there. Great way to kick things off!
Honorable Mention #2. (#41. Overall) - Voracious Varmint
This two-drop common (Pauper, Peasant) 2/2 Bear sized dork rocks vigilance to swing and hold back, and then a self sacrifice trigger for just one mana to Naturalize something! Removal on a two-drop with sacrifice itself is great in places like recursion with Regrowth or in archetypes like Aristocrats, Reanimation, Sacrifice Matters, Pod, or just generally here. Love this common loads! Now let's hit up my Top 40 proper!
#40. Satoru, the Infiltrator
Everyone's favorite Ninja planeswalker! This two-drop Dimir colored legendary 2/3 with evasion in menace is on-curve. This is a triggered ability. When a (nontoken) dork ETBs? If it wasn't cast or no mana was spent for it, draw a card! That means Ninjas with ninjutsu, obviously, as well as many other things like Zombify reanimation, Lord of the Void, Bribery, free drops like Tooth and Nail, and loads more! Love this Ninja so much, and he's Rogue for outlaws too, as an FYI. He's pretty spicey for those and way more!
#39. Rodeo Pyromancers
Another common (Pauper, Peasant) is next! This four-drop 3/4 is in mono-Red. You are ramped by two red mana each first spell you cast on any turn, yours or your foes. You can abuse that with Storm, Spellslinger, Outlaws, and more, and note his trigger won't be instants/sorceries like normal, or non-creatures, but all spells. It's good everywhere as a great ramp body. Make sure to run mana sinks. Love it, run it!
#38. Harrier Strix
Another one-drop flyer with a 1/1 body is printed and next, with a rarity of common, also a player for Pauper and Peasant. When this ETBs, you tap a permanent, not just dorks, but even lands, so tempo here. Then you can spend three mana to draw and discard, like a Looter on a stick that swings. This is great from a few multiplayer ways. First, you are spending mana, Looting only, and no one will target it for removal while helping you (Treasure Trove Effect). Then this is a dork that might prevent folks from coming your way with their team (Density of Creatures). And this is a tempo-minded fun one-drop Aggro, Tempo, or Flyers matter one-drop. Love it so much! This is my highest scoring common in today's list!
#37. Rakdos, the Muscle
This five-drop 6/5 flying with trample (double evasive, nasty) on-curve legendary dork is next! This has a sacrifice dork trigger, and note it can be a token. You exile cards from the top of target player's library (might I suggest a foe's) equal to its cost. Copy tokens will work nicely, especially those that are sacrificed at the end of the turn naturally. You can cast one spell with any color of mana until your next end step. Do it on a foe's turn ideally to get two full turns of your current and untapped mana. Then this has a mana-free sac another dork to trigger to give your Rakdos indestructible to save to the turn and tap him. Love this guy so much!
#36. Riku of Many Paths
From one Red colored Commander eligible critter to another, let's swap Black for Simic and also a three-drop on-curve 3/3 modal spell caring legendary dork that creates a new archetype! For each mode on your spell casts, you can choose one of three modal options here. You can Act on Impulse one card until your next turn, so two rounds on your turn if used. You can give Riku trample and then +1/+1 counter and then make a free 1/1 flyer Bird token to block and save, or swing for funs! Love this three-drop deck leader loads!
#35. Bovine Intervention AND Requsition Raid AND Shoot the Sheriff
This fun interaction trio is next! Each costs at least two with great interaction. The first costs two, instant speed, destroys two permanent types and leaves behind just a 2/2 Ox. The second costs one base, +2 twice for three mana to Hull Breach at sorcery speed in one color not two. The third costs two, instant, destroys non-outlaws like two mana Doom Blade with restrictions. Love all three! My favorite is the Raid though! Get them and run them.
#34. Eriette, the Beguiler
Ah yes, everyone's favorite reverse Voltron Commander in four mana with 4/4, lifelink, Grixis colors. I love her so much that next Tuesday I am building a Budget Commander around her. Check it out! Your Auras on foe's stuff steal them if they are the same cost or lower. Love her loads!
#33. Geralf, the Fleshwright
This three-drop mono-Blue legendary Warlock that makes Zombie Rogue tokens is next! Note both are outlaws. It has a cast trigger for the second spell on any turn to make the aforementioned 2/2 token. Who will attack and get chump blocked or trade if you have mana untapped and a grip. Also note that when a Zombie ETBs, you toss a +1/+1 counter on it for each other Zombie that ETBed this turn! He wants to go wide with Zombies, and we know how beloved that kindred type is! Love him loads! Run him as a Commander or in the 99 with aplomb.
#32. High Noon
Three mana enchantment versions of this one spell/turn restriction in uncommon form are heavily played at the kitchen table and competitive formats unfortunately. Getting a turn two-drop that can be sacrificed to shoot any target for 5 for board or player control is even nastier for said formats. Don't run this. It's nasty, but I cannot deny its power!
#31. Outcaster Trailblazer
Our unusual plot card is this three-drop 4/2 Green rare. On-curve and when it ETBs, you'll ramp a free mana, nice. You can plot it for three too. Then when another high-powered dork ETBs, you'll draw that sweet card, on an already ramping plotting and 4 power three mana dork! They just does all of the stuff, love 'em loads! Enjoy the majesty of this! All of the next four are all legendary options for Commander, so this is the highest hitting non-legendary dork!
#30. Ghired, Mirror of the Wilds
Our even 30th card is sticking in Green dorks, adding red and White next door, and adding legendary for Command Zone purposes, but the same cost at 3, for a 3/3 on-curve with haste to swing now. Then your nontoken dorks gain an ability! What is it? They can tap to make a copy of a token that ETBed this turn, you control only. So, if you made a Treasure, you can tap your team to make a Treasure too! Or you can tap for Junk, Powerstones, 2/2 Bears, 1/1 Soldiers or Goblins, 3/3 Beasts, 6/6 Wurms, way much more! We all know how beloved tokens are and note that this keeps them on the battlefield with the mass copies. See why this Shaman is here? I hope so!
#29. Fblthp, Lost on the Range
This three-drop ward 2 to protect a bit 1/1 mono-Blue legendary is next! You can look at the top card of your library, and then cast it with plot equal to its mana cost, and then cast it at sorcery speed on a future turn. That alone is pretty good! Then add in the free turns later to set up nicely! It won't pair well with instants or responses, but most will love it. It's pretty good to lead a sorcery and permanent heavy deck. Welcome to the team, Fblthp! I found him leading a fun Commander brew!
#28. Taii Wakeen, Perfect Shot
This two-drop, on-curve, Boros 2/3 is next! She has a noncombat damage trigger to draw when you deal damage equal to their toughness. That'll be ideal for spreading damage stuff like Arc Lightning or Rolling Thunder to draw tons and kill too! Then you can tap her with X mana to increase noncombat damage dealt to a player or their stuff. That way you can turn a Lightning Bolt into three more damage to kill a Consecrated Sphinx and draw a card too. Burn matters is always pretty popular, and this approaches it from a different angle! And then?? There was one!
#27. Bristly Bill, Spine Sower
The final card on the final list! This two-drop legendary Bear Green mythic has been making some Standard brews as well! It has landfall to toss a +1/+1 counter here, and you can drop it turn two, landfall turn three prior to attacking, and swing with a 3/3 Commander, more if you ramp like Cultivate or Rampant Growth. Many in Standard are talking about dropping him turn 3 to protect him and grow by one before passing your turn and not being open with a 2 toughness. This bad boy loves lands, but also +1/+1 counters since you can swap five mana to double the counters on all of your varmints not just him! This guy rules the sky! Or ground in this case.
There we are! I hope that you enjoyed my final OTJ Top Arty! Next week we'll hit up The Big Score!